Over the Gate（ISBN=9780618884179）

　　Throughout her years as schoolmistress, Miss Read has gathered excellent accounts of the rich and varied history of her beloved country village, often through neighborly conversation over the gate. Fairacre has garnered its share of odd incidents, entertaining episodes, and village folklore, from an unusual recipe for weight loss found in an old notebook -- and used with alarming consequences -- to the tragic story of the village ghost. With characteristic grace and vigor, Miss Read retells many treasured stories of Fairacre past and present.

　　Miss Read was a teacher by profession who started writing after the Second World War. In additional to her novels, she has written on educational and country matters, and worked as a script-writer for the BBC. She lives in Berkshire, and was made an MBE for her services to literature.

1  The Portrait
2  Strange, But True?
3  Jingle Bells
4  Mrs Next-Door
5  A Tale of Love
6  Black Week
7  The Fairacre Ghost
8  Mrs Pringle's Christmas Pudding
9  Outlook Unsettled
10  The Wayfarer
11  The Old Man of the Sea
12  Harvest Festival