Summer Pudding by Susan Scarlett 🥰🏡📗💙

 Happy Furrowed Middlebrow Friday!! 🥳💜

And, yay, for another Susan Scarlett book republished by Dean Street Press! I’ve had so many hours of lovely coziness reading these books. Thank you!! (I've read 6 out of 12 so far!) 😍

A light and sparkling summer novel! Susan Scarlett's (aka Noel Streatfeild) books are such a treat. So far, they've all been wonderfully entertaining. 

When I read that a reviewer from the Daily Telegraph (8 February 1941) declared, ‘Miss Scarlett has a way with her; she makes us accept the most unlikely things’, I immediately agreed! That's one of the elements that I usually dislike in other books, but Susan Scarlett manages to pull it off brilliantly!

Rating: 4.25🌟 

I adore this description in Summer Pudding:

"The cottage was as charming inside as out. There were beautiful oak beams in all the rooms, and they showed well against white distempered walls. There were two good sitting-rooms, a stone-flagged kitchen, a small scullery, four bedrooms, and halfway up the queer-shaped oak staircase, the pride of the cottage, a bathroom."

What I Loved:

☀️ Hardworking, helpful, independent, considerate and kind Janet Brain
☀️ Mrs. Maggie Brain and her determination to keep going and not give up on life
☀️ Lovely, thoughtful Barbara and her crusty-but-likable father, The Colonel
☀️ The sweet cottage at Worsingford
☀️ Adorable little Iris (she was my fav character!)

What I Didn't Love (and frustrated me greatly):

❊ The horribly selfish and self-centered sister, Sheila
❊ A somewhat rushed ending where things were resolved in a positive way, but all of the messed up situations seemed to be brushed over and dismissed.
❊ The misunderstanding between Donald and Janet that could have been resolved with just a few words. 

I had mixed feelings about Gladys—I felt indignation for her possessiveness of Donald, unkindness to Iris and general bad behavior...but, I could also pity her for the position she was in and how much she loved and counted on Donald's return affection.

Overall, I had fun reading this Furrowed Middlebrow novel and I would read it again. The only reason why I didn't rate it higher was because of the way the ending was written and the detestable, immature Sheila. Ughhh!

Many thanks to my dear friend, Gina (@gina.stanyer.books on IG) for buddy reading this book with me for July!

Definitely a worthwhile read...especially for the summer months! Happy July, my lovely reading friends!! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

NOTE: Tarot cards shown are from the Herbcrafter's Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert and Latisha Guthrie 😍

A Pink Front Door by Stella Gibbons 😊💖🏡

Guess what day it is?? You guessed it!— Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! Yay! 🥳

Since the sun is finally shining (after two full months of almost constant rain 😱☔️), it's the perfect time to share my review of A Pink Front Door by Stella Gibbons republished by Dean Street Press! 😍🌸🚪

 Book Rating: 4🌟 

It's hard to describe how I felt about this book. I really liked it, but the story also had a strange mixture of lively, social sections and quiet, introspective parts. These inner thoughts were my least favorite—they confused me a bit, even though there was nothing actually to be confused about. I believe they were supposed to give you insight into the mind of a particular character and explain why they were acting they way they were. But, sadly, I didn't really find them all that helpful or interesting. 

For the most part, I enjoyed reading about the married life of Daisy (a martyr of unquenchable energy trying to help her down-and-out friends...or even strangers...at any time of day or night) and James Muir (her long-suffering husband who misses having a wife to pay attention to him). Each chapter delves into Daisy's next "case" while she tries her best to rope in both friends and family to help her find homes and jobs for people that "need help". Meanwhile, when not working or taking care of their baby son, James Too (which I thought was such a cute nickname!), James is losing patience with this crazy life and has just about had enough of being the last on Daisy's list.

Daisy's constant activity (flurrying here and there) is fun to read about, but also frustrating when it comes to the seemingly ungrateful people who are taking away all of the time and energy from her little family. Daisy's father, aunt and cousin all play a small part in the drama of her life—though, mostly, they try to avoid being a part of her next "scheme".

The final straw comes when Daisy tries to find a home in Mrs. Cavendish's icy, impoverished mansion for her old friend, Don ("the Hulk"), his dissatisfied wife and his quiet, hungry children. After that, things really ramp up in craziness.

If the more detailed, introspective sections could have been slightly reduced in length, I would have given this book an even better rating. (At times, it seemed like those sections were written by another author 😱)

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining, occassionally very funny, and (in the end) very satisfying novel. I believe I would read it again! 

Thank you so much, Victoria, for sending this book to me!! 🥰💓💓

The praise A Pink Front Door received (noted on the DSP website) is absolutely perfect:

‘As usual Stella Gibbons tells a good story, combining a sharp eye for absurdities with pity for poor humans’ —Birmingham Post 

**Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know in the comments if you are a Stella Gibbons fan! If so, do you have a favorite title? I'd love to know!**

Many thanks to Michelle (@myelecticshelf on Instagram) for the adorable, handmade pink felted mouse and to Caro (@carosbookcase on Instagram) and her husband for the beautiful, hand carved tulip! I love them both!😊🐭💖🌷

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, friends! I'm hoping to share a birthday post very soon with all of the amazing book gifts I've received—May was so awesome! 😍💝✨

Tons of love and hugs!! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

P.S. Even though I have a pale turquoise front door (not a pink one), I wanted to share a photo of our gorgeous rhododendron bushes! The rain seems to have had one benefit...TRIPLE the blooms this spring. Yipppee! 

Help Me Tackle My TBR! 😱📚✨

Yay! It’s Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! 🥳💜

Books, plus some of the toys from my vintage Fisher Price collection!

Which Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow book should I read in June? 🤔 

Love my disco ball table and plant pot! Thanks to Home Goods & TJs!

First, Happy May! May is my absolutely my FAV month of the year (followed closely by October) ☺️💕

My little tulip garden!

I love May because: 😊🌸🌼🌿🌱

• My Birthday! (I'll be 52 this year...but I feel 32!)
• My Daughter, Rose's Birthday! (she turned 32 this year 😱)
• Lilacs and Tulips (I have a lovely little 4' x 4' tulip garden...when the blooms don't get eaten by our resident Groundhog Mamma) 
• Beautiful Weather (sunshiny days, cool nights, breezes!)
• Bird Song (love to wake up to singing outside our bedroom window!)
• Mother's Day (Ian took me to a bookstore, coffee shop and out to lunch and the "kids" gave me the sweetest cards!)
• Prepping My Garden (also, putting out our outdoor furniture on the patio with canopy!)
• The Start of Spring Reading (including all of the books I put aside that have new beginnings, gardening, and/or Spring as a theme)

Sweet smelling lilacs from my New Hampshire garden...my fav!

Anyway back to BOOKS!!!

Here is my current DSP Furrowed Middlebrow collection...though, not including my lovely Moray Dalton books (half of which were gifted to me by my Bestie, Caro of @carosbookcase!)

Books I've Read:

(not including my 𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 books, which I only have on my Kindle at the moment 😭)

Sorry about the dusty arcade room carpet! I should have vacuumed first - lol!

 

My TBR:

• The House Opposite by Barbara Noble
• Summer Pudding by Susan Scarlett
• A House in the Country by Ruth Adam
• Bewildering Cares by Winifred Peck
• The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp
• Peter and Paul by Susan Scarlett

NOTE—I also have a bunch of other e-book titles on my Kindle. So, I'll need to sort those out next! 

My DSP Furrowed Middlebrow TBR books on Ian's arcade room carpet!

So, Friends...it's time for you to comment below with which book you think I should read next! (I feel like I might be able to read them all by the end of the year. I hope!!)

Also, please tell me which of these authors AND which books are your favorites! 

 

Don’t forget to check out my Instagram post, too! (@babsbelovedbooks)

You are so amazing for reading this far, for supporting my blog and for being YOU! Thank you!!!! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

Molly Clavering Book Collection (and Ratings!) 🤩🌟📚

It's my favorite day of the week— Furrowed Middlebrow Friday! Woo-hoo!

Today, I'm celebrating this awesome spring-time day with my Furrowed Middlebrow Molly Clavering book collection from Dean Street Press! Yay! 

The only reason I have this gorgeous collection of books is because my awesome husband, Ian, bought me all of the books the very day that they were published by Dean Street Press! (I'm so lucky!) 😍

I first heard of Molly Clavering through Emma's YouTube Channel, The Bookish Princess, where she mentioned Near Neighbors. At that time, you couldn't easily find a copy of this book (which was very sad). But, in July 2023,  I found a used, hardcover copy of Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer on eBay, read it and really liked it.

Then, thank goodness, the amazing team at DSP republished EIGHT of her novels under the Furrowed Middlebrow collection. Yippee!

Besides reading the interesting and helpful introduction in the DSP Molly Clavering books, I also found tons of great information about this fabulous author in Scott's blog post. I highly encourage you to check it out! 

So, without further ado, here are my book ratings! Click on each title to read my full review on Goodreads 😁

 

MY BOOK RATINGS: 

5🌟 Because of Sam
5🌟 Susan Settles Down
5🌟 Near Neighbors
4.5🌟 Dear Hugo

4🌟 Touch Not the Nettle
4🌟 Love Comes Home
4🌟 Mrs. Lorimer’s Quiet Summer
3.5🌟 Yoked with a Lamb 

These three books are on my to-be-read/wish list—I hope to find more of her stories in the future!

 

MY TBR: 

• From the Border Hills (own, see pic below)
• Result of the Finals  
• Dr. Glasgow's Family
  

As you know, I love making lists of my thoughts instead of writing long, detailed descriptions for my reviews. So, I'm going to stick with my usual pattern 😂

WHY I LOVE MOLLY CLAVERING'S BOOKS:

💛  Beautiful, cozy settings in Scotland (usually in small villages)

💛  Female protagonists with common sense, intelligence and kindness

💛  Likable characters that have deep inner strength and help others generously

Keeping that in mind, here are some aspects that I struggled with while reading this author's novels:

❊ A level of written Scottish dialect that was unfamiliar to me and, sometimes, lasted for a whole page or more. I've never been to Scotland, so it took me a bit longer to try and understand what the character was trying to say. In the end, I understood it all...but those parts were not quick for me to read.

❊ Nature descriptions that I could picture in my head. Again, I'm absolutely sure this is because I have never visited this country and some terms are just unknown to me. Although Molly Clavering's words are wonderfully written, I did find that reading these sections to be slow going (especially if they were longer in length).

MOLLY CLAVERING vs. D.E. STEVENSON:

These talented (and favorite) authors were not only neighbors in Moffat, Scotland for a time, but they were also close friends. I know that some readers prefer one writer over the other, but I find that most usually love both!  While I definitely could not choose which author's work I like best, here are my general thoughts:

💙 Joy - DES' books bring me more joy overall than MC.

💙 Lovely Prose - MC's novels take the win for beautiful and thoughtful writing.

💙 Laughter - DES makes me laugh often and giggle uncontrollably.  

💙 Safety - For some reason, MC's writing gives me a sense of safety, protection and stability.

💙 Ratings - Overall (for me), MC writes books that are predictably steady and solidly VERY GOOD. While, DES writes stories that seem to be all over the place—either 5🌟 favorites or 1🌟 duds. There's a huge range of value in her finished writing.  

NOTE:

Keep in mind that DES has published at least 50 novels, while MC has around 38 (most of which were published in serialized/pocket novels and lost in the abyss somewhere 😭) .

Now that I have read these 8 Furrowed Middlebrow titles, I'm hoping that more will crop up in the future! Until then, I have her non-fiction book, From the Border Hills, and I can re-read the books I own as many times as I like (which is very cheering)!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Please comment below with your favorite Molly Clavering titles and any thoughts you have about her books vs. D.E. Stevenson's books! 😄

Some of my Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow Collection!

So many thanks to my dear friend Caro (@carosbookcase) for buddy reading three of these books with me (including Touch Not the Nettle,  Susan Settles Down and Yoked by a Lamb) and to the lovely Chelcy (@cbstutzman) for reading and discussing Love Comes Home last year!

By the way, if you love the lace shawl in the background of some of these photos, it's my own knitwear design—the Maitri Shawl! It's available for purchase here on Ravelry and I used the most beautiful Albireo organic cotton/bamboo yarn from VeganYarn.com 🥰❤️🧶

Happy Friday, Friends!!! Many hugs! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 

Children & Adult Books = Same Author ✍🏻📘💙

I absolutely loved Tea or Books? Podcast #118! 😍

It's such a fantastic and interesting idea—and one that I’ve thought about often. Rachel (Booksnob on Substack) and Simon (@simondavidthomas on Instagram and Stuck in a Book blog) did an AMAZING job discussing books by authors who have written books for both children and adults!

Although I planned to post this a long time ago, I'm finally getting around to sharing photos and this book list! 😂

 

MY FAVORITE AUTHOR/BOOK PAIRINGS (📓children and 📗adult):

[BONUS! Click on each name to see my book collection (or a post) by that author!]

RUBY FERGUSON
📓A Paintbox for Pauline
📗Apricot Sky

DOROTHY CANFIELD FISHER
📓Understood Betsy
📗The Home-Maker

ELIZABETH GOUDGE
📓Linnets and Valerians
📗The Dean’s Watch 

FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT
📓The Secret Garden
📗The Making of a Marchioness (Persephone Books)

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT
📓Marjorie’s Three Wishes
📗A Long Fatal Love Chase

NOEL STREATFEILD
📓A Vicarage Family (Puffin - Penguin Books)
📗The Man in the Dark (as Susan Scarlett) (Dean Street Press Ltd.)

E. NESBIT
📓The Railway Children (The Sisterhood edition by Penguin Books)
📗The Lark (Dean Street Press Ltd.)

PEARL S. BUCK
📓The Big Wave
📗The Three Daughters of Madam Liang

MARGERY SHARP
📓Miss Bianca
📗The Nutmeg Tree

MISS READ
📓The Little Red Bus
📗The World of Thrush Green (and the entire Thrush Green series)

PHYLLIS A. WHITNEY
📓Mystery of the Green Cat
📗Hunter’s Green

RUMER GODDEN
📓The Doll's House
📗China Court (Manderley Press)

A.A. MILNE
📓Winnie the Pooh
📗The Red House Mystery

ELIZABETH VON ARNIM
📓The April Baby’s Book of Tunes
📗The Solitary Summer

D.E. STEVENSON
📓Alister & Co/It’s Nice To Be Me (Anglophile Books)
📗The English Air

MARY STEWART
📓The Little Broomstick
📗Madam, Will You Talk?

I also know that Gladys Taber has a couple of children's books but, sadly, I don't own any of them at the moment. Maybe someday!! Many thanks to Sue (@myownbookjourneys on Instagram) for letting me know that Mabel Esther Allan also wrote books for adults, as well as children! I'll be purchasing the three books here on the Greyladies website 🥳💜

I would love to hear your favorite adult/children’s book pairings! Please let me know in the comments below 🤩

Happy Reading and many hugs!! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

 

The Man in the Dark by Susan Scarlett 👩🏻👱🏻‍♀️💖👱🏻‍♂️🏡

This is my new favorite Susan Scarlett book! 😍 Although my top three Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow titles by SS so far have been Under the Rainbow, Sally-Ann and Babbacombe's, this lovely story slightly beats them all 😱

Rating: 5+🌟

I truly loved the main character, Marda Mayne. She is the type of young lady that would be the perfect best friend...at least to me. She is not only kind, thoughtful and loyal, but also is infused with courage, life, honesty and good sense.

Marda initially takes on the position of companion to Mr. James Longford's orphaned ward, Shirley, in order to help her family earn more money. But, after the just the first day, Marda has the feeling that Mr. Longford (who has been blind for 6 years due to a tragic car accident) needs her assistance and companionship much more than lively and determined American Shirley (who also longs for the attention of any male in the vicinity.)

My 3 Top Favorite Susan Scarlett Books!

I was addicted to this novel from the very first page. Everything about it is interesting, domestic and quietly entertaining with the perfect pacing. Susan Scarlett (aka my adored Noel Streatfeild) simply reminded me again how much I adore her writing.

If you love a vintage YA romance with a hint of a Cinderella-esque feel, supportive families, first loves, gossipy servants and an "evil" sister (instead of stepmother), you must read The Man in the Dark. Highly recommended!

Also, I love Caro's #fancyteapotfriday hashtag!!!

 
Many thanks to my friend Gina (@gina.stanyer.books on Instagram and YouTube) for agreeing to a buddy read of this book after I told her it was in my top two Susan Scarlett titles to read next! Also, to Michelle (@myeclecticshelf on Instagram) for recommending this book to me! 😍

Which Susan Scarlett book should I read next? Let me know in the comments below!

Have an awesome weekend, lovely friends! Much love! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

 

Stories for Mothers and Daughters Anthology 🥰👩🏻📘👧🏻🧡

 A new favorite British Library Women Writers title!! 😍❤️💜💙🧡

"From forthright mothers and very modern daughters to the quiet dreamers on either side of the generational divide, this anthology sketches a joyous, fraught and ultimately tender portrait of mother-daughter relationships throughout the twentieth century. It brings together the talents of Richmal Crompton, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Jeanette Winterson, Jamaica Kincaid, A.S. Byatt, Inez Holden, Winifred Holtby, Maeve Brennan, E.M. Delafield, and Tillie Olsen to embrace the mother-daughter bond in all its lovely, imperfect forms." —from the back cover of Stories for Mothers and Daughters

Although my top favorite in the series so far is probably still O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith, Stories for Mothers and Daughters is certainly a super close second. In my top three is also Lady Living Alone by Nora Lofts.

I'm not sure if it's because I love the theme of mothers and daughters (since I am both!) or because these short stories are just brilliant. But, either way, I seriously LOVED this new addition to the Women Writers collection. 

Rating: 5🌟

Short stories are such a joy for me because my brain wanders easily and short stories (and, also short chapters) help to my interest fresh and steady. I also find it fun and interesting to have a "taste" of authors I've never read before.

In this collection, I hadn't read any books by most of the authors, so it was such a treat.  Although I truly enjoyed all of the stories, these are my favorites (in order of preference):

❤️ Week-End by Richmal Crompton
❤️ The Battle-Field by Phyllis Bottome 
❤️ The End of the Fairy Tale by Maud Egerton King
❤️ The Silver Cloak by Winifred Holtby
❤️ Mothers and Daughters by Frances Gray Patton
❤️ The Shadow of Kindness by Maeve Brennan 
❤️ History Again Repeats Itself by E.M. Delafield

Love the color of the French flaps—so vibrant!

Overall, I'm over-the-moon excited about this British Library short story collection. Every one in the series so far has been super good. Many thanks to the British Library for sending me this book to read and review! Reading this anthology brought me so much happiness and caused me to be very thoughtful about my relationships to my mother and my daughter.

Stories for Mothers and Daughters is definitely a must-have for fans of British literature, women writers and domestic fiction...any mothers and daughters. 

Tell me friends, which is YOUR favorite British Library Women Writers book? Do you have a few books or the entire collection? I'm dying to know! 

Keep an eye out for upcoming reviews of The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair, Dangerous Ages by Rose Macauley, and one more British Library Women Writers title! 🤩

Wishing you the most wonderful day and happy reading!! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

___________________________________________________________________

POSSIBLE SPOILER: I don't want to say much about each of the stories because I think it would spoil your enjoyment of them. So, I'll just share a few feelings/thoughts on each of the stories:

Week-End: breathless energy, riding the waves and finally relaxation and sweetness

Maternal Devotion: a little chuckle

The Value of Being Seen: confusion, ethereal, slightly abstract 

Psalms: stubborn, hint of religion, doing what mother says

The End of the Fairy Tale: initial selfishness, devotion, joy, loving choices 

The Pictures: being grateful for the little things, mindful of the present moment

The Silver Cloak: jealousy, understanding, maturity, allowing someone else to have the limelight

History Repeats Itself: modern and independent vs. old fashioned ideas during holiday season

Mothers and Daughters: disappointment, frustration,  growing up, nostalgia

The Shadow of Kindness: haunting, strangely comforting

Rose-Colored Teacups: thoughtfulness, imagination, memories

Life is Not a Pie: unconventional relationships, unsettling feelings, love is love 

The Battle-Field: healing, anxiety and hope

The Step Mother: eagerness, disgust, keeping up appearances

My Mother: abstract, transformation, connection

It's strange how the first story was my favorite and the last was my least favorite 🤔 But, perhaps that was on purpose? Let me know your thoughts on these stories, if you've read them!

My Manderley Press Collection! 🤩📚🌈✨

I’m finally sharing my small but lovely Manderley Press Book Collection!

After buying and reading this enchanting feature in 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 magazine about Rebeka’s home and publishing journey, I was in awe and very much inspired! (Such a gorgeous magazine, too.)

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MANDERLEY PRESS BOOKS:
🌟 Absolutely breathtaking cover art
🌟 Exquisitely constructed
🌟 Topics that are incredibly interesting and/or unique
🌟 Excellent and personal customer service
🌟 A joy to hold and collect!

One day, I hope to own ALL of these beautiful books!! For now, I’m super excited to read Tales from London Town!!

 The Armourer's House by Rosemary Sutcliff 5🌟

China Court by Rumer Godden 3.5🌟 

The House in Cornwall by Noel Streatfeild 4.5🌟

Much love to Rebeka at Manderley Press for sending adorable bookmarks, postcards, and notes to me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate her generosity and bookish friendship! ☺️💙📘

Do you have a favorite book from Manderley Press? (Mine, so far, is The Armourer's House.)

Happy Wednesday, awesome friends! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

Love this magazine!

 

 

 

What a great pic of Rebeka!

She has such a beautiful home!!