Zamonia's greatest writer investigates a mystery in a shadowy book metropolis in this epic adventure by the author of The Alchemaster's Apprentice. It has been more than two hundred years since Bookholm was destroyed by a devastating fire, as told in Moers's The City of Dreaming Books. Hildegunst von Mythenmetz, hailed as Zamonia's greatest writer, is on vacation in Lindworm Castle when a disturbing message reaches him, and he must return to Bookholm...

Anton has a magic hat and wants to make something disappear.

Millie the cow gets lost in the snow on the way home from helping the postman deliver mail on Christmas Eve, but she and the gifts she is bringing finally make it back to the farm.

Anthony tries to impress two girls, who ignore him.

"For fans of A Man Called Ove and the novels of Adriana Trigiani: a charming, delightfully sexy, and bighearted novel starring Auntie Poldi, Sicily's newest amateur sleuth"-- "On her sixtieth birthday, Auntie Poldi retires to Sicily, intending to while away the rest of her days with good wine, a view of the sea, and few visitors. But Sicily isn't quite the tranquil island she thought it would be, and something always seems to get in the way of her...

"After years as an orphan, Henrietta Achilles is summoned to the town of Malrenard. She learns she's the only living relative of a notorious wizard-and she's just inherited his house and everything in it."--

Ono the piglet's curiosity involves him in such mishaps as getting trapped in a ball of yarn while playing with a kitten and accidentally running into a sleeping cow while knocking over haystacks.