Happy November, Friends! πππ
I'm so happy to be back on the blogging wagon. (I really need to make it a priority to post at least once a month.) How are you? Have you had a lovely autumn so far?
As usual, I have way too many books on my TBR (more than any human can possibly read—lol!), but I'm loving all of the ones I've read in October. Now that it's November, I'm finishing up reading my last "spooky" book (Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp π») and getting ready to start my Christmas reading (my FAVORITE time of the year!) π❤️ππ
Quickly, I'll share a couple of pics from my October reading and ratings (with links to my Goodreads reviews). Then, we'll get right to all of the Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow magic! π€©✨✨
OCTOBER READS:
𧑠One Dozen and One by Gladys Taber 4.75π (buddy ready with @carosbookcase!)
𧑠Thornyhold by Mary Stewart (buddy re-read with @gina.stanyer.books) 4.75π
𧑠Halloween Party by Agatha Christie 5π
𧑠Countess Kate by Charlottte Mary Yonge 3.5π (Victober)
𧑠The Gingerbread Shop by P.L. Travers 4π
𧑠A Doll for Marie by Louise Fatio 4.75π
𧑠Sunlight by Sally Cartwright 4π
𧑠Lady Living Alone by Norah Lofts 4.75π
𧑠Meg and the Ghost of Hidden Springs by Holly Beth Walker 4.25π
𧑠The Last Seance by Agatha Christie 4.5π
𧑠The Yellow Warning by Betsy Allen 4π
𧑠A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney 4.5π
𧑠The Girl and the Cathedral by Nicolas Jester 4.5π
𧑠Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow 5π
𧑠Autumn Term by Antonia Forest 4π (recommended by @carosbookcase!)
𧑠Secret Marriage by Kathleen Norris 4.5π (buddy read with @sorrythankyou79!)
𧑠Marple by Naomi Alderman 3.5π
𧑠The Talking Dolls by G.R. Mills 4π
𧑠The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett 5π
𧑠Mary Jane's Kindergarten by Claire Ingram Judson 5π
And a few pics along with similar books to my collection. Aren't they amazing?? If there were postcards for every book in the Furrowed Middlebrow and Golden Age mystery collection, I would totally buy them up! They're so awesome!
Now, onto my review of Miss Granby's Secret: or The Bastard of Pinsk by Eleanor Farjeon!
Rating: 4π
A crazy and compelling ride!
This is my first experience of Eleanor Farjeon's writing and I have to say that, at first, I was a little doubtful that I'd like it. I felt that the pace of the story fluctuated between slightly frantic to slow, with (for me) some confusion in between.
I wish I'd had a hard copy version of Miss Granby's Secret because there were some sections I wanted to go back and refer to a few times (such as Adelaide's own definition of terms). But, in spite of a transition at the beginning of the book (in which I was adjusting my mind to the way it was written), there came a point where the story completely caught hold of me and I was all in!
Both the main story with Miss Granby's niece, Pamela, and the story-within-the-story of The Bastard of Pinsk became entirely addictive. At one point, near the end, I forgot that this book wasn't entirely The Bastard of Pinsk by Miss Granby! lol. It was so amusing and I was dying to know what would happen at the end.
The very end of the story became confusing (for me) again and I'm not sure I fully loved the way the author brought the novel to a close. I was a little disappointed at the end, but this could be due to my not being used to Eleanor Farjeon's writing style. Overall, I enjoyed the book so much more than I imagined I would!
I own a pretty little book of Ms. Farjeon's poetry for children, so I'm excited to dip into that book very soon and see if I like it. Many thanks and gratitude to the wonderful team at Dean Street Press Ltd. for sharing this e-book with me for review! I always love a Furrowed Middlebrow book—and this one was definitely a new adventure for me!
Highly recommended you give this book a try! (or ANY Dean Street Press book!)
Please make sure to check out Caro's awesome review of Miss Granby's Secret, too!
So...
I guess that's about all for now. Ian and I went on a trip to Florida this month (post-cancer treatment for him plus a little late 31st wedding anniversary beach vacation for the two of us) and I'll share pics (along with my favorite lighthouse themed vintage books!) very soon.
I hope you're having the most cozy, comfortable and joyful book reading month, dear friends! I'll start sharing my holiday book favorites, recommendations and TBR at the beginning of December (including my favorite Christmas books by genre, favorite Christmas movies and activities!) I can't wait!
Much love as always and would love to hear from you in the comments below! Tons of hugs! ππΈπ€πΈπ
Hi Gina, Many congrats for your 31st wedding anniversary and hope your husband is recovering well from his treatment. Thank you SO much for sharing our Furrowed Middlebrow books again! The postcards look absolutely stunning framed - such a delightful touch - and we're thrilled that Miss Granby captured your heart! Really looking forward to your next post :))
ReplyDeleteI was so happy to see your comment! Thank you! I've been loving Dean Street Press books for 5+ years and I only get more excited the more titles I read. Can't wait for more. Your books are AMAZING! π€©πππ
DeleteI'm so glad to have found your blog, Gina! We have so much in common! Interesting to read about "Miss Granby..." I've been swithering...
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your Christmas post! π
Penny! I'm so thrilled to know you're reading my blog - woooo! ππ I feel like we have tons in common, too...books, being vegan, journaling, etc. I only wish we lived closer π© Hoping to share my Christmas post early next week! I'm just trying to get the photos done and uploaded - such a bore! ππ
DeleteYou read so many books in October! Lots of lovely looking ones on this list. As always, it's a delight to get to read books with you and that Gladys Taber was wonderful. Although, in future, I think I'll just pretend that last story doesn't exist. π’ The DSP postcards look stunning on your wall! I'm so looking forward to that lighthouse post and the Christmas post! ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you, Caro!! π€❤️ As you may have noticed, I'm very behind on my lighthouse post π But, I can't wait to read more Gladys Taber books with you!! Yipppeee! I'll have to send you more DSP post cards! ☺️ππ
DeleteI forgot to thank you for the lovely compliment in mentioning my review! Bless you for that, my friend!
ReplyDeleteCaro! You are more than welcome! I feel like you're constantly inspiring me with new book reads and you know how much I love your reviews. Thank you, sweet friend! π
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