Favorite Bookcase

Favorite Bookcase
My favorite bookcase—Gladys Taber, Elizabeth von Arnim, Rosamunde Pilcher, Elizabeth Goudge, Persephone, British Library Women Writers, Virago Classics and more!
Showing posts with label british library women writers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label british library women writers. Show all posts

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Lovely Love Books πŸ₯°πŸ’✨❤️

Happy Valentine's Day, Friends! πŸ˜πŸ’•πŸ’•

A wonderful Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow book by Molly Clavering!

How has February been treating you so far? It's still pretty cold here in New Hampshire πŸ₯Ά❄️ (single digits at night and highs of 30s during the day) and we've still got over a foot of snow on the lawn. Trying to go to the backyard compost area is a challenge because the snow is literally up to (or over!) my knees πŸ˜‚ 

I've been loving chatting with Liz (@pony.books) about our upcoming trip to London in April (yippeeee!), buddy reading vintage YA and romances with Andrea (@sorrythankyou79) and talking to Gina (@gina.stanyer.books) about our planners/traveler's journals and all things cozy! 

Stories for Lovers by the British Library Women Writers Collection!

On Saturday, Ian and I are planning on going to our favorite local coffee shop (Sunny Cafe!), watching a show together (Downton Abbey...again!) and maybe getting Thai for dinner (yumm!). I'm sure Ian will also want to spend some time with his new-to-him pinball machine, Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man (Did I ever mention that Ian has an arcade/pinball/movie room in our house? See end of post for a photo of his pinball machine. Let me know if you want me to share a video or more photos of his arcade room!) and I'll probably knit on my Harry Potter-themed scarves while re-watching a favorite movie. 

Full of poignant short stories of so many lovely British Women Writers!

What are YOUR plans for V-Day this year? ☺️πŸ’“πŸŽ 

Okay...onto the BOOKS! 

Here are all of the books in my collection that have "LOVE" in the title! I know I post a lot of these subject/season themed collections, but it's definitely a passion of mine - lol. Do you like having books organized by theme or season? I also like to organize my bookshelves by author or genre (vintage middle grade, children's, holiday, etc.). So...for now...here are my love books with ratings—I will add links to my reviews on Goodreads soon!

Beautiful Emma Bridgewater mug from Gina and Lovepop card from Ian!

LOVE BOOKS & RATINGS:  

πŸ’ Love Comes Home by Molly Clavering 4🌟
πŸ’ Stories for Lovers by British Library Women Writers 4.25🌟
πŸ’ How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry 4.5🌟
πŸ’ Paris—And My Love by Mary Burchell 4🌟

Lovely vintage Harlequin romances by Mary Burchell and some of my vintage makeup collection!

πŸ’ The Love Child by Edith Oliver 4🌟
πŸ’ Love by Elizabeth von Arnim 4.5🌟
πŸ’ Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark 4.5🌟
πŸ’ Love by Susan Branch 5🌟

Susan Branch books never fail to make me happy!

Best book everrrr! It's one of my all-time favorite books!

πŸ’ No Fond Return of Love by Barbara Pym 3🌟
πŸ’ The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford 4🌟
πŸ’ Book Love by Debbie Tung 5🌟

Such a sweetly illustrated book about book love!

πŸ’ Love is in the Earth by Melody 4🌟
πŸ’ Caitlin Love Trilogy by Francine Pascal 4🌟
πŸ’ The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman 5🌟
πŸ’ A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott 5🌟
πŸ’ The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love by Joan Medlicott 3🌟
πŸ’ Paris in Love by Eloisa James 5🌟
πŸ’ Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 3🌟
πŸ’ Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith 4🌟
πŸ’ Peony in Love by Lisa See 3🌟
πŸ’ Live with the Things You Love by Mary Randolph Carter 2🌟
πŸ’ No Lovelier Spring by Lida Larrimore 3.5🌟

Lida Larrimore's vintage romances are so thoughtful!

The cutest book in the whole world!!

πŸ’ Raggedy Ann: A Thank You, Please and I Love You Book by Norah Smaridge 5🌟
πŸ’ Come Back to Me, Beloved by Kathleen Norris 5🌟

A 5🌟 Kathleen Norris novel - sooo perfect! A buddy read with Gina Stanyer.

πŸ’ French Girl in Love by Maysie Greig 3.5🌟
πŸ’ Odds on Love by Maysie Greig 4🌟
πŸ’ The Laurel Bush: An Old-Fashioned Love Story by Dinah M. Craik 4.5🌟
πŸ’ Love and Friendship by Jane Austen 3.5🌟
πŸ’ The Book of My Beloveds by Esmerelda Little Flame 5🌟

I have poetry in this lovely book! Available on Amazon! 

πŸ’ A Fine Romance: Falling In Love with the English Countryside by Susan Branch 5🌟
πŸ’ Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book 3.5🌟
πŸ’ Learning To Love Yourself by Gay Hendricks 4🌟
πŸ’ The Last Letter from Your Lover by JoJo Moyes 5🌟
πŸ’ The Demon Lover by Victoria Holt 3🌟
πŸ’ The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 4🌟
πŸ’ Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith 3🌟
πŸ’ Sweet Valley High books by Francine Pascal (too many to list with love in the title - lol!) generally all 3-4🌟

Love-titled books on a pink bamboo lace shawl that I knit myself!

LOVE BOOK TBR:   

Here is a list of all the books I'm hoping to read within the next year or less. Any favorite books listed here? See above photo to see some of the covers!

Photo from Dean Street Press Ltd. website. 

❤️ Love in a Mist by Susan Scarlett
❤️ First Love by Gay Head    
❤️ Look Back with Love by Dodie Smith
❤️ All for Love by Tasha Tudor
❤️ The Lovely Day by Dorothy Evelyn Smith  
❤️ The Long Love by Pearl S. Buck
❤️ How to Love by Thich Nhat Hanh  
❤️ The Love Child by Fiona Hill
❤️ A World of Love by Elizabeth Bowen
❤️ Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates 

I would LOVE to know your favorite books with "love" in the title or any books that just give you that loving feeling πŸ˜ŠπŸ’“ 

Wishing you the most wonderful Valentine's Day (no matter who you're with or even if you've taken a self-care day of your own!) and sending lots and lots of love from meeeeee! 

As always, I'll try to keep this list updated as the months (or years!) go by. If you ever use my list for anything fun, please tag me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or anywhere on social media. You can also email me: babsbelovedbooks at gmail dot com! ☺️✨🌸 

Ian's new-to-him 1980s pinball machine is so cool!

Ian playing his new Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man pinball! 


Thursday, January 29, 2026

Favorite Winter Books - Vintage Edition! 🀩❄️πŸ’™πŸ“˜

Happy Mid-Winter! πŸ€©πŸ’™❄️✨

I'm really excited to share my winter book collection! 😊 These are all of the books I own, read or want-to-read with “winter” in the title (or with a winter-themed cover.) Do you see any favorites here? πŸ€”πŸ“š

Books with Winter in the Title: Photo A
I’m MOST excited to read Winter's Grace by Ruby Ferguson!! Yay! πŸ₯° (Marion @fortheloveofbooks75 was so incredibly kind to ship this book to me from the UK! Thank you, dear friend! πŸ’•)

Winter in the Title: Photo B

WINTER TITLED BOOK RATINGS:

❄️ The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder 4🌟
❄️ Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher  5🌟
❄️ Winter and Rough Weather by D.E. Stevenson 4🌟
❄️ Winter at Thrush Green by Miss Read 5🌟
❄️ Stories for Winter 3.5🌟
❄️ Winter Carnival by Frances Pascal 3🌟
❄️ Winter Spirits by Bridget Collins, etc. 4.25🌟
❄️ A Week in Winter by Marcia Willett 4.5🌟 
❄️ Winter Story by Jill Barklem 4.5🌟
❄️ Honey Bunch: Her First Winter at Snowtop by Helen Louise Thorndyke 4🌟
❄️ The Little Ghost Quilt’s Winter Surprise by Riel Nason 5🌟
❄️ The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz 4🌟 
❄️ A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair 4🌟
❄️ The Willows in Winter by William Horwood 5🌟 (a gift from Caro at carosbookcase 😍)

READ, BUT DO NOT OWN:
☃️ Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink 4.5🌟
☃️ Iris in Winter by Elizabeth Cadell 3🌟

The Perfect Winter Children's Book!
WINTER TITLED BOOK TBR:
πŸ’™ The Woods in Winter by Stella Gibbons
πŸ’™ Winter Kitchen by Louise Andrews Kent
πŸ’™ Winter Wedding by Betty Neels
πŸ’™ Winterwood by Dorothy Eden
πŸ’™ A Winter Love Story by Betty Neels
πŸ’™ Emma in Winter by Penelope Farmer
πŸ’™ Jean’s Winter with the Warners by Christine Whiting Parmenter

One of the first Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow books I ever read!

 
WINTER TITLED BOOK WISHLIST:

❄️ Mary Jane Winter Sports by Clara Ingram Judson 
❄️ The Bobbey Twins’ Wonderful Winter Secret by Laura Lee Hope 

Now, here are the books in my collection that have winter-y covers, but don't have "winter" in the title. 

Wintery Covers: Photo A

WINTERY COVER BOOKS:

🌨 Ice on the Lawn by Jill Stevens 3.75🌟 (the sweetest gift from Carla @c.brown685!πŸ’—)
🌨 White Holiday by Viola Bayley 4.5🌟
🌨 Rosemary by Josephine Lawrence 4🌟
🌨 Shoulder the Sky/Winter in Rough Weather by D.E. Stevenson 4🌟
🌨 The Joy of the Snow by Elizabeth Goudge 5🌟

Wintery Covers: Photo B

 WINTERY COVERS TBR:

πŸ’™ Angel on Skis by Betty Cavanna (a buddy read with Andrea @sorrythankyou79 πŸ₯³)
πŸ’™ Brown Door Venture by Pamela Brown (a thoughtful gift from Carla @c.brown685!πŸ’)
πŸ’™ Concerning Casey by Eve Bennett (a wonderful gift from Andrea @sorrythankyou79 πŸ’™)
πŸ’™ Practically Seventeen by Rosamond du Jardin
πŸ’™ The Jennifer Gift by Eunice Young Smith
πŸ’™ The Unfinished House by Margaret Sutton
πŸ’™ The Great Blizzard by Albert E. Idell
πŸ’™ Bobbsey Twins: Merry Days Indoors and Out by Laura Lee Hope

Riel Nason's books are sooo wonderful! I've loved both in the series so far! 5🌟

I hope to update this post every year with new books, photos and ratings! If you have any favorite winter-themed books or winter-titled suggestions for me, please comment below or send me an email! Thank you! 🀩

The best cozy books plus vegan marshmallow squares and a cup of lemon balm tea!

I had to add a couple more photos of wintery books...and my new-to-me Brambly Hedge Winter teacup and snack plate set! Along with the Brambly Hedge Winter Story and A Visit to Brambly Hedge (another awesome Christmas gift from Caro @carosbookcase! ❤️) 

A thoughtful and imaginative contemporary middle grade book!

Here's our house after the snowstorm last weekend...it's so magical!

Warm hugs to you, lovely friends! πŸ’•☃️πŸ€—☃️πŸ’•  

Our New Hampshire home in winter!

P.S. Did I mention that my son, Benji, was born on December 23rd and his middle name is Winter! 😍 (This is a pic of him on his 1st birthday...awww!) 

Baby Ben Winter House


A BrontΓ« Botany by Amy M. King πŸ““πŸŒΏπŸŒΈ

Look what arrived on my doorstep this week!   A BrontΓ« Botany —Flora in the Classic Novels of the BrontΓ« Sisters! This gorgeous edition was ...