โThat one?โ she said. โIs that one quite alive-quite?โ Dickson curved his wide smiling mouth.
โItโs as wick as you or me,โ he said; and Mary remembered that Martha had told her that โwickโ meant โaliveโ or โlively.โ
โIโm so glad itโs wick!โ she cried out in her whisper. โI want them all to be wick. Let us go around the garden and count how many wick ones there are.โ
~ The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
Iโm so glad thereโs green, life, and hope YET! Spring is here! Thank You, Jesus!
Hello Friends! I trust the new year is easing in kindly for you. โบ๏ธ๐โ๏ธ๐๐ โ๏ธ๐It was hard to narrow down my favs, but here they are {not really in any particular order} with a small snippet to celebrate each one! I definitely picked the books and characters I keep thinking ๐ค about. How do you pick your favorites?
~2023~
1. Klara & the Sun โ๏ธby Kazau Ishiguro ~ 5 ๐ a sympathetic story that considers what makes us human from the viewpoint of Klara, an Artificial Friend (AI) to an ill teenager, Josie. I keep thinking about all the themes and questions brought up in this one. I loved the audiobook! (Possibly my favorite of the year?! ๐ฑ)
2. TheSword of Kaigen โ๏ธ by M. L. Wang ~ 4 ๐ The set up to this Asian -inspired fantasy world was very (too) slow, but you find yourself gripped by a mother and son trapped in an insular community that is holding onto the old ways. They face danger and questions from within and without. Extremely violent, FYI, check trigger warnings. This is such a beautiful story about standing tall in the face of adversity and self-sacrifice.
3. Wormwood Abbey ๐by Christina Baehr ~ 4 ๐ This was a cozy, Victorian-time period, family-centric fantasy story. I looooved the main protagonist, Edith Worms. She has a few secrets of her own, not unlike the new abbey her father has inherited. Looking forward to next in series!
4. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ๐ฅby Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ~ 5๐ (reread) I adored visiting again with these characters through the letters they exchanged. WWII historical fiction set on the island of Guernsey ๐ฌ๐ฌ. The audiobook was fantastic.
5. Disenchanted: The Trials of Cinderella ๐ by Megan Morrison ~ 4 ๐ This MG/YA retelling was deeper and more thoughtful than I expected. It felt like the themes of Elizabeth Gaskellโs North & South except with fairies. ๐ There were a few things I didnโt love, but overall, I sooo enjoyed this story of standing up for the suffering people in the world.
6. Evelina by Francis Burney ๐ ~ 4 ๐ Honestly, not a lot really happens in this coming-of-age Regency story. I found the excessive formality hilarious and enjoyed following teenager Evelina as she grows. I listened to this long novel and really enjoyed being along for the ride.
7. Gods, Graves, & Scholars ๐ฟ by C. W. Ceram~ 4 ๐ I found this nonfiction fascinating about the beginnings of archaeology and I loved how it made my Old Testament reading come alive. A bit dated, but a fascinating read!
8. Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth ๐ง๐ป๐จ๐ผโ๐ฆณ by Sheila OโConner ~ 5 ๐ Heartwarming and heart wrenching story about a young girl who befriends an ostracized Quaker on her paper route. Her and her brothers navigate the world of conscientious objectors during the Vietnam ๐ป๐ณ War.
9. Marilla of Green Gables ๐ก by Sarah McCoy ~ 4 ๐ I keep thinking about this one that my daughterโs friend recommended to me. Fun retelling of sorts for Anne fans, but I wasnโt expecting the historical fiction side about the Canadian Underground Railroad. Fascinating!
10. Ourselves, School Education, both by Charlotte Mason, and Parents are Peacemakers by Essex Cholmondeley ๐ญ๐จ๐ โ๏ธ~ 5 ๐(rereads) This was my cheat, lumping all these nonfiction educational beauties together. Powerful encouragement for raising children- educational philosophy at itโs finest.
11. Unearthing the Secret Garden ๐ชด by Marta McDowell ~ 5 ๐ Beautiful and truly lovely look at the 3 gardens created by Frances Hodgson Burnett in her lifetime that definitely shaped her life and writing.
12. Katherine Wentworth ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ by D. E Stevenson ~ 5 ๐so gentle, full of peace, hope, nature, and a charming cottage. Second chance story with lovely mother & children. This reminds me slightly of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, although not quite as quirky!
13. Mrs. Lorimerโs Quiet Summer ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟby Molly Clavering ~ 5 ๐A sweet family tale set in beautiful Scottish scenery. I found out that Clavering and D.E. Stevenson were friends and that this is semi autobiographical.
14. Grapes of Wrath ๐by John Steinbeck ~ 4 ๐ This is a Great Depression/Dust Bowl era historical fiction. This was gorgeously written, raw, heartfelt, and disturbing. Ma Joad was my favorite! Adult content and language.
15. Everything Sad is Untrue ๐ฎ๐ทby Daniel Nayeri ~ 4 ๐ A slow, but heart-wrenching stream-of-conscious nonlinear fictionalized memoir of a young Iranianโs experience as a religious refugee in Oklahoma. It took me a long time to get into this as it had a very unconventional writing style , but then I loved the thought-provoking themes it brought up.
16. Seasons of Your Heart ๐ by Macrina Wiederkehr ~ 5 ๐beautiful poetry and short Christian devotional entries. A bit unorthodox and slightly mystical, but really spoke to my weird, word lover side. My friend gave this to me as a gift and it was such a blessing!
17. The Belton Estate ๐นby Anthony Trollope ~ 5๐A super interesting story about a Victorian woman who bucks tradition in a situation involving male entailment of property. This had so many interesting themes around marriage of convenience and friendship with a woman of โdubiousโ character.
18. The Historian ๐ by Elizabeth Kostova ~ 4 ๐A deep, rich historical thriller with a slight fantastical twist. The atmospheric setting of this was a amazing! Told through multiple timelines and flashbacks, the story of a daughter tracing her fatherโs discovery of a strange book with connections to Dracula. This has a lot of travel, Balkan culture, history, and so much more.
19. The Last Cuentista ๐ช by Donna Barbara Higuera ~ 4 ๐This was a darker, dystopian, scifi middle grade book and coming of age story. I loved the main character Petra and how she kept hope alive through storytelling.
20. Pat of the Silverbush ๐ฒ by L.M. Montgomery ~ 4 ๐wow! So beautifully atmospheric! I loved this book for the writing, but overall, this was not a happy book. It felt sad and lonely. However, it was full of interesting, quirky characters that Montgomery does so well. I really enjoyed discussing this book with Chantel Reads All Day YouTube channel.
21. Grace of Wild Things ๐งโโ๏ธ by Heather Fawcett ~ 5 ๐This was a charming middle grade fantasy twist on Anne of Green Gables. A young girl has nowhere to go and attempts to apprentice herself to the local, grumpy witch. I loved the found family, adventures, and gorgeous writing style.
22. Dune ๐ชฑ by Frank Herbert ~ 4 ๐I listened to the audiobook of this one and was so pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this political, sci-fi family story. It moved EXTREMELY slowly, but it was just what I needed at the time. I loved thinking of the influence this had on Star Wars. I loved Lady Jessicaโs perspective.
23. Julie ๐๏ธ by Catherine Marshall ~ 4 ๐A buddy read with my penpal via Voxer. This was a wonderful Depression era historical fiction story set in Pennsylvania. I loved the male characters in this book, and Julie and her fatherโs relationship was such an interesting dynamic. Julie and her family take over a failing newspaper in this coming of age story that brought up so many thought-provoking themes.
A few honorable mentions: The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer (ridiculously hilarious),Hindsโ Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard (faith-building reread), All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor (heartwarming), Two Old Women by Velma Wallis (inspiring), Distilled Genius by Susan Branch (inspiring), and Cottage Fairy Companion by Paola Merrill (inspiring). All the poetry I read was also SO enriching!
2023 was a โYear of Changeโ for me and I found myself drawn to darker stories that show the protagonist overcoming! I had a wonderful reading year mostly due to narrating, interacting, and discussing what I was reading with so many wonderful friends (Voxer and Zoom for the win!), writing in my journals (here and in the regular paper & ink kind ๐คฃ), and sharing a little on Booktube. Engaging deeply instead of just inhaling mindlessly. Granted I still read my fair share of fluff, ๐ฅฐ but my reading life felt more life-giving this year. How about you? How was your reading in 2023? Iโd love to chat below!
Nature๐ฒ and books ๐ – two of my very favorite things! โฅ๏ธ
Hi Friends! Iโm loving all the summer space to soak in GREEN & BOOKS. Iโm closing out the books ๐, so to speak, on my favorite second quarter reading today! Hereโs first quarterโs favorites, if you are interested. I had a WONDERFUL few months of reading and I was surprised how they fell into a few main genres with a couple of wildcards. Iโm grouping my snippet reviews under those for your ease! Happiest Reading!
Historical Fiction ~
Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth by Shelia OโConner ~ 5 stars – lovely tale told through letters between a young girl and an older gentleman on her paper route. This is set during the Vietnam War and addresses conscientious objectors, war, prejudice, family, and is SO well done.
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ~ 4 stars – set during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl era we follow a family leaving Oklahoma to find work in California. This gorgeously written, raw, heartfelt, and disturbing. I will be thinking about it for a long time. Ma Joad was my favorite character to follow. Adult content and language.
Paint Chips by Susie Finkbeiner ~ 4 stars – sobering and disturbing look at a mother (and her twin sister) and daughterโs journey through abuse and sexual trafficking. The Christian message was super well done, woven through this contemporary setting and difficult topic. This was told through alternating chapters and flashbacks. Good twist at ending.
Rose & Thistle by Laura Franz ~ 4 stars – this is a Christian historical fiction/ romance that I felt was pretty well done. A little bit of the clean cheesy romance, but overall, lovely setting and characters! This was set in England/ Scotland around the Jacobite Rebellion.
Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee ~ 4 stars – I really enjoyed this YA historical fiction that I received for my birthday about a Chinese American girl in the late 1800โs in Atlanta. Some of it seemed a wee bit unbelievable, but overall, so interesting with great characters, humor, and twists!!!! There was one weird, random sexual moment so FYI, if you are handing it to teens.
The Princess Game by Melanie Cellier ~ 4 stars – unique, clean retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Interesting twist on fairytale, great main characters, plot, and action.
The Sword of Kaigen by M. L. Wang ~ 4 stars – I really loved this Asian (Japanese?)-inspired elemental magic fantasy novel. It started off VERY slow, but I grew to love the characters, mothering, family aspect to this and some deep, beautiful lessons about growing through terrible circumstances. FYI: This is EXTREMELY violent with sword-type warfare, war crimes etc.
Katherine Wentworth by D. E. Stevenson ~ 5 stars – so gentle, full of peace, hope, nature, and a charming cottage. Second chance story with lovely mother & children. This reminds me slightly of The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, although not quite as quirky!
Mrs. Lorimerโs Quiet Summer by Molly Clavering ~ 5 stars – I read a lot of stories set in Scotland ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ this quarter! Must be a sign. ๐๐ A sweet family tale set in beautiful Scottish scenery. I found out that Clavering and D.E. Stevenson were friends. ๐
Because of Sam by Molly Clavering ~ 4 stars – A widow and her adult daughter living in Scotland! ๐๐ฅฐ Sweet, humorous story with lots of delicious domestic details. Iโve read 3 of Claveringโs 8 novels so far and they are charming.
The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery ~ 5 stars -reread. A short memoir on Montgomeryโs creative journey.
School Education by Charlotte Mason ~ 5 stars – reread. A challenging and encouraging vision for learning with children. The appendices are so helpful for practical application, too
Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson ~ 5 stars – a haunting poem that I so enjoyed. Thanks, Anne Shirley, for the recommendation. ๐๐
Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta McDowell ~ 5 stars – such a lovely look at the 3 gardens created by Frances Hodgson Burnett in her lifetime.
Ourselves by Charlotte Mason ~ 5 stars – beautiful Christian philosophy for life! Reread with a friend!
The Moorland Cottage by Elizabeth Gaskell ~ 4 stars – a Victorian novella/short story. I read and discussed this on Zoom with Booktube group. Beautiful setting, interesting widow with two children and how good parenting can make a difference. A bit over the top twisted ending, but overall, enjoyable.
Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth ~ a Golden Age-type mystery. The third in the Miss Silver mystery series. Very interesting and fun mystery solved by an older woman. I like these a little better than Miss Marple.
What a wonderful reading quarter! Can you believe we are halfway through the year? ๐๐๐ฒ What were your favorite reads the past few months? Iโd love to chat below! โฅ๏ธ
I have reasoned it out to myself long ago that by nature I am lazy. I believe if I allowed myself I should be always dreaming & never doing anything. Best being forced either to work or to own none of the graces and beauties of life. I have will power enough to compel myself to do things. Human beings can do anything they set their minds to-if they set them hard enough.
Frances Hodgson Burnett – quote from Unearthing the Secret Garden: The Plants & Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett by Marta McDowell, p.44
A.M. Pine - Hearth Ridge Reflections 