Favorite 25 Books of 2025! 🤩🎉📚🌈

Happy New Year, Friends!! 😍💕✨

I'm just under the wire for posting my 25 Favorite Books of 2025 before the end of January—whew! 

Before I go right into my post, I thought I'd share some of the lovely things happening in my life right now:

💙 Organizing the details of my April trip with Liz/Raspberry Tart to visit London for the first time! (Ahhh! 🤯 So excited! 🥳)
💙 Planning my trip to the BFF Sticker Club Camp in September with the BFF Sticker Group! (Yay!! 🤩🌈💫)
💙 Currently adoring White Holiday by Viola Bayley (a Children's Press edition 🥰) 
💙 Re-watching Downton Abbey with Ian
💙 Movie and knitting dates with Caro ☺️🧡 (Check out her 2025 favorite books!)
💙 Re-listening to A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie audiobook
💙 Setting up my cork B6 Traveler's Journal for 2026 with inserts for books read, my planner, to-do list and sketchbook.
💙 Trying not to collect too many Calico Critter figurines...but it's hard! 😂
💙 Reading as many winter vintage books as possible (and loving it!)  

Okay...FINALLY onto books!

This was another fantastic reading year with 240 BOOKS under my book belt. Woo-hoo! 

If you'd like to see some of more of My Favorite Books From Past Years, here are links to my Instagram posts:

24 Favs in 2024 

23 Favs in 2023 

22 Favs in 2022

21 Favs in 2021 

Here are the books that brought me the MOST HAPPINESS last year 🥰 

All were 5🌟 ratings and books that I will 100% read again! 

REPUBLISHED BOOKS:
🌟 The Man in the Dark
🌟 Under the Rainbow
🌟 At School with the Stanhopes
🌟 Mothers and Daughters
🌟 The Pink House
🌟 The Strange House

VINTAGE BOOKS:
🌟 A Flute on Mayferry Street
🌟 Pink Sugar
🌟 Taken By the Hand 
🌟 Rochester’s Wife
🌟 Silver Slippers

VINTAGE CHILDREN'S BOOKS:
🌟 Elizabeth of the Garret Theatre
🌟 Black Forest Summer
🌟 All Because of Gina
🌟 The Vine Clad Hill
🌟 It's Nice To Be Me
🌟 Guinea Pig Podge
🌟 The April Baby’s Book of Tunes
🌟 In the Closed Room

NON-FICTION BOOKS:
🌟 A Sense of Seasons
🌟 The Joy of the Snow
🌟 The Book of Stillmeadow
🌟 Audrey at Home
🌟 A Thousand Feasts
🌟 Just Being Audrey

BONUS!!! BEST CONTEMPORARY BOOKS:
🌟 The World at Home by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
🌟 Emma M. Lion Series (especially Volumes 4 & 5) by Beth Brower
🌟 The Rocking of the Ocean by Barbara Matteson 

FAVORITE VINTAGE AUTHORS OF THE YEAR:
💓 Agatha Christie
💓 Gladys Taber
💓 Jean Hersey
💓 O. Douglas
💓 Gwendoline Courtney
💓 D.E. Stevenson
💓 Susan Scarlett
💓 Elizabeth Goudge
💓 Mabel Esther Allan

Do you see any favorite books or authors in this list? 

What was YOUR favorite book of 2025? 🤩🌟 Comment your favs below...I'm dying to know! 

Much love and many warm hugs! 💕❄️🤗❄️💕 

Quite Literally Books 😍❤️📚✨

Omg, I found new books to love! 😱

My current QLB book collection! Yay! Aren't they stunning?? 🤩

As you know, I'm primarily (90%+) a vintage edition book lover.  I make an exception for my favorite UK book publishers such as Dean Street Press Ltd., The British Library (Women Writers and Crime Classics), Persephone Books, Girls Gone By Publishers and Grey Ladies. 

But, I simply could not resist buying Quite Literally Books' Summer Reading Bundle after reading book-savvy Simon's Stuck in a Book blog post!

Gorgeous wrapping of the books and bag! Stickers, red tissue paper and so perfect!

When I read QLB's Manifesto, I just KNEW in my heart that this was a publishing company that I needed to follow and support:

    “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭? 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.

     𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵, 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺.

    𝘚𝘰, 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘹𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴." 

This bag is not only beautiful in design, but it's so well made! I love the fabric!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT QUITE LITERALLY BOOKS:
❣️ 5🌟 Stories
❣️ Gorgeous graphic covers
❣️ French flaps
❣️ Easy-to-hold and flip through
❣️ Perfect-sized text (yay!)

For all lovers of republished books by American Women Authors —you definitely need to check out QLB! 🥰  

Two books I've read and loved! It's amazing having two editions of each!

My next read! I'm hoping Plum Bun is another 5 star read for me 😄

Although I'm not an expert on Quite Literally Books, I'm so excited to know more, read more and buy more of their books! How about you?

Please support this wonderful, women-owned NYC publishing company—the duo of Bremond and Lisa is 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨!  💕🌸🤗🌸💕

It was so hard to open my QLB books...so beautifully wrapped! 

Look at all of these goodies! Card, pencil, book mark, stickers! 🤩

Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of these titles! Both The Home-Maker and The Pink House are 5🌟 reads for me! Plum Bun is next on my TBR! 🥰❣️

Loving my new red QLB book bag so much! 😍

The World at Home by Ginny Kubitz Moyer 🥰❤️🧵

Omg, I LOVE this new novel by Ginny Kubitz Moyer! 🤩 

The World at Home is a tender and touching wartime romance that must be savored like a decadent chocolate truffle. I was enchanted by the very first page! 

How can Ginny Kubitz Moyer keep writing better and better novels? It blows my mind! 😱 I would love to absorb even a tiny bit of her sparkling creativity and novel-writing talent! 

When I first heard that Ginny was working on a third book, my first thought was..."When will I be able to buy a copy? I need to read it!" The themes, locations and times that she has chosen for all three of her novels (so far) are exactly what I love to read about:

Intelligent and creative women of the past who are making a life for themselves, discovering who they really are and what their place is in the world. 

There are very few authors that give me the feeling that I should read their novels slowly and experience each chapter in small, exquisite "bites". Two of those authors are Gladys Taber and Elizabeth Goudge. The third is Ginny Moyer.   

Ready for my rating and review? Let's get started! 

RATING: 10🌟! 

WHAT I LOVED MOST:

❤️ Orphan female protagonist 
❤️ Lovely, intelligent, talented Irene
❤️ Fascinating seamstress world
❤️ Sewing/clothing descriptions
❤️ Paper dolls and childhood memories
❤️ Living above a shop 
❤️ Captivating conversations 
❤️ Lost loves and wartime friendships
❤️ Cozy descriptions of clothing, food and everyday living

Once I became immersed in this wonderful world, I didn’t want to leave. Ginny is absolutely amazing at creating complex characters and gorgeous descriptions that are impossible to forget—in the very best way! 

Here are some of my favorite sections: 

'It was the first Friday in October, one of those glorious fall days in the city that make you willing to forgive the foggy overcast of summer. Buttery evening sunlight drenched the shop, and the vase of iris glowed like something in a painting. Benny Goodman was on the radio for the five o'clock hour, and I whistled along as I swept up snippet of thread and then pulled down the shades. '

'I've dressed it up with light green paint on the walls and violet-blue curtains around a three-way mirror and the storeroom entrance. There's a big folding screen hiding a dressing area, a screen which I painted the same violet as the curtains, with a design of gold and green scrolls. There's always a vase of iris on the counter by the door, and I added a framed picture of Paris and other tasteful knickknacks for a little cosmopolitan flair.'

'The fabric was exquisite, dark rose satin, the rich kind that looks like cool water rippling in a brook. It was a long evening dress with a high scoop neck and a fitted bodice, tight through the hips then flaring out gradually from there to the ground. The sleeves were long and full, falling gracefully to a band at the wrist.' 

'I lifted one of the bolts to my nose. It was kelly green cotton printed with tiny flowers in burgandy and navy blue, and it smelled clean, dry, and intoxicating, as new fabric always does to me.'

I wish I could share ALL of the parts that made me go back and read them again. But, let's face it...then, I would be sharing the entire book! lol. You'll just have to read it yourself. 😍

Don’t forget that The World At Home is available for pre-order now and I guarantee you’ll be 𝙎𝙊 happy you did!

Both The Seeing Garden and A Golden Life are absolute favorites of mine and, if you haven’t already read them, you need to! 😍 

Please consider signing up for Ginny Moyer's free newsletter (which is charming, lovely and everything you want a newsletter to be) and follow her on Instagram (@moyerginny, if you aren't already!). 

So many heartfelt thanks to Ginny for sending me this ARC for review!! I've been dying to read her new novel for months and it was an utter joy to have a chance to experience The World At Home a little bit early. 

I can't wait for early December when The World At Home will be on bookstore shelves! Yay! 🤩🌟📚

Hope you're doing well, my sweet book friends! Let me know in the comments if you've read any of Ginny's books or plan to! (You'll be very very happy you did!) 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

Peter and Paul by Susan Scarlett 👯‍♂️🏡❤️

Happy Furrowed Middlebrow Friday, Friends!

Reading Susan Scarlett books is definitely one of the joys of my reading life. The more titles I read, the more I'm addicted. Thank goodness that the awesomely amazing Dean Street Press republished all of Noel Streatfeild's books under this adorable pseudonym! Yay!

This week, I'm sharing another book rating and review—Peter and Paul! 

RATING: 4.5🌟 

For me, Peter and Paul is the Furrowed Middlebrow version of a Sweet Valley High book!

Peter and Paul reminded me so much of Jessica and Elizabeth from the Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal. I used to love reading this YA series when I was young and this Susan Scarlett book absolutely brought back the same fun "twin vibes" drama that I used to get from this series.

I really enjoyed:

• The alternated settings of the upscale fashion/clothing store (where the twins work) and the country vicarage (their home)
• The fascinating characters in each location: a moral-minded (and very behind-the-times) vicar, a loving (but frazzled) mother, a jealous (and deviously clever) store manager—plus, lots of employee gossip and unfulfilled Hollywood dreams balanced with the helpful, quiet and caring Paul (Pauline) and slightly clueless (but handsome) fashion designer, David Bliss.

If it wasn't for my frustration over the selfish behavior of Peter (Petronella), I would have given this novel another half star. But, this is a theme that frequently upsets me and slightly spoils the enjoyment of the story overall. I know that there must be some sort of conflict in a YA novel like this, but it's one that bothers me more than I like. So, even though it was a great story, it's not quite a 5 star read for me. 

But, I'm still very excited to read the rest of the Susan Scarlett books! In general, they are a such a treat to read and I'm always very grateful to Dean Street Press Ltd. for republishing all of these charming books by Susan Scarlett/Noel Streatfeild! 

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

Stay tuned for a full SUMMER READING BOOK LIST in my next post! I've been slowly creating a list of all of the books in my collection with "summer" in the title (or a summer theme) and I'm looking forward to sharing these books with you! 

Hope you're having a wonderful summer so far and please let me know what you've been reading in July and August 🤩💛  As always, lots of love and many hugs!! I'm so grateful for your support (both here and on Instagram!) 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

Turn Again Home by Ruby Ferguson ☺️🧡💚

10🌟! Beautiful, beautiful book! It's the BEST book I've read so far this year. 😍❤️

I literally just finished reading the last page of this lovely, touching, bittersweet and glorious novel. I wanted to write down my thoughts and feelings before they faded away—though, in this case, I doubt they will. 

The description on the flyleaf of my vintage edition: 

“𝘈 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘴...𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.“

I absolutely LOVED this book. I can't say it enough. Even though this Ruby Ferguson title didn't end quite the way I wanted it to, it was still a very satisfying ending. I'm still reeling, though! The last couple of chapters were a whirlwind of activity and I could not put the book down until I was done.

WHY I ADORED THIS NOVEL:

💚 Writing like a clear and sparkling crystal bell
🧡 Family reminisces expressed in the most touching way 
💚 Letting go of appearances and conceit
🧡 The small town of Hockworth and its people
💚 Clothing/woolen mill descriptions
🧡 Beautiful and wild nature of the Yorkshire country
💚 Separate chapters focusing on each of the family members and their thoughts about the past
🧡 The Bridmoor Family (𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩, 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘢, 𝘋𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦)
💚 The feelings, the descriptions, the inner thoughts!!

FAVORITE QUOTES & PASSAGES:

'All experience is an arch where through gleams that unraveled world.'

"She was already bustling about, utterly happy, in her element, spreading a white cloth on the table and laying out a knife and a fork, with a flower-patterned plate of fine china, a cup and saucer. Then she cut two rounds of white bread and toasted them to a delicate brown on the fire, buttering them generously and popping them into the oven to keep hot."

'Your mother used to come along to the kitchen about the end of November, and we would make out the list for the grocer. Not only the currants and raisins and candied peel, but all the things you never hear about now: the crystallized rose-petals and violets, the angelica and icing sugar and Chinese ginger and glace cherries and fruits, and the sherry and the brandy for the puddings, and the ground almonds and crackers, and the sugar biscuits and the cheese assorted, and the Garibaldis—those were your father's favorites—and the Bourbons. I never could keep you children away from the Bourbons.' 

"And then trimming the Christmas-tree. The lovely things you used to get for a penny! Silver angels, and blown glass mandolines with tinsel strings, and crystal birds with long blue feather tails. And for a few pennies we used to buy pressed concertina things made of coloured paper, and, when you pulled, it came out about a mile long and hung with enormous paper bells. And Father used to take us to town before Christmas just to see the shops full of wonderful things, all colour and gaity and charm." 

"How many of Daphne's memories were of sewing! Sewing in the garden on summer afternoons with Mother and Vida, folds of white silk billowing to the green grass, taking a pride in choosing the finest needle, so that Mother would cry, 'How can you see to thread that?—What it is to be young!' And the chink of tea-cups mingling with the hum of the lawn mower in the sultry afternoon.." 

"He wandered over to his bookcases to choose a book, something soothing, but at the same time gripping. This was an hour he loved, late and quiet, the room lamp-lit, the fire steadied to a rich glow He ran his fingers along the shelves, touching a cover here and there, remembering happy hours spent with this and that volume. He liked to keep his favorite books, and read them again and again, having provided that every time one re-read a book there is something to be discovered." 

"They were all picturing the dining-room as it had been, handsome with its broad table covered with a green velvet cloth when not in use, and its sideboard display of silver articles and old-fashioned spirit heater. The aroma of good food had hung every around those walls, the rich scent of golden Yorkshire pudding and beef gravy, of roast meas and buttered vegetables, of apple pies stuck with cloves and Wensleydale cheeses and warm peaches and grapes, and creamy tea and strong coffee, and plum cake and Christmas puddings."

"Mother would run out of the drawing-room to press the child's cold cheeks between her warm, soft hands. 'Bed for you, my duck.' Then Patty would be running upstairs with paper and sticks and coal, and Carrie with hot-water bottles wrapped in red flannel for Hope's bed, and Mother would take her up and undress her before the cheerful blaze and pop her into the soft inviting bed. Chest rubbed with nice-smelling lotion, blue dressing-gown on, Hope would sit up like a queen for her supper, a tray with the rose-embroidered cloth and the pink fluted china, poached egg, hot buttered toast, pears and cream, hot custard, and Pink Milk, which was ordinary milk with just a few drops of raspberry essence to make it pretty." 

Sadly, Turn Again Home is very hard to find. At the time of my review, there is one copy available on Abebooks.com. I was so incredibly lucky that my husband bought this HC/DJ edition for my 52nd birthday this year (it was in a bookstore in Australia!! 😱). But, if you are lucky enough to see a copy somewhere, please buy it. It will be worth every penny!! 

I'm hoping SO MUCH that Dean Street Press will be able to republish some of Ruby Ferguson's out-of-print books (like they did with Apricot Sky!) This one is definitely a must and I'm crossing my fingers that, one day, everyone who loves Ruby Ferguson's books will be able to read this heartfelt story 😍❤️

Once again, Ruby Ferguson did not let me down. I've read 6 of her books so far and they've all been 5 stars. 🤩🌟

Highest of recommendations possible!!

If you want to find out more about this fabulous author, check out these pages: Pony Mad Book Lovers and Jane Badger Books (and also HERE!)

Have the most awesome weekend, book friends! Much love and many hugs! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 

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! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 

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!

Favorite 24+ Books of 2024! 🤩🌟🎉📖

Happy January, Friends!!! 

I wish I could give you all the biggest New Year's hug 🤗🤗 Grab a cup of tea (or fav beverage) and a little treat (wish I could share my homemade cranberry orange scone with you!) and let's get caught up with favorite books!

I had another awesome reading year with 241 books under my book belt - woo-hoo! 🥳 Here are the books that brought me the MOST JOY last year 🥰   

Find all of my Goodreads reviews HERE! 

REPUBLISHED BOOKS

🌟You know how much I love out-of-print books that are brought back to life by amazing new publishers. These Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow, British Library Women Writers and Manderley Press books stole my heart this year! Every single Ruby Ferguson book I read was a 5 star rating and I can't wait to read the last two Molly Clavering books in my collection.

NON-FICTION BOOKS 

 🌟 I love reading memoirs, almanacs, nature journals and finding favorite quotes. These books were absolutely wonderful and lovely to read before bed. Month-by-month books are my favorites—The Shape of a Year by Jean Hersey is now a new all-time favorite! (I'm currently reading her first book, A Sense of Seasons, each month during 2025.) The Elizabeth Goudge memoir touched my heart so much and, after reading this book, my admiration for her has grown even more! (Note: The Elizabeth Goudge Book Club, hosted by Julie, will be reading The Joy of the Snow this June 💚)

🌟 Unearthing the Secret Garden by Marta McDowell was also amazing!! I had no idea that the life of Frances Hodgson Burnett was so fascinating! She is definitely a person (along with Agatha Christie, Gladys Taber and Elizabeth Goudge) that I wish I could go back in time to meet. I'd also love to add a few more Susan Branch books to my collection this year! (I think I'm only missing a few...)

VINTAGE BOOKS
🌟 I enjoyed SO many Kathleen Norris (loved buddy reading this author's books with Andrea @sorrythankyou79 😍) and Marcia Willett books (thanks to Caro @carosbookcase 😁) this year. Kathleen Norris writes vintage romances (primarily set in California) that are full of cozy and descriptive details, twists, turns and (usually) thrilling endings. Marcia Willett is a new favorite of mine with her compelling family dramas. You can really get lost in her stories! Also, it's no surprise that another Ruby Ferguson and DE Stevenson title are also featured here! (Blow the Wind Southerly is alternate title for Charlotte Fairlie.) Dear Mad'm was definitely a surprise—rustic, humorous and very charming!

VINTAGE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
🌟 More brilliant books by Ruby Ferguson and Frances Hodgson Burnett! I plan on reading at least a few more children's books by BOTH authors this year. Yay! Also, The Maida and Mary Jane series are adorable, refreshing and so fun to read. Thanks to Caro (again!) for recommending Castaway Christmas and for our lovely buddy read in December 🥰🎄

 

BONUS A: CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN’S BOOKS
📘 I loved reading the entire Willam Horwood's "Tales of the Willows" series with @carosbookscase 🥰  I'm so excited that we'll be doing a re-read this year - yes!! I was so happy to find more vintage childrens/middle grade lighthouse books that have become favorites. I'd love to read more. Do you have any suggestions for me? (I might look into getting a lighthouse shaped bookcase for my lighthouse books!)

The two Bushel & Peck books are so beautiful (both in construction and story) and they now have a permanent place on my favorites book shelf! Pansy Goes to Paris was absolutely adorable (especially after my trip to Paris this year with Beth and Liz!) I'd love to read Clarence Goes to The Chelsea Flower Show next 😄

BONUS B: CONTEMPORARY BOOKS
🌼 These six books were fabulous!!! Even though I accidentally shared a photo of the wrong Laura Wood book (I meant to share a photo of A Season for Scandal), this first book was awesome, too! I'm impatiently waiting for A Game of Scandal (due out mid Feb 2025!) Dying to read more books by Valerie Perrin (especially Forgotten on Sunday), Ginny Moyer, Barbara Matteson and Lynda Marron 🤩 If you haven't read any books by these talented authors, it's time!! You'll love them!

MY TOP FAVORITE VINTAGE AUTHORS THIS YEAR
💓 Ruby Ferguson
💓 Kathleen Norris
💓 Molly Clavering
💓 Gladys Taber
💓 Frances Hodgson Burnett
💓 Jean Hersey

Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow Favorites!!! Love!

Love and thanks to all of my 2024 buddy reads with Bookstagram friends! ☺️📚💚
@carosbookcase
@sorrythankyou79
@beth.bonini
@pony.books
@marjoriepaper
@elizabethgoudgebookclub
@bagfullofbooks
@gina.stanyer.books
@sabines.literary.world

Such vibrant and brilliant books! I just love the Women Writers series!

Many thanks to The British Library for sending so many books for me to review this year!! ❤️

Love the gorgeous books published by Manderley Press!

Rebeka has been so kind to send me postcards and bookmarks for each of the Manderley Press books the past year or so! She's thoughtful, generous and so talented!! 🥰💕

Warm wintery hugs to you! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 Let me know what you're currently reading and loving! (Stay tuned for a personal blog update in the next week or two!) Much love 😍