Gerald and Elizabeth, by D.E. Stevenson

I now have a long term bookish relationship with D.E. Stevenson. I hunt for her books when traveling in the UK, I scout them down online, and I browse for them in antique shops and thrift stores everywhere. I pick up each one that I find - not a single one has been left behind! I love D.E. Stevenson and so I was delighted when traveling to find this copy at a thrift store. What a find!

If you've not yet read a D.E. Stevenson, I would recommend that you get to it! When people ask me what her books are most like, I commonly compare them to the Mitford or Miss Read series. They are very calm, usually have a happy ending, they contain solid characters and provide a good chuckle or two. These are very pleasant, light and engaging reads and I love them.

I dove into Gerald and Elizabeth immediately upon purchase. This book tells the story of a brother and sister duo. Gerald has hit rock bottom and as a trail or two going on in his life, whereas his sister Elizabeth has met with great success. The two aren't a perfect match but they love each other dearly and this book tells the story of how they help each other along, navigating heartbreak and clearing up mysteries. It is a fun, distracting read just as I expected that it would be. 

Gerald and Elizabeth, I noted when reading, felt different than some of Stevenson's other books. As usual, when I'm reading a book I don't stop to research anything about it until I am done so that I can focus on the story exclusively. An impression that I had when reading was that the times in which Stevenson were writing had changed to some extent. Her characters spoke of looser morals than in previous books (nothing torrid happens in the story at all, but characters are referenced). Airplane travel had entered into the picture and the gap between Scotland and England didn't seem quite so far as it had before - when her characters had to travel by train. There were just little notables which told me something was different about this particular book.

Sure enough, upon the conclusion of my reading, I went to research it. D.E. Stevenson wrote prolifically from 1932 to 1970. From the years 1952 to 1969 she wrote one novel a year! Gerald and Elizabeth was published in 1969 and is largely touted to be her final work which explains why her characters are a bit more lax and travel more accessible. Having read much of what she wrote in the earlier half of her career, it was fascinating to read a book that came towards the end of it. 

One thing that remains extremely unclear to me is how D.E. Stevenson concluded her life. In 1970 a sequel to Gerald and Elizabeth was published called The House of the Deer. While many websites list Gerald and Elizabeth as her last work, it would be more accurate to say that this was her last mini series. Apparently a collection of works were also published posthumously which I am now eager to get my hands on!

D.E. Stevenson passed away in 1973 at the age of 81 years of age. I'd like to think she spent her final years just relaxing and enjoying life. She certainly had produced an epic amount of work in her lifetime and fun work at that! I love this picture of her, taken when she was older. She looks like a friendly soul that I would like to have had the chance to talk to. Since I can't do that, I will go on enjoying her works, appreciating more now how she evolved as a writer over time.

Who is an author that you just love to read over and over again? Is there an author that you just cannot get enough of? Care to share? If you're looking for a new writer to love and you haven't read Stevenson yet, well, I'll push her forward as an option. Again.

 

A Place to Hang the Moon, by Kate Albus

 

A Place to Hang the Moon is Kate Albus's debut album and worth every bit of your reading time. It won't last long enough for you -- that's how good it is. I had this book recommended to me by a trusted #Bookstagram friend (@bookworm_baggins) and she did not steer me wrong. I trust I'll not steer you wrong either.

This book is set in England during the early stages of World War II as children were just being sent to billets outside of London. Siblings William, Edmund and Anna find themselves in an usual situation in that their grandmother has just passed away and there are no other relatives for them to be sent to live with. It's not exactly the most stable situation in England, so what will their solicitor choose to do with them? Dare they use the systems in place to evacuate children in order to find them a forever family? Certainly it's a bit of a different approach, but will it work? That's what we find out in A Place to Hang the Moon.

Kate Albus's writing style is clever and calm. Although this is obviously a high tense situation that the children find themselves in, it has a Narnia flavor about it. The kids are capable of seeing the adventure and understanding what is at stake for them. Yes, they meet with challenges but you are confident of their ability to overcome. The characters are believable and appealing enough to wish you could know them in real life. There isn't anything I disliked about this story.

I was delighted at the conclusion of the read to discover in the Acknowledgements that Albus herself is a fan of Narnia (hence Edmund) further cementing the friendship I feel towards her. You all know of my long fascination with both Narnia and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Put this piece of Middle Grade fiction high up on my list of Top Books Carrie Recommends. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like it. If someone said that they weren't a fan, assume the fault is theirs and not the book's. Albus has done beautifully and I will look forward to reading anything else she writes in the future.  

Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge Conclusion (2019)

Right. So, I bet you thought I forgot to bring this to a close, didn't you? It's a reasonable assumption. The fact is, life has just not ceased to slow down. I was thinking that as long as I closed down the challenge within the first week of February all would be well. But life has a way of snowballing and I don't really know how it is that the month is halfway over. (Actually, I DO know how that is. It's been a hard and long month and yet a fast paced one!) Anyway, for those of you who have patiently been waiting for this last post, here it is.

What L.M. Montgomery books did you manage to sneak in during the month of February? I managed only the one: Along the Shore (linked to review) but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

As this was the 10th year of the challenge, I did want to host a little giveaway and I'll do that now!

I would like to offer one of my original watercolor portrait mugs and a mug rug to one of you lovely readers from my Etsy shop. There are two Anne versions to choose from or an Emily. As for the mug rugs, you can choose between Anne or Emily.

Mug Option #1 - Anne of Green Gables Friendship mug.

Mug Option #2 - Anne of Green Gables mug.

Mug Option #3 - Emily of New Moon Mug.

And then let me know your preferred choice for a mug rug, either Anne or Emily:

All of these Anne items are located in my Etsy shop (along with many, many other bookish characters)! Browse around at A Fine Quotation.

To win? Easy!

1. Leave a comment letting me know which mug you would choose and which mug rug you would choose should your name be drawn as the winner.

2. An extra comment for an extra entry may be left if you participated in the reading challenge. Let me know which book you read during the month of January and, if you wrote a review of it, leave a link!

That's it!

This contest will be open through Sunday, February 17, 2019. A winner will be announced on Monday.

Many thanks to all who hang around these parts and read book reviews. I hope you all had a lovely start to 2019 and maybe Montgomery made the transition a little bit easier. Maybe!

Enjoy!

The Railway Children, by E. Nesbit

Once upon a time our family traveled to England for a month. While we were there we took in the stage production of The Railway Children which is performed in a specially designed theater connected to King's Cross Station. I meant to read the book before we saw the play but that didn't happen but it really was alright. Our kids were younger then and if I had read the story to them any earlier, I fear they wouldn't remember it. The play they remember in part and the book they now stand a better chance of remember in full.  (That's what we call a "win/win" right?)

As noted, we finally corrected our gaffe and read the book and it was a charming delight from beginning to end. In case you are unfamiliar with the plot line, I shall briefly fill you in:

Three children - Roberta ("Bobbie"), Peter and Phyillis - have their life turned upside a bit when their father is very suddenly and abruptly "called away" and their mother must move with them to the countryside. The children aren't sure as to why their father isn't around, but, being children, they quickly adapt to their new circumstances. Mother, who has always had time for play before, must now spend her time writing stories to make a little money. The children are largely left to their own devices and make a few choice friends down at the local railway station. Most of the story surrounds various incidents which occur around the railway line but we also get to know them through the eyes of other locals from the village. Running throughout the story are questions about where their father might have gone and when he might return. The book concludes happily alright but the family does undergo a fair amount of challenge and suffering before we're done getting to know them. Told in Nesbit's lovely style, this is a story our family is sure to remember for a long while.

I found The Railway Children well-suited for a read aloud. The chapters are a bit long so we only read one a day (we usually aim for two). Our kids are ages three to eleven and it was certainly our oldest three that got the most out of the story, laughing at all the right parts, etc. I would say if you only want to read this book once, then wait until your kids are at least six or seven before taking time out for this. However, I hardly think this is a "one and done" sort of read. I could easily see us devouring this book several times over. But that's Nesbit for you; her works are generally re-readable.

The Railway Children held a few surprises for me, in particular, at the end. Nesbit's theology shines through during a particular conversation between her characters. Peter and his mother are having a little heart-to-heart on account of the fact that Peter is missing his father's presence. He doesn't know the reasons why his father isn't at home with the family and proposes that sometimes books are better than real-life. He suggests to his mother that if their life were a story, Mother could just write it out so that Father would come home. The following interaction takes place:

Peter's mother put her arm round him suddenly, and hugged him in silence for a minute.

Then she said:

'Don't you think it's rather nice to think that we're in a book that God's writing? If I were writing a book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right - in the way that's best for us.'

'Do you really believe that, Mother?' Peter asked quietly.

'Yes,' she said, 'I do believe it - almost always - except when I'm so sad that I can't believe anything. But even when I can't believe it, I know it is true - and I try to believe it. You don't know how I try, Peter.'

What a gem of a passage! There are many times over the course of my life that I've wished the story was going a little differently. It's tremendously easy to believe that I know best and that I'd write the story of my life out much better. In my Chronological Study Bible I've reached the story of Job where he too questions God's plan. I absolutely love the passage in Job 38 - 41 where God thunders out His reply in a manner which causes Job to stand still and believe.

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” Job 40:3-5

There is so much that we can't know about our own lives so long as we're here on earth. There is so much that we will dream of having happen to us or through us on their earth that will never be. We will always live with questions. We will always be surrounded by mystery. This will never change. Our sole duty and responsibility is to believe. Believe that the Lord is Who He says that He is. Believe that His ways are higher, more perfect, and more holy than our imagination can comprehend. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for that is how we will be saved. (Acts 16:31; Hebrews 11:6)

Nesbit, through her character of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis's mother, got it right. If we were in charge of writing our own stories and proclaiming our own destinies, we'd be at a risk getting things wrong and making mistakes. But God knows how to make each of our stories end just right - in the way that is best for us.

It's worth reading the entirety of The Railway Children for this one passage if for no other reason. I loved it in every particular and I'm so glad that we took the time to get to know this book.

Of course, now that we've read the book we are permitted to watch the Masterpiece Theater version which we will do so as promptly as is humanely possible. My own children are already at me to see it. I must confess I'm just as impatient to get to it as they are!

Prince Edward Island in Photos

Our family vacation in 2017 was to Eastern Canada where we spent some time on Nova Scotia and then, chiefly, Prince Edward Island. As mentioned, we spent a great deal of time as a family immersing ourselves in the world of Lucy Maud Montgomery leading up to the trip and it was an enjoyable and wonderful experience.

I probably won't read as much Montgomery this year, strictly because I'm rather saturated at the moment, but I will read some. Meanwhile, thought you all might enjoy seeing a few pictures that we took during our time on the Island. It was beautiful, it was wonderful, and yes, I want to go back!

For starts, this was our "back yard" during our stay.

One of life's chief happy thoughts for me is having red dirt on my boots! Heh...

We watched a lot of sunsets to the point where our children asked us why we "had" to watch so many sunsets. (We're mean that way.)

We hiked all over the place.

And we saw the things we wanted to see.

Over all it was a magical, wonderful time and we cherished every moment (except for the part where we got a tummy bug but nothing in life can ever be perfect).

It was a lovely visit. Hope you've enjoyed the pictures.

Reading Reflections 2017

You know my life is busy when I'm not reading. I have to be super busy not to be able to read. (Or I have to think I'm too busy to read. It's one of the two.) From October - December of 2017 the only thing I managed to read were books aloud to the kids and I was playing major catch up in my Chronological Bible in order to complete reading the Bible though by the end of the year.

You can see my 2017 Reading List here. I link reviews to titles and one thing you'll quickly notice is that while I read a little, I wrote even less. The sad thing to me is that I have a bad memory when it comes to books and writing out my thoughts on them helps to solidify stories and information. For that reason, I am sorry that I dropped book blogging because there is likely much more information lost than in year's past. While I hope to correct that this year, one never knows how life will go! Meanwhile, I thought I'd take a quick moment to record my favorite reads of 2017.

As I mentioned earlier this week, this past fall our family went to Prince Edward Island on vacation and so the large chunk of my 2017 reading was focused on the works of Lucy Maud Montgomery. A huge treat and treasure was picking up a copy of After Many Years: Twenty-One "Long-Lost" Stories by Montgomery. If I had to pick a favorite of my Montgomery-related reads, I'd have to pick this After Many Years because it was fresh, new and therefore especially fun!

As a bonus, I purchased my copy of After Many Years at the site of Maud's Cavendish Home and it is stamped as such.

The book I feel most accomplished for having read (or, uh, finished) was Atlas Shrugged and I made a very short blog post about that! Atlas Shrugged was tremendously fulfilling but a great deal of work! I can honestly say I enjoyed it and that I'm glad to have read it. Also, I'm glad it's over.

I'm still a huge fan of D.E. Stevenson books and still devour everyone that I can lay my hands on. This year I was blessed to read three different titles by this delightful author. If I had to choose a favorite I guess I'd say I most enjoyed Celia's House.

One of the most interesting books I read this past year was most definitely Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, by J.B. West.

I picked this up during one of Amazon's Deal of the Day offers on the Kindle and I'm SO glad that I did. This title is absolutely fascinating. If you want to get a better picture of what the life of any random First Lady is like, then this is the book for you. West served as Chief Usher at the White House for decades and he recounts his experiences with six of our nation's First Ladies. What I love is that he didn't write this book to "dish" on any one particular First Lady but to explain an institution. It's fabulously well done. Take a trip down memory lane with this one and enjoy the ride!

This past year was probably the year I learned the valuable importance of the read aloud book for me, the mother. If the only book I get to spend time with is the one that I also will be sharing with my kids, I want to make that read aloud a particularly good one! (I can see some of you smiling and nodding your heads even now!) Once upon a time I was browsing the bookshelves at Powell's up in Portland. A dad approached me to ask if I had read the Swallows and Amazons series yet. He raved for a few minutes about how he had read them aloud to his kids and absolutely loved them. His sales pitch sold me and I purchased a couple of the titles.

Fast forward to 2017 and it looked like the reading level would be appropriate for almost all of our kids (ages 3- 11 now!) and so I pulled Swallows and Amazons off the shelf and read it aloud.

And. we. loved. it.

This twelve book series is set in between the World Wars and is set in the Lake District in England. Published in the 1930's, these books were the Harry Potter series of their day and they deserve another go 'round. It follows the adventures of four siblings and their explorations as they sail and camp and make friends with the locals on their holidays. We read the first book and immediately chased that book down with the second, Swallowdale. I loved these books so much that I think I have to declare them my top favorite books read in 2017! They are wonderful! Oh, and the kids liked them too. However, they did request a break before we move onto the third book in the series so I've complied with the request. Just you wait though because the moment I am "allowed" to go back in the world of the Swallows, I'll be there in a heartbeat! Also, I'm pretty sure I want to spend the rest of my life in the Lake District in England.

That pretty much summarizes my reading year. What about yours? If you've written up an end of the year reflection post, I'd love to see it! Leave the link in the comment section and I'll go visitin' my old book blogging buddies and catch up a bit!

Happy New Year to you all! I really have missed you!

Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery, by Alexandra Heilbron

It's been awhile since I've regularly blogged. Life crept in and we took on some new projects (chiefly, opening up a store in our hometown) and something had to give. That something was blogging. And reading too, to a great extent. I have missed it. I process so much life through and by writing things down and I've missed having the time to be able to document my thoughts and jot things out for myself, let alone for anyone else who might benefit from my bookish thoughts on the side.

I really can't say what 2018 holds (who can?) and I don't know if I'll get to blog very much at all. But I do know that I'd like to try. Someone left a comment for me on last year's L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge post asking if I was going to host for 2018. I love that people care enough about L.M.M. to want to see this happen. If only for the one, I'll keep this reading challenge going.

Although I didn't blog very much (or read very much) in 2017, what I did read and live and breathe for the majority of the year was L.M. Montgomery and her books because dreams do come true: our family took several weeks of vacation on Prince Edward Island this past fall. (I'd like to share some pictures soon so fingers crossed that I'll manage a pictorial post!) In prep for our trip, the kids and I read a lot of Lucy Maud Montgomery. We finished watching the entire Road to Avonlea series as well! (That was a lot of fun.) (Has anyone else missed my side thought parenthesis, by the way?) Due to the fact that I invested much of my reading time in Montgomery books last year, I'm not feeling overly pressed to read too much of her this year as part of this year's reading challenge. I have a bit of a hankering to re-read A Tangled Web for myself, and the kids and I will read some picture books about Montgomery, but as we've been living and breathing her lately I think it's time for us to take a little break and move on to some other authors. That said, I wanted to share a few books of note that I purchased when on the Island, today's book being one of them.

I had not heard of Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery before our trip but found it sitting on a shelf in a bookshop in downtown Charlottetown. It was patiently waiting for me and I eagerly snatched it up! Alexandra Heilbron gave the world a gift in this book in that she gave us the personal impressions of people who had personal relationships/interactions with Montgomery during her lifetime. Not every person recorded had a great story to share, mind you. School girls who admired Montgomery and were once granted an interview shared their impressions and those are so-so. Don't get me wrong, it's interesting to hear from someone who actually swapped words with my favorite authoress but the more interesting recollections were from maids who worked for the Montgomery family or from her nieces who lived at Park Corner. Some people's stories were long and others short. I won't share any here but will make you read the book to learn for yourself what people said of this famous Islander.

While I can appreciate all of the literary scholars' interpretations of Montgomery's life, I rather thoroughly enjoyed the simple reflections of the "regular Joe" who had some sort of normal, run-of-the-mill story about Montgomery and her day-to-day life. The individual stories recorded in this book made me to feel like I understood Montgomery and her personality almost better than any other work has ever done. It's not that I want to discount the work of the amazing men and women who have worked tirelessly to safeguard Montgomery's works and artifacts from her life! Not in the least! Everyone who loves Maud can contribute something when it comes to carrying on her legacy. But Heilbron hit on something fairly unique and I was just absolutely delighted to have found this book and to have had the chance to read it.

The Amazon paperback price for Remembering Lucy Maud Montgomery is a bit steep, true, but the Kindle price is decent and reasonable. If you're looking for a bargain, check your library or purchase for the Kindle. I, for one, am glad to have this for reference and perusal. It's a treasure and if you can find a copy I highly recommend you give it a read! I can't think but that you'll be glad you did. Thank you, Alexandra Heilbron, for taking the time to collect these stories for all present and future Montgomery fans. It is greatly appreciated!

2014 Reading Year (in reflection)

The long and short of it is, I didn't read everything I wanted to read this past year. I also read a lot of different books that I thought I might. I rather suspect the same is true for a great many other readers out there.

As always, I keep a reading log of the books I've read throughout the year over at The Master List. If you are ever curious to see the whole kit and caboodle, you can click over there. Here is my 2014 reading list (complete). I list the books that I've read by/for myself and then also separately list the read-alouds which are shared with the bookworms. This year I read (outloud or to myself) a total of 79 books which is down considerably from 2013 (wherein I read 103 books!).

I attribute that to two factors, neither of which I would change:

1.) We added Bookworm4 to the family this year. Certainly I do not regret him at all! I love having four kids. It is a joy and a delight to have a household of little people running about, making merry. Yes, my reading time is feeling the affects but that is as it should be for this season of life. It's the best life and I'm chuckling to myself as the numbers of books read bothers me less than I thought it might. Quantity matters less and quality definitely matters more now than in previous years. I suspect this attitude to continue to develop over the next several years.

2.) Harry Potter. I read Harry Potter for the first time. I am still struggling to find books that I like quite so well. He definitely lit up my reading year and also effectively killed the last half of it. I will recover from him, right? Right?

Out of all of the books I read, here are my Top 10 Favorite Reads (linked to my reviews/thoughts):

1. Surprised by Oxford, by Carolyn Weber

2. At Home in Mitford, by Jan Karon (re-read) - I read this when traveling in Korea which impacted me more, perhaps, than it would have had I re-read it at home on the couch.

3. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Second time was the charm for me and this title. I am glad to have read it.

4. The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope (re-read). I also read this one on our trip to Korea. I loved it just as much as I did the first time.

5. Miss Buncle's Book, by D.E. Stevenson. Oh, have you not read it yet!?!? You must!!

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling - This is my favorite title in the series and the one that "got to me". After reading this one, I raced my way through the rest of the books. Curiously, Jonathan started reading the books shortly after I finished them and Book 4 was the same title that grabbed at him and sent him racing to the end.

7. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. Definitely eye-opening and very interesting.

8. The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis. Notable because this has always been my least favorite of the Narnia books. However, this book spoke loudly to me on this particular re-read. I will never drag my feet when it comes to reading this ever again.

9. The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald which we read as part of the Reading to Know Book Club. Loved this book. (I also read it aloud to my children.)

10. Although I mention this last, it's not because it is the least important. Quite the opposite is true, in fact. This year is the first year in my whole entire life that I managed to read the Bible through in a year. I picked up this Chronological Bible at a local store for a good price and wanted to give it a try. I'd always wanted to read the Bible chronologically and I liked that this laid out the daily readings for me. No guess work. No multiple additional papers with references marked down. No computer programs and no highlighters. Just me and a Bible with passages clearly grouped into daily readings. I so valued this experience and found that there are not really any "boring" parts as we are so very inclined to think. Sure, certain parts take a little extra work but seeing the story laid out chronologically was helpful in my being able to better understand the whole.

I've picked up The One Year Bible ESV arranged into 365 readings for next year.

As for Bookworm1's independent reading list, well . . .

Last year I managed to keep a list of his reads. This year he out read me and I have no idea what all he managed to consume. I know he loved the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series and devoured Encyclopedia Brown and Magic Tree House books. We allowed him to read the first Harry Potter book and I just handed over The Mysterious Benedict Society which he is currently in the middle of reading. It is fun to see his reading take off and also a little sad that I can no longer keep up with it. (Waah!) I'm working on a solution to see if I can keep up with his titles next year but only time will tell if I can succeed at that or not!

This wraps up our "year in review." I'm curious to hear how you fared and if you shared a list of your top ten reads from 2014, I'd love to see it! Do share if you will.

In the meantime - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Favorite Books Read in 2012

Yes, it's time for reflective posts. My reading year is definitely winding down as Christmas approaches so I took the time to bring my 2012 Reading List up-to-date. (I keep a running list of books read going over at The Master List which is linked on my sidebar.) The only other book I plan on taking on to the end of the list, if remotely possible, is going to be Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books. I read Lit at the close of 2011 and it was so thought-provoking (and changed the way I selected books to read in 2012) that I'd like to re-read it at the end of every year. (I talked a little bit about it here and a little bit about it here.)

Comparing between 2011 and 2012, I like my 2012 list better. Although the first half of the year was derailed a bit due to my burning a chicken and smoking us out of house and home for a few months, I feel pretty good about the second half of the reading year. I think I made better use of my reading time and certainly enjoyed myself (which is the most important thing). I read several books I had long wanted to read and picked up a few titles through 5 Minutes for Books which I might not have otherwise touched but found intriguing in different ways. So yes, on the whole, I think I was more focused and purposeful in my reading this past year. And yes, I would like to improve my reading even more in 2013.

With all that stated and out of the way, here are my top ten favorite reads from 2012 (all titles linked to my original reviews):

1. Keeping House: A Litany of Everyday Life

I read this one at the recommendation of a friend from church and it has changed the way I think of doing most household "chores." It definitely improved my attitude towards laundry.

2. The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart 

This was my second read through of this story and it won't be my last.

3. The Search for the Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt

This was my first introduction to this fantastical story and I loved it. Can't wait to introduce my children to it!

4. Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic

This book was another re-read for me. I gleaned a lot from it yet again. It's my "go to" gift book for new mommies. There is a lot of wisdom packed into this little book!

5. A Woman's Wisdom, by Lydia Brownback

Speaking of wisdom (and the constant need for massive amounts for it) - here's another great title which I reviewed with my friend Heather in five parts this past summer.

6.  Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

Just plain fun. Especially if you like history and/or the BBC television series.

7. The Fruitful Wife, by Hayley DiMarco

Are you a married woman? You need to read this.

8. Bleak House, by Charles Dickens

Who else is surprised this made my list? Turns out I really do like Charles Dickens.

9. Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Barbara H. selected this book for the Reading to Know Book Club and I found it extremely impacting, personally. I'm so glad to have re-read this!

10. The Tomb of King Tutankhaman, by Howard Carter

Again, this one was just plain fun.

So those are my top ten for the year. As always, I eagerly await the flip of the calendar and a clean slate to start a new reading year! We shall see what the future holds.

What about you? Any particular title of yours that is a favorite for 2012?