I knew nothing about Nigel Slater before buying this highly recommended and expensive book. The reason I decided to bite the bullet is that I love ChrI knew nothing about Nigel Slater before buying this highly recommended and expensive book. The reason I decided to bite the bullet is that I love Christmas books and recipes and my season of life was evolving and I needed something new. I began this book in November of 2018 and read it bit by bit through the 2018 Christmas season putting it away before finishing it. When I brought out the 2019 Christmas stuff I dove right into this book where I had left off and thoroughly looked forward to reading a little bit of it each morning. I have yet to try even one of the recipes but if you want to learn how to have a healthy attitude towards food and feasting then this book is pure gold. I loved Nigel's attitude towards life and celebration and ordinary days too. Maybe this book is not for everyone but if you are a raging anglophile then it is not to be missed. It is like a daily dose of Dickensian joy during the season.
I simply cannot give these books less than 4 stars at their worst. While the plot of this one left me scratching my head, I hardly cared. The pathos aI simply cannot give these books less than 4 stars at their worst. While the plot of this one left me scratching my head, I hardly cared. The pathos and love of Dogger and the all the old feelings and friends, the descriptions of Flavia as she changes and grows, the allusions and references to all my favorite books, all of these things made for a wonderful couple of days. Come back soon, Flavia....more
With this book I complete my 2019 Reading Challenge and how appropriate that is. I met Sheila in real life in April of this year and bought this book,With this book I complete my 2019 Reading Challenge and how appropriate that is. I met Sheila in real life in April of this year and bought this book, hiding it away for Advent. Sheila has a ministry to what she calls 'women in the middle'. We women are often in the middle of all sorts of relationships and goings on. Some of us are in the middle of the generations and all that requires. Some of us are in the middle of dealing with painful family things. Sheila ministers woman to woman. This book is a continuation of that ministry and it speaks volumes about the women in the geneology of Christ and their faith in God. God is bigger than me. God is bigger than my sin and mistakes and failures. I am a part of his master plan. I am not pasting him into mine. What a relief. I loved this book even more than I expected to love it and my expectations were high. ...more
I am working through this series in audio with the Cameron Bierlie recordings. I really wanted to skip this one and get on to New England with Mary EmI am working through this series in audio with the Cameron Bierlie recordings. I really wanted to skip this one and get on to New England with Mary Emma and Company but once I adjusted my attitude I loved hearing about Ralph's summer at the home ranch. These are expertly told stories. Virtue is illustrated in all its glory and humility without ever once watching itself in the mirror....more
A week or so ago a young mother told a group of us she was reading this In Morning Time with her children. If I am honest, I will admit I felt a pang.A week or so ago a young mother told a group of us she was reading this In Morning Time with her children. If I am honest, I will admit I felt a pang. I would never read this in Morning Time again. But when I was heading out the door to babysit my granddaughters this weekend I remembered and grabbed this book and several others. Today, off and on, I read this aloud to Bella and Vanna and they listened! Tonight we finished it. I consider this nothing short of a gift from God. I am grateful. ...more
While purchasing Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, I thought I would add Leaf by Niggle to the cart. I know I have read the physical book beforWhile purchasing Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas, I thought I would add Leaf by Niggle to the cart. I know I have read the physical book before but it might have been 30 years ago. This little allegory is more powerful than any of the current crop of self-help/business books. It examines the meaning of life in the midst of the toils, struggles and disappointments of everyday life and it examines the life we think we are making with the life we really are making AND it even examines the role of grace in helping us make something of our feeble efforts. Powerful story. The audio is superb....more
A friend reviewed this this very morning insisting the audiobook was a must-listen and so I bought it this morning for a couple dollars on Audible andA friend reviewed this this very morning insisting the audiobook was a must-listen and so I bought it this morning for a couple dollars on Audible and got my steps in listening to this wonderful, wonderful collection. If you have a couple hours in the car or around the house this Christmas, nothing will be more Christmassy than this collection of letters from JRR Tolkien to his children. ...more
I am rereading the Ralph Moody Little Britches series of books on audio right now being that I have no one around to read these aloud to. Truly amazinI am rereading the Ralph Moody Little Britches series of books on audio right now being that I have no one around to read these aloud to. Truly amazing stories of resilience and familial love....more
I read this and all of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diaries when I was a young wife. They were somewhat guides to life for me as a young bride. A guide fro
I read this and all of Anne Morrow Lindbergh's diaries when I was a young wife. They were somewhat guides to life for me as a young bride. A guide from someone in tune to her inner and outer life. It is no surprise that the older I get the further back into the book I find insights. That is how it was written. This time I especially enjoyed the add-on chapter Gift from the Sea re-opened. Especially this passage:
"When I wrote Gift from the Sea, I was still in the stage of life called "the oyster bed," symbol of a spreading family and growing children. The oyster bed, as the tide of life ebbed and the children went away to school, college, marriage, or careers, was left high and dry. A most uncomfortable stage followed, not sufficiently anticipated and barely hinted at in any book. In bleak honesty it can only be called 'the abandoned shell." Plenty of solitude, and a sudden panic at how to fill it, characterize this period. With me, it was not a question of simply filling up the space or the time. I had many activities and even a well-established vocation to pursue. But when a mother is left, the lone hub of a wheel, with no other lives revolving around her, she faces total re-orientation. It takes time to re-find the center of gravity."
It was especially helpful to hear this because, one, she did have a creative vocation before her empty nest and yet, she still experienced the shift and two, she acknowledges that there is not even a hint of this among other women and books. We don't like to admit that this transition is the hardest thing we have ever faced. We know it is natural and even good, but it is still a seismic shift in our lives.
This rereading was done for our November book club meeting....more
2020 Update: I used this book for my summer class and all I can say is that it is even better on the second read. It really is vital to read this book2020 Update: I used this book for my summer class and all I can say is that it is even better on the second read. It really is vital to read this book if you love Charlotte Mason's ideas on education. I have 94 highlights which might be a record for me.
What can I say, I wrote the foreword! I loved this book and everything it stands for. We can approach a Charlotte Mason education with joy and freedom through the 20 principles....more
Picked up this little gem at Rydal Mount and found it to spark my interest in all things Dorothy Wordsworth, William's sister. Picked up this little gem at Rydal Mount and found it to spark my interest in all things Dorothy Wordsworth, William's sister. ...more
Possibly one of the funniest books I have ever read, or maybe, I was just in the right mood for this. The genius of Wodehouse never fails to amaze me.Possibly one of the funniest books I have ever read, or maybe, I was just in the right mood for this. The genius of Wodehouse never fails to amaze me. My husband suggested I read this as he laughed so hard while listening as he drove around town. I was surprised to find myself laughing out loud too. I will say it is hard to keep up with all the characters changing names almost Shakespearean....more
I never read L’Engle before last year when I was blown away by her Crosswick Journals. I picked this up after reading Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the DI never read L’Engle before last year when I was blown away by her Crosswick Journals. I picked this up after reading Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark. This book touched me deeply because it admitted the connection between pain and art. Truth, goodness, and beauty are not fantasy worlds. I also love her acknowledgment of the Holy Spirit in the mystery of creation....more
At times this was a 2 star book with its overuse of adjectives and adverbs (I almost couldn't get past the first paragraph), and at other times it wasAt times this was a 2 star book with its overuse of adjectives and adverbs (I almost couldn't get past the first paragraph), and at other times it was a 5 star book with its fascinating storyline. After I settled in I enjoyed the story more. I did feel the time frame inaccurracies being that I have family in Kentucky, but I plowed ahead because I once knew a lady who traveled around Hazard County delivering books and reading materials and I have sat in waiting rooms of hospitals in Lexington with many folks from Hazard County and I know their history is rich and unlike any other place in America....more
I have wanted to return to these MacDonald novels for years now and finally read this one again. It is the story of Malcolm. How does it hold up? At fI have wanted to return to these MacDonald novels for years now and finally read this one again. It is the story of Malcolm. How does it hold up? At first I didn’t think I was going to like it again at all. I did not enjoy the old piper’s ravings and I remembered being endeared to him before. In the end I found myself anxious to pick up The Marquis Secret which is a sequel to this one. These novels are rambling diversions with forays of great depth. I especially loved the “witnessing” conversation between Mr. Graham and the old Marquis. ...more
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