We are out in our camper right now and I forced myself to do my duty and stop at a little independent bookshop. 😉
Here‘s my latest read!
I don‘t know how I missed reading Beverly Cleary‘s teen books as a kid because I read so many of her books aimed at a younger audience. I‘m loving this!
@TheBookHippie , I see from a preview post that you‘re a fan, too. 😊
Up next.
I was feeling the urge for a speedy thriller and this one‘s off to a promising start!
pickBeautician Ann is the perfect size to fit the ill and absent bridesmaid‘s gown at an aristocratic wedding and reluctantly steps in to fill the role. She meets the dashing best man (a Lord, natch) and sparks fly. This was a lovely little pre-WWII Harlequin Romance/Mills and Boon riff on a Cinderella story and I was down for all of it. 😆
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, bookandbedandtea, Teresereading, Sace, kwmg40, Cathythoughts, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK
New book day!
Taking inspiration from the Bloomsbury group, this novel chronicles “six pivotal days across six decades” after a tragic event occurs on Easter Sunday in 1938.
It sounds like my sort of cup o‘ tea!
Look what I found today, @Centique , and right after your glowing review! I also found another Beryl Bainbridge, @Cathythoughts . 👏
Just doing my best to support my local secondhand bookshop on #IndependentBookstoreDay , of course. 😉
My current read, and one I‘ve been meaning to get to for years, is this 1910 Australian classic about a country girl who is sent to a Melbourne boarding school.
Have any of my Australian friends on Litsy read it? 😀
I did a random grab from my shelves and this is what I landed on. I guess I‘m still feeling like staying in the “gothic” vibe after finishing The Shuttle! 🤷🏻♀️
pickWell, it seems that I agree with my fellow #PersephoneClub readers … this one was a melodramatic gem! Nasty Nigel is one of the vilest villains I‘ve come across in recent reading memory.
And I‘m very glad that a favourite author of my childhood has held up so well!
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, Teresereading, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful
I loved Lucy Mangan‘s first reading memoir, Bookworm, so I just had to order her new one!
pickThanks to @TheBookHippie and #ChildrensClassicRead2025 for reminding me that I had this sweet (tagged) book waiting on my shelves. And, as others have mentioned, the illustrations are gorgeous!
I always pick up these New York Review Children‘s Collection editions when I spot them in used bookshops.
A couple of vintage finds from my recent little road trip! 💚
It‘s now April so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!
@Cathythoughts ‘ pick for us this month is The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, Teresereading, andrew61, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful
An idyllic village full of Tudor cottages and cobblestone streets is turned upside down when its residents are hit with a series of poison pen letters. I‘m a mere 50 pages in but it‘s thoroughly compelling!
A springtime read from 1935 and I‘m really enjoying it!
Lady Kilmichael, a renowned artist, leaves her remote husband and adult children to go on a painting trip to the Dalmatian coast without telling any of them her whereabouts. While there she ends up taking under her wing an unhappy young man whose family has forbidden him to pursue his art. Methinks love is in the air!
(I‘m also intrigued by this peek at what would later become Croatia).
How I spent this grey and snowy Sunday afternoon: book, fuzzy blanket and hot chocolate.
This book is getting spooky! 😆
My “currently reading” stack.
I was initially a bit underwhelmed by Birnam Wood (for my IRL book club) but then the plot kicked in and I‘m hooked!
pickMiddle-aged spinster, Miss MacFarren, is reduced to taking in a lodger at the end of WWII. Mrs. Bankes comes highly recommended and seems perfect but problems arise on the very first day. To save her beautiful house filled with antiques, Miss MacFarren must find a way to somehow rid herself of this horrible tenant and a course of “domestic warfare” begins. I loved it and think it‘s now my favourite book by this author!
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, bookandbedandtea, Teresereading, Sace, kwmg40, Cathythoughts, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK
As someone who collects (odd) antiques myself … this book is giving me anxiety.
Miss MacFarren, please get rid of the “bull in a china shop” lodger. I fear for the safety of your Gallé cats! ??
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, bookandbedandtea, Teresereading, Sace, kwmg40, Ruthiella, Sparklemn, julieclair, willaful, MrsK
Book mail of the day!
I thought I‘d read just a few pages of this book (from my niece) tonight before bed and I‘m finding it totally hard to put down!
It feels like time for a Fremlin! 👏👏
Look what arrived today, @Cathythoughts ! I‘m absolutely thrilled as I‘ve been wanted to read this since reading your wonderful review.
Thank you so much, my friend! 😘😘
I‘m just starting Godmersham Park after recently watching (and thoroughly enjoying) the new BBC series based on her previous novel, Miss Austen.
I always find myself hauling out, and flipping through, a bunch of my Austen biographies whenever I‘m reading anything about Jane!
Happy Birthday, @rubyslippersreads !
I hope you have a ‘royally‘ bookish day (yes, I went there 😆). All the best to you, my friend!
🎂 📚 🎂 📚 🎂 📚
It‘s time for another Elizabeth Jane Howard (the sixth that @shawnmooney and I have buddy-read together)!
It‘s now February so that means it‘s time for one of our #PersephoneClub reads!
@CarolynM ‘s pick for us this month is Family Roundabout by Richmal Crompton. This is a casual buddy read; read and comment on each other‘s posts and reviews as you see them. We usually aim to finish by the middle of the month but that‘s not written in stone. 😉 And anyone is welcome to read along with us, of course!
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, daena, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, Teresereading, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful
Look what I‘ve started reading, @CarolynM ! And I‘ve already had a good laugh over the list of things that Uncle Matthew hates.
😆😆
I‘m halfway through this for my IRL bookclub and still not sure if I‘m liking it. 😆
Three children visiting a kooky old aunt at their ancestral Tudor manor discover a snow globe that connects them with the children who used to live at the house in the past.
I‘m LOVING it. 🧡🩵
(US title: The Snow Ghosts).
Look what arrived today, @TheLudicReader ! I always look forward to reading your list of yearly favourites. Thank you for the cute card and stickers, too. 😘😘
The tagged book (from your list) is one that‘s definitely piqued my interest now!
Happy Birthday, Lynn! I hope your day is filled with all your very favourite things! 📚🎂📚🎂📚
#49bdaygiveaway
pickIt might just be my mood right now but I found this to be an absolutely charming and touching read. I even enjoyed the silliness of the novel-within-a-novel written by 16-year-old (recently thwarted in love) Miss Granby although, as others mentioned, it does perhaps go on a bit too long. A frothy confection as sweet and old-fashioned as a china patchbox full of lilac cachoux. 😉
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Jess_Read_This, Kimzey, erzascarletbookgasm, catebutler, CarolynM, LeahBergen, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, elkeOriginal, Aimeesue, batsy, Tamra, bookandbedandtea, Teresereading, Cathythoughts, Ruthiella, julieclair, willaful, MrsK
Thank you so much, @TheKidUpstairs , for these wonderful #LittleChristmasSwap gifts! I‘m so glad you picked this book for me as I‘ve been dying to read it after seeing all the rave Litsy reviews. And Dairy Milk is THE BEST. ❤️❤️
And a big ‘thank you‘ to our host, @bookish_wookish ! ❤️❤️
#LCS
@rubyslippersreads , we certainly DID have a common theme this Christmas, didn‘t we? 😂
Thank you so much for these lovely books and chocs. The tagged picture book is gorgeous and the Anne stories look like they might be a bit wacky but fun. We‘ll definitely have to compare notes!
Merry Christmas to you and the kitties, my friend! 😘😘
@ReadingRachael , thank you so much for my wonderful #JolabokaflodSwap gifts!
I‘m so happy that you chose this book for me as the publisher (Handheld Press) is shutting down and it will soon be out of print again. I love the pretty bookmark and the chocolates are perfect! Merry Christmas to you! 😘
And a big thank you to @MaleficentBookDragon for hosting, as always! 😘
#JolabokaflodSwap24 #JS2024
And look at those endpapers!
The children learn about the lore and traditions of Christmas, from the pre-Christian era (top left) to the “modern day” (lower right). Well, sort of modern day … the book was published in 1944. Look at the plane overhead. 😬
This is such a sweet book!
Two children return from boarding school and excitedly join their family in celebrating a traditional Christmas. In the process (and after all their questioning) they learn the history of how this season came to be celebrated.
Today‘s read is this pretty little book (although some of the recipes are making me feel a tad bilious after one too many rum punches at last night‘s Christmas party 😆).
Here are a couple of more, recently purchased, Christmassy books.
(And now I just need to find the time to read them!)
“But what shall I do on Christmas night if nobody has given me a book?…”
What, indeed?? That quote is from the title story of this little collection I just bought. Selma Lagerlöf was the (first female) winner of the Nobel Prize in 1909.
@TheKidUpstairs , my #LittleChristmasSwap arrived safely! Thank you so much. 😘😘
@bookish_wookish
#LCS
Amazingly enough, my IRL bookclub has picked a Persephone book for our current read (after 27 years together). And no, it WASN‘T my pick. 😆
I was going to ask you, @Centique , if you‘d read this classic New Zealand coming-of-age novel but I see you are the only other person to post about it on here! I‘m really enjoying it.
Look at my wonderful #StuffedStockingSwap from @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego !
Two ‘much-wanted‘ books from my Litsy TBR, those cute bookish socks, the pretty tin of chocolates, cookies I‘ve never seen before (!), and that Olaf bookmark. The Christmassy book sleeve is SO sweet. Thank you so much; I love it all! ❤️
And a big thank you to our organizer, @Avanders ! 😘
#SSS
Our voting has trickled off so it‘s time to announce what we‘re reading next year … TA-DAH! 🎉
Anyone is welcome to read along with us at any time, of course.
#PersephoneClub
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful
Twelve-year-old Flora and her mother go to the seaside village of Helmersbruk to spend their Christmas holiday in a cottage on the grounds of a beautiful, but rundown, old mansion. Well, that‘s about all I needed to know to buy it. 😆
I may wait until next year to read it as it‘s formatted with an illustrated chapter for each day of Advent.
(Translated from Swedish).
pickOh, Emmeline. 😬
I can‘t say much else right now but I can hardly wait to discuss this with you all!
#PersephoneClub
rubyslippersreads, quietjenn, Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful
@ReadingRachael , all three #JolabokaflodSwap packages have arrived safely! Thanks so much! ❤️
#JolabokaflodSwap24 #JS2024
Okay, #PersephoneClub … I‘ve adjusted our order a bit so here are my two (randomly grabbed from my shelves) suggestions for August. Vote away!
@quietjenn will now choose our October suggestions and @rubyslippersreads will choose for December. You two can post as soon as you‘re ready!
Caryl, sisilia, CarolynM, daena, LeahBergen, elkeOriginal, Gissy, Aimeesue, Tamra, andrew61, Cathythoughts, Bookbuyingaddict, julieclair, willaful
And they‘re all sent!
#StuffedStockingSwap #SSS @Avanders
#JolabokaflodSwap #JolabokaflodSwap24 #JS2024 @MaleficentBookDragon
#LittleChristmasSwap #LCS @bookish_wookish
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
