Central Kansas Library System

The tale of a passionate, independent woman and her three suitors, Far from the Madding Crowd tells the story of Bathsheba Everdene and her relationships with the devoted Gabriel Oak, the dashing Sergeant Troy, and the reclusive gentleman farmer, Mr. Boldwood. Through her wayward nature and a winding path of events propelled by Thomas Hardy's recurring feminist themes, Bathsheba is led to tragedy and, finally, true love. Written in 1874, Far from...

Josh is in a quandary. Matilda is vivacious and lovely; Mary is sweet and supportive. And they won't remain single for very long. But how is he to go about courting someone he sees in his kitchen nearly every day? And more importantly, whom does he truely love?

When a big new yellow tractor arrives, Otis the friendly little tractor is cast away behind the barn, but when trouble occurs Otis is the only one who can help.

"Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life--and love--altered her plans. When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter's. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits...

When a kind and hardworking duck nearly collapses from overwork, while taking care of a farm because the owner is too lazy to do so, the rest of the animals get together and chase the farmer out of town.

When Austin Lanier inherits a watermelon farm, all she wants to do is get rid of it and get back to city life. But rancher Rye O'Donnell has other ideas, for both the farm and Austin.

In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression. in a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression. Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and...

Stella used to be a bomb-sniffing dog, but after a terrible accident, she goes to live on a small family farm to recover from her fear of loud noises. As a puppy, Stella was trained to use her powerful beagle nose to sniff out dangerous chemicals and help her handler keep people safe. During a routine security inspection, Stella misses the scent of an explosive. The sound of the blast is loud and scary. Unable to go back to work because of her anxiety,...

Just like you, Ann Voskamp hungers to live her one life well. But what does that look like when your days are gritty, long, and sometimes even dark? Here, Ann invites you to embrace everyday blessings and embark on the transformative spiritual discipline of chronicling God's gifts. In expressing gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we've wanted ... a life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others. We come to feel and...

Selina Peake, a young Illinois School teacher, never forgot that beauty was as important as the practical things in life.