Unhappy in love, New York creative writing instructor Aaron McCloud, 32, arrives in Western Ireland's County Kerry to suffer amid its natural beauty in this very funny sixth novel from Caldwell (The Uncle from Rome). Aaron stays with his aunt Kitty, who makes a living rewriting the classics...  more

Unhappy in love, New York creative writing instructor Aaron McCloud, 32, arrives in Western Ireland's County Kerry to suffer amid its natural beauty in this very funny sixth novel from Caldwell (The Uncle from Rome). Aaron stays with his aunt Kitty, who makes a living rewriting the classics (her version of Oliver Twist features lots of repentance), but Aaron's wallow in self-pity is interrupted by a lost pig that attaches itself to him. When the pig digs up a human skeleton buried in the backyard, Kitty identifies the remains as the missing Declan Tovey and blames the pig's mischievous owner, Lolly McKeever. But Lolly won't admit to owning the pig, let alone killing Declan, and Aaron, for his part, is attracted to Lolly and suspicious of his aunt, who had her own reasons for wanting Declan dead. The stage is set for an Irish country comedy of manners in which darts, pints, pigs and burial plots all play a part. Caldwell's shaggy pig story, the first of a projected trilogy, puts farcical doings into lilting language and provides a payoff that is as unexpected as it is satisfying.

Kitty, Kieran, Lolly, and Aaron the main characters of the previous two Pig Trilogy novels would be expected to be living happily ever after at this point. But nothing is settled or as expected in Caldwell 's new tragicomedy (of the kind that only the Irish can compose): Disappeared...  more

Kitty, Kieran, Lolly, and Aaron the main characters of the previous two Pig Trilogy novels would be expected to be living happily ever after at this point. But nothing is settled or as expected in Caldwell 's new tragicomedy (of the kind that only the Irish can compose): Disappeared characters rematerialize, romances that seemed dead burst back to ardent life, and even Taddy and Brid, Castle Kissane 's comely spirits, resolve themselves into much-longed-for conclusions. And the pig who started it all by rooting up the bones of the past and tipping many lives topsy turvey eventually goes wee wee wee all the way to a very unexpected home.

This second in a projected trilogy begun with The Pig Did It reintroduces readers to the wildly successful and volatile author of "corrected" classic novels, Kitty McCloud; her hard-working husband, Kieran Sweeney; Kitty's swine-herding nephew, Aaron McCloud; and the nameless pig...  more

This second in a projected trilogy begun with The Pig Did It reintroduces readers to the wildly successful and volatile author of "corrected" classic novels, Kitty McCloud; her hard-working husband, Kieran Sweeney; Kitty's swine-herding nephew, Aaron McCloud; and the nameless pig with a twitching pink nose for trouble. Rolling in royalties, Kitty and Kieran purchase an ancient Irish castle in County Kerry only to discover that their new demesne is haunted by the ghosts of young lovers Taddy and Brid, wrongfully accused of treason and executed 200 years before. Kitty and Kieran's desire to release the tragic pair from limbo is complicated by the appearance of Lord Shaftoe, the alleged rightful owner of the castle. Meanwhile, the mischievous pig sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately reveals the surprising resolution to everyone's problems. This charming, at times hilarious tale serves as a satisfying story as well as a quiet commentary on the sympathetic relationship between imagination and compassion.

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written...  more

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends -- and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island -- boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever. Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

The October Country is Ray Bradbury's own netherworld of the soul, inhabited by the horrors and demons that lurk within all of us. This classic collection of short stories includes: "The Emissary": The faithful dog was the sick boy's only connection with the world outside --...  more

The October Country is Ray Bradbury's own netherworld of the soul, inhabited by the horrors and demons that lurk within all of us. This classic collection of short stories includes: "The Emissary": The faithful dog was the sick boy's only connection with the world outside -- and beyond... "The Small Ass: A fine, healthy baby boy was the new mother's dream come true--or her worst nightmare... "The Scythe": Just when his luck had run out, Drew Erickson inherited a farm from a stranger! And with the bequest came deadly responsibilities... "The Jar": A chilling story that combines love, death... and a matter of identity in a bottle of fear! The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone": A most remarkable case of murder -- the deceased was delighted! Plus nineteen more terrifying tales! Homesteading the October country -- The dwarf -- The next in line -- The watchful poker chip of H. Matisse -- Skeleton -- The jar -- The lake -- The emissary -- Touched with fire -- The small assassin -- The crowd -- Jack-in-the-box -- The scythe -- Uncle Einar -- The wind -- The man upstairs -- There was an old woman -- The cistern -- Homecoming -- The wonderful death of Dudley Stone