My 200+ Vintage Christmas Book Collection 2024! 😍📚❤️🎄✨🎅🏼

Happy December, Friends!!

 

First, I can't wait to share a pic of my newly acquired vintage bookcase—now the permanent home for all of my (mostly vintage) Christmas Book Collection! Yay! 🥰🎄💚📕📗 What do you think?? 

It took me a while to figure out how to decorate it and I still think I want to add a framed vintage Christmas card/photo above the bookcase. I've always wanted to have a special place for these books since Christmas is my favorite holiday 😍 Now, my dream has come true—wooo!

Don't forget...you can still receive my FREE Christmas Book/Movie PDF (not quite as updated as this post, but still pretty accurate), simply email me: babsbelovedbooks at gmail dot com! Includes a fill-in sheet for favorite Christmas books, Christmas activities, TBR and holiday gratitude 🥳🌟

Also, click HERE to see my Christmas Book Collection on Goodreads (including full reviews) 🤩 

Check out this wonderful Christmas TBR collaborative post with the lovely Caro on Instagram!

Are you ready to see a few pics of my Christmas book collection??? (Hope you said yes!)  To see even MORE of my Christmas books, take a peek at my Christmas Collection Instagram posts/reels:

• Christmas Book Highlights!
  
• Christmas Cookbooks
• Christmas Non-Fiction
• British Library Crime Classics
• Christmas Favorites
• Christmas Children's Favorites
• Christmas Short Story Book Collection (reel)
• Christmas Middle Grade Books (reel)
• Christmas Classics & Novels (reel)
• Christmas Children's Books (reel)
• Christmas Non-Fiction Books (reel)
• Christmas Mysteries (reel)
  

FINALLY, here's a list (with some photos and ratings...if I read the book!) of the current books in my Christmas collection (if not pictured, they have been donated, on e-book/Audiobook, or borrowed from the library):

CLASSICS:

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 5🌟
• The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott 4.5🌟
• How It All Happened by Louisa May Alcott 5🌟
• The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry 5🌟
• The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson 5🌟
• Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies 4🌟
• The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman 4🌟
• Christmas: A Story by Zona Gale 3🌟
• The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens 3🌟
• The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 5🌟
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 5🌟
• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum 5🌟
• The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore 5🌟
• Christmas at Thompson Hall 3.5🌟
• Kitty's Class Day by Louisa May Alcott 

 VINTAGE DOMESTIC FICTION:

• Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read 4🌟
• The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read 4🌟
• No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read 4🌟
• Christmas at Thrush Green by Miss Read 5🌟
• Christmas Tales by Miss Read 4.5🌟
• Ten Days of Christmas by G.B. Stern 2.5🌟 
• Edwardian Christmas by John S. Goodall 5🌟 
• The Thirteen Days of Christmas by Jenny Overton 4🌟
• The Old Peabody Pew by Kate Douglas Wiggin 4.5🌟
• A Christmas Card by Paul Theroux 4🌟 
• The Well of the Star by Elizabeth Goudge  3.5🌟
• The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge  5🌟
• Miss Plum and Miss Penny by Dorothy Evelyn Smith 5🌟
• The Waiting Game by Elizabeth Cadell 4.5🌟
• The Romance of the Christmas Card by Kate Douglas Wiggin 4.75🌟
• Four Midwestern Sister's Christmas Book by Holly J. Burkhalter 4.5🌟
• Christmas with the Savages by Mary Clive 4.5🌟
• Merry Christmas, Mr. Baxter by Edward Streeter 3.5 🌟
• The Lost Angel by Elizabeth Goudge
• Christmas at High Rising by Angela Thirkell
  

VINTAGE MIDDLE GRADE:

• The Sister of the Angels by Elizabeth Goudge 5🌟
  
• I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge 5🌟
• Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories 4🌟
• The Bird's Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin 5🌟
• Albert's Christmas by Alison Jezard 5🌟
  
• Christmas with the Chyrstals by Noel Streatfeild 3.5🌟
• The Tuckers: The Cottage Holiday by Jo Mendel 4🌟
• Maida's Little Shop by Inez Haynes Irwin 5🌟 
• The Lion in the Box by Marguerite de Angeli 5🌟
  
• Sally's Family by Gwendoline Courtney 4.5🌟
  
• Castaway Christmas by Margaret J. Baker 5🌟
• How Six Found Christmas by Trina Schart Hyman 3🌟
• The Christmas Dolls by Carol Beach York 4🌟
• The Mystery House by Carol Beach York 4🌟
  
• The Magic Christmas Tree by Lee Kingman 4🌟
  
• Noel's Christmas Tree by Amy Le Feuvre 3🌟
• Christmas at Nettleford by Malcolm Saville 3.5🌟
• The Willows at Christmas by William Horwood 3.5🌟
• Tell a Tale of the Tuckers by Jo Mendel
• The Little Colonel's Christmas Vacation by Annie Fellows Johnston
  
  
  
      

VINTAGE CHILDREN'S: 

• Letters from Father Christmas 5🌟
• Santa's Surprise Book by Joan Potter Elwart 4🌟
• The Christmas Box by Alison Uttley 3.5🌟
• At Home with Christmas Gnomes by Erik Foreman 3.5🌟
• A String of Blue Beads by Fulton Oursler 4.5🌟
• The Happiest Christmas Day by May Greenwood 5🌟
• A Pint of Judgement by Elizabeth Morrow 4.5🌟
• Dolly and Molly on Christmas Day by Elizabeth Gordon 4🌟
• The Christmas Dolls by Elvira Woodruff 5🌟
• Becky's Christmas by Tasha Tudor 5🌟
• Mother Makes Christmas by Cornelia Meigs 4🌟
• The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown 4🌟
• Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert E. Barry 4.5🌟
• The Tale of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter 3🌟
• A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas 3🌟
• The Dolls' Christmas by Tasha Tudor 4.5🌟
• Buddy's Favorite Christmas Stories & Poems by Weekly Reader Books            
  

 LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS: 

• Christmas Mice (Mini) by Richard Scarry 5🌟
• The Nutcracker by Rita Balducci 3🌟
• Walt Disney's Little Toy Shop by Al Dempster 5🌟
• Raggedy Ann and Andy Help Santa by Polly Curren 4🌟
• The Twelve Days of Christmas by Mike Eagle 4🌟
• ABC is for Christmas by Jane Werner Watson 5🌟
• My Christmas Treasury by Gale Wiersum 3.5🌟
• Uncle Mistletoe by Jane Werner Watson 4.5🌟
• The Christmas Tree That Grew by Phyllis Krasilovsky  4🌟
• Jingle Bells by Kathleen N. Daly 3.5🌟
• The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore 5🌟
• Santa's Surprise Book by Joan Potter Elwart 4🌟
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Barbara Shook Hazen 4🌟
• The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree by Amye Rosenberg 4🌟
• Frosty the Snowman by Annie North Bedford 3.5🌟
• I Can't Wait Until Christmas by Linda Lee Maifair 4🌟 
• The Chipmunks' Merry Christmas by David Corwin 4🌟   

 

 

MYSTERY:

• Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie 4🌟
• A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer 4🌟
• Who Killed Father Christmas by Martin Edwards 4🌟
• Silent Nights by Martin Edwards 4.5🌟
• The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson 2🌟
• The Mistletoe Murders by P.D. James 3.5🌟
• Christmas at the Grange by T.E. Kinsey 4🌟
• Dramatic Murder by Elizabeth Anthony  
• A Surprise for Christmas by Martin Edwards
• The Twelve Crimes of Christmas by Carol-Lynn Rossell Waugh
  

SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS:

• A Christmas Book by Elizabeth Goudge 4.5🌟
• Country Christmas by Miss Read 4🌟
• Round the Christmas Fire by Vintage Classics 4🌟
• The Child's Christmas by Evelyn Sharp 4.5🌟
• Journey into Christmas by Bess Streeter Aldrich 4.5🌟
• A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote 4🌟
• A Literary Christmas by British Library 3🌟
• Christmas Every Friday by Charlie May Simon 3🌟
• Miss Read's Christmas Book 3.5🌟
• Stories for Christmas by British Library Women Writers 4🌟
• Stories for Winter by British Library Women Writers 3.5🌟 
• Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury 3.5🌟 
• Christmas with Anne by L.M. Montgomery 3.5🌟
• The Christmas Store by Ray Sipherd 5🌟
• Pearl S. Buck's Book of Christmas 
• Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson
  
• The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories by Jessica Harrison

 

NON-FICTION:

• Forever Christmas: Tasha Tudor by Harry Davis 5🌟
• Our Christmas Book by Linda Campbell Franklin 5🌟
• Christmas from the Heart of the Home by Susan Branch 4.5🌟
• Christmas at Home by Country Living 4🌟
• Christmas with Rosamunde Pilcher 5🌟
• Home for Christmas by Susan Branch 5🌟
• Dorothy Wordsworth's Christmas Birthday 3🌟
• Cosy by Laura Weir 5🌟
• A Very Vintage Christmas by Bob Richter 4🌟
• Especially at Christmas by Celestine Sibley 2🌟
• The Philosophy of Christmas by Caroline Taggart 4.5🌟
• Christmas Joy by Susan Branch 5🌟
• 1981 50th Edition of the Holiday Wish Book by Sears 4.5🌟
• Take Joy by Tasha Tudor
  
• The Complete Christmas Book by Franklin Watts
• 1942 Sears Christmas Book by Sears
• The Christmas Book 1922-1962 by Good Housekeeping

 

CONTEMPORARY: 

• Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher 5🌟
• An Ivy Hill Christmas by Julie Klassen 4🌟
• A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton 4🌟
•  Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor 4🌟
• The Christmas Tree by Julie Salamon 5🌟
• The Women in Black by Madeline St. John 4🌟
• Christmas in Cornwall by Marcia Willett 4🌟
• The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman 4🌟
• The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson 3.5🌟
• A Costwold Christmas by Kate Hewitt 3🌟
• A Christmas Journey by Ann Perry 3🌟
• A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg 4.5🌟
• The Perfect Mrs. Claus by Barbara Matteson 4.5🌟
• The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

 

ROMANCE:

• A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews 4🌟
  
• Lady Osbaldestone #1 Christmas Goose by Stephanie Laurens 3.5🌟
  
• Lady Osbaldestone #2 Missing Christmas Carols by Stephanie Laurens 4🌟
• Lady Osbaldestone #3 Plum Puddings by Stephanie Laurens 3🌟
• Lady Osbaldestone #4 Christmas Intrigue by Stephanie Laurens 3🌟
• Victorian Christmas by Patricia Gaffney 4🌟
  
• Miss Davenport's Christmas by Marion Chesney 3.5🌟
  
• A Regency Christmas by Anita Mills
• A Regency Christmas #2 by Mary Balogh
  
• A Regency Christmas #9 by Sandra Heath
• The Fifth Day of Christmas by Betty Neels

YA:

• Special Christmas by Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley High) 4🌟

 

GHOST STORIES:

• The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories by Tara Moore 4🌟

 

COOKBOOKS:

• The Christmas Chronicles by Nigel Slater 5🌟
• Happy Vegan Christmas by Karoline Jonsson 5🌟
• The Christmas Cookie Book by Virginia Pasley
  

 CONTEMPORARY CHILDREN'S:

• Dragon's Merry Christmas by Dav Pilkey 5🌟
• The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson 4🌟
• Snow White's Christmas by  Walt Disney 3.5🌟
• Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Christmas by Joy Cowley 3🌟
• Christmas on Exeter Street by Diana Hendry 4🌟
• Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo 4🌟
• On Christmas Eve by Peter Collington 4🌟
• A Little Women's Christmas by Heather Vogel Frederick 4🌟
• A Treasury of Family Christmas Poems by Union Square Kids 4🌟
• Silent Night by Will Moses 5🌟
• One Christmas Wish by Katherine Rundell 3.5🌟
• I SPY Christmas by Walter Wick 5🌟
• A Christmas Dress for Ellen by Thomas S. Monson 4🌟
• Cat Family Christmas by Lucy Brownridge 5🌟
• The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet Ahlberg 4🌟
• Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht 4🌟
• The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden 5🌟
• Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck 3🌟
• The Nutcracker (adaptation) by Janet Schulman 3.5🌟   
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg 4🌟
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss 5🌟
• Franklin's Christmas Gift by Paulette Bourgeois 5🌟
• Cranberry Christmas by Wende & Harry Devlin 4🌟
• Arthur's Christmas by Marc Brown 4.5🌟
• Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer 4🌟
• A Christmas Like Helen's by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock 4🌟
• Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas by Melanie Watt 5🌟
• Merry Christmas from Betsy by Carolyn Haywood 3.5🌟
• Letters from the North Pole by Annie Atkins 4🌟
• The Best Christmas Stories Ever by Apple Classics 5🌟
• The First Christmas Stocking by Elizabeth Winthrop 5🌟
• The Legend of the Christmas Witch by Dan Murphy 3🌟
• The Christmas House by Ann Turner 4🌟
• A Christmas Like Helen's 4🌟 
• Christmas on Sesame Street by Jon Stone
• Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas by Russell Hoban
• Little Sparkly Christmas Sticker Book by Fiona Patchett

 

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES:

• A Christmas Carol (George C. Scott) 
• Miracle on 34th Street  
• 84 Charing Cross Road 
• The Bishop’s Wife (1947) 
• The Grinch That Stole Christmas 
• Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
  
• Rudolph 
• Frosty
• The Year Without a Santa Claus
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town
  
• Little Women (1949 and 1994) 
• Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
• The Holiday 
• Holiday Affair (1949)
• Remember the Night (1940)
• The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
  
• Twas the Night Before Christmas
• Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
  
• A Charlie Brown Christmas 
• Christmas Vacation 
• Scrooged
  
• Klaus

 

 

 VINTAGE CHRISTMAS ALBUMS: 

• Andy Williams Christmas Album
• Merry Christmas by Johnny Mathis
• Merry Christmas by Bing Crosby
• Merry Christmas by Andy Williams
  
• Have a Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives
• Favorite Christmas Songs by SINGER
• Barbie's Christmas Party
  
• Home for Christmas by Henri Renee/Dynagroove
• New England Sleigh Ride by Mobil 
• December by George Winston
• Silent Night by CBS Records
  

 

 

 

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOODS/BEVERAGES:

• Cinnamon Rolls
• Candy Cane Smoothie
• Gingerbread Smoothie
• Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream and Peppermint Marshmallows
• Soft Peppermint Puffs
• Candy Cane Peppermint Bark
• Decorated Gingerbread Men
• Candy Cane Pretzels
• Vintage Christmas Cookies (with red and green sprinkles)
• Garlic Green Beans with Cranberries
  
• Christmas Eve Chinese Take-Out (I always get Spicy String Beans and Steamed Rice)

(Note: These are all vegan Christmas recipes or vegan-friendly brands. World of Vegan is where I work, too!)

Now, it's your turn!! In the comments, let me know YOUR Christmas favorites! Give me your recommendations, please 😁

• Books (of any genre) 
• Movies
• Food/recipes
• Music

The past few years, I've decided to start reading from my Christmas TBR in mid-November so that I don't have to rush (and also so that I can read as many Christmas-y books as possible!) 😂

This plan been working out really well and also gives me more time for Christmas Book Buddy Reads and Read-a-Longs! Here are my goals for this season:

With my book bestie @carosbookcase:

❄︎ Castaway Christmas by Margaret J. Baker

❄︎ The Waiting Game by Elizabeth Cadell

❄︎ The Willows at Christmas by William Horwood

❄︎ The Perfect Mrs. Claus by Barbara Matteson

 

With my dear friend @gina.stanyer.books:

❄︎ Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher 

 

With the 'Queen of Christmas' Cosy Club @bagfullofbooks: 

❄︎ Village Christmas by Miss Read

❄︎ Taken by the Hand by O. Douglas (January)

 

With the lovely and inspiring Julie of the @elizabethgoudgebookclub:

❄︎ Sister of the Angels by Elizabeth Goudge

 

 

A Betsy-Tacy Countdown to Christmas by Al R. Young from the Storybook Home 2004:

 

❄︎ Excerpts from the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace and Emily of Deep Valley from Dec 1st-21st, then A Christmas Carol's Cratchit Christmas Dinner on the 22nd, and Twas the Night Before Christmas on the 23rd. (The 24th has The Gospel of St. Luke, if you would like to read that as well.)

Will you be participating in any Christmas read-a-longs or buddy reads this season?

 

Make sure to keep following my blog posts (enter your email on the home page using your desktop browser) and my Instagram @babsbelovedbooks 🤩✨💕 

 

Sending much sparkly holiday spirit, good health and warm cozy almost-Christmas hugs to you, friends!!! Keep an eye out for an upcoming post of my home Christmas decorations and menu for this year! I love celebrating all things Christmas with you! 🥰💚❤️

Celebrate the Holidays with Dean Street Press Books! 🥰📚🎄

Happy Furrowed Middlebrow Friday, Friends!! 😍💚❤️📚

 

Did you know that Dean Street Press has a bunch of Christmas-themed books in their collection? I had no idea until lovely Victoria of the Dean Street Press Team (thank you!!) shared this list with me. Yay!

So, if you were looking for more amazing books to add to your Christmas TBR, let me present:

DEAN STREET PRESS - CHRISTMAS EDITION! 🎅🏼🎄✨📗📕

If you LOVE Dean Street Press books like I do, you'll want to add these titles to your collection asap!

 

• The Night of Fear by Moray Dalton 4.5🌟
• Miss Plum and Miss Penny by Dorothy Evelyn Smith 5🌟
• Because of Sam by Molly Clavering 5🌟
• The Crime at Noah's Ark by Molly Thynne
  
• Who Killed Dick Whittington? by E. and M.A. Radford
• The Murders Near Mapleton by Brian Flynn
• Exit Sir John by Brian Flynn
• Dancing Death by Christopher Bush
  

 

These books (I haven't read) sound amazing and I can't wait to read them!! Wooo!

 

Which of these books have you read and loved? 

 

Do you have other holiday golden age mystery, crime fiction or middlebrow suggestions for me? Share them below!!

 

Hope you had the most lovely Thanksgiving (if you're in the US) this week and sending all my love to you! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

 

October Wrap-Up, Furrowed Middlebrow Gift & Full Review of Miss Granby's Secret! 🤩🌟📚💚

Happy November, Friends! 😄🍂🍁

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 👻) and getting ready to start my Christmas reading (my FAVORITE time of the year!) 😍❤️💚🎄

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! 🤩✨✨

 OCTOBER READS:

🧡 One Dozen and One by Gladys Taber 4.75🌟 (buddy ready with @carosbookcase!)

🧡 Thornyhold by Mary Stewart (buddy re-read with @gina.stanyer.books) 4.75🌟

🧡 Halloween Party by Agatha Christie 5🌟

🧡 Countess Kate by Charlottte Mary Yonge 3.5🌟 (Victober)

🧡 The Gingerbread Shop by P.L. Travers 4🌟

🧡 A Doll for Marie by Louise Fatio 4.75🌟

🧡 Sunlight by Sally Cartwright 4🌟

🧡 Lady Living Alone by Norah Lofts 4.75🌟

🧡 Meg and the Ghost of Hidden Springs by Holly Beth Walker 4.25🌟

🧡 The Last Seance by Agatha Christie 4.5🌟

🧡 The Yellow Warning by Betsy Allen 4🌟

🧡 A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney 4.5🌟

🧡 The Girl and the Cathedral by Nicolas Jester 4.5🌟

🧡 Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow 5🌟 

🧡 Autumn Term by Antonia Forest 4🌟 (recommended by @carosbookcase!)

🧡 Secret Marriage by Kathleen Norris 4.5🌟 (buddy read with @sorrythankyou79!)

🧡 Marple by Naomi Alderman 3.5🌟

🧡 The Talking Dolls by G.R. Mills 4🌟

🧡 The Secret Gardens of Frances Hodgson Burnett 5🌟    

🧡 Mary Jane's Kindergarten by Claire Ingram Judson 5🌟

 

 

 

In my last Furrowed Middlebrow Friday post, I mentioned how much I would love to own some Dean Street Press post cards to hang on my wall. Victoria generously (and thoughtfully!) sent me a bunch of press samples for my post card collection. Omg, it was the BEST DAY EVER when I received that package in the mail with a sweet note from this lovely lady! 😍❤️

 

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: 4🌟

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! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

Furrowed Middlebrow Collection! 🤩🌟📚💚

Happy Friday! ☺️💓

For #FurrowedMiddlebrowFriday this week, I'm sharing my current Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow collection of 34 printed books (32 books on my Kindle)—yipppee!

I'm cheating with this photo because I usually double stack my Dean Street Press Books so that I can use the other shelf for other books. But, in my ideal library world, this is what they look like: 

And, here are my collections by author, along with ratings. Also, here's my link to my Instagram Furrowed Middlebrow Collection post!😍❤️

Molly Clavering:

Because of Sam 5🌟

Dear Hugo 4.5🌟

Love Comes Home (TBR)

Mrs. Lorimer's Quiet Summer 4🌟

Near Neighbors 5🌟

Susan Settles Down 5🌟

Touch Not the Nettle 4🌟

Yoked with a Lamb (TBR)

Elizabeth Eliot:

Mrs. Martell 4.5🌟

 

Elizabeth Fair:

(all on my Kindle) 

A Winter Away 4🌟

Bramton Wick 4🌟

Landscape in Sunlight 4🌟

Seaview House 4🌟

The Marble Staircase 3.5🌟

The Mingham Air 4🌟

The Native Heath 4🌟

 

Eleanor Farjeon:

Miss Granby's Secret (or the Bastard of Pinsk) 4🌟

 

Ruby Ferguson: 

Apricot Sky 5🌟

 

E. Nesbit:

The Lark 4🌟

 

Carola Oman:

Nothing to Report 3🌟

 

Ursula Orange:

Begin Again 4🌟

 

Susan Scarlett: 

Babbacombe's 4.25🌟

Clothes-Pegs 4🌟

Peter and Paul (TBR)

Sally-Ann 4.5🌟

Summer Pudding (TBR) 

Ten Way Street (TBR)

The Man in the Dark (TBR)

 

Margery Sharp:

Four Gardens 4🌟

Rhododendron Pie 3.5🌟

The Foolish Gentlewoman (TBR)

Dorothy Evelyn Smith:

Miss Plum and Miss Penny 5🌟

 

D.E. Stevenson:

Green Money 5🌟

Mrs. Tim Carries On 4🌟

Mrs. Tim Flies Home 4.5🌟

Mrs. Tim Gets a Job 4🌟

Music in the Hills 3🌟

Spring Magic 3🌟

The Fair Miss Fortune 5🌟

Vittoria Cottage 5🌟

Winter and Rough Weather 4🌟

TBR:

A House in the Country by Ruth Adam

Bewildering Cares by Winifred Peck

The House Opposite by Barbara Noble

 

BONUS! DSP Golden Age Crime Fiction by Moray Dalton: 

One by One They Disappeared 4🌟

The Night of Fear 4.5🌟 

The Belgrave Manor Crime 4🌟 

The Murder of Eve 4🌟

Note: I love Moray Dalton's books so much! I'm dying to get the rest of them! 🥰

FAQS about Dean Street Press Books
 

Do you wish you owned ALL the Furrowed Middlebrow books? Heck, yes! 

Who is your favorite DSP Furrowed Middlebrow author? Molly Clavering or D.E. Stevenson (TIE!)

Which author do you wish had more books in the Furrowed Middlebrow series? Omg, Ruby Ferugson for sure!

Do you have an all-time favorite Dean Street Press book? The hardest question everrrr! But, after lots of thought, it might be Apricot Sky. Or...Susan Settles Down. Too many 5🌟 books!

What do you wish you could change about the Furrowed Middlebrow books? Although I think they're pretty perfect, I would change these three little things:

1. Make the printed books easier to hold open while reading and have a larger gutter so that I don't have to crack the spine to read it.
2. Figure out a way to make all of the DSP logos line up so that the look prettier displayed on bookshelves. (Perhaps make a different color symbol for each author?)
3. Discover an ingenious way to display this beautiful collection so that the covers are facing out to admire all of the time. Or, better yet, sell a set of postcards or small prints of the covers so that readers can have a wall of lovely artwork in their libraries. (Please, please, please!)
   

Well, I guess that's all for now, book friends! I'm sure I'll do an update in the future with more (and more!) books that I collect from the amazing Dean Street Press Ltd.!

I'd love to know in the comments below what YOUR favorite DSP Furrowed Middlebrow book is at the moment! Let's share the love!! Sending tons of love and hugs to youuuuuuu! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕

Hope you enjoyed seeing my collection! 🥳💜🌟

 

Mrs. Martell by Elizabeth Eliot 👱🏻‍♀️🧔🏻💄👛🎀🏰

Happy #FurrowedMiddlebrowFriday, Friends! 

This is my second post for this hashtag (woo!) and, because I'm so excited about it, I think my next post will be sharing my entire Furrowed Middlebrow Collection. Let me know in the comments if this is something you'd like to see ☺️📚💚

Before I share my review of Mrs. Martell by Elizabeth Eliot, I wanted to tell you about this lovely little vintage makeup table that I thrifted in my neighborhood. 

I love all things vintage beauty, clothes and makeup (though I don't use a lot of makeup myself), but especially makeup items. I adore the little golden purse that Ian bought for me, gloves, compacts, lipstick tubes, handkerchiefs, etc. This vanity table was such an amazing and inexpensive purchase—plus, it came with the little bench, too! (Someday, I will swap out the fabric for a rosy pink color.)

[Side Note: I'm on the hunt for a vintage pedestal, swivel mirror (my Grandma Catherine had one and I loved it!) and a pink depression glass perfume bottle. Wish me luck!]

Anyway, I thought that my newest addition of vintage furniture would make a lovely background for both the Mrs. Martell book and this 1947 edition of Love Book Magazine. Don't you think the covers are really similar? 

I know, I know...back to the book!😂

 

Rating: 4.5🌟 

I was completely swept away by this Furrowed Middlebrow book!

Usually, I try to stay clear of books with unlikable main characters, but this one is the exception to the rule. It was SO good!

Mrs. Martell (Cathie) is vain, self-centered, selfish and generally horrible. But, it was extremely enjoyable reading about her devious plans and seeing the world through her one-track, malicious mind. The entire story centers on Cathie's primary goal in life—to be Mrs. West, wife to Edward...who is currently the husband of her cousin, Laura.

Not only is this the best cover of the Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow series (at least, it's mine...especially being pink and all), the story was unexpectedly amazing. I loved it from the beginning to the end.

Elizabeth's Eliot's novel is definitely a great choice for a book club read. There's just so much to discuss! I plan on reading this book again very soon and I'm now intrigued by this author. This is my first Elizabeth Eliot book, but I believe there are three more in the FM series: Alice, Henry and Cecil.  I'm hoping the others are just as good (or better!)

This is the perfect, light book to read to amuse, entertain or get a "soap opera" fix. I would have given it 5🌟, but I need a little bit of hope or joy at the end of a story for a full star rating. Otherwise, I loved it!

Let me know in the comments if you've read this book or anything by Elizabeth Eliot. Dying to know your thoughts! 

Have a fantastic Friday and wonderful weekend!! Many loving hugs to you! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕 

Here are some photos of the illustrations inside of this charming magazine: 

 

Miss Granby's Secret by Eleanor Farjeon

Hello again, friends! It's been so long since I posted anything. I've been busy reading, finding and collecting vintage books (too many, as usual...lol!) and feeling overwhelmed by life. Does this happen to you, too?

The roller coaster weather here in New Hampshire (one day so hot and humid and the next day brisk and chilly...or both in one day!) has been getting me down and I hope that the steady beauty of autumn (my favorite season!) will be here soon. I'm looking forward to it so much! How about you?

Anyway, down to business—and, by that, I mean NEW book review! Woo!

I was recently sent a review copy of Miss Granby's Secret (or the Bastard of Pinsk) by Eleanor Farjeon by the wonderful and amazing Dean Street Press Ltd. team (Victoria, you're the best! 😍) 

I so, so incredibly happy that Dean Street Press is going to continue publishing books for the Furrowed Middlebrow series. Isn't that the best news you've heard in a long time?? It was for me! 

[Side note: If I had to choose one future career dream, it would be to work on the Dean Street Press team. Since my degree is in Mathematics and my amazing current job have nothing at all to do with the book publishing world, I guess I will have to live this lovely thought only in my mind. But, if for some reason anyone on the team is reading this and you need someone in the U.S. to help with any step of the process, please keep me in mind! 😁💓📕]

Sorry for going on a crazy tangent...back to the book review!

Rating: 4🌟

A crazy and compelling ride!

This was my first experience reading Eleanor Farjeon's writing and I have to say that, at first, I was a little doubtful that I'd like it. I thought the pace of the story fluctuated between slightly frantic to pretty slow, with 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. (I'll be buying a hard copy very soon to add to my collection)

But, in spite of my slightly rocky 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! 😂😂 It was so amusing and I was dying to know what would happen for the finale.

The very end of the story became confusing again and I'm not sure if I really liked 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. I think that means I need to read more of her books!

Overall, I enjoyed the book so much more than I imagined I would! I highly recommend you give it a try!

Make sure to check in tomorrow (or, better yet, SUBSCRIBE to my blog by typing your email into the blue box at the top right and pressing the pink button! If you do, you'll make my day, sweet friend!) for another #furrowedmiddlebrowfriday (a hashtag I created on 8/16/24) post here and on Instagram!

Note: I own a pretty little book of Ms. Farjeon's poetry for children (pictured above), so I'm excited to dip into that book very soon and see if I like it. The illustrations look very sweet!

Please check out my dear friend, Caro's review of this book on her new website! Her reviews are incredibly thoughtful, intelligent, amusing and filled with gorgeous photos. You'll love them 🤩 Make sure to follow her on Instagram @carosbookcase!

Much love and many hugs!!! Would love to hear from you in the comments below! 💕🌸🤗🌸💕