I’ve always loved reading books. Growing up any free time usually found my sisters and I buried in books and once we were there it was hard to get us out of it. To this day Andy says it’s hard to get my attention once I start reading. I really tune out and get into my book.
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I really enjoy books during the winter. They take me to a different time and place and give me something to think about besides how long the winter is getting. Here we are in March, but that almost makes winter harder since it gives you glimpses of spring, but it just isn’t quite here yet.
I was thinking about books I’ve been enjoying lately and they kind of break up into categories somewhat. First are the books about older girls who lead a hard or boring life, but then Something Changes. Second are children’s stories which I love simply because they are easy to read and they don’t have adult problems. Third are the period stories – stories that take you to a different time in history.
I’ll leave short descriptions below so you can decide if it’s a book you’d like to check out of your local library. Happy reading!
Miss Buncle’s Book – D. E. Stevenson
Miss Buncle finds herself very poor, so she writes a book about her neighborhood to make some income and it becomes a best seller! Unfortunately her neighbors recognize themselves in all their true colors in the story and set out to discover the author of it.
Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
Valancey is an old maid who still lives with her mother and aunt in the same awful house and still does the same monotonous things that she’s always done. But when she finds out she could die due to a health condition, she starts doing and saying all the things she would have liked to do all along – much to the consternation of her relatives.
By The Great Horn Spoon – Sid Fleischmann
12 year old Jack sets out from London to seek his fortune in the California goldfields and the butler, Praiseworthy, comes along. They find themselves embroiled in a steamboat race, stagecoach holdup and fistfight all while making – and losing – riches right and left.
The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stuart
Reynie Muldoon has always been smarter than other boys his age. But when a strange advertisement appears in the paper offering special opportunities for gifted children, he’ll find out how smart he really is and if he has the strength for the mission ahead.
Stranger To Command – Sherwood Smith
Set in a medieval world, Vidanric, the young Marquis of Shevraeth is sent away to school to protect him from an evil king.
Crown Duel – Sherwood Smith
The sequel to Stranger To Command, Crown Duel follows the tale of a young countess, Meliara, as her mission unwittingly joins that of the Marquis of Shevraeth in overthrowing a wicked ruler.
If you’ve read any of the above books I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Oh, fun! I’ve read half these books and liked them a lot, so I needa check out the Fleischmann and Smith ones. 😉
D E Stevenson is one of our family’s favorite authors! I especially recommend the Mrs Tim series; these three books are more true-to-life ordinary living, narrated by such a lovable, quirky character… But ANY D E Stevenson book is a fun read, any day!
Thanks Doris!! I’ll check those out. I don’t think I’ve ever read those before.
I love the Benedict Society series! I also enjoy reading young adult books, because I can finish them faster. When I start a fiction book, life around here tends to stop so I have to be careful to start one when I have the time to finish it. I always marveled at the way you and your sisters would read a few pages here and there, whenever you could snatch a few minutes!
A few pages here and there is hard tho! Sometimes I just long to sit down and finish a book in one sitting with no interruptions. Maybe in about 20 years when my children are grown. 😜
I just read “The Mysterious Benedict Society” and enjoyed it a lot, although I wasn’t expecting it to get so, er, how shall I say, scary, so that made it a little hard to sleep one night when I didn’t get the time to read the whole thing in one fell swoop as I’d have liked to. I especially liked the perspective shift on the one character at the end. Really brilliant. (Trying not to give away too much for those who haven’t read.) I also liked the foreshadowing. It was a very fun, albeit scary, ( for me) read.
I didn’t think about that! It’s been a while since I read it for the first time so I just enjoy it as a good exciting read and it isn’t scary because I already know how it ends. Definitely a book to read straight through if possible. It’s hard to set down!