Sarah Orne Jewett

World-renowned cartoonist Seth returns with three new ghost stories for 2025.When young Marcia is sent to stay with relatives, she’s drawn to their houseguest, Lady Ferry: a mysterious old woman who wanders the gardens, with a memory longer than humanly possible. Everyone has rumours to share, and Marcia soon wonders if Lady Ferry is cursed to live forever—or if she’s even alive at all.

The country of the pointed firs unfolds as a gentle and immersive portrait of life in a small coastal village, capturing the rhythms, traditions, and quiet beauty of its isolated setting. Told through the eyes of an observant narrator returning to Dunnet Landing, the story blends personal reflection with affectionate sketches of the community. The opening scenes establish the charm of the village, its steadfast scenery, and its enduring way of life. Encounters with local residents, including a skilled herbalist whose garden and remedies carry both practicality and lore, open windows into the town's customs and histories. Conversations and visits reveal themes of memory, solitude, and the deep ties between people and place. The narrative's loose, episodic structure allows each portrait to stand on its own while contributing to a larger meditation on time's passage and the persistence of community bonds. Rooted in rich detail, the work celebrates both the physical landscape and the inner landscapes of those who dwell by the shore.

'Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much.' A tale for our times, 'A White Heron' follows Sylvia, a young woman who moves from the city to live with her grandmother in the Maine countryside. One day she is approached by a trophy hunter, who is keen to track down a rare and elusive bird so that he can shoot it and preserve it – but Sylvia finds herself enabling the bird's escape. Painting beautiful portraits of American countryside, and tapping into deep debates around humans and their relationship with nature, this extraordinary short-story collection was years ahead of its time, and is ripe for rediscovery.

Betty Leicester: A story for girls is a novel from the late 19th century that follows a young girl's journey toward greater self-awareness and maturity. Sent to spend the summer in a small coastal town while her father travels abroad, she confronts feelings of separation and excitement, marking a transition from childhood to young adulthood. The novel opens with a quiet breakfast in a Boston hotel, capturing the strong bond between the girl and her father. Their parting is tender and uncertain, highlighting the emotional depth of their connection. As the girl continues alone to her destination, the journey unfolds through her perceptions sunlight on the water, shifting landscapes, and the mix of solitude and anticipation. When she arrives, the reconnection with familiar people reveals both how much she has changed and how others still see her as a child. Through her experiences, the narrative explores inner growth, the evolving nature of friendships, and the subtle tensions between independence and belonging. This quiet coming-of-age story draws on emotional honesty and reflection to trace a young person's shift into a broader understanding of self and world.

The queen's twin and other stories explores the intricate lives of coastal Maine residents, illuminating a world where history, memory, and identity shape everyday experience. In the opening story, a woman who shares a birthday with a monarch becomes the symbolic centerpiece around which larger questions of meaning orbit. Her life in a remote community is colored by this perceived kinship, allowing her to connect her humble surroundings with the grander narratives of empire and legacy. Through another resident s recounting of their visit to her, the tale captures a rich portrait of rural social life, anchored in shared stories and personal lore. The tension between the familiar rhythms of village life and the emotional pull of imagined ties to distant royalty creates a quiet poignancy. The coastal setting is depicted with deep reverence, serving as a backdrop where sea, land, and memory converge. Through conversations and observations, the collection reflects on aging, friendship, national identity, and the ways in which ordinary people locate themselves in the flow of history, imbuing simple lives with quiet nobility and gentle humor.

The life of Nancy presents a quiet exploration of rural innocence encountering the unfamiliar rhythms of city life. At its heart is a young girl whose journey from a pastoral village to an urban center becomes a lens through which both environments are observed with fresh clarity. The narrative opens with the contrast between eastern Massachusetts s calm and the vivid energy of Boston. The protagonist enters the city with a mixture of anticipation and wonder, revealing an honest emotional connection to her roots even as she opens herself to new surroundings. Her impressions of the city its movement, manners, and opportunities are filtered through a sensibility shaped by simplicity and sincerity. Encounters with others, particularly a city-dweller eager to share his perspective, underscore the gentle exchange between rural values and urban sophistication. This story does not rest on plot turns but instead offers careful character observation, natural dialogue, and emotional insight. The novel ultimately emphasizes growth through contrast, with authenticity and personal connection emerging as the most lasting discoveries.

Strangers and wayfarers is a short story collection from the late 19th century that captures the rhythms of New England life through quiet yet emotionally resonant encounters. The stories center on fleeting moments and small gestures that reveal deeper truths about human connection, aging, loneliness, and memory. The collection opens on a cold day with a mail driver and a widow sharing a carriage ride through a snowy landscape. Their exchange is tentative but warm, filled with longing and personal reflections. The woman speaks of home and loss, while the man dreams of distant places he will likely never visit. Their journey through the quiet countryside becomes a metaphor for shared vulnerability and the quiet comfort of being known, even briefly. Throughout the collection, characters cross paths in ways that illuminate their inner lives through brief conversations, visits, and unspoken understanding. The tone is understated, but each interaction invites reflection on how strangers become familiar, and how ordinary lives are filled with moments of quiet revelation.

Old friends and new is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century that explores the intricacies of human connection within rural New England. The narratives focus on individuals reflecting on the weight of the past while navigating new encounters that shape their emotional landscapes. Early in the collection, a solitary woman lives quietly with the memory of a long-lost love, her life altered by his disappearance at sea. The arrival of a younger relative introduces vitality into her routine and prompts her to confront buried feelings. The contrast between generational perspectives forms a central axis around which reflections on memory, resilience, and the possibility of renewed affection unfold. Characters are often placed at emotional crossroads where affection must coexist with loss, and where personal histories shape the reception of new relationships. Throughout the work, understated dialogue and quiet gestures drive the emotional core, creating a sense of lived intimacy. The collection presents its subjects with a balance of tenderness and restraint, giving space to inner lives shaped as much by silence as by spoken word.

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin BooksA young writer leaves the city to complete her manuscript in a small coastal town, but finds herself writing about the lives of its inhabitants instead – their occupation with memory and tradition, their vibrant female friendships, and the idyll of the landscape that informs their sense of togetherness. A classic of American fiction adored by Willa Cather and Henry James, The Country of the Pointed Firs seems woven from the fabric of community itself.