The Blue Fairy Book

Andrew Lang

Summary

Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a king whose palace was surrounded by a spacious garden. But, though the gardeners were many and the soil was good, this garden yielded neither flowers nor fruits, not even grass or shady trees.
The King was in despair about it, when a wise old man said to him:
“Your gardeners do not understand their business: but what can you expect of men whose fathers were cobblers and carpenters? How should they have learned to cultivate your garden?”
“You are quite right,” cried the King.
“Therefore,” continued the old man, “you should send for a gardener whose father and grandfather have been gardeners before him, and very soon your garden will be full of green grass and gay flowers, and you will enjoy its delicious fruit.”

Available since: 12/11/2022.

Contemporary Fiction

Other books that might interest you

Sister Deborah

Scholastique Mukasonga

In a four-part narrative brimming with historical asides, alluring anecdotes, and murky questions left in the margins of colonial records, Sister Deborah heralds "a life that is more alive" as it explores the tensions and myths of Rwanda's past. 
 
 
 
When time-worn ancestral remedies fail to heal young Ikirezi's maladies, she's rushed to the Rwandan hillsides. From her termite perch under the coral tree, health blooms under Sister Deborah's hands. Women bear their breasts to the rising sun as men under thatched roofs stand, "stunned and impotent before this female fury." 
 
 
 
Now grown, Ikirezi unearths the truth of Sister Deborah's passage from America to 1930s Rwanda and the mystery surrounding her sudden departure. In colonial records, Sister Deborah is a "pathogen," an "incident." Who is the keeper of truth, Ikirezi impels us to ask, Who stands at the threshold of memory? Did we dance? Did she heal? Did we look to the sky with wonder? Ikirezi writes on, pulling Sister Deborah out from the archive, inscribing her with breath. 
 
 
 
A novel that works in the slippages of history, Sister Deborah at its core is a story of what happens when women—black women and girls—seek the truth by any means.

Show book

The Amish Matchmakers

Beth Wiseman

This Amish matchmaker is an expert at finding love for others, but will she find it for herself?
Widowed sisters Esther and Lizzie are the town innkeepers—and the town matchmakers. But when a new tenant moves into a guest cottage at their Peony Inn, the sisters are shocked to discover that maybe this time, one of them might finally find a match of her own. Retired dentist Dr. Benjamin Stoltzfus has signed a six-month lease at the cottage—and gentle Esther and spirited Lizzie are in a surprising competition for the kind doctor’s affections. Dr. Stoltzfus doesn’t appear to be Amish, but his last name and his mysterious background have the sisters guessing—and open to the possibility of finding love again.
Things really heat up when Benjamin’s granddaughter, Mindy, comes to visit. Escaping her big-city life in Texas, Mindy has moved to Amish country to be closer to her grandfather and to embrace the simpler life she has longed for. But she’s unprepared for what happens when an attractive young Amish man, who spends time at the inn helping out the widows, runs his lawnmower right into her little red sports car. Sure, Gabriel is cute and funny and nice—but can a romance between an Englisch girl and an Amish boy end well?
As Mindy and Gabriel find themselves thrown together time after time, they forge a friendship and start making matchmaking plans of their own. Which sister would be better for Mindy’s grandfather—Esther or Lizzie? And as the two young people put their energy into playing Cupid, it looks like love and the life they’ve both dreamed of might also be finding them.Charming Amish romance featuring a later-in-life love triangleStand-alone novel, but returning to the world of The Amish Inn series

Show book

Reparation

Patty Jansen

After many years in space, Jonathan receives the message he's been dreading: his father has taken a fall. He can no longer live by himself and Jonathan's cousin has managed to get him into a care home.  
Jonathan is an only child, he is no longer in contact with his mother, and a deep sense of guilt forces him to return to Earth to look after his father's wellbeing.  
Except his father has a secret. He's in poor health and rather confused, so Jonathan finds it hard to get to the bottom of it.  
It's not like he has a lot of time, since he has to look for a job, a task which is proving surprisingly hard. P 
No one wants scientists, especially not if they've worked in space. But his father's secret shows how important it is to keep the work going. Not that governments will listen.

Show book

Naughty Wish

J.H. Croix

A swoon-worthy romance from USA Today bestselling Author J. H. Croix! If you like smoking hot romance, you'll love this book! 
 
 
 
A fender bender, and a hot cop to the rescue. 
 
 
 
I wasn't planning on falling in love. But I wasn't prepared for Finn. He's everything any girl would want. Tall, dark, and handsome with that whole rescue vibe that I didn't know was irresistible. 
 
 
 
It starts with dinner. Just a little harmless fun. Next thing I know, he's in way too deep. Then, he goes and rescues me again. What's a girl to do? Other than fall hard and fast. 
 
 
 
Contains mature themes.

Show book

Thistlewood Manor: A Gal's...

Fiona Grace

This recording has been digitally produced by Fiona Grace, using a synthesized version of an audiobook narrator’s voice under license. "Very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery, with some twists and an intelligent plot. You will not be disappointed. Excellent way to spend a cold weekend!"
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Murder in the Manor)

THISTLEWOOD MANOR: A GAL’S OFFING is Book #9 in a charming 1920s cozy mystery series by Fiona Grace, #1 bestselling author of Murder in the Manor, which has over 300 five star reviews!

For centuries, Thistlewood Manor has stood as home to the Montagu family, a beacon to British aristocracy in rural England. But it’s 1928, and in this new age of women’s rights, Eliza Montagu, 27, a free spirit, has turned her back on her family to live an artist’s life in London.

Yet after Eliza is summoned home, she decides to stay (for now) to help her father run the ailing family business. The presence of her childhood best friend, Oliver, also gives her a reason to stay, as she wonders if their unfulfilled romance might ever come to fruition.

The day Eliza has always dreamed of has finally come: her big wedding day.

But a shocking twist leaves someone dead—and leaves fingers pointing to the bride-to-be.

Will Eliza’s big moment turn into a nightmare?

Or can she solve this case and tie the knot once and for all?

A charming historical cozy mystery series that transports readers back in time, THISTLEWOOD MANOR is mystery at its finest: spellbinding, atmospheric and impossible to put down. A page-turner packed with shocking twists, turns and a mystery that’s hard to solve, it will leave you reading late into the night, all while you fall in love with its unforgettable heroine.

Future books in the series will soon be available!

Show book

Anal Lovers 4-Pack : Books 61 –...

Kimmy Welsh

Dirty gals taking it deep for the first time in rough anal sex sessions at the mercy of older men!  It’s some of the naughtiest erotica on the planet – come see if you can handle it! 
Stories include Anal Lovers Books 61 – 64: ‘Mister In Her Ass In The Woods,’ ‘Tutor Poses Nude For Her,’ ‘Riding Bull,’ and ‘Using My Juices To Take My Ass.’

Show book