The nation's favourite annual guide to the short story, now in its twelfth year.Best British Short Stories invites you to judge a book by its cover – or, more accurately, by its title. This critically acclaimed series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere. The editor's brief is wide ranging, covering anthologies, collections, magazines, newspapers and web site...

In The Curious Elf and the Lost Toy, join Ellie, the tiniest elf in Santa’s workshop, as she embarks on a daring adventure to find a lost toy that’s meant for a very special child. When the toy goes missing, Ellie seizes the opportunity to prove herself and solve the mystery. Following glitter trails and solving riddles, Ellie discovers that the toy wandered off to brighten the life of a lonely child in a nearby village. Through her journey, Ellie learns that the true magic of toy...

In The Christmas Cookies That Brought Friendship, Max, a lonely boy, helps his grandmother bake for the town’s annual Christmas fair. When a pinch of magic spice accidentally turns their cookies into living, dancing treats, they spread joy everywhere they go. With their help, Max makes new friends, learns the value of sharing, and discovers the true meaning of community. This playful, heartwarming tale reminds children that the best gifts are the ones shared with others—friendship...

Alastair and the Ocean's Forgotten Secrets follows a young boy named Alastair, a budding marine biologist, on an adventure beneath the waves. Guided by Orla, a wise and enigmatic sea creature, Alastair uncovers the ocean’s hidden wonders—from the mysteries of underwater currents to the creatures that thrive in its depths. Along the way, he learns about ecosystems, marine life, and the importance of preserving the ocean for future generations. With humor, heart, and a touch of magi...

In The Christmas Cookies That Brought Friendship, Max, a lonely boy, helps his grandmother bake for the town's annual Christmas fair. When a pinch of magic spice accidentally turns their cookies into living, dancing treats, they spread joy everywhere they go. With their help, Max makes new friends, learns the value of sharing, and discovers the true meaning of community. This playful, heartwarming tale reminds children that the best gifts are the ones shared with others—friendship...

A dysfunctional tale of betrayal, robbery and murder told in duelling perspectives by two woman hating friends with an adversarial relationship.

Soon to be adapted as the major motion picture THE THING WITH FEATHERS, starring Benedict CumberbatchHere he is, husband and father, scruffy romantic, a shambolic scholar--a man adrift in the wake of his wife's sudden, accidental death. And there are his two sons who like him struggle in their London apartment to face the unbearable sadness that has engulfed them. The father imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness, while the boys wander, savage and...

**Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019From the award-winning author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers comes a dark, playful, propulsive novel about an ethereal young boy who attracts the attention of a mythical, menacing force.**There's a village an hour from London. It's no different from many others today: one pub, one church, red-brick cottages, some public housing, and a few larger houses dotted about. Voices rise up, as they might anywhere, speaking of lovin...

**NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CILLIAN MURPHYOne of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2023In a dilapidated mansion, in the middle of the night, a young man is considering what could be his final decision in this world.**The rucksack is shockingly heavy.The floorboards complain.He checks again, the spliff is diagonal-snug in the empty Embassy box.The daytime check is a half-dream away.The...

Not far from Bristol, there is a village. This village belongs to the people who live in it and to those who lived in it hundreds of years ago. It belongs to England's mysterious past and its confounding present.It belongs to families dead for generations, and to those who have only recently moved here, such as the boy Lanny, and his mum and dad.But it also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort, who has woken from his slumber in the woods. Dead Papa Toothwort, who is listening to ...

With contributions by: William Boyd, Candice Carty-Williams, Imtiaz Dharker, Roddy Doyle, Pico Iyer, Robert Macfarlane, Andy Miller, Jackie Morris, Jan Morris, Sisonke Msimang, Dina Nayeri, Chigozie Obioma, Michael Ondaatje, David Pilling, Max Porter, Philip Pullman, Alice Pung, Jancis Robinson, S.F.Said, Madeleine Thien, Salley Vickers, John Wood and Markus Zusak***'This story, like so many stories, begins with a gift. The gift, like so many gifts, was a book...'*...

**"One of my favorite writers in the world." —George SaundersFrom the author of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, the uproarious and brilliantly inventive new novel from Max Porter.**Enter Lynette—actor, writer, director, showrunner and star of the final film in her head—is it a comedy, a tragedy, a farce, or ... just life?Her more recent roles include: the ex-wife cliché (he left for a younger woman); sixty-something daughter to long-dead parents; sister t...