Dearest Josephine

This post contains spoilers

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

I thank you for reading along with me and our Sundays, it is a true gift and so on to our next book…..MARCH 🧡

vlwelser 🎉❤💛 14mo

mcctrish I can get back to this now 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I started the first chapter accidentally over Christmas 🤣🤣 14mo

DebinHawaii Thank you! As usual, the discussions made the book. I bought this through Half-Price books a while ago for March. Now I just have to remember where I put it! 📚📚📚🤦🏻‍♀️📚📚📚📚📚 14mo

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Read4life I‘m at the library picking up my copy right now 🤓 14mo

CoffeeNBooks I read this one already (and really liked it), so I don't want to join discussions and accidentally give away any spoilers. 🤣 See you all in April! 14mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 14mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks I sent your bday card late 😵‍💫 so sorry should be there soon… 🤦🏻‍♀️ 14mo

CoffeeNBooks @TheBookHippie No worries! Birthday wishes are wonderful, no matter when they arrive. 😁 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Thanks for hosting Dearest Caroline!! Despite a few shortcomings I really enjoyed the book and am glad I read it. I absolutely enjoy following along a story when I have NO IDEA where it‘s going. The communal wondering was fun! The Abby Waxman I‘ve already read so I‘ll skip March and see you on the other side 😉 Hope your son is still feeling fine 😘 14mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeAndABook Today he seems 90 percent! Thanks so much for asking! Hope to see you soon in our #SundayBuddyRead world! 14mo

TheBookHippie @Sargar114 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick There were some quotes that piqued my interest but overall Josephine was a bit of a dud. I read week 1 on the plane so I'll try to reply tomorrow. 13mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

#SUNDAYBUDDREAD

Late edition ♥️

So -my son is doing fine this morning. He is 16 1/2 years old. He was eating Chinese chicken and it lodged in his throat -we were able to force a large part out but a small part got stuck- but he could talk and mostly breathe OK and the phone doctor told us to give him Coca-Cola over and over and it would come up and sure enough 20 ounces of Coke -10 times throwing up violently- and it dislodged. An ordeal ..

BethM Omg! I‘m so glad he‘s ok! How scary for you all 14mo

SamAnne Oh my! Glad he is okay! Sounds like an awful experience. 14mo

Karisa So glad he is ok now. How scary for you all though 💗 14mo

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Meshell1313 Thank goodness he‘s okay! So scary! 14mo

Dragon That was super scary. Glad you had the cola on hand. Thank goodness he‘s okay this morning 👍💚🐉 14mo

Tamra One of my biggest parental fears! I‘m so glad he‘s ok. I‘ll remember the advice. 14mo

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m glad it worked, but that sounds like terrible advice 😬 I‘m really glad it worked out ok 14mo

TheBookHippie @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I was ready to take him in I know we did this before with my daughter too, it‘s a little unorthodox but now we‘re two for two. We googled afterwards and it is all over the Google doctor that it works. How bizarre! 14mo

TheBookHippie @Dragon cola is always here it‘s a main migraine tool glass bottle bottle brown sugar cane coke ♥️ 14mo

vivastory Glad to hear that your son is okay! 14mo

vlwelser So glad he's ok. 14mo

Suet624 Oh my gosh. How frightening. I'm glad your son is okay. 14mo

mcctrish That sounds just crazy but I‘m going to keep coke on hand and not just for migraines from now on 14mo

Sargar114 Oh my gosh! That sounds terrifying (and stick) glad he‘s okay. 💙💙💙 14mo

DebinHawaii Wow! How scary. Glad he is ok now. 💜 14mo

IndoorDame What a bizarre remedy! Thank goodness it worked ❤️ 14mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame Research suggests that drinking a can of Coke, or another carbonated beverage, can help dislodge food stuck in the esophagus. Doctors and emergency workers often utilize this simple technique to break up food. https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/shows.php?shows=0_wouiaqym 14mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame https://www.healthline.com/health/food-stuck-in-throat 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish https://www.healthline.com/health/food-stuck-in-throat 14mo

mcctrish I am glad it worked, I‘d probably only want coke for medicinal purposes after that 14mo

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie good to know!!! 14mo

Catsandbooks Oh no! Glad he's OK!! ❤️ 14mo

Leftcoastzen Oh man! So glad he‘s ok ! Super scary. 14mo

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie so glad your son is ok!💜 14mo

TheBookHippie @curiouserandcurioser me too!!! I said to my daughter (she‘s 34) I‘m too old for this!!! She just laughed. 14mo

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie i feel you!! We had an incident with a grandbaby trying to swallow a quarter and i had to flip her over and smack her back to get it out-everybody was relieved, but crying!! Never want to go through thst again!! 14mo

TheBookHippie @curiouserandcurioser my grandson(9) had a bad choking incident when he was 3, it‘s so scary!!! 14mo

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie it is so scary and you feel so helpless!! 14mo

Blerdgal_Fenix Glad he is okay. That sounds crazy, another use for coca cola. 14mo

DivineDiana What an experience! Glad all is well! And thank you for the tip about Coke! 14mo

BookNAround That‘s scary! Glad the Coke helped, even if it sounds like a pretty gross result. 14mo

thebackyardgnome The docs at thr haematology hospitsl i spent a chunk of mt childhood in told us to alwaus keep a bottlr of coke handy. Makes for a great antinausrea treatmrnt, kids during chemo were chugghng a lot of it - doctor's orders. Replacrs your glucose, and thr caffeine speeds up thr absorption of thr nsaids and other similar meds. 14mo

Reggie Does he have a lot of acid reflux? Maybe his esophagus has narrowed due to the reflux. Hope this never happens again to him. 14mo

monalyisha Oh my gosh! That‘s terrifying! So happy to hear of the fortunate result. 💞 (edited) 14mo

TheBookHippie @Reggie no but I did make an appointment to check to see what‘s up if maybe it is that and he doesn‘t know or tonsils or 🤷🏻‍♀️. (edited) 14mo

julieclair Wow. And just like that your world is upside down. Glad he‘s doing fine, but what an ordeal. So interesting about the Coke. Thanks for sharing that really helpful info. 14mo

mollyrotondo Oh I‘m so sorry to hear this! I‘m glad he‘s okay now! 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Took a few years off my life I think. So glad it all ended well.... 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick How frightening for you all. I'm so glad your son is okay now. 🩵 13mo

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick took a few years off my life 😵‍💫😅 13mo

59 likes40 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Grief. Was it handled correctly ? Some quotes I found this week…

What if grief carries us towards a new and more beautiful life? What if grief grants us wings to fly? What if grief allows us to reclaim all that has been denied?
What if we gain more than what we have lost?

vlwelser It seems like it points it out and then the characters move on around it. I thought the way it was handled was strange. But not necessarily inauthentic. 14mo

mcctrish I thought Josie‘s grief was handled well ( her distracting herself with a bad boy, distancing herself from her friend - making healthier choices with the renovations, new hobby, part time job) except for the addiction to a dead person although I did like the mystery component of it 14mo

IndoorDame I was left with the impression that they all muddled through the grieving process surprisingly quickly and quite alone. I dont think they all needed to sign up for therapy or whatever, but no one ever called a friend or an SO when they were having a rough night…? 14mo

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DebinHawaii I think it was handled OK. I highlighted a few of the quotes on grief, but I can‘t tell you which ones right now because my internet has been down all morning & my Kindle won‘t let me. 😬 14mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame 🤷🏻‍♀️ 14mo

kspenmoll @mcctrish Yes to all your thoughts especially Josie‘s “addiction to a dead person”! 🤣🤣🙄 14mo

julieclair Everyone‘s grief journey is unique, but I felt Josie‘s ended rather abruptly. 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Same, grief unfortunately doesn't work that way..... 14mo

mollyrotondo I think people handle grief differently and some handle it alone and some handle it with help from a therapist or a friend. Josie just seemed to revert to angsty teenager which I guess worked for her? 🤷🏻‍♀️ but grief can help us appreciate what we have 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick My problem with the grief here is that they all kind of pulled into themselves. It felt like Josie, Faith, and Elias all had similar grief and I don't think that would be realistic. 13mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

https://thinplacestour.com/what-are-thin-places/

There are so many “thin places” in Scotland would the book have been better if it had a fantasy portion ?

vlwelser I thought for sure there was going to be a fantasy element to this. 14mo

mcctrish I‘d like a fantasy element better than child marriage 🤣🤣 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser SAME -I was misled 🤣. 14mo

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish Same!!! 14mo

IndoorDame @vlwelser I was pretty sure it was heading in that direction too!!! 14mo

DebinHawaii I was convinced they would meet up at some point-even briefly. I would have liked that more I think. 🤔 14mo

Catsandbooks Yes I was wishing for fantasy. I think it would have made it better!! 14mo

kspenmoll Yes, fantasy would have been much better! 14mo

julieclair Fantasy would have been more realistic and believable. 😂 14mo

julieclair And one last question… did we ever find out why there was a spitting image portrait of Josie in Elias‘s studio? And why her name was the same as Josephine‘s? 🤔 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair NOPE!!!! HOW INFURIATING !!! So frustrating since it had so much promise. 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie Agreed! That's a pretty major loose end! ➰ 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Fairly sure her religion wouldn't allow fantasy or the like....... or even entertain it, she probably “sinned“ going this far.....OYVEY. 14mo

mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie I wanted fantasy or Scifi so badly but now knowing she‘s. Hillsong member there‘s no way she would have taken the book down that path. 14mo

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo RIGHT UGHHHHHHHHHHHH 😵‍💫 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick The introduction to a thin place would've helped tremendously. This just seemed like a hula hoop... no point. 13mo

13 likes16 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD
Hillsong
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/hillsong-founder-pastor-brian-hous...

Also, there were a few religious things that were very subtle, but not very often and then I read the acknowledgment. Did you? What do you think? The marriage thing makes total sense to me now....
Does this matter?
Does it change your opinion of the book?

vlwelser That acknowledgement may have taken a bit of the shine off this for me. I didn't read the whole thing. 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser it totally 🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮 for me. 14mo

mcctrish I knew it!!! It‘s not awful 14mo

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vlwelser I might give her a pass in the future. You haven't added her to next year's list, right? 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser nope and I won‘t -remember our June book last year 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 OY VEY. 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish you called it!!! I was a bit suspicious but now we know. I did really enjoy the read with you all. But as @vlwelser says it takes the shine off a bit. 14mo

vlwelser Oh. Barf. No more Emily Henry YA novels either. 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser oh goodness nooooo 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser this year I‘m tracking books I think will be good then I‘m making a Google vote forum something or other for us sometime in October -we will vote 12 books in! 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser although January is decided 🤣🤣

Cooking for Picasso

14mo

vlwelser Fun. I bet you end up with an enormous list. You'll have to give hints about your favorites. 14mo

vlwelser Oh yeah. I've been keeping that aside. 14mo

mcctrish Clarification “it‘s not awful” refers to the book . Hard pass on Hillsong. I can not wait for Cooking with Picasso. This book is a perfect example of why critical thinking skills are so important and I‘d rather my ( I don‘t have one) YA daughter read this than Colleen Hoover but I‘m not banning either 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish exactly 💯. Book is find Hillsong definitely not 🤮 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser it‘s February I have 5 🤣👀😵‍💫 14mo

IndoorDame I‘ve gotten out of the habit of reading acknowledgments. In this case a good thing!!! 14mo

DebinHawaii Yes, I read it and went 🙄 and it explained some things for sure. 14mo

AmyG I was happy to be done with the book so I didn‘t read the acknowledgment. And thank you for not picking a book if hers for next year. 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG lord no 🤣🤣🤣😵‍💫🤦🏻‍♀️ YA is problematic …although Stacey Lee has a new one coming !!! (edited) 14mo

Catsandbooks I totally missed the acknowledgments cause I did the audio so now I'm wondering what it said. 👀 14mo

kspenmoll Just happy to be done with this. I read Cooking for Picasso 6 yrs ago(recorded on Litsy!) & remember really enjoying it- a reread for me would be great! 14mo

kspenmoll @TheBookHippie I do like Stacy Lee‘s YA books. They have depth & cover universal themes. 14mo

TheBookHippie @kspenmoll I love Stacey Lees books so glad we‘re doing one this year and will have a new one for next year ! Good to know cooking for Picasso was good I can‘t wait! 14mo

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks ha it was well something… 14mo

julieclair Like @Catsandbooks , I did the audio, so missed the acknowledgment. But based on these comments, it must have been a doozy! 14mo

mollyrotondo Hmm it‘s so interesting you bring up her religious affiliation. As I was reading near the end I wondered if a religious following influenced the points being made. Now knowing she was a part of Hillsong makes more sense. Hmm. Definitely a hard pass for the future. But I love Stacey Lee!!!!! 14mo

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo bamboozled again 😵‍💫 14mo

mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie these YA authors are tricky lol 😂 14mo

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 😵‍💫😵‍💫😅😅 13mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Whoop. There it is! ? The obsession with marrying (even from the contemporary young ladies) was what tipped me off, then the lack of anything even remotely modernly romantic or even personal. I was apparently praying to a different God that we'd finally get ghost dick or something, ANYTHING, worthwhile, or even interesting. If books are starting to list trigger warnings, I might need "religious author" to be among them. 13mo

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick seriously I need a warning !!!! Ughhhhhhhh 13mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Scottish Blessing
If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.
If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
So let it be

Fitting for this story ?

vlwelser Definitely fitting. 14mo

mcctrish I might want to mail this out to some people in elected positions in Ontario 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 14mo

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DebinHawaii Yes, fitting for the story and for life! 14mo

IndoorDame Pretty well sums up what I felt the goal behind writing this was 14mo

Read4life I love this blessing. It is fitting for the story. 14mo

AmyG I liked this quote more than the book. 14mo

kspenmoll Fitting for the story but I am on board with @AmyG 14mo

kspenmoll @mcctrish I like that email thought! 14mo

julieclair @AmyG 💯💯💯! I love this blessing. 14mo

mollyrotondo Beautiful blessing. We all need to think this way. 14mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Novel quote that stuck out for me
“The perceived wickedness of others, dims their own sins -“ for people with ego. Truth?

What did you think?
What was the lesson?
Do you like the ending ?

📷My feelings summed up after reading 👀

vlwelser That stuck out to me too. Truth. 14mo

mcctrish That‘s a great quote 14mo

DebinHawaii I do like that quote. 💯 14mo

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IndoorDame Forget the quote. I‘m all about this painting!!!!! 14mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame "Suzanne" painted around the 1900s by the Belgian artist Auguste Levêque. 14mo

AmyG Absolutely. I have seen this with a few people. 14mo

kspenmoll Yup. That quote is quite relevant! 14mo

julieclair That quote is absolute truth. 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair It seems to be the state of the world currently! 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie Sadly, yes. I wish the Scottish blessing you quoted would be the state of the world instead… 14mo

mollyrotondo Oh gosh so many people do this. Shine a light on others‘ bad behavior so everyone forgets about my bad behavior. 14mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Both Josie & Elias had to give up on a fantasy. Think that‘s a problem for teen and or adults ? Is it settling or reality ? Or just part of the journey?

Do people truly fall in love with people who are in a book ?

mcctrish I have had crushes on fictional characters but not to the point of quitting reality ( too old for teenage angst) 14mo

DebinHawaii So far it‘s going pretty well for me and Mr. Darcy, but I‘ll keep you posted! 😛🤣🤪 14mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii Tell him I say hello..👀 14mo

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DebinHawaii @TheBookHippie Don‘t try to use your arts and allurements on my man! 🤬 14mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii 🤣🤣🤣 14mo

Read4life I agree with @mcctrish 💯 14mo

mcctrish @Read4life 👯‍♀️❤️ 14mo

Read4life @DebinHawaii I needed that laugh. Thank you 😆 14mo

TheBookHippie @Read4life 🤣♥️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I needed the laugh as well @DebinHawaii 14mo

AmyG And this is where I throw the book. I just couldn‘t. I guess I am just too old for this nonsense. (edited) 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ 14mo

AmyG I have a crush on Aragorn. But I don‘t think Eowyn is actually me. 14mo

Catsandbooks I don't think it's settling but just part of accepting reality. For me I didn't see it as her truly being in love with Elias. It was infatuation and more importantly a distraction when she was clearly going through so much. I think it was a fictional bridge that helped her cope and bring her back to reality. Just in a very untraditional way😂 I think it allowed her to see that even if things don't work out how you planned it will still be OK. 14mo

kspenmoll @DebinHawaii Mr. Darcy… 14mo

julieclair I think it‘s fairly normal for people to have a small crush on people in a book, but Josie took it waaaayyyy past that. Perhaps her grief made her lose her grip on reality for a bit. I was glad she ended up with Oliver, and at least didn‘t throw away that great guy for a fictional character. 14mo

mollyrotondo So this was the part that I couldn‘t stand about the present day storyline and that started annoying me near the end. Josie was wayyyy too dramatic with this whole I need to be with a man who has been dead for 200 years thing. To me that was a major cry for attention. And then Elias got more and more irritating for being in love with a woman he met once and actually never broke a sweat to find. Elias in the letters is really a lazy bum IMO. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I feel like a fantasy is a super ideal, perfect situation and real life just isn't that level of perfecting. Some people settle. Some people just open their eyes and find that you're not in a perfect time capsule bubble so a relationship just isn't a fantasy, but can be really awesome. I might crush on a swoon-worthy character but until he manifests in front of me, I'll take the real guy and just drop a few hints. 🤣 13mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Josie tells Oliver everything
He tells her everything
They end up together
Was this the point ?

vlwelser Team Oliver! 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 💯💯💯 14mo

mcctrish I think so but in the most convoluted manner. I‘d have been happy with Scotland manor renovations, knitting club and reading with bakery treats 14mo

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish Same for me personally yes that is enough for me. I think for our character -Oliver is probs a good experience and companion to have. 14mo

DebinHawaii I felt sorry for Oliver & Lorelei at the end. Even if love did come, they were both settled on after being pitted against a fictional/fictionalized ideal. 😳 14mo

IndoorDame @mcctrish I‘m with you here 14mo

CoffeeNBooks I think Oliver loved Josie through her perhaps unrealistic infatuation with Elias, and waited patiently for her, much as Lorelai did with Elias. 14mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks 🙃 14mo

kspenmoll The whole Josie I am in love with a century old character in letters/novels was totally weird for someone her age- like a tern age infatuation ?! Initially I thought the book might go into supernatural/ ghost story. 14mo

mollyrotondo @DebinHawaii exactly! Is it saying we come up with ideal people and don‘t know how to accept real people as partners? We think we know who is perfect for us but really it‘s the imperfect, real people around us that we need to acknowledge. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Is it far enough from the initial discussion time to mention that the author mentions God in her acknowledgments? Teens falling in love, but there were ZERO sexy times or even actual romance within these pages. 13mo

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick oh yes Jesus first Oy.. I made a whole post on it… 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 13mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

The Novel -Elias quit when he picked Lorelai…
So what did you think of Oliver finishing it?

Not all loves end with happily ever after, No two loves are ever the same . ..
Were these lessons ?

vlwelser I thought it was sort of cute. But maybe a little heavy handed. 14mo

mcctrish Was the whole point of this novel so that Oliver could finish it ?! I just don‘t get it. Elias was a moody bastard, literally, with time on his hands so he wrote to an imaginary woman? and created an alternative narrative for her pretend existence 🤷🏻‍♀️ 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤷🏻‍♀️ 14mo

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TheBookHippie @vlwelser I think yes a bit heavy handed lighten up people 👀. 14mo

DebinHawaii Yeah, it ended with a big “HUH… that‘s it???” for me. Not a big pay off although Oliver was my favorite & it was nice of him to finish it to make her feel better. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 14mo

IndoorDame I was sort of surprised by Oliver finishing it as such a bland side note. I feel like a more typical plot arc than ghost lovers would be scores of misunderstandings about his manipulating her by writing the ending when he was really trying to help… 14mo

CoffeeNBooks I thought it was sweet of Oliver to finish the novel for Josie. 14mo

AmyG I think Oliver is so sweet. 14mo

Catsandbooks @CoffeeNBooks totally agree. I think he did it to help give Josie closure 14mo

julieclair I totally don‘t understand the point of the novel. Why was it even necessary? But, given that it did exist, I loved that Oliver finished it for her. I thought that was sweet. 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair RIGHT?! What the world was the point ?!?! 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG me too!! 14mo

kspenmoll Oliver was the best character in the book. 14mo

julieclair @kspenmoll 💯💯💯 14mo

mollyrotondo @DebinHawaii I felt the same way. “That‘s it?!” There wasn‘t any explanation for all the coincidences. It was a bit of a dud ending for me. 14mo

mollyrotondo @julieclair I also didn‘t understand the point of the novel. He was already writing out his feelings when writing the letters to Josephine he never sent. Wasn‘t that therapeutic enough for him? The novel just seemed too much. And then he didn‘t finish it? Sort of a cop out. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I chalked up the novel to Elias trying to create a HEA, but he didn't. Maybe he realized that it just wasn't thing to happen with Josephine. Kind of cute that Oliver finished it, but to what end? Glad to see I'm not the only one who couldn't find the point in this book. 13mo

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Lorelei packed all up went to leave her, then spoke her mind and ended up staying and her long game worked. She ended up married to Elias for 55 years & five kids and Elias lived to be 86 years old.
The letters were truth.
Thoughts?

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/research/economicsocialhistory/pro...

mcctrish I was happy to find this out. I still do not understand the josephine angle, was he drunk and hallucinating that one night? #lorelaisetshercaponelias 14mo

vlwelser I thought this was a fairly reasonable conclusion to a fairly messy book. 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🤣😵‍💫 14mo

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤷🏻‍♀️ also hashtag 🏆 14mo

mcctrish @vlwelser perfect summation 14mo

DebinHawaii The girl had staying power, I give her that. Probably would have been quicker if she said “Dude, I have lived here unchaperoned for years now, nursed your sorry ass through near death, & put up with your crazy obsession for someone you met ONCE—you owe me now put a ring on it!” 🙄 (edited) 14mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 14mo

Catsandbooks I'm satisfied with this ending. Glad lorelai stood her ground 14mo

IndoorDame @vlwelser couldn‘t have said it better 👏👏👏 14mo

Read4life @vlwelser & @DebinHawaii with perfect comments. 👏🏻👏🏻 14mo

CoffeeNBooks @DebinHawaii 😂 14mo

CoffeeNBooks I think Elias realized that he and Lorelai had a very good friendship, which is a great foundation on which to start a marriage. I'm glad Lorelai didn't give up on him. 14mo

AmyG I am happy things worked out for her and him. They were who should have been together. 14mo

julieclair I agree with @vlwelser . It was an adequate ending. 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie Love the painting of the woman gazing at the portrait! 👍 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair this was a fun one to find photos for!! 14mo

kspenmoll @DebinHawaii 🙌🏻🙌🏻😂 14mo

mollyrotondo So I actually wasn‘t happy that Lorelai stayed. He treated her like garbage while he stayed true and faithful to a woman he met once. And then the day after he marries Lorelai he writes another‘s letter to Josephine saying he will still hope for a day when he can press his lips against hers. He marries Lorelai because she‘s there but still keeps lusts after Josephine. Lorelai should have said goodbye. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I'm glad for Elias that he was able to move forward with a good life. I'm happy for Lorelai that she didn't NEED to fully confront Elias that she stuck it out because she wanted to be with him. I'm angry for her like @mollyrotondo that he still pines for Josephine's kiss. @DebinHawaii That would've been the perfect monologue though! 13mo

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 13mo

10 likes20 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD FOOD

Shepherds pie http://chaosinthekitchen.com/2011/12/copycat-cheesecake-factorys-shepherds-pie-b...

Treacle pudding https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/25/jeremy-lee-recipe-grannys-t...

Scottish white soup https://scottishscran.com/simple-cullen-skink-recipe/

mcctrish I do love Shepherd‘s Pie and I need to make the white soup ( I don‘t have much of a sweet tooth so unless someone wants to bring over the treacle pudding I probably won‘t ever make it 😆) 14mo

vlwelser The food might have been my favorite part of this book. 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish I‘m with you I‘m a fantastic cook but baker or maker of sweets notsomuch… I‘m making a St Patrick‘s Day meal with a lot of the recipes from this month!! 14mo

See All 8 Comments

TheBookHippie @vlwelser IT IS MINE🤣👩🏻‍🍳 14mo

mcctrish Oh that‘s clever 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 14mo

DebinHawaii @vlwelser @TheBookHippie Me too! 🤤 14mo

IndoorDame @DebinHawaii @vlwelser @TheBookHippie definitely the best part!!! 🧑‍🍳❤️ 14mo

kspenmoll @vlwelser I agree about the food- love Shepards pie 14mo

12 likes8 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD PEEPS

I may be late in posting questions a little bit later on today. I am just heading to bed now. My son had a choking incident -at our late supper- he‘s fine -but we‘re all exhausted, I need sleep . Just a fluke thing . Other than sore he is truly fine for that we‘re grateful.
See ya when I wake up!

Hooked_on_books Oh my goodness, that‘s terrifying. So glad he‘s ok. 14mo

TheBookgeekFrau Glad he's ok! Can't imagine the fright; hope You feel better soon 💕 14mo

Bookwomble Glad your son's ok - sounds like a scary moment. 💖 14mo

See All 22 Comments

thebackyardgnome Im so glad that your son is okay! Hopr you wgll have a peaceful nighr 💕 14mo

julieclair Oh wow. So scary. Glad he‘s okay. No worries about posting today if you‘re exhausted … Monday (or Tuesday) Buddy Read would be just as fun! 💙 14mo

kspenmoll I hope he is ok today- that must have been beyond frightening for you all. Rest up. I agree w @julieclair . No need to post today. You put so much work/ brain power in your questions. Post another day. Sending love. 💕🤗 14mo

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie glad your son is ok💜 14mo

AmyG Omg…just glad he is ok. Hugs to you as that must have been frightening. 14mo

mcctrish That‘s so scary!!! Everyone can and needs to rest after that 🥰🥰 14mo

IndoorDame Yikes! I‘m so glad he‘s okay! Rest well 💜💜💜 14mo

vlwelser Sending 💜💜💜 and I agree with the rest of the crowd that we absolutely do not need to do this today. Take care of yourself and your little dude. 14mo

tpixie So scary, glad he expelled his food. Choking is scary!! 14mo

dabbe Glad he's okay! Sending hugs your way. ❣️🤗❣️ 14mo

CoffeeAndABook So so glad he‘s doing ok!! That‘s all that‘s important!! Sending lots of Litsy love ❤️‍🩹 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair @kspenmoll @vlwelser @AmyG @mcctrish @IndoorDame @CoffeeAndABook thx so much questions are up. He‘s resting soundly -all 6ft 5 in of him! 14mo

TheBookHippie @Hooked_on_books me too!!! 14mo

TheBookHippie @TheBookgeekFrau 💕 14mo

TheBookHippie @Bookwomble adrenaline truly is our friend at times. I‘m more afraid now than I was last night 😵‍💫😅. 14mo

TheBookHippie @thebackyardgnome we had a good night phew.. 14mo

TheBookHippie @tpixie it truly is frightening! 14mo

TheBookHippie @dabbe ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 14mo

Read4life Glad he‘s ok. I‘m sure it was scary and exhausting. Thank you for hosting this group. 💙💙 14mo

43 likes22 comments

mcctrish

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

so-so

There is a lot of good stuff about this book, it‘s an epistolary novel set in 2 time lines ( modern timeline =‘s texts and emails, olden days =‘s letters). I ALWAYS LOVE how fully a story can be told through correspondence! I love the setting, the friendships & the characters. But. There‘s a mysterious novel in here too that just made no sense. It told a whole other story & it bugged me so much. In the end it makes ‘sense‘ but it still bugged me

52 likes

julieclair

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

pick

This book kept me guessing all the way through, trying to figure out where the story was going, and how the author was going to reconcile the two storylines and time periods. The ending was a little lame, and still left me with some questions, but overall I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to Sunday‘s discussion!
#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie
#UKRoadTrip @jenniferw88
#BigFabBeatles @CSeydel
#SayMyName @Clwojick

29 likes

Catsandbooks

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

pick

4/5 ⭐️ I liked this book overall, but I guess I don't see it sticking with me for awhile. Loveable characters though! #sundaybuddyread

TheBookHippie

51 likes

CoffeeNBooks

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

pick

In 2021, Josie inherits Cadwallader Manor when her father dies, and discovers love letters written by Elias Roch to Josephine De Clare in 1821. As Josie reads the letters, she falls in love with Elias, and wonders if perhaps they've met somewhere in time, since Josie's full name is Josephine De Clare.

#SundayBuddyRead #LitsyLoveReads
#WickedWords @AsYouWish
#FourFoursIn23 @lauredhel
#NoBuy2023 @PuddleJumper
#2023ReadySetRead @clwojick

80 likes1 stack add

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD
My reasons to read YA is to connect with students I mentor, this particular book-one of the students I mentor. This is her whole life -this book right now, so by reading it at the very least, we can talk about the food in the book, it‘s a connection I can make with her. I also think for English teachers it‘s good to read YA same reasoning. Finally you never know when you may have to recommend a book in this genre. Until SUNDAY🤐

TheBookHippie Also I thought it would make good discussion 🙃🤐🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫♥️ 14mo

AmyG I liked parts of this book. Oliver was my favorite!!! 14mo

Read4life As a former teacher, I read books, watched shows & listened to music my students recommended. Even if I didn‘t like it, we connected discussing it. Plus, they knew by my actions that I listened to them & valued their thoughts & opinions. You rock, @TheBookHippie 💙 14mo

TheBookHippie @Read4life ♥️ 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG ♥️ 14mo

56 likes5 comments

IndoorDame

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

My next #Pantone2023 square completed! The sunrise colors 🌅 @Clwojick

Clwojick So pretty! Great job! 14mo

dabbe Beautiful as usual! ❣️ 14mo

IndoorDame @dabbe thank you 🙏❤️ 14mo

julieclair Lovely! 14mo

IndoorDame @julieclair thanks 💗🧡💛 14mo

62 likes5 comments

IndoorDame

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

pick

Another one I have mixed feelings about. My sense is that‘s because this is a YA book truly meant for teens and young adults. This strikes me as the modern version of a “good godly book” that tries to teach today‘s youth what choices will help you successfully navigate our world. I think if I were the right age and searching for some of the things this book elucidates it would really resonate, so I‘ll be recommending it to those kids.👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Cinfhen, BarbaraTheBibliophage, Clwojick, alisiakae

IndoorDame Reading it as an adult, I spent 2/3 of the book obsessing about the machinations of the author instead of the characters. But that experience ended up being completely enjoyable, so many thanks to #SundayBuddyRead folk and @TheBookHippie for introducing me to it! #Pantone2023 #Persimmon #Booked2023 #QuietYA 14mo

Cinfhen Such a thoughtful review 🤓 14mo

18 likes1 stack add2 comments

vlwelser

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

so-so

🤐

#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 14mo

39 likes1 stack add1 comment

AmyG

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

And finished. To be discussed next Sunday. I found this to be just okay….I am, many times, too old for YA books. 😔

#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie

#Pantone2023 @Clwojick

Amiable This is why I don‘t read YA. It‘s not that it isn‘t/can‘t be well written. It‘s that I‘m too far removed from being able to connect with the characters anymore. There‘s a time in your life when you relate to coming-of-age stories. And that time is past for me. 14mo

Clwojick Good match! 14mo

70 likes2 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD
I seriously cannot wait to finish because I have no idea what is going on ….

once again, I thank you for Sundays: books and discussion.

♥️♥️♥️♥️

AmyG Exactly. I just want to find out what is going on already. 14mo

IndoorDame I know what I‘m doing this afternoon ! 14mo

vlwelser I'm going to go finish now. 14mo

See All 9 Comments

mcctrish I‘m hoping for Josie waking up, giving her head a shake, picking Faith up at the airport and kissing Oliver 14mo

DebinHawaii I may not wait the week. We‘ll see… 😉 14mo

julieclair @mcctrish Yes!!! 14mo

mcctrish @DebinHawaii I‘m deciding right now, finish this or start a new book?! I finished another one too so I‘m a bit adrift without so many stories rattling around in my brain 14mo

mollyrotondo I am behind once again 🤦🏻‍♀️ I can‘t wait to finish this one this week lol 14mo

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo 🙃 I get behind as well but never on the reads I lead! 🤣 I‘m off to go catch up on middlemarch .. 14mo

16 likes9 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Did I miss anything???

Fun news made me think of our book: BATH & everything!

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/16/uk/letter-1916-london-intl-gbr-scli/index.html

AmyG That‘s crazy! And I think mail is bad now! 🤣 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG 🤣🤣🤣RIGHT?!?! 14mo

IndoorDame Oh, how cool!!! 14mo

See All 9 Comments

mcctrish Kind of blows my mind 14mo

DebinHawaii Very cool! 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Wow 😳 poor Katie never heard about Christabels heavy cold 😬 14mo

CoffeeAndABook I have one more thing I‘d like to discuss - Elias discovering Sebastian and Widow De Clare together - and then rushing to his chamber and - crawling into bed and crying? Ok so it‘s in the novel. This is what Elias thinks he would do if that happened for real? So weird. I‘m a big fan of crying but it just doesn‘t ring true. I would think he would be more agitated, pace around, wander the moors, fell a tree, whatever 🤷🏼‍♀️ 14mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeAndABook 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼agreeeeee. 14mo

mollyrotondo @CoffeeAndABook I also thought his reaction made no sense. He would have been more angry and frantic, not fall asleep crying. 14mo

12 likes9 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

St Andrews Day https://www.scotland.org/events/st-andrews-day

https://www.scotland.org/events/st-andrews-day/who-was-st-andrew

https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/st-andrews-day-2022-who-is-...

IndoorDame I would love to visit Scotland!!! 14mo

vlwelser Scotland is awesome. I would move to Edinburgh. 14mo

DebinHawaii @IndoorDame Me too! Scotland & Ireland are on my bucket list! 🪣 14mo

julieclair We visited Scotland a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It was SO beautiful! Can't wait to go back. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 14mo

11 likes4 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD Ceilidh

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kja2vP3MnZA

https://www.licencetoceilidh.co.uk/what-is-ceilidh/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=62sim5knB-s

https://www.visitscotland.com/info/tours/celtic-ceilidh-878d036f

AmyG Looks fun! 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG I want a kilt now 🤣 14mo

AmyG @TheBookHippie My great Niece‘s husband is from Scotland. They all wore kilt‘s at the wedding. And in June the family is moving to Scotland. So….I enjoyed all the Scottish stuff. 14mo

See All 9 Comments

mcctrish I‘m full Scot on my dad‘s side and I completely romanticize all things Scottish as the best 🤣🤣 so kilts and ceilidhs hook me right in 14mo

DebinHawaii The Scottish stuff is fun! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 💙 14mo

Catsandbooks Just any Oliver moments I love! 14mo

julieclair So much fun!! 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Love these links 😍 14mo

mollyrotondo Thank you for these links!! 14mo

13 likes9 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Josie‘s journey reading the book
Redoing the castle
Working bakery
Processing grief
Finding self

Josie stringing the garland gorse
Hanging the portrait 👀

Josie
I will find him !

I‘ve no idea where this is going you?!

AmyG I just want to find out already 🤣 14mo

IndoorDame I really hope the conclusion is satisfying! I‘m so in the dark and dying to find out what this all is! 14mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame I hope so too, because I really enjoyed this. 14mo

See All 14 Comments

TheBookHippie @AmyG SAME! 14mo

vlwelser I still have no idea and the book is nearly done.... 14mo

mcctrish I like that Josie has projects and is dealing with her grief in a constructive way. I like that she is creating a physical home and a community for herself. I really hope when she says “find Elias” she means what the hell happened to him and not ghost lover 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 14mo

DebinHawaii As I said previously, I have no clue how the author is going to end it but I hope it works! 🤞🏼🙏🏼🍀 14mo

Catsandbooks @mcctrish "ghost lover" ??? this book doesn't feel like it will go the fantasy route, but as someone who loves fantasy if it does, I'll happily go down that rabbit hole lol 14mo

julieclair I'm a bit worried over the gorse-stringing. I think Josie is taking this obsession a bit too far. I wish she'd open her eyes and realize how perfect Oliver is. Plus, he has the advantage of being real. 😂😂 14mo

CoffeeAndABook @mcctrish „ghost lover“ 😂😂😂😂 noooooo!!! 14mo

mcctrish @julieclair me too 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Depending how this ends, I might end up thinking about the logistics of a ghost lover and I'm already overloading my brain! 🤣 14mo

mollyrotondo I want the Scifi element but I feel like she‘s going to find out he married Josephine and that will be satisfying enough. At least I hope Josie snaps out of it 😂 14mo

12 likes14 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD FOOOOOD

Sausage, eggs, beans, roasted tomatoes
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019704-baked-eggs-with-beans-and-greens

Puff pastry with cream https://www.thecommonscafe.com/the-scottish-method-of-puff-pastry-a-light-fluffy...

Lancashire hotpot https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/traditional-lancashire-hotpot/

Treacle tart lemon ginger
https://downtonabbeycooks.com/simply-delicious-treacle-tart/

IndoorDame How did I not know there was a Downton Abbey cooking website?! I knew there was a book, but yikes 💲! 14mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame The foodie in me is next level ridiculous … 14mo

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie and I love you for that! 14mo

See All 21 Comments

vlwelser Still obsessed with the white soup. 14mo

vlwelser Also. And I know you'll just tell me this so I don't have to google. Is there a downton abbey cookbook? 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser There are three …The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook (Downton Abbey Cookery) https://a.co/d/9VDV4AA and The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook (Downton Abbey Cookery) https://a.co/d/cH6opsr and The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook: Teatime Drinks, Scones, Savories & Sweets (Downton Abbey Cookery) https://a.co/d/cYRI3AR and ⬇️ 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser this too The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions (Downton Abbey Cookery) https://a.co/d/gBNZSeJ 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser I printed out like 10 recipes of white soup 🤣🤣 14mo

vlwelser That afternoon tea one is about to have a new home. 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🫖🍵🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 14mo

vlwelser My friends might be getting some of these as presents. And I might be about to look for Bridgerton ones. We're going to Bath in July. I might wait. 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser I keep hoping someone will host a cookbook swap -I may have to do it 🤣👩🏻‍🍳 (edited) 14mo

vlwelser That would definitely be one way to make it happen. 14mo

mcctrish I made that breakfast this morning ( we call it soccer breakfast - all the boys are watching matches ) @vlwelser I need to make that white soup, it came up in another book I was reading so the signs are all there, it‘s time I took action 14mo

DebinHawaii This book does get an A+ for food mentions! 😋 14mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii I do agree!!! The food mentioned is so much fun! 14mo

Catsandbooks It all looks and sounds so good! 14mo

julieclair I loved reading about Lancashire Hot Pot! My ancestors were from Lancashire and worked in the cotton mills, so I imagine they would have eaten this dish often. Their version of a crockpot meal, lol! 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair I love all the good food mentions and food research I‘m doing with this read 👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳 14mo

julieclair So… when are we taking our foodie field trip to Scotland? 😀 14mo

mollyrotondo 😂 the food. I will try everyone‘s dishes they make from these books! 😋 14mo

12 likes21 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Is it possible to love someone after they know you..
Fantasy vs reality
The rush of love worn off
Rose colored glasses removed
Elias fell in love after one meeting -the neighbors Norma and Martha stayed married over 40 years despite their differences. I guess love isn‘t time past or present here or their convenience or agreement.
All this to say is Josie learning what love is?

AmyG Is it really love….Josie and Elias? Or just YA nonsense? I keep thinking throughout the story that I am just way too old for this. 😬 14mo

IndoorDame It‘s certainly a circuitous plot if we‘re headed to ‘learning what love is‘ 14mo

mcctrish @AmyG I just want to shake her and @IndoorDame maybe it is the circuitous plot that is making me grumpy 14mo

See All 16 Comments

DebinHawaii I remain confused & wondering if the author will be able to stick the ending or whether there will be book throwing. (Metaphorically for me because it‘s on my Kindle…) 14mo

Catsandbooks I don't think it's really love but infatuation. 14mo

julieclair @IndoorDame 👍👍😂💯 ! 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie perfect picture. 👍 14mo

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks agree, something to grab on to as well as I think she feels untethered. 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Sometimes I find a really accurate one!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼♥️ 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what search terms you used to find such a perfect picture. 🤔🧠🤯 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair I‘m an art geek -I scour my art books and the sites I follow for my pics 🙃 to find pics for us but it‘s always on my mind while reading and the next book too so I save them in folders. 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie Wow. We are all very lucky to share in the fruits of your research. Thank you. It truly enhances our reading. 💙 14mo

CoffeeAndABook I believe we have a very good sense of how compatible we are to people within a very short time - whatever it is - chemistry, energy, intuition. But that being said, one short „magical“ meeting can be the perfect canvas to project our entire cast of dreams and needs onto. That can be super misleading and sad, if a perfectly great guy like Oliver can‘t compete with that. 14mo

CoffeeAndABook @TheBookHippie perfect picture and I agree 💯 with @julieclair : we are so *lucky* 👌🏼🤩 (edited) 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Great artwork for this. Hopefully she pulls out of this fantasy and realizes what's in front of her in Oliver. Sure, I could see how a young woman could develop a crush on a historical person but at what point does your brain kick in to remind you he's likely been dead for 150 years. 14mo

mollyrotondo I actually don‘t know if Josie is learning what love is since she‘s still clinging so much to Elias. But I hope she does realize that she should embrace love from the people in her life who truly know her. 14mo

11 likes16 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Oliver
👀
♥️
Poor thing forgot to post about him last week.
Reading the novel WITH Josie 👀
“We‘re just friends” Josie says to Faith
Friends.
Oliver makes his intentions known..
Now what?!?!

https://www.folkwear.com/blogs/news/history-of-the-scottish-kilt

AmyG I hope she winds up with Oliver. 14mo

IndoorDame I‘m still on team Oliver 😁 14mo

IndoorDame And how could she have missed his interest?! Yes, I have met people (especially at that age) who are oblivious in that way, but it still always seems so unlikely! 14mo

See All 18 Comments

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame THAT WAS ME… totally oblivious that my best friend had been in love with me for YEARS 🤣 I was dealing with so much shit in my own survival mode it never occurred to me 👀 I was 24 🤪. (I fixed it we are still together 😉). 14mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG @IndoorDame Team Oliver all the way!! 14mo

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie awww 🥰 what a sweet way to end up with your partner! 14mo

AmyG @IndoorDame @TheBookHippie I guess if you are so caught up with your own “stuff” like Josie, you just miss what‘s right in front of you. Yes….Team Oliver! 14mo

vlwelser Team Oliver 💯 14mo

mcctrish Team Oliver 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I mean he does all the stuff Elias does - shearing sheep, thankfully no hill rolling 14mo

DebinHawaii Yep, totally Team Oliver! ❤️❤️❤️ 14mo

Catsandbooks Love Oliver!! I don't think she missed it as much as she didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't feel the same so she thought if she just ignored seeing that he liked her, they could just continue being friends and she wouldn't have to say no to him. 14mo

julieclair Definitely Team Oliver. ♥️ Such a great guy. 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Oliver is so obviously perfect for her 💓 I‘m still waiting for some kind of ball to drop and Oliver and Elias will merge into being the same person 😂 @Catsandbooks I agree, I think she ignored him falling for her as long as she could, on a not entirely conscious level. I have „done“ that in my younger years 😇 14mo

CoffeeAndABook @TheBookHippie awww that‘s so sweet and wonderful! It was probably hard for him but he knew it was worth it 😊 (edited) 14mo

mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie awww love your love story!!! 14mo

mollyrotondo I am definitely team Oliver!!! 14mo

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo 💕💕💕💕💕 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Team OLIVER! I get having a crush on Elias but with no lost time, portals yet, etc, how can she cling to the notion that she really could end up with Elias?! Is Faith an enabler? Josie strikes me as very immature but then offline, so to speak, she's tackling the house renovating with surprising ease. Even if she's not doing all the work herself, she's writing about it like oh in the last week items H-M on the to do list are done. 14mo

12 likes18 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Winter fever Elias
He lives
Lorelai stayed on and cared for him
Professes her love
Ah same same
Lorelai & Oliver are the SAME
Forgive me I keep singing love the one you‘re with while reading
👀

AmyG So…..reincarnation???? 14mo

vlwelser Poor Lorelai. I want to like her but he treats her like a doormat over a girl he saw 1 time. 14mo

mcctrish It‘s just infuriating 14mo

See All 11 Comments

DebinHawaii And still I say, how is Lorelai “allowed” all this alone time bathing, caring for him, etc. & then he‘s like “she needs to leave or people will talk…” Buddy, it seems like that ship has sailed there & back a few times! 😳🧐🙄 14mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii It is so weird!!! Where is her chaperone !! 14mo

julieclair @DebinHawaii Yes! This makes no sense! And @TheBookHippie It hadn't dawned on me that Lorelai is just like Oliver. I feel sorry for both of them. They're in love with people who are chasing dreams. 14mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Yes. Chasing fantasy maybe ? 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie I'm still holding out for a happy ending through the miracle of time travel! 😂😂😂 14mo

mollyrotondo @julieclair me too! Time travel please fix all 😂 14mo

mollyrotondo This is the real life part. He‘s dying and Lorelei nurses him back to health. Poor Lorelei. I mean Elias shouldn‘t just be with her if he doesn‘t love her but she needs to move on. At least Oliver heard the rejection and is not clinging on. Josie foolishly rejected him but he didn‘t accept her invitation to dinner. He‘s like maybe another time. Good for him. He can‘t keep hoping by hanging around too much like Lorelai. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I didn't pick up on the Lorelai/Oliver similarities. I like him though. The entire Lorelei situation is strange. She's been there unchaperoned all this time and is now bathing him (quel scandale!). He doesn't really entertain so who even knows where she is? But NOW she better go before the scandal comes? To me, this is a YA read-between-the-lines moment that says she was disappointed in his manhood, without saying it. 🤣🤣🤣 14mo

12 likes11 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Josephine
Elias trying to take her out of his heart
He asks she says yes
What do you think of Josephine
And WHO IS SHE?!?!?!

AmyG She seems lovely, just trying to be a good person and do the right thing. But is she Josie??? I just want to find out already. (edited) 14mo

IndoorDame Oooh, that coat 🧥🤩🥰🤩 14mo

vlwelser Well, this is the novel so it's like Elias' fantasy, right? 14mo

See All 9 Comments

DebinHawaii I am so confused right now! (But ❤️ that coat!) 14mo

Catsandbooks @vlwelser that's how I'm reading it. Elias' imagination 14mo

julieclair Darned if I know who the heck she is. 😂 14mo

mollyrotondo @vlwelser I also keep trying to remember that that is the novel. So it‘s not necessarily what happened to the real Elias. I think it‘s a novel Josie‘s father wrote based on the old letters he found from Elias. But wait the manuscript was in the town archives. I don‘t know what‘s real anymore 😂 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick All we definitively know is that Elias pines for a woman named Josephine. Between the letters & the novel, I'd almost say Elias has cracked. His imagine Josephine is delightful, but most of what we know is what Elias wants her to be if he finds her. @mollyrotondo I was staying to suspect that the dad had left behind some sort of mystery for Josie, but once it was archived & such, I thought better of it. 14mo

mollyrotondo @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick yes the archive part made me realize my theory was wrong. Just not sure why there are so many parallels. I‘m behind so I must finish this week! Lol 14mo

10 likes9 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Josie‘s mom ???‍?
AND
Josephine‘s MOM With her fiancé ??
Knowingly ruining her daughter for money?! Yes I know it‘s the novel but still ?‍?
BOTH with young men both pick that over their child ?

Whatcha think ?

AmyG I see the similarities and am still trying to figure out what is going on! 14mo

IndoorDame Still not sure why all the parallels! 14mo

vlwelser Such a weird parallel. 14mo

See All 12 Comments

mcctrish What is the purpose of this novel?! That is what goes through my mind. Something about this book makes me grumpy 14mo

DebinHawaii Yes, I am enjoying it but still this book makes me go 🤷🏻‍♀️ Is the author going to resolve all of this successfully? 14mo

Catsandbooks Hate both mother versions lol 14mo

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤣versions 🤣🤣🗣️👏🏼 14mo

julieclair Josie's mom is just icky. Josephine's mother is selfish and cruel. 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Boy, the author had it in for moms 😂 or yes, she was creating another parallel. @mcctrish @DebinHawaii No, I don‘t see where this is going at all!!! We‘re already at 84% - are they ever going to meet??? How could this possibly get resolved?? I do enjoy not understanding though. It‘s kind of a meandering ride - but fun 😁 14mo

mcctrish @julieclair I keep forgetting about the parallel mom thing, Josephine‘s mom wins for awfulness but we don‘t actually know what Josie‘s is fully up to 14mo

mollyrotondo The mothers are the worst! Josephine‘s mom sleeping with her fiancé ? I mean it‘s not just scandal it‘s life ruining in those days. The sins of the mother are the sins of the daughter. Awful. But Josie‘s mom is super selfish too. And yes I also don‘t know why all the parallels. I want the answer to be time travel but I have a feeling it‘s more of a lesson in history repeating itself? But I‘m still holding out for time travel ? 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Josephine's mom royally screwed Josephine. That's just terrible to do. However, as a woman likely about Josie's mom's age, I can't fully hate that she snagged a young man (hopefully a bit older than Josie, though) (also, get it, girl! 😜) BUT I do hate that she's woefully absent for her daughter when she needs a parent figure. She's given Josie space but as a mother, shouldn't she be more attentive? Still no clue how this all wraps up. 14mo

11 likes12 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Elias in Josie‘s dreams? 👀

Elias the legitimate heir- yay!

Elias & Josephine
Can‘t be together
She was the joy he chose
He strings garland for her
OMG
Cheesy or good fun 👀?????

AmyG Cheesy. 🤣 14mo

vlwelser Cheesy and fun. It can be both, right? 14mo

IndoorDame @vlwelser I think it can be both! 14mo

See All 15 Comments

mcctrish Such a romantic gesture 🌼 and yay for legitimacy 👏🏻👏🏻 ( better than rolling down the hill ) 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 14mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser @IndoorDame yes both. 😅 14mo

DebinHawaii I vote for both! 🧀💛 14mo

Catsandbooks Both! 14mo

julieclair I'm with @mcctrish ... sooo romantic! 💖 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Absolutely!! Agree with @vlwelser Both! 😁 😍 and waaaay better than rolling down that hill 😂 @mcctrish 14mo

mcctrish @CoffeeNBooks I will never understand that part 🤣🤣🤦🏻‍♀️ is this Anne of Green Gables and are we 12? 14mo

CoffeeAndABook @mcctrish 😂🤣🤣🤣 same here!!! 14mo

mollyrotondo @mcctrish 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 14mo

mollyrotondo I thinks it‘s incredibly cheesy and soooo romantic! 😂 💘 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Cheesy but sweet. But also, how else was Elias going to spend his time? These historical romances with wealthy folks remind me just how few demands many of these people had on their time. 14mo

11 likes15 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Faith
And Noah again…
And Faith and marriage to Noah aversion
Coupled with
All these arranged marriages 😡🤮
Why is this in the story?
I like how Faith handled the break up and her decisions and why. You?

https://theweek.com/articles/528746/origins-marriage

https://www.livescience.com/37777-history-of-marriage.html

AmyG Faith wasn‘t ready for marriage. She wanted to do many things in her life for herself. Where Josephine lived in a time where that just wasn‘t done. She wanted to choose but didn‘t have that option….not a societal acceptable one. 14mo

IndoorDame I never realized about marriage and citizenship before! 14mo

IndoorDame Yes, I‘m happy with the decision she made, but I have no clue why it‘s in the story really. So many other details could develop the same character traits without defining her through a relationship with a man (edited) 14mo

See All 14 Comments

vlwelser This does seem a bit extra and unnecessary. 14mo

mcctrish I was pretty proud of Faith for choosing her dreams. But it‘s just another part of the story where I‘m all “how old are these people?” 14mo

DebinHawaii I really thought Noah & the end of their relationship was what was going to get Faith to stay with Josie. I agree it seems unnecessary to the story. 14mo

Catsandbooks I'm glad Faith chose herself. 14mo

julieclair I agree that Faith made the right decision. It just doesn't seem like it would have been a happy or fulfilling marriage. 14mo

CoffeeAndABook I really like Faith and actually like Noah, too, but I‘m happy Faith made her decisions the way she did. I don‘t mind hearing about her life at all 🙂 It sort of gives a nice balance to all the old-world-spooky-manor-arranged-marriages-ruined-reputations side of the story. I‘d like to see her finally join Josie in the manor tho!! 14mo

mollyrotondo I get why this is in here. To tie marriage expectations in the past and present. But I also feel more interested in the past storyline than Faith and Noah lol Faith should have never gotten back together with Noah. She knew his expectations and he clearly wasn‘t going to change. He proposed marriage to her again after that‘s what caused the strain the first time they broke up. Faith knows she wants to explore so forget about Noah. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I'm glad she & Noah broke up (again) bc she's not ready for marriage. I think it's weird how hung up on marriage Noah is. We see thru her family relations that Faith is blazing her own path. I don't think fighting off a marriage proposal is needed to show independence. @mcctrish I keep thinking these girls are 19/20. It sounds like the girls met at boarding school, Faith is in college now, & Josie's mom still has some say in the fate of townhome. 14mo

mcctrish @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 19/20 is what I thought so what is this obsession with marriage ( makes me question the religion of the author 🤔) 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯 14mo

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💯💯💯💯💯 14mo

12 likes14 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Josie feeling secure in Scotland in the bakery, in community …knitting circle ..it‘s all healing yes?

https://www.knittingtours.com/knitting-tours/9-night-best-scotland-knitting-tour...

AmyG I do think it is healing for her. Gives her space and things to think about other than the death of her Dad. Gives her a chance to create something for herself. 14mo

IndoorDame Certainly sounds like a nice (and healthy) way to regroup and find your way back to yourself 14mo

vlwelser I loved this. The knitting circle does seem a bit like a trendy plot device. But it's cute here. 14mo

See All 14 Comments

mcctrish It all feels very home-y which is what Josie needs. A safe space that she can come back to. Sometimes I‘m not sure how old these people are- emotionally 20 but lifestyle 30. Does that make them ‘old souls‘ or is it erratic plot stuff ? 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish I‘ve thought recently a lot of the 30 aged ppl act 20 or I‘m really getting old 🤣👀 14mo

mcctrish @TheBookHippie maybe it‘s just that I‘m old and can‘t remember what is what with the youngsters 🤣🤣 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish solidarity 🤣♥️😅 14mo

DebinHawaii Hah! So true @TheBookHippie @mcctrish ! 🤣 I find myself thinking that a lot in books & also thinking that “I was never that young!” 😉🤣 I do like the knitting club & bakery & cozy things & can see how those would help Josie with her grieving & healing. (edited) 14mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii 🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 or was I ever this young? 😅🤣 14mo

Catsandbooks I like her new community group! It seems supportive and a good place for her 14mo

julieclair I think that all these endeavors are wonderful ways to deal with grief. Cozy pursuits that allow her to spend time in the company of others, without being too taxing mentally or emotionally. 14mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii We were never that young. We were too busy saving the world. 😂😘 14mo

mollyrotondo This is all definitely healing. I am more excited about her joining the community by working and being a part of the knitting group than her staying inside reading about a man from 200 years ago and pining over him. It‘s more important for her to move forward than remain stuck focused in the past. 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick Her mother appears to be uninterested at best, so Josie finding a job & hobbies where she's making a found family & support group of her own is great. @mollyrotondo Yes! In this section I wanted less NOVEL and more about Josie in the present, starting to live life and pull away from this romantic notion of Elias being a viable love match. 14mo

10 likes14 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Faith not being able to reach Josie again
And not being around when Josie‘s dad dying
Was it her “right”? (Faiths)
Truly?
Or could Josie have said this is my dad I need this for myself.
Was Faith thinking of Josie? Or herself?
Thoughts?
What do you think of their friendship ?

AmyG I understand where Faith is coming from. Josie is her best friend. You would have thought she would lean on Faith a little and Faith wanted to be there for her friend. 14mo

IndoorDame I don‘t think there are rules about grieving. But it does sound like her dad was part of Faith‘s found family in a way that Josie appreciated before, so if she truly needed the time for herself it would definitely have been better to say so than to ghost Faith, but it still feels cruel either way. 14mo

AmyG @IndoorDame Agreed. Just tell Faith you need some space. 14mo

See All 13 Comments

vlwelser This was maybe a little bit needy. But they're young girls. 14mo

mcctrish I think a lot of things right now @IndoorDame is right, there are no rules to grief and you have no idea how you will react when it hits you. In Josie‘s case she lost her dad, family, and she has a lot of life to live without him to bear witness. That‘s the kind of grief that grows. In Faith‘s case, Josie and her dad were her ‘found family‘ so they understand a part of her that her bio family doesn‘t, I completely get how F would feel tossed aside 14mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish agree. 14mo

DebinHawaii I agree with everyone, it‘s understandable how Faith would feel left out & how much that would hurt her & it‘s also understandable that Josie might need to grieve alone but some communication from Josie would have made it less hurtful for Faith than being ghosted. But as @vlwelser said, they are young girls. The maturity isn‘t there yet. 14mo

Catsandbooks Teen relationships are messy and add grief in there and it complicates things more. I think if both had better clearly communicated their needs they both would be feeling better. But also there's adults who can't communicate well either so... 😬😂 14mo

julieclair It makes me sad that Josie treated Faith this way. Despite her overwhelming grief, ghosting Faith was an insensitive thing to do, particularly since she knew how close Faith felt to her dad. Faith deserved a chance to grieve too, and could have helped Josie through her own grief. 14mo

CoffeeAndABook Ghosting is always the worst way to deal with anything & anyone. Especially within a friendship and when there‘s grief involved 💔 Apart from that, there‘s probably no right or wrong, it just could have been handled better. The way Josie treated Faith was bad even considering how young they were. But. That she would apologize and go straight back to that same behavior was just infuriating. And her explanation was somewhat thin 😡 (edited) 14mo

mollyrotondo @CoffeeAndABook I agree with everything you said. I also felt like it was selfish of Faith to bring her own needs up to Josie. It is awful to lose someone but he was Josie‘s father and Josie needed to space. That‘s how she grieves. But I think Faith has a right to grieve as well since she felt like he was a father to her. Ghosting should never be a think between friends and definitely the situation should have been handled differently. 14mo

CoffeeAndABook @mollyrotondo So true!! 14mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I wish we had a little more info about the ways Faith was involved with Josie & her dad. Saying they are Faith's found family is well & good, but to what extent might factor into this. It's shitty that Faith was ghosted & not involved at the end (by my take) but if she truly was like family, she should've known. Josie didn't necessarily have to blow her off completely, but grief is so different for everyone. 14mo

12 likes13 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

See you SUNDAY for chapters 13-20
NEXT WEEK chapters 21-END

♥️#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

42 likes

LitsyEvents

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

Repost for @TheBookHippie

The final discussion for chapters 21-end will be February 26!
#SundayBuddyRead

See the original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2549577

31 likes

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD GADZOOKS
Ya all read 13-20 for this week as stated!!!!
LAST WEEK IS 21-END for our February 26 discussion!!!!!

😅😱😝😵‍💫🙄 I have it wrong in the picture!!! 🙃🫣

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🫣🫣🫣 1y

TheBookHippie @LitsyEvents 1y

vlwelser I didn't even notice this one. 1y

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🫣😵‍💫 1y

34 likes1 stack add4 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Yay we get to read more!!! 💌💌💌💌

Sundays with you all = ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Thank ya😘

AmyG Thank You! ❤️ 1y

CoffeeNBooks Thank you for hosting, and also for researching so much for us! This is such a great book, and I am enjoying it immensely! 1y

kspenmoll I will echo @AmyG @CoffeeNBooks . Engaging book, & as always, impeccable research!💜❤️💛 1y

See All 8 Comments

CoffeeAndABook This is so much fun!! Thank you 🌻 It won‘t be easy to pace myself next week but I‘ll do my best 😅 1y

TheBookHippie @CoffeeAndABook I agree I sometimes hide the book 😅🙃. So happy to have you with us. I agree this is great fun! 1y

DebinHawaii Yes, so far very engaging! 🤗 Thank you! It will be tough to wait for next week as I felt it was left on a bit if a cliffhanger with what comes next. 1y

julieclair Ditto what @CoffeeNBooks said! 💙 1y

mollyrotondo I can‘t believe we still have two more sections to go! I‘m really liking it a lot but I want to find out how this all works out! Great pick! 1y

20 likes8 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Legs draped over the sofa…👀

Bike with basket Josie

Shakespeare has been mentioned ♥️

Bath https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Bath/

All fun mentions

Anything else strike you???

AmyG I want to discuss Oliver! I wonder if they don‘t wind up together. 1y

vlwelser Oliver! Yes! 1y

TheBookHippie @AmyG @vlwelser oh yes DUH!!!! Oliver!!! I was blinded by the food 👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳 I think maybe he is her answer and she stays!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻 1y

See All 20 Comments

IndoorDame I love the idea of her and Oliver!!! So rooting for that ending! 1y

CoffeeNBooks Yes! I love Oliver! He seems so great, and interested in Elias and the novel, also. And I love that Josie seems to be close with his grandparents. With her dad gone, and having an unhealthy rlationship with her mom, I feel like she could really use having Norman and Martha as part of her life permanently. 1y

mcctrish I‘d much rather Oliver than having to go back and live in a time with high maternal death rates and no rights 😆 1y

kspenmoll Oliver & grandparents show a different side of Josie, one I like. 1y

TheBookHippie @kspenmoll I agree! 1y

CoffeeAndABook Yes!! Oliver!! When he showed up and it became clear he wasn‘t a teenager I was like “Ha!! Yes! Finally!!” 🙌🏼 I agree @CoffeeNBooks @IndoorDame @AmyG @vlwelser he sounds like a great match for Josie. AND he has dark hair (partly colored with henna??!!!) so *maybe* he‘s somehow a descendant of Elias??? Could that be? 1y

AmyG @CoffeeAndABook Ahhhhh, a descendant of Elias! May-be 1y

CoffeeAndABook @AmyG I would like that!!! 1y

CoffeeNBooks @CoffeeAndABook I hadn't thought of the possibility of him being a descendant of Elias. Interesting! 1y

DebinHawaii I like him as a descendant of Elias & I like him but what‘s with his hair?! 😳 1y

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii I can‘t figure it out either 😅🤣 1y

Catsandbooks One of my first thoughts was Elias descendant! I like Oliver and Josie together! 1y

Catsandbooks OK just had this far out thought but what if it becomes a love triangle with Josie Elias and Oliver and she has the choice to go back in time to be with Elias or stay in the present with Oliver! 1y

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks 👀 1y

julieclair Love Oliver! I‘m rooting for them to end up together. 1y

CoffeeAndABook @Catsandbooks 🫢 love triangle - that would be an intriguing turn of events!! 1y

mollyrotondo If she isn‘t going to time travel then I‘d be happy if her and Oliver got together 😂 (edited) 1y

17 likes20 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

Josie Josephine same person ????
Relative ? Former life?

I do love the storyline. #SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Thoughts ?

AmyG I wondered, too, about a relative. But her father never said anything about any relative. Do they not know? And where is the rest of the book? Has it not been written? Yet? 1y

vlwelser Absolutely no freaking clue. 1y

IndoorDame Initially I assumed relative, but at this point the author has me ready to believe almost anything 1y

See All 13 Comments

CoffeeAndABook I still cannot figure it out!!! I‘m half expecting Josie at some point to be offered a time-traveling portal and go into it knowing she‘ll meet Elias and get the one meeting with him. But I can‘t imagine how that would be engineered. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ 1y

CoffeeNBooks @CoffeeAndABook I agree! That's the only "logical" explanation I can come up with. ? 1y

CoffeeNBooks Either that or Josie is a descendant of Josephine, but I feel like Josie's dad would have told her (unless it was a secret he was going to reveal to her but passed away before he could tell her). 1y

kspenmoll Not sure but I suspect Josie is a descendant of Josephine 1y

DebinHawaii @CoffeeAndABook @CoffeeNBooks I love when the “logical” explanation is time travel! 🤣🤣🤣 1y

Catsandbooks 🤞🏼I'm just hoping for time travel lol 1y

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 1y

julieclair No friggin‘ idea. But I am loving the story! 1y

megnews Time travel 1y

mollyrotondo Time travel is what I‘m looking for here 😂 1y

15 likes1 stack add13 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Faith and Noah
Thoughts?
I have many 👀

I do like the Faith and Josie correspondence ♥️

AmyG I like their correspondence too. As for her and Noah…I think she is too young and wants different things in life at this moment in time. I am not sure it will work out for them. 1y

vlwelser I have no idea where this is going. He doesn't seem to be what she really wants. 1y

IndoorDame Really enjoying the Faith and Josie correspondence! But it feels like Noah would be settling, I hope she decides to go another way. 1y

See All 15 Comments

CoffeeAndABook Ooh yes, I definitely perk up when there‘s an email exchange between Josie and Faith. Would love to know a lot more about Faith and Noah!! 1y

CoffeeNBooks I like the Faith & Josie friendship. I'm not sure why the Faith & Noah storyline is part of the book, though. Maybe it will make sense later. I can't see Faith & Noah working this out- they seem to want very different things in life. 1y

mcctrish Part of me thinks the whole faith and Noah struggle is setting up for faith to come visit but 🤷🏻‍♀️I do like the back and forth between Josie and Faith but I thought Josie was a bit abrupt with Faith when she and Oliver were immersed in reading the novel 1y

kspenmoll I love their exchanges - true friendship. But why is Josie silent again? The Faith & Noah relationship seems too practical to survive- no love lost? 1y

DebinHawaii @mcctrish That‘s what I thought too—maybe setting up Faith coming to stay. And I got mad at Josie going silent again with Faith with Oliver & the book—didn‘t she learn from last time? 🤬 1y

mcctrish Exactly @DebinHawaii stop blowing off your friends for boys!!!! 1y

Catsandbooks @DebinHawaii Same! Don't blow off your friend...again! I think this is just an example of young love and figuring out what you want. Seems like it's the first big relationship and that hard to get over. (edited) 1y

julieclair I think Faith is a really good friend to Josie, and I hope Josie stops taking her for granted. Faith could use a good friend right now, as she deals with Noah. They are not going to end up together. 1y

megnews @DebinHawaii I was mad at her too. And feel bad for Faith. 1y

mollyrotondo I actually don‘t like this part of the book. Faith needs to move on from Noah and go spend time with Josie. Problem solved. I prefer the story set in the past more. 1y

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💯agree!! 1y

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I like Faith/Josie friendship but I think they're too young to settle down. How old is Noah that he's thinking about marriage already? Weird... 14mo

16 likes15 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

(Novel)
Josephine & Elias roll down cliff
Yellow Gorse
Was the secret place where Josie was earlier and in her walkabout?
Then it STOPS
What??????

Money
Root of all evil
Thoughts on poor Elias troubles?

AmyG It always comes down to money, especially with inheritances. And Elias and Josephine will have to meet at some point…somewhere. Right? 1y

vlwelser I sort of love the roll down the hill. This is Elias' novel so this is in his imagination. 1y

IndoorDame This did strike me as something that had to be the least autobiographical part of the novel. There‘s no way either of them would risk returning her to the group that disheveled! 1y

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CoffeeNBooks I love this, but I agree @IndoorDame - there's no way either of them would have risked that. 1y

CoffeeNBooks It seems really out of sorts with what was acceptable during that time period regarding interactions between men and women. 1y

mcctrish I thought this part was bizarre and I‘m finding the ‘novel‘ baffling amongst other things 🤣although I enjoyed the description of where they were 1y

kspenmoll This part was out off place especially because they were with a group they had to return to. Too risky. 1y

CoffeeAndABook @IndoorDame I agree, it‘s super risky behavior. Maybe they both just really wanted to get caught and have their reputation smudged just enough for Josephine to get out of the engagement? It‘s weird but then it‘s part of his novel - so maybe it‘s just Elias imagining himself as more reckless and impulsive than he actually is 🤷🏼‍♀️ (edited) 1y

DebinHawaii Yes to all of this! Is it Elias‘s imagination? Rolling down the hill & the dishevelment would seem a no-no for a betrothed young woman. 1y

julieclair Ooohhh… interesting thought, @CoffeeAndABook , purposely trying to get her out of the engagement. 1y

julieclair And yes, how can it just stop? That is a really rotten thing to do to us! 😂 1y

TheBookHippie @julieclair It‘s just plain rude! 1y

julieclair @TheBookHippie This is why time travel is necessary. So we can find out what really happened. It's the only sensible solution. 😂 1y

TheBookHippie @julieclair 💯👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 1y

mollyrotondo @julieclair exactly! Time travel in order to get to the bottom of that hill lol this part was odd and makes me wonder if someone in the present day wrote all of this stuff Josie found. 1y

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick They don't want to cause suspicion but they tumble down a hill together. Was it a euphemism for being on a slippery slope? Maybe just a WTF moment since it's fictional. 14mo

13 likes16 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

More food this book is a foodies dream..

Stuffed partridges
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/tom-kitchin-recipes-roasted-partridge-1555114

More white soup
https://www.endofthefork.com/cullen-skink-scottish-smoked-haddock-soup/

Hot cross buns http://www.scotlandforvisitors.com/recipes/hotcrossbuns.php

Martha Stewart almond tart https://www.marthastewart.com/344908/almond-tart

AmyG I have 4 weddings this summer/fall. I will not go down the food rabbit hole. I need to fit into a dress!!! 1y

IndoorDame I really want to try the white soup! 1y

vlwelser @IndoorDame 💯 also intrigued by this. 1y

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CoffeeNBooks I feel like I'm going to end up spending some of my spring break cooking some of these things! 🤣 1y

mcctrish The food descriptions are amazing 1y

kspenmoll The food is fabulous! 1y

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks 👩🏻‍🍳🥰😅 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame same!! 1y

TheBookHippie @AmyG 😝🙃 1y

TheBookHippie @kspenmoll I know !!! @DebinHawaii is a foodie as well. I bet she has some recipes ! 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame white soup is a whole rabbit hole I want to try them all and all these recipes 👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳 1y

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie maybe we should pick some minor holiday to celebrate this year as an excuse to go crazy with the cooking, but if experiments don‘t work out no one will be mad that we botched their tradition 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame OHHHH YES!!! 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/scotland/festivals 👀 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame okay saving for next year https://www.scotland.org/events/burns-night 1y

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie this looks so incredible!!! 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame so this year my Beltane cooking - Scottish ! 1y

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie perfect! I‘m in!! 1y

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 ohhhhh @Chrissyreadit Scottish Beltane ?!?! 1y

DebinHawaii I did make a white soup once for a book review but vegetarian & very non-traditional. (I had no “knuckle of veal” on hand. This is a good resource for recipes. I have made a few things from it.

The Jane Austen Cookbook

(edited) 1y

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii ooooohhh that‘s looks like I need to own it… 😅 1y

mollyrotondo I love when food is mentioned in detail in a book 😂 I can almost smell it all 😆 1y

15 likes22 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Lorelai
Not sure what to think
Playing the long game ??

AmyG I would say yes, playing the long game. Don‘t all those women want to get married? 1y

IndoorDame That‘s been my guess. It‘s possible she can sort of gamble here because she really does have a backup plan in the suitor she keeps mentioning 1y

vlwelser It seems like she night be. I think she feels pressure to get married. Because that's what they did. 1y

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mcctrish Women had to get married or hope their brother would support them so I‘d say Lorelei has nothing to lose throwing her hat into Elias‘ ring 1y

kspenmoll @mcctrish Well said. Women had no options then except marriage or dependence on family for handouts. 1y

DebinHawaii OK, I brought this up earlier but how is she allowed to be there by herself with Elias now that Arthur is dead in the 1820s? 🤔 1y

mcctrish @DebinHawaii Arthur wasn‘t even her brother ( right?) so I don‘t know why she was allowed there in the first place 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

julieclair That picture… look at the size of her waist! 😳😵‍💫 Good point, @IndoorDame , about the backup suitor waiting in the wings. 1y

megnews @DebinHawaii I‘ve been wondering the same. 1y

mollyrotondo Lorelei is an interesting character and I wish we knew more about her. Not sure what her end game will be. 1y

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I, too, want to know more about her. I don't know if she has true feelings for Elias or if it's just that he's good enough to settle for. 14mo

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