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 🎉❤💛 4w

mcctrish I can get back to this now 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I started the first chapter accidentally over Christmas 🤣🤣 4w

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! 📚📚📚🤦🏻‍♀️📚📚📚📚📚 4w

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Read4life I‘m at the library picking up my copy right now 🤓 4w

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! 4w

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 4w

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks I sent your bday card late 😵‍💫 so sorry should be there soon… 🤦🏻‍♀️ 4w

CoffeeNBooks @TheBookHippie No worries! Birthday wishes are wonderful, no matter when they arrive. 😁 4w

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 😘 4w

TheBookHippie @CoffeeAndABook Today he seems 90 percent! Thanks so much for asking! Hope to see you soon in our #SundayBuddyRead world! 4w

TheBookHippie @Sargar114 3w

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. 2w

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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 4w

SamAnne Oh my! Glad he is okay! Sounds like an awful experience. 4w

Karisa So glad he is ok now. How scary for you all though 💗 4w

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Meshell1313 Thank goodness he‘s okay! So scary! 4w

Dragon That was super scary. Glad you had the cola on hand. Thank goodness he‘s okay this morning 👍💚🐉 4w

Tamra One of my biggest parental fears! I‘m so glad he‘s ok. I‘ll remember the advice. 4w

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I‘m glad it worked, but that sounds like terrible advice 😬 I‘m really glad it worked out ok 4w

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! 4w

TheBookHippie @Dragon cola is always here it‘s a main migraine tool glass bottle bottle brown sugar cane coke ♥️ 4w

vivastory Glad to hear that your son is okay! 4w

vlwelser So glad he's ok. 4w

Suet624 Oh my gosh. How frightening. I'm glad your son is okay. 4w

mcctrish That sounds just crazy but I‘m going to keep coke on hand and not just for migraines from now on 4w

Sargar114 Oh my gosh! That sounds terrifying (and stick) glad he‘s okay. 💙💙💙 4w

DebinHawaii Wow! How scary. Glad he is ok now. 💜 4w

IndoorDame What a bizarre remedy! Thank goodness it worked ❤️ 4w

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 4w

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame https://www.healthline.com/health/food-stuck-in-throat 4w

TheBookHippie @mcctrish https://www.healthline.com/health/food-stuck-in-throat 4w

mcctrish I am glad it worked, I‘d probably only want coke for medicinal purposes after that 4w

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie good to know!!! 4w

Catsandbooks Oh no! Glad he's OK!! ❤️ 4w

Leftcoastzen Oh man! So glad he‘s ok ! Super scary. 4w

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie so glad your son is ok!💜 4w

TheBookHippie @curiouserandcurioser me too!!! I said to my daughter (she‘s 34) I‘m too old for this!!! She just laughed. 4w

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!! 4w

TheBookHippie @curiouserandcurioser my grandson(9) had a bad choking incident when he was 3, it‘s so scary!!! 4w

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie it is so scary and you feel so helpless!! 4w

Blerdgal_Fenix Glad he is okay. That sounds crazy, another use for coca cola. 4w

DivineDiana What an experience! Glad all is well! And thank you for the tip about Coke! 4w

BookNAround That‘s scary! Glad the Coke helped, even if it sounds like a pretty gross result. 4w

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. 4w

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. 4w

monalyisha Oh my gosh! That‘s terrifying! So happy to hear of the fortunate result. 💞 (edited) 4w

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) 4w

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. 4w

mollyrotondo Oh I‘m so sorry to hear this! I‘m glad he‘s okay now! 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair Took a few years off my life I think. So glad it all ended well.... 3w

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick How frightening for you all. I'm so glad your son is okay now. 🩵 2w

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick took a few years off my life 😵‍💫😅 2w

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#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. 4w

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 4w

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…? 4w

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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. 😬 4w

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4w

kspenmoll @mcctrish Yes to all your thoughts especially Josie‘s “addiction to a dead person”! 🤣🤣🙄 4w

julieclair Everyone‘s grief journey is unique, but I felt Josie‘s ended rather abruptly. 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair Same, grief unfortunately doesn't work that way..... 3w

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 3w

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. 2w

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#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. 4w

mcctrish I‘d like a fantasy element better than child marriage 🤣🤣 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser SAME -I was misled 🤣. 4w

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish Same!!! 4w

IndoorDame @vlwelser I was pretty sure it was heading in that direction too!!! 4w

DebinHawaii I was convinced they would meet up at some point-even briefly. I would have liked that more I think. 🤔 4w

Catsandbooks Yes I was wishing for fantasy. I think it would have made it better!! 4w

kspenmoll Yes, fantasy would have been much better! 4w

julieclair Fantasy would have been more realistic and believable. 😂 4w

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? 🤔 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair NOPE!!!! HOW INFURIATING !!! So frustrating since it had so much promise. 3w

julieclair @TheBookHippie Agreed! That's a pretty major loose end! ➰ 3w

TheBookHippie @julieclair Fairly sure her religion wouldn't allow fantasy or the like....... or even entertain it, she probably “sinned“ going this far.....OYVEY. 3w

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. 3w

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo RIGHT UGHHHHHHHHHHHH 😵‍💫 3w

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick The introduction to a thin place would've helped tremendously. This just seemed like a hula hoop... no point. 2w

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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. 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser it totally 🤮🤢🤮🤢🤮 for me. 4w

mcctrish I knew it!!! It‘s not awful 4w

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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? 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser nope and I won‘t -remember our June book last year 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 OY VEY. 4w

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. 4w

vlwelser Oh. Barf. No more Emily Henry YA novels either. 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser oh goodness nooooo 4w

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! 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser although January is decided 🤣🤣

Cooking for Picasso

vlwelser Fun. I bet you end up with an enormous list. You'll have to give hints about your favorites. 4w

vlwelser Oh yeah. I've been keeping that aside. 4w

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 4w

TheBookHippie @mcctrish exactly 💯. Book is find Hillsong definitely not 🤮 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser it‘s February I have 5 🤣👀😵‍💫 4w

IndoorDame I‘ve gotten out of the habit of reading acknowledgments. In this case a good thing!!! 4w

DebinHawaii Yes, I read it and went 🙄 and it explained some things for sure. 4w

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. 4w

TheBookHippie @AmyG lord no 🤣🤣🤣😵‍💫🤦🏻‍♀️ YA is problematic …although Stacey Lee has a new one coming !!! (edited) 4w

Catsandbooks I totally missed the acknowledgments cause I did the audio so now I'm wondering what it said. 👀 4w

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! 4w

kspenmoll @TheBookHippie I do like Stacy Lee‘s YA books. They have depth & cover universal themes. 4w

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! 4w

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks ha it was well something… 4w

julieclair Like @Catsandbooks , I did the audio, so missed the acknowledgment. But based on these comments, it must have been a doozy! 4w

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!!!!! 3w

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo bamboozled again 😵‍💫 3w

mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie these YA authors are tricky lol 😂 3w

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 😵‍💫😵‍💫😅😅 2w

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. 2w

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick seriously I need a warning !!!! Ughhhhhhhh 2w

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#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. 4w

mcctrish I might want to mail this out to some people in elected positions in Ontario 4w

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 4w

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DebinHawaii Yes, fitting for the story and for life! 4w

IndoorDame Pretty well sums up what I felt the goal behind writing this was 4w

Read4life I love this blessing. It is fitting for the story. 4w

AmyG I liked this quote more than the book. 4w

kspenmoll Fitting for the story but I am on board with @AmyG 4w

kspenmoll @mcctrish I like that email thought! 4w

julieclair @AmyG 💯💯💯! I love this blessing. 4w

mollyrotondo Beautiful blessing. We all need to think this way. 3w

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

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#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. 4w

mcctrish That‘s a great quote 4w

DebinHawaii I do like that quote. 💯 4w

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IndoorDame Forget the quote. I‘m all about this painting!!!!! 4w

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame "Suzanne" painted around the 1900s by the Belgian artist Auguste Levêque. 4w

AmyG Absolutely. I have seen this with a few people. 4w

kspenmoll Yup. That quote is quite relevant! 4w

julieclair That quote is absolute truth. 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair It seems to be the state of the world currently! 4w

julieclair @TheBookHippie Sadly, yes. I wish the Scottish blessing you quoted would be the state of the world instead… 4w

mollyrotondo Oh gosh so many people do this. Shine a light on others‘ bad behavior so everyone forgets about my bad behavior. 3w

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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) 4w

DebinHawaii So far it‘s going pretty well for me and Mr. Darcy, but I‘ll keep you posted! 😛🤣🤪 4w

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii Tell him I say hello..👀 4w

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DebinHawaii @TheBookHippie Don‘t try to use your arts and allurements on my man! 🤬 4w

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii 🤣🤣🤣 4w

Read4life I agree with @mcctrish 💯 4w

mcctrish @Read4life 👯‍♀️❤️ 4w

Read4life @DebinHawaii I needed that laugh. Thank you 😆 4w

TheBookHippie @Read4life 🤣♥️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I needed the laugh as well @DebinHawaii 4w

AmyG And this is where I throw the book. I just couldn‘t. I guess I am just too old for this nonsense. (edited) 4w

TheBookHippie @AmyG 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ 4w

AmyG I have a crush on Aragorn. But I don‘t think Eowyn is actually me. 4w

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. 4w

kspenmoll @DebinHawaii Mr. Darcy… 4w

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. 4w

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. 3w

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. 🤣 2w

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

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#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

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

vlwelser Team Oliver! 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 💯💯💯 4w

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 4w

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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. 4w

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. 😳 4w

IndoorDame @mcctrish I‘m with you here 4w

CoffeeNBooks I think Oliver loved Josie through her perhaps unrealistic infatuation with Elias, and waited patiently for her, much as Lorelai did with Elias. 4w

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks 🙃 4w

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. 4w

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. 3w

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. 2w

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick oh yes Jesus first Oy.. I made a whole post on it… 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 2w

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TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

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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. 4w

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 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4w

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4w

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TheBookHippie @vlwelser I think yes a bit heavy handed lighten up people 👀. 4w

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. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4w

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… 4w

CoffeeNBooks I thought it was sweet of Oliver to finish the novel for Josie. 4w

AmyG I think Oliver is so sweet. 4w

Catsandbooks @CoffeeNBooks totally agree. I think he did it to help give Josie closure 4w

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. 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair RIGHT?! What the world was the point ?!?! 4w

TheBookHippie @AmyG me too!! 4w

kspenmoll Oliver was the best character in the book. 4w

julieclair @kspenmoll 💯💯💯 4w

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. 3w

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. 3w

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. 2w

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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 4w

vlwelser I thought this was a fairly reasonable conclusion to a fairly messy book. 4w

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🤣😵‍💫 4w

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TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤷🏻‍♀️ also hashtag 🏆 4w

mcctrish @vlwelser perfect summation 4w

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) 4w

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 4w

Catsandbooks I'm satisfied with this ending. Glad lorelai stood her ground 4w

IndoorDame @vlwelser couldn‘t have said it better 👏👏👏 4w

Read4life @vlwelser & @DebinHawaii with perfect comments. 👏🏻👏🏻 4w

CoffeeNBooks @DebinHawaii 😂 4w

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. 4w

AmyG I am happy things worked out for her and him. They were who should have been together. 4w

julieclair I agree with @vlwelser . It was an adequate ending. 4w

julieclair @TheBookHippie Love the painting of the woman gazing at the portrait! 👍 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair this was a fun one to find photos for!! 4w

kspenmoll @DebinHawaii 🙌🏻🙌🏻😂 4w

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. 3w

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! 2w

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 2w

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 😆) 4w

vlwelser The food might have been my favorite part of this book. 4w

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!! 4w

See All 8 Comments

TheBookHippie @vlwelser IT IS MINE🤣👩🏻‍🍳 4w

mcctrish Oh that‘s clever 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4w

DebinHawaii @vlwelser @TheBookHippie Me too! 🤤 4w

IndoorDame @DebinHawaii @vlwelser @TheBookHippie definitely the best part!!! 🧑‍🍳❤️ 4w

kspenmoll @vlwelser I agree about the food- love Shepards pie 4w

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. 4w

TheBookgeekFrau Glad he's ok! Can't imagine the fright; hope You feel better soon 💕 4w

Bookwomble Glad your son's ok - sounds like a scary moment. 💖 4w

See All 22 Comments

thebackyardgnome Im so glad that your son is okay! Hopr you wgll have a peaceful nighr 💕 4w

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! 💙 4w

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. 💕🤗 4w

curiouserandcurioser @TheBookHippie glad your son is ok💜 4w

AmyG Omg…just glad he is ok. Hugs to you as that must have been frightening. 4w

mcctrish That‘s so scary!!! Everyone can and needs to rest after that 🥰🥰 4w

IndoorDame Yikes! I‘m so glad he‘s okay! Rest well 💜💜💜 4w

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. 4w

tpixie So scary, glad he expelled his food. Choking is scary!! 4w

dabbe Glad he's okay! Sending hugs your way. ❣️🤗❣️ 4w

CoffeeAndABook So so glad he‘s doing ok!! That‘s all that‘s important!! Sending lots of Litsy love ❤️‍🩹 4w

TheBookHippie @julieclair @kspenmoll @vlwelser @AmyG @mcctrish @IndoorDame @CoffeeAndABook thx so much questions are up. He‘s resting soundly -all 6ft 5 in of him! 4w

TheBookHippie @Hooked_on_books me too!!! 4w

TheBookHippie @TheBookgeekFrau 💕 4w

TheBookHippie @Bookwomble adrenaline truly is our friend at times. I‘m more afraid now than I was last night 😵‍💫😅. 4w

TheBookHippie @thebackyardgnome we had a good night phew.. 4w

TheBookHippie @tpixie it truly is frightening! 4w

TheBookHippie @dabbe ♥️♥️♥️♥️ 4w

Read4life Glad he‘s ok. I‘m sure it was scary and exhausting. Thank you for hosting this group. 💙💙 4w

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 🙃🤐🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫♥️ 1mo

AmyG I liked parts of this book. Oliver was my favorite!!! 1mo

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 💙 1mo

TheBookHippie @Read4life ♥️ 1mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG ♥️ 1mo

55 likes5 comments

IndoorDame

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

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

Clwojick So pretty! Great job! 1mo

dabbe Beautiful as usual! ❣️ 1mo

IndoorDame @dabbe thank you 🙏❤️ 1mo

julieclair Lovely! 1mo

IndoorDame @julieclair thanks 💗🧡💛 1mo

61 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 1mo

Cinfhen Such a thoughtful review 🤓 1mo

18 likes1 stack add2 comments

vlwelser

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

so-so

🤐

#SundayBuddyRead @TheBookHippie

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 1mo

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. 1mo

Clwojick Good match! 1mo

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. 1mo

IndoorDame I know what I‘m doing this afternoon ! 1mo

vlwelser I'm going to go finish now. 1mo

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 1mo

DebinHawaii I may not wait the week. We‘ll see… 😉 1mo

julieclair @mcctrish Yes!!! 1mo

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 1mo

mollyrotondo I am behind once again 🤦🏻‍♀️ I can‘t wait to finish this one this week lol 4w

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo 🙃 I get behind as well but never on the reads I lead! 🤣 I‘m off to go catch up on middlemarch .. 4w

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! 🤣 1mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG 🤣🤣🤣RIGHT?!?! 1mo

IndoorDame Oh, how cool!!! 1mo

See All 9 Comments

mcctrish Kind of blows my mind 1mo

DebinHawaii Very cool! 1mo

CoffeeAndABook Wow 😳 poor Katie never heard about Christabels heavy cold 😬 1mo

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 🤷🏼‍♀️ 1mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeAndABook 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼agreeeeee. 1mo

mollyrotondo @CoffeeAndABook I also thought his reaction made no sense. He would have been more angry and frantic, not fall asleep crying. 4w

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!!! 1mo

vlwelser Scotland is awesome. I would move to Edinburgh. 1mo

DebinHawaii @IndoorDame Me too! Scotland & Ireland are on my bucket list! 🪣 1mo

julieclair We visited Scotland a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It was SO beautiful! Can't wait to go back. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 1mo

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! 1mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG I want a kilt now 🤣 1mo

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. 1mo

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 1mo

DebinHawaii The Scottish stuff is fun! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 💙 1mo

Catsandbooks Just any Oliver moments I love! 1mo

julieclair So much fun!! 1mo

CoffeeAndABook Love these links 😍 1mo

mollyrotondo Thank you for these links!! 4w

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 🤣 1mo

IndoorDame I really hope the conclusion is satisfying! I‘m so in the dark and dying to find out what this all is! 1mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame I hope so too, because I really enjoyed this. 1mo

See All 14 Comments

TheBookHippie @AmyG SAME! 1mo

vlwelser I still have no idea and the book is nearly done.... 1mo

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 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 1mo

DebinHawaii As I said previously, I have no clue how the author is going to end it but I hope it works! 🤞🏼🙏🏼🍀 1mo

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 1mo

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. 😂😂 1mo

CoffeeAndABook @mcctrish „ghost lover“ 😂😂😂😂 noooooo!!! 1mo

mcctrish @julieclair me too 1mo

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! 🤣 4w

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 😂 4w

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 💲! 1mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame The foodie in me is next level ridiculous … 1mo

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie and I love you for that! 1mo

See All 21 Comments

vlwelser Still obsessed with the white soup. 1mo

vlwelser Also. And I know you'll just tell me this so I don't have to google. Is there a downton abbey cookbook? 1mo

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 ⬇️ 1mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser this too The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book: Appropriate Libations for All Occasions (Downton Abbey Cookery) https://a.co/d/gBNZSeJ 1mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser I printed out like 10 recipes of white soup 🤣🤣 1mo

vlwelser That afternoon tea one is about to have a new home. 1mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🫖🍵🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 1mo

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. 1mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser I keep hoping someone will host a cookbook swap -I may have to do it 🤣👩🏻‍🍳 (edited) 1mo

vlwelser That would definitely be one way to make it happen. 1mo

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 1mo

DebinHawaii This book does get an A+ for food mentions! 😋 1mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii I do agree!!! The food mentioned is so much fun! 1mo

Catsandbooks It all looks and sounds so good! 1mo

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! 1mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair I love all the good food mentions and food research I‘m doing with this read 👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳👩🏻‍🍳 1mo

julieclair So… when are we taking our foodie field trip to Scotland? 😀 1mo

mollyrotondo 😂 the food. I will try everyone‘s dishes they make from these books! 😋 4w

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. 😬 1mo

IndoorDame It‘s certainly a circuitous plot if we‘re headed to ‘learning what love is‘ 1mo

mcctrish @AmyG I just want to shake her and @IndoorDame maybe it is the circuitous plot that is making me grumpy 1mo

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…) 1mo

Catsandbooks I don't think it's really love but infatuation. 1mo

julieclair @IndoorDame 👍👍😂💯 ! 1mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie perfect picture. 👍 1mo

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks agree, something to grab on to as well as I think she feels untethered. 1mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Sometimes I find a really accurate one!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼♥️ 1mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what search terms you used to find such a perfect picture. 🤔🧠🤯 1mo

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. 1mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie Wow. We are all very lucky to share in the fruits of your research. Thank you. It truly enhances our reading. 💙 1mo

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. 1mo

CoffeeAndABook @TheBookHippie perfect picture and I agree 💯 with @julieclair : we are so *lucky* 👌🏼🤩 (edited) 1mo

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. 4w

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. 4w

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. 1mo

IndoorDame I‘m still on team Oliver 😁 1mo

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! 1mo

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 😉). 1mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG @IndoorDame Team Oliver all the way!! 1mo

IndoorDame @TheBookHippie awww 🥰 what a sweet way to end up with your partner! 1mo

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! 1mo

vlwelser Team Oliver 💯 1mo

mcctrish Team Oliver 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I mean he does all the stuff Elias does - shearing sheep, thankfully no hill rolling 1mo

DebinHawaii Yep, totally Team Oliver! ❤️❤️❤️ 1mo

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. 1mo

julieclair Definitely Team Oliver. ♥️ Such a great guy. 1mo

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 😇 1mo

CoffeeAndABook @TheBookHippie awww that‘s so sweet and wonderful! It was probably hard for him but he knew it was worth it 😊 (edited) 1mo

mollyrotondo @TheBookHippie awww love your love story!!! 4w

mollyrotondo I am definitely team Oliver!!! 4w

TheBookHippie @mollyrotondo 💕💕💕💕💕 4w

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. 4w

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???? 1mo

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

mcctrish It‘s just infuriating 1mo

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! 😳🧐🙄 1mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii It is so weird!!! Where is her chaperone !! 1mo

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. 1mo

TheBookHippie @julieclair Yes. Chasing fantasy maybe ? 1mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie I'm still holding out for a happy ending through the miracle of time travel! 😂😂😂 1mo

mollyrotondo @julieclair me too! Time travel please fix all 😂 4w

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. 4w

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. 🤣🤣🤣 4w

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) 1mo

IndoorDame Oooh, that coat 🧥🤩🥰🤩 1mo

vlwelser Well, this is the novel so it's like Elias' fantasy, right? 1mo

See All 9 Comments

DebinHawaii I am so confused right now! (But ❤️ that coat!) 1mo

Catsandbooks @vlwelser that's how I'm reading it. Elias' imagination 1mo

julieclair Darned if I know who the heck she is. 😂 1mo

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 😂 4w

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. 4w

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 4w

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! 1mo

IndoorDame Still not sure why all the parallels! 1mo

vlwelser Such a weird parallel. 1mo

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 1mo

DebinHawaii Yes, I am enjoying it but still this book makes me go 🤷🏻‍♀️ Is the author going to resolve all of this successfully? 1mo

Catsandbooks Hate both mother versions lol 1mo

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤣versions 🤣🤣🗣️👏🏼 1mo

julieclair Josie's mom is just icky. Josephine's mother is selfish and cruel. 1mo

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 😁 1mo

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 1mo

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 ? 4w

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. 4w

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. 🤣 1mo

vlwelser Cheesy and fun. It can be both, right? 1mo

IndoorDame @vlwelser I think it can be both! 1mo

See All 15 Comments

mcctrish Such a romantic gesture 🌼 and yay for legitimacy 👏🏻👏🏻 ( better than rolling down the hill ) 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 1mo

TheBookHippie @vlwelser @IndoorDame yes both. 😅 1mo

DebinHawaii I vote for both! 🧀💛 1mo

Catsandbooks Both! 1mo

julieclair I'm with @mcctrish ... sooo romantic! 💖 1mo

CoffeeAndABook Absolutely!! Agree with @vlwelser Both! 😁 😍 and waaaay better than rolling down that hill 😂 @mcctrish 1mo

mcctrish @CoffeeNBooks I will never understand that part 🤣🤣🤦🏻‍♀️ is this Anne of Green Gables and are we 12? 1mo

CoffeeAndABook @mcctrish 😂🤣🤣🤣 same here!!! 1mo

mollyrotondo @mcctrish 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 4w

mollyrotondo I thinks it‘s incredibly cheesy and soooo romantic! 😂 💘 4w

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. 4w

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. 1mo

IndoorDame I never realized about marriage and citizenship before! 1mo

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) 1mo

See All 14 Comments

vlwelser This does seem a bit extra and unnecessary. 1mo

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?” 1mo

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. 1mo

Catsandbooks I'm glad Faith chose herself. 1mo

julieclair I agree that Faith made the right decision. It just doesn't seem like it would have been a happy or fulfilling marriage. 1mo

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!! 1mo

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. 4w

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. 4w

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 🤔) 4w

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯 4w

TheBookHippie @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💯💯💯💯💯 4w

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. 1mo

IndoorDame Certainly sounds like a nice (and healthy) way to regroup and find your way back to yourself 1mo

vlwelser I loved this. The knitting circle does seem a bit like a trendy plot device. But it's cute here. 1mo

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 ? 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish I‘ve thought recently a lot of the 30 aged ppl act 20 or I‘m really getting old 🤣👀 1mo

mcctrish @TheBookHippie maybe it‘s just that I‘m old and can‘t remember what is what with the youngsters 🤣🤣 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish solidarity 🤣♥️😅 1mo

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) 1mo

TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii 🤣🤣🤣🤣👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 or was I ever this young? 😅🤣 1mo

Catsandbooks I like her new community group! It seems supportive and a good place for her 1mo

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. 1mo

julieclair @TheBookHippie @DebinHawaii We were never that young. We were too busy saving the world. 😂😘 1mo

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. 4w

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. 4w

10 likes14 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#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. 1mo

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. 1mo

AmyG @IndoorDame Agreed. Just tell Faith you need some space. 1mo

See All 13 Comments

vlwelser This was maybe a little bit needy. But they're young girls. 1mo

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 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish agree. 1mo

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. 1mo

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... 😬😂 1mo

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. 1mo

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) 1mo

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. 1mo

CoffeeAndABook @mollyrotondo So true!! 1mo

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. 4w

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 🫣🫣🫣 1mo

TheBookHippie @LitsyEvents 1mo

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

TheBookHippie @vlwelser 🫣😵‍💫 1mo

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! ❤️ 1mo

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! 1mo

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

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 😅 1mo

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

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. 1mo

julieclair Ditto what @CoffeeNBooks said! 💙 1mo

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! 1mo

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. 1mo

vlwelser Oliver! Yes! 1mo

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

See All 20 Comments

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

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. 1mo

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

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

TheBookHippie @kspenmoll I agree! 1mo

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? 1mo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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! 1mo

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks 👀 1mo

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

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

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

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? 1mo

vlwelser Absolutely no freaking clue. 1mo

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

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. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ 1mo

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

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). 1mo

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

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

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

TheBookHippie @Catsandbooks 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 1mo

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

megnews Time travel 1mo

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

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. 1mo

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

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

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!! 1mo

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. 1mo

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 1mo

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? 1mo

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? 🤬 1mo

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

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) 1mo

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. 1mo

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

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. 1mo

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

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... 1mo

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? 1mo

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

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! 1mo

See All 16 Comments

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

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

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 1mo

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

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) 1mo

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. 1mo

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

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

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

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

TheBookHippie @julieclair 💯👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 1mo

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. 1mo

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. 1mo

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!!! 1mo

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

vlwelser @IndoorDame 💯 also intrigued by this. 1mo

See All 22 Comments

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

mcctrish The food descriptions are amazing 1mo

kspenmoll The food is fabulous! 1mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeNBooks 👩🏻‍🍳🥰😅 1mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame same!! 1mo

TheBookHippie @AmyG 😝🙃 1mo

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

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

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 1mo

TheBookHippie @IndoorDame OHHHH YES!!! 1mo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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) 1mo

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

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

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? 1mo

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 1mo

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

See All 11 Comments

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 1mo

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

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? 🤔 1mo

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

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

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

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

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. 1mo

15 likes11 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Josephine(novel)
Girls don‘t get to be pleased at least not in the real world -books are kinder. (Word)

Josie real life stumbles upon Josephine‘s portrait in the hidden room of Elias ..
It freaks her out she bolts
It‘s her 👀

Where is this all going ?!?!

AmyG Time travel! Who knows? 1mo

IndoorDame I cannot figure that out!!! 1mo

vlwelser I have no idea. I'm just going to let this author do her thing and bring me along for the ride. 1mo

See All 17 Comments

CoffeeNBooks @AmyG That's what I'm thinking. There's really no other explanation, unless Josie is a descendant of Josephine. 1mo

mcctrish I find the ‘novel‘ so confusing but @CoffeeNBooks has a point, could be a descendant 1mo

kspenmoll I am not sure where this is going. Is she Josephine reincarnated? Was Josephine real or just Elias‘s invention? But like @vlwelser I am going with the flow of the book & leaving questions behind. 1mo

IndoorDame @kspenmoll ooh, reincarnation is a possibility that hadn‘t occurred to me yet! 1mo

CoffeeAndABook @kspenmoll I hadn‘t thought of that. If Josephine were just an invention of Elias - that would be so freaky 😵‍💫 OR possibly the dad somehow left the letters and novel behind for Josie to find???!!! But WHY would he do that?? As @AmyG @CoffeeNBooks think, time travel or descendant seem the most likely… 🤔 the author sure is messing with us @vlwelser @IndoorDame 😂!! 1mo

TheBookHippie @CoffeeAndABook 😵‍💫 1mo

TheBookHippie @mcctrish 😆 I‘m like is this me or is this confusing 😝 1mo

CoffeeNBooks @kspenmoll Oh! Reincarnation is a theory I hadn't thought of! Interesting! 1mo

DebinHawaii It‘s definitely confusing—every time I think “time travel” I end up thinking descendent a few minutes later. Like everyone else, I‘m just along for the ride at this point. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1mo

Catsandbooks I'm team time travel! 1mo

julieclair The portrait and upside-down reading have me leaning towards time travel. 1mo

megnews I feel like it‘s time travel or dad left them for her but it‘s hard to tell at this point. 1mo

mollyrotondo I want it to be time travel!! But it‘s probably either she‘s a descendant of Josephine (or Josephine and Elias do get married and Josie is one of their descendants?) or maybe her dad or another relative were using Elias‘s letters for their own creative project and he drew his daughter as the Josephine in the letters. It‘s a roundabout thought 😂 do we know what her father did for a living? 1mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick 🤷🏼‍♀️ I can't figure it out. Time travel. Portal. Related. All could be possibilities so I'm just along for the ride. 1mo

16 likes17 comments

TheBookHippie

Dearest Josephine | Caroline George

This post contains spoilers

show me

#SUNDAYBUDDYREAD

Elias
Dark wood paneling small library 1800s (swoon)
Literature provided the purest form of companionship. It drew him to a safe place, where his worries floated like, dandelion, fluff, and preserved his sanity, and let him dream….
Sigh ..what do we think of him?

AmyG I like Elias yet feel bad for him, being illegitimate during that time period and all that comes with it. Also, losing his friend and being in love with a woman he can‘t seem to find. 1mo

IndoorDame @AmyG he definitely hasn‘t been dealt an easy hand. But I wonder if in that time period it‘s more acceptable for him to indulge in the romantic aspects of his personalities than it is for men to do so now. 1mo

vlwelser I hope he manages to sort himself out and fight for his rights. 1mo

See All 14 Comments

AmyG @IndoorDame I think that is true, for him to indulge in the romantic. It also gives him something to think about other than his circumstances. 1mo

CoffeeNBooks I really like Elias, and I feel bad for him. I hope he finds Josephine and find happiness. 1mo

mcctrish I like him but he does have a few strikes again him as @AmyG says and I do hope he stands up for his inheritance 1mo

kspenmoll I join you all in liking Elias- my heart aches for him. 1mo

CoffeeAndABook Yes, I like him, too! I‘m so glad he seems to have good people in his life despite his horrible family sitch. And he‘s good at expressing his hopes and dreams through words, in his letters & his novel. It‘s probably a good coping mechanism in a difficult situation. I find it hard to keep apart fiction (what happens in his novel) from what actually happened - or possibly they‘re not that different. I picture him looking like Poldark 😇 1mo

CoffeeAndABook …. to sum it up: my kinda guy 🥰 1mo

DebinHawaii He seems like a good guy & I hope he found happiness. 1mo

Catsandbooks I like him and hope he gets a happy ending! 1mo

julieclair I, too, like Elias and am rooting for him to find happiness and keep his inheritance. It‘s interesting how both he and Josie find escape/solace in his letters and novel - he in the writing, she in the reading. 1mo

mollyrotondo I love Elias and really love that it doesn‘t sound like he‘s surrounded by evil people. There are some jerks but a lot of people support Elias and want the best for him. I just hope he can win out over the guy trying to take his inheritance and find happiness. 1mo

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick I like the bloke. He hasn't had it ready and seems lonely. Whether it's Josephine or someone more time-period appropriate, I hope Elias can make a family of his own. 1mo

17 likes14 comments

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