Welcome to Litsy!

My two picks for November 2026:

One is a story of 17-year-old non-identical twins. “ … fascinating details about the workings of a dress shop, make for a funny, sweet, and irresistible concoction.”

The other features Isabel and her house full of refugees. “Margery Sharp provides us a thoughtful, funny, and terrifically entertaining slice of British life in the immediate aftermath of war.”

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

I ended up enjoying this book, although not all the characters were likeable (and I certainly wouldn‘t want to live in Ivy‘s cottage!) This vintage dust jacket is not at all how I picture a woman who‘s had three husbands and could have a fourth if she chose. 🤣

I was also interested to see that one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Goudge, was a fan of Stella Gibbons. Next I‘m going to try Cold Comfort Farm.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

I loved the charming scenes in Ivy‘s cottage, so cozy and sweet, despite the 🪳🪳🪳. The novel would have been better had it focused on Ivy as healer and hadn‘t spun out and around too many other threads that weren‘t very engaging.

I‘m not one for gushing sentimentality, but the final scene with Mike was 😭. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

P.S. I‘m still in denial about the season. 🫣

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Tregulla is set in Cornwall about ill advised young love, with lots of colorful locals. Visiting moon is set against the impending war, a tale of family and some romance.

@rubyslippersreads @quietjenn, @Kimzey @catebutler @Cuilin @CarolynM @LeahBergen, @Gissy @Tamra @bookandbedandtea @kwmg40, @Ruthiella

Nominations for July: the Clavering is described as "two middle-aged women writers, close friends and neighbours, offer one another advice and support while navigating life in a lively Border village" while the Orange is a "charming evocation of wartime life, snobbishness in many forms, and the difficulties of being a woman on her own."

@rubyslippersreads @quietjenn @Kimzey @Cuilin @CarolynM @LeahBergen @Gissy @Tamra @kwmg40 @Ruthiella @willaful

Here are the options for the May 2026 #FurrowedMiddleBrowClub. They both sound fun and light with a hint of romance — perfect for the lovely month of May! Both books will be tagged in the comments. Brampton Wick is described as an 'irresistible comedy about domestic life'. The author has been compared to a mix of Angela Thirkell and Trollope.

#FurrowedMiddleBrow

Choose between two very different houses to shelter in during those rainy March days. ☔️

Books tagged in the comments. #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

@LeahBergen @willaful @CarolynM @Ruthiella @rubyslippersreads @Gissy @bookandbedandtea @kwmg40 @quietjenn @Kimzey @catebutler @Cuilin

Our #FurrowedMiddlebrow nominations for January are two of my favorites authors:

Sharp‘s first book is about a girl who feels like an outsider in her self-consciously artistic family, and strives for an ordinary life.

Ten Way Street is described as having “a little more Noel Streatfeild in it than the average Susan Scarlett,” which got my attention. 😁 It‘s about a governess caring for the difficult children of an actress.

Please vote below!

Here is our “master list” of what we‘ve read together as a group (to help out those of you who will be nominating our 2026 reads). Sorry for the small print; I threw it together quickly! 😆

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub