so-so3.5 ✨ I‘ve been meaning to read this diary for a long time. I learned a lot of things I didn‘t know in this time period. I like how the author of this historical fiction based this story on her mother‘s family as they navigated the Great Depression, and what could have happened to the characters during Christmas time.
Learning something else new. In 1932 and it appears even earlier they had metal dishes with a heat source underneath. I also learned it‘s called a chafing dish. Maybe I should have known this, but I didn‘t know it had a name. 🤯
Hmmm 🤔 So… here‘s what I‘m thinking. We just heard that the banks closed down, one dad kills himself at his kids birthday party, another dad left his family when he lost his job, and then the teenager takes the kids to a movie where the male lead has to choose between an adulteress and a prostitute… umm… escaping the reality of the crazy in the Great Depression?
pickOne last book of the year. Always a sucker for a different POV or take on a story. Love how things were developed and sometimes, especially from Emily‘s journal, the phrasing was amazing. Wasn‘t always committed to the book but enough to keep me going.
so-soAugust 2025 Book #2
I wanted to read this one because of that cover. It was inspired by a true photo taken during the Great Depression. Here the story fictionalize of what happened to that family after photo was published. The reported in the novel altered the information. Then he was assigned to follow up this story and he investigates what really happened to that family after he lied, the truth behind the photo taken. ⬇️
“This land had become my heart; my soul” I feel this on another level.
March's favorite is quite possibly my favorite fiction book of the year. The writing was exquisite. I'd love to read this again with a group.
#12booksof2025 @TheEllieMo
Why I love historical fiction. I learn so much! I didn‘t even know this was a thing. 🤔
pickA sweet memoir of the life of a child growing up on a farm in Iowa during the depression. I first read this in 2008. Seemed like it was time again. #ReadingUSA
pickAn amazing, uplifting read of a rich young lady, Lauren, breaking free from her expectations in society in the early 1930s. Giving up her own status, she chooses to take on a private orphanage that was destitute and failing with the help of Becky and Mary. Powerful relationships, realizing what true wealth really means, and always having hope make this a beautiful and emotionally charged must read for fans of historical fiction!
