Party Favors
One month ago I drafted a post introducing the Bookshop at Lanier’s Books and I pushed ‘Publish’ with a pounding heart.
Four weeks later, we hit the 100-mark with books sold and marked the first small anniversary of a dream-come-true.
“I can’t believe I’ve done this one hundred times,” I told Philip as he watched me wrapping the illustrious volume.
I can’t believe that I get to do this. I can’t believe that I get to play emissary between these treasures and the readers that love them. I can’t believe the kindred connections that have been made in a month. The glowing kindnesses of comments and emails. The breathtaking gift that surprised me by ‘return post’ one day last week.
I am truly overwhelmed. And so very grateful–to God and to the kind folks that take the time to stop in here–that I wanted to do something to acknowledge it. I wanted to have a little party. And to give away a one-month birthday present.
The title I selected is a very special one: Elizabeth Goudge’s A Diary of Prayer. It’s a book that has meant a lot to me personally, and a lovely and inspiring look at the prayers that influenced our own dear Elizabeth.
So here’s what you have to do: leave a comment below recommending a favorite book (these will be gifts in themselves!) and perhaps a little memento of what it’s meant in your life. The comment form will be open until midnight EST on Saturday the 4th of September. A winner will be selected by the very unscientific but historically reliable method of name-drawing out of a hat (I promise to make it a chic, vintage affair) and will be announced on Sunday the 5th.
And thank you, again, dear readers and friends, for making this little site a place that you pause on the web. I hope and pray that it’s a ‘pause that refreshes’.
So Owl wrote…and this is what he wrote:
HIPY PAPY BTHETHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY
Pooh looked on admiringly.
“I’m just saying ‘A Happy Birthday’,” said Owl carelessly.
“It’s a nice long one,” said Pooh, very much impressed by it.
from Eeyore Has a Birthday and Gets Two Presents, A. A. Milne
What a lovely book – I love Elizabeth Goudge’s lovely books and it would be fascinating to read this. A rather unusual book I would recommend is called “Islanders” by Margaret Elphinstone. It is set on Fairisle in something like the 10th century or thereabouts, and is a story about the island people and a young Irish girl who is shipwrecked on their coast. It is very haunting, and every time I read it I stay there on the island for days and days afterwards in my thoughts, imagining and wondering…
Wow, Lanier… this really is a wonderful accomplishment!
One of my favorite books is a little volume called Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner. Ever since I was a little kid, I loved this small tale of justice and responsibility. Emil is a boy on a train who is going to see his grandmother and someone steals his money. He’s the everyboy, and he has to find something in himself that he didn’t know was there if he wants to find who stole it. I really, really, recommend this one.
Hello Lanier,
What a wonderful idea! You have definately introduced me to many authors I otherwise would never have known about.
A more modern book that I love is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I love it because the portrayal of the heroine is so gritty and real. This is a young woman with a wretched past. The young man, her love interest, feels that God has chosen her to be his bride even though he really can’t see why! The way that he persues her and stands by her through horrifying trials is a magnificent example of true love in action.
And even though this may not be terribly original, I feel compelled to mention, well, any novel by Jane Austen. What stands out to me in her novels is, in stark contrast with modern times, the heroines all focusing on the character of potential love matches. Too often today, young ladies focus on how handsome a man is and his income. Not Jane’s characters, although she doesn’t completely ignore the effect of a man’s appearance on the fairer sex.
I apologize for the length of this. I wish you continued success with your bookshop!
Julie from Maine
I could suggest a serious book, but here’s one that made me laugh: Gay Pursuit by Elizabeth Cadell. It’s about a girl who’s so unemphatic she somehow finds herself engaged to two fellows at once. It’s a forties-era British novel with an old family mansion, moors, bagpipes, and a light-hearted take on human foibles.
What a wonderful question! Too many to name, but a top favorite is C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces. I love the themes of love, and jealousy, seeking God through life’s challenges, and how he seeks us unceasingly. My favorite quote is, “I ended my first book with the words ‘no answer.’ I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?”
Congratulations on your anniversary! 🙂
Oh Lanier, I am so happy for you and your blossoming endeavor!
I must say, one of my favorite books is one of those you introduced me to, and I actually purchased from Mrs Downs…. Gene Stratton Porter’s “The Harvester”. It was after reading aloud the first chapter to my newly found love, that I received my first kiss!!
Thank you for sharing your passion, and sending joy so beautifully packaged!
Congratulations and Blessings!
It’s a joy to “pause” here while I’m visiting the web. Thank you for creating such a lovely space. I feel like recommending just one book is an almost impossible task, but there is one book that I could re-read probably once a month for the rest of my life and not get tired of it: A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle. It’s actually written for young adults; indeed, I first read the book when I was in junior high. But I still love it today. The way the author describes a place — Grandfather’s coastal cottage and the sparkling sea — through the eyes of Vicky Austin (I fancy myself to be so much like her) makes me imagine myself part of the whole Austin family and one who also can swim among the dolphins.
Congratulations on your 100th book! 🙂
I would suggest Happy Little Family by Rebecca Caudill. It is a simple little book about a just-turned-four-year-old who believes she is getting quite big like her older siblings. I love the simplicity of the agrarian life the family lives, the pretty dresses in the illustrations of the copy we own, and so on. But what I love best about it is that it is a bigger (chapter) book which completely captivates my five-year-old daughter. I’ve been reading it aloud to her this week, and I believe she is in love. 🙂
How wonderful, Lanier! I hope you will continue to keep busy wrapping gorgeous old books (or gorgeously wrapping old books-what a delight it was to receive them!).
I’d love to win A Diary of Prayer. It brings to mind a book by Catherine Marshall that was a great comfort to me as a young wife and mother, Adventures in Prayer. It was given to me by the ladies of my church when I moved away in 1978.
I guess I don’t really have a favourite book just as I don’t have a favourite colour or a favourite flower or a favourite child or grandchild. It would just be too hard to choose. Thinking about it makes me want to do some re-reading of old favourites.
One of my very favourites is Gone With the Wind (although I haven’t read it in decades). I was most fascinated and inspired by Melanie. (Olivia deHavilland portrayed her perfectly in the movie, in my opinion.) Melanie was almost unbelievably kind and loving and courageous, no matter what the circumstance. I must read it again sometime.
I always enjoy your book reviews and have added some of your favourites to my Wish List. I wish you continued success in your book-selling adventure!
How exciting that you’ve had such success! isn’t it wonderful to be doing something you love so much?
Hm. Well, if I had to say right now, I’d recommend Trollope, and although my favorite is “Barchester Towers,” the first Trollope I ever read was “The Warden,” so that’s my choice. I had a hardback copy of it, and hunted for it last night so I could begin another lovely trip into Trollope’s world, but alas!! I couldn’t find it. I had to settle for reading “Towers” again instead.
All the best!!
Oh, I’m so happy for you that your little bookstore is doing so well…it’s a lovely place for a “pause”, I know I’m always refreshed when I stop by. And what a great idea of asking for favourite book recommendations in the comments…I already know I’m going to add some new titles to my wishlist.
Though it’s almost impossible to choose one favourite, the one that popped into my mind was “The Blue Castle” by L.M. Montgomery. It’s one of her lesser-known works, but definitely one of my favourites of her’s. Some of what I consider to be some of her most beautiful descriptive passages are in that book and I’ll sometimes pull out my worn paperback copy and just read those. And the story holds special memories for me since I read it aloud to Aaron when we were engaged. 🙂
The Blue Castle was LM Montgomery’s favorite book of all she had written. I love it too!
Me three! 😉
I didn’t know that…how lovely! 🙂
Congratulations to you!!! How delightful! Because I have too many favorites now, I will have to just share my favorite book from childhood. I checked out Francis Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess almost every trip to the library as a girl. It was illustrated by Tasha Tudor and became my all time favorite story and I’ve never been the princessy type.
How I’ve enjoyed browsing through your shop, Lanier – I’ve added several titles to my ever-growing “to be read” list 🙂 . Your review of 84 Charing Cross Road inspired me to hunt that up in our library immediately and I loved it so very much. Many thanks for the recommendation!
I couldn’t hope to choose a favorite book. There are far too many of those. But a lovely book I discovered recently was Rumer Godden’s Listen to the Nightingale. Perusing the children’s library sometimes reveals some real treasures 🙂 .
Lanier, I doubt you will ever know just how refreshing your writing has been to my soul. Congratulations again on a successful first month!
As for books, one that I can recommend quite heartily is “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. It is so simple, yet speaks volumes about the nature of Love. Thinking about it is making me well up a bit. I think it could do just about anyone good to take ten minutes out of their day to read it.
Also, I love that quote! As a little girl, I couldn’t keep myself from cracking up whenever I read “HIPY PAPY.” I still laugh!
That’s a hard one, but I’ve always loved Helen Keller’s autobiography. Very inspiring! (And interesting, as I studied sign language in college.)
My favorite book is Packing for a Woman’s Journey by Nancy Lindemeyer, founding editor of Victoria Magazine. It’s a story about Nancy’s life and her relationship with a grandmother who adopted her and helped raise her after her mother died. The scene when Nancy’s grandmother comes to visit her as an adult is quite touching. Nancy asks her grandmother how she will ever thank her and Nancy’s grandmother mother says simple “Child, there are no debts between us. You gave me as much as you received”. How dear!
My thanks to you for introducing me to Elizabeth Goudge. She is now my favorite author. Every book of hers becomes my favorite. I received “Gentian Hill” from your precious bookshop and the package was so beautifully wrapped with a lovely bookmark, I felt I had received a package from a dear friend; what a blessing. I wish you all the best with your book business. I’m noticing that many of the books I was eying earlier are sold to enter new friend’s lives.
Before Elizabeth, my favorite book was “Precious Bane” by Mary Webb. It’s a beautiful story of love and redemption, I always cry when I read it. The old English spoken by some of the characters seems a bit of a chore to read at first, but I promise it is well worth the effort.
Thank you for brightening my life Lanier.
Oh my, I could write pages about favorite books. Come to think of it, I have.
I’d have to say the first book I read that I loved so much that I read it over many times in my youth was Christy by Catherine Marshall. It really is based on the life of Catherine’s mother except they changed the ending. In real life her mom married the pastor.
It was the first book I read that was about a Christian but had adventure and romance… very important to a young woman. 🙂
Very, very happy to hear of your success. You are a special person.
Ah, how to choose a favorite… there are so many. I think I really love The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne. It is such a wonderful picture of how hidden sin can destroy a life, but confessing and moving on is redemptive.
I’m enjoying your website and the books I’ve ordered.
My heartfelt congratulations, Lanier. A favorite book would be Joy In the Morning by Betty Smith. Lesser known than A Tree Grows In Brooklyn—but I thought just as lovable, with a rare sweetness. There’s virtually no plot, but the character development is superb. Annie Brown is absolutely endearing.
Pilgrim’s Progress has shaped my life in countless ways. Truly, I couldn’t even begin to trace them all, and to put them into words. So many times, growing up, those words have helped to guide me in the Narrow Way, encouraged me when things were hard, and kept me from so many mistakes i Might have made. How thankful I am that my parents started reading that one to me as a little child.
Never mind what my sometimes too King James English have sometimes caused me a little embarrassment and some odd looks. It’s a book I’ll always treasure.
AND… I’m so excited about your book store. It makes me happy to think about it, even if I don’t get to order anything for a while. 🙂
I’m so glad that your dream has come true and caused you so much happiness. When I saw your post a month ago I thought immediately of Jocelyn from A City of Bells and the quote you posted shortly after. What a noble profession and with what grace you pursue it!
One of my favourite books, which I have just finished reading, is Dorothy Sayers’s Gaudy Night. The debates about the relationships between men and women, and women’s true vocations and equality between genuine real partners, about intellectual integrity and scholarship, and the loving descriptions of Oxford, made it one of the most thought-provoking books I own. I think that Peter and Harriet’s romance is one of the most satisfying and nuanced I have ever read. Naturally I have just started Busman’s Honeymoon, with special attention, as I am getting married this month!
Sheena, I can’t help adding that Gaudy Night is one of my favorite books, as well! Philip and I read it together in England (part in Oxford itself) and I heartily second your thoughts and sentiments. The exchange between Harriet and Peter, and the mutual respect that they share, is truly beautiful. And highly romantic. We did not want it to end. 🙂
And congratulations on your wedding!
Congratulations, Madame Bookseller, on selling your 100th book! I’m so happy for you and the success you’re having with your shop!
As for my favorite book, there’s simply no way I could choose just one. There are just too many that have meant too much. One that my mind has been returning to a lot lately, though, is “Till We Have Faces” by C. S. Lewis. It’s one of his least read works, but in my opinion, it’s far and away the most beautiful.
Congratulations on 100 book sold, and here’s to many more!
One of my very favorite books is Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart. It’s a romantic suspense novel similar to Jane Eyre — a lonely orphan takes a job as a governess and finds love and mystery in her new home — written in the 50s, with flashy cars and fancy dresses and the most adorable 9-year-old Comte you’ve ever met.
Hello from a reader in Australia! I’ve been meaning to comment on your blog for ages now, after stumbling across it quite a few years ago. You always write in an inspiring and uplifting way! I was excited to read about your book adventure a month ago, and have been eager to see the books you sell…and they all look lovely. Having seen you mention Elizabeth Goudge regularly, I looked her up and borrowed ‘Towers In The Mist’ from our library the other day, and very much look forward to reading it! ‘A Diary of Prayer’ looks excellent, and I would love to be in the giveaway!
A book that has been a favourite of mine for a number of years now, is a small old blue 1800’s book called ‘A Believer’s Thoughts’ by Edith Hickman Divall. Filled to the brim with poetry and prose, this book has been such an encouragement to me in my Christian walk.
I thank you for your encouragement, and for all the book recommendations you give!
Kind regards,
Abbie T.
Like many others who commented, I “happened” upon your blog a year or so ago. I, too, have purchased many of Elizabeth Goudge’s books and have loved them. One of her books that I currently turn to is A Book of Comfort. I am grieving the loss of my Mother who died several months ago, and am currently dealing with the serious illness of my Dad. The pearls of wisdom and spiritual insight are so comforting to me right now.
One of my favorite novels of all times is a Gothic, suspenseful thriller called My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier.
I love your blog and online bookstore. I have always had a passion for books, and will be passing on the news of your new store..
Congratulations on reaching 100 books sold, Lanier! I happened upon your blog earlier this year and it has been a blessing. I’ve discovered many new authors and rediscovered my love of old books. 🙂
One of my favorite books from childhood was The Good Master by Kate Seredy. A friend and I happened upon it in a Scholastic book order form in 4th grade. I fell in love with the charming story about Kate, an orphan from Budapest, who goes to live with her relatives in the Hungarian countryside just before World War I.
My name need’nt go in the drawing as I already have a cherished copy of the gift book. The several anthologies which Elizabeth Goudge prepared are treasures. “The Book of Comfort” is a nice one to keep. I’m thinking that her autobiography, “The Joy of the Snow” is something I should find again.
As for a favorite book: Pilgrims’ Inn has traveled with me through moves that span half a lifetime in various places in New England, 12 years in Wyoming and finally to settle [I hope!] for retirement in Kentucky.
The selections in your bookshop are intriguing. I own many of those books and have other titles by some of the authors listed. A few are new to me. I’m anxious for the day when bookshelves will be built in this little house and I can unpack my battered, much-handled collection. Dare I think that I’ll be adding to it?
A book that has become a favorite of mine this year is, The Wide, Wide World by Elizabeth Wetherell (also published as Susan Warner) only because I started reading it at a time when I needed it most. Like young Ellen, I was quickly driven away from loved ones this spring, and I found myself having to learn to cling to a High Power and trust Him like never before for that which I had not in my own strength and resources.
“To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
Oh, may it all my powers engage
To do my Maker’s will.
” ‘Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live;
And oh! thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give.’ “
A favorite of mine is “An Old-Fashioned Girl” by Louisa May Alcott. I read this for the time as an adult and couldn’t help wishing I could step back in time and “start over” again! My dear husband surprised me with an older hardcover version of the book he had searched for and purchased for me!
Only one? Terribly difficult, but I would have to say “The Scent of Water”. When life becomes so chaotic that I find it even hard to pray, I remember the wisdom imparted to Mary by the elderly minister. He told her that there are only three prayers you need to remember and they are, conveniently, only three words each…Lord, have mercy, Thee I adore, and Unto Thy hands.
That was the first Elizabeth Goudge I read, discovered on (of all places) a shelf in our high school library! That prayer has been helpful for me, also.
The novel that has most touched my life is Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. It’s the gently story of a nun who learns about God after 20-some years in the covent. It’s small and short, and not old (being published in 2000) but I re-read it about ever 6 months, and I never fail to reap something new. ~ L
Since novels by Sayers, Austen, L’Engle, Alcott, Stratton-Porter, and Montgomery have already been mentioned (you all must be kindred spirits, since we like the same books!), I will put in a plug for Elizabeth Gaskell’s “North and South.” A friend and I watched the miniseries this summer, prompting me to read the book. It was utterly delightful, and I enjoyed the chance to get into the characters’ heads more deeply than I could on-screen.
I just saw the miniseries at my cousin’s recommendation and loved it! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the book – it’s on my to-read list.
Congratulations on your book store, and on your lovely website.
A favorite book of mine is “Ladies of the Club” by Helen Hooven Santmeyer, which takes place beginning at the Civil War timeframe.
How to choose a book to write about? I’ll mention two. First, Lucy Maude Montgomery’s “Anne’s House of Dreams.” All of the Anne books are dear to my heart, but there is something about her friendship with Leslie (the part where Anne talks about how her friendships deepened as she grew up) and just the depth of her life in this one. Second, “A Ring of Endless Light” by Madeline L’Engle, largely because it includes and discusses the following poem by Sir Thomas Browne:
If thou could`st empty all thyself of self,
Like to a shell dishabited,
Then might He find thee on the ocean shelf,
And say, `This is not dead`,
And fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art all replete with very thou
And hast such shrewd activity,
That when He comes,
He says, `This is enow Unto itself – `twere better let it be,
It is so small and full, there is no room for Me.`
Lanier, I love your posts and congratulations on this anniversary for your shop!
Hello Lanier,
What a lovely idea!
One of my favorite books is “Anne of the Island” by Lucy Maud Montgomery. As Anne Shirley is one of my very best imaginary friends, I love this happy ending to her story and it never ceases to bring me back to happy reading times when I was a little girl.
Congratulations on such a success with your shop! Can’t wait to buy something myself!
Elyce
Congratulations on your wonderful milestone! I’m not quite sure how I found you – one link led to another and suddenly, wonderfully, I was here.
Choosing one book is difficult. But since I must choose just one…I regularly revisit David Grayson’s writings and particularly love Adventures In Contentment. I discovered this book in a used-book shop in 1975. I don’t know why I picked it up – it had an unremarkable cover, buried in a pile of similarly nondescript books – but I bought it to read on the bus home and was so engaged with the writing that I overshot my bus stop by nearly two miles. How could a book cause such a feeling of homesickness for a time and place that I’ve never been? (Elizabeth Goudge does that to me, too.) I think it was so meaningful because life was swirling around at the time and Adventures In Contentment offered a calm spot in which to rest, almost like sitting on the porch talking with my grandfather while he whittled. I wanted to write to Mr. Grayson (imagine my surprise at learning his real name, Ray Stannard Baker) and I was deeply disappointed to learn that he had passed on in 1946.
So, there it is… one book out of many!
Hey Lanier,
Wow, congratulations on your 100th book, that’s really exciting!
I’m Jessica Talian’s sister-in-law from California. I’ve been following your blog for quite awhile now, I love your style of writing, heartfelt and real. I love to read, especially pretty old books, so I was super excited when you opened up your bookshop. I’ve been watching it very closely, seeing what’s new:).
Like everyone else, it’s hard to pick out a particular book that’s my favorite, but I guess one that I find myself turning to again and again to read is The Marquis of Lossie, by George Macdonald, my favorite author of all time. The simple yet profound faith of the main character was very inspiring.
That, and The Keeper of the Bees, by Gene Stratton-Porter. Love Her!
btw, I love the background of your blog, all my favorite books!
Congratulations on your bookstore!! I love this website- it’s one of my favorites!
As for favorite books, I love Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. It’s a children’s book, but it’s my all-time favorite. (I spend a lot of time reading children’s books since I have 4 little ones.) The illustrations are beautiful, and it reminds me of the beauty of a life well-lived.
I fell in love with Elizabeth Goudge years ago, with one of her “children’s books,” The Blue Hills. But the books I return to in difficult times are the Eliot trilogy (Bird in the Tree, Pilgrim’s Inn or The Inn of Grace, and The Heart of the Family), especially Pilgrim’s Inn. Her characters are strong and real, her children are delightful, I love the settings, and her sense of God in daily life is profound and encouraging. I would LOVE her Diary of Prayer, which I haven’t found yet. You pick wonderful books, Lanier.
In the sixth grade I sat in class one day and listened to a classmate give a book report about Irene Hunt’s Up A Road Slowly. I knew, before I ever even read the book, that I’d found a kindred spirit in young Julie Trelling. This coming of age story never ceases to delight my heart and bring tears to my eyes. I see so much of myself — desires, selfishness, delights, struggles — in young Julie. Yes, she and I are true friends and her story never ceases to warm my heart.
Congratulations Lanier! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and favorite authors.
Penelope Wilcock’s The Hawk and The Dove trilogy about a medieval English monk named Father Peregrine has changed the way I look at God’s love and how we are to reflect that love to others. Father Peregrine has to learn how to accept the “failures” of others, his own short-comings, and how to show God’s love to the impossible people he lives with. This is a love story of a different kind…the humble love of a brother for his Lord and his love for those around him.
I happened upon your lovely website when my daughter left it up on the computer – with the post about one of my very favorite books, 84 Charring Cross Road. When I read about the movie, I immediately put it in the Netflix queue and about a week later my three daughters and I stayed up after the boys had gone to bed and watched it. We loved it!
I have so many favorite books, it is so hard to chose one. But since I have just recently finished Can You Forgive Her by Trollope and loved it, I would have to say that that is definitely going to be one of my top favorites. Oh, and I absolutely loved Death Comes For The Archbishop by Willa Cather. I could go on and on…..
I love Elizabeth Goudge. I first found about her books from Jan Bloom of BooksBloom. I have collected several, but I have never seen A Diary of Prayer. I would love to read this!
Congratulations on your 100th sale and may you have many, many more. Your bookshop is a delight!
First, I just want to say that your website is positively lovely. 🙂
In regard to favorite books: I see that many of my personal favorites have already been mentioned in previous comments… so I’ll add something new: Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series. I’ve adored them since childhood, and they’re still quite special to me. 🙂
I was going to recommend this. I’m reading the first (for the third time) to my seven-year-old. It’s SOOOO delightful.
So exciting about your bookstore! A book that I loved recently was Daisy by Elizabeth Wetherall. Quite a simple story but very sweet.
Would it be unoriginal to recommend Anne of Green Gables? I love books new and old, but there is nothing like picking up an old friend like Anne again and again, where I can be transported again to the little town of Avonlea, enjoy Anne’s amusing antics, and get my imagination re-enlivened by Anne’s enthusiasm :-).
Little Woman has always been one of my favorite books. I see so much of myself in Jo March and her struggles, that it’s always been very close to my heart.
Congratulations on your 100th book milestone, Lanier!
But to pick just ONE book, how could I ever do that?!!! Many loved favorites are already listed above. And I love all the suggestions from other kindred spirits of books not yet read, but waiting to be discovered. What a great idea, Lanier!
Since I can’t choose just one, I’ll give my very first REAL full-length book that I read and LOVED, I think the summer I was between 2nd and 3rd grade. It was An Old Fashioned Girl, by Louisa May Alcott. I read it constantly, but didn’t quite get it finished by the time it had to be returned 2 weeks later. The language was old fashioned, and I didn’t totally understand it all–but, I LOVED it!!! It shaped the girl that I became, wanting to be real, not superficial and put on. An old-fashioned girl! I read it again in 7th grade, and still loved it, going on to read more of Louisa May Alcott’s books.
And Susan, how could it be unoriginal to recommend Anne of Green Gables?!!! I first discovered her when I was at my first teaching job (3rd grade) in South Texas in a used book store, where I bought the 1st and 3rd books in the series. I cried and cried (No! sobbed and sobbed for pages) when Matthew died. (My own dad had just turned 60, and it occurred to me that he was getting old. Not old, old. But old enough that he could, conceivable die. So my tears went on and on for him as well.) Then I couldn’t find Anne of Avonlea anywhere until Christmastime, so had to hold off on continuing the series until then. Oh, she was, and is, a kindred spirit. L.M. Montgomery’s books were hard to locate in those days. I introduced her to a friend, and she and her husband subsequently went to Prince Edward Island on a vacation…with a book list in hand of the L.M. Montgomery books that I already possessed, and the instructions to buy all that she could find that I didn’t already own….How I love a good book! And I was so thrilled when she didn’t come home empty handed.
So far at this point in my life my most favorite book is Anne of Green Gables, however with that said – I am chomping at the bit to make up for lost time, as I took a prolonged break from the voracious reader that I was. I have three little ones to lead on amazing adventures through the written word – so this post is a treasure box for me!
Congratulations on your dream – it is a beautiful one to have. Sunshine
To choose one from so many dearly loved books is almost impossible. I am torn between so many wonderful books that have blessed my life it is a decision akin to choosing which of my children I love the most. Since I have known and loved Charlotte Bronte longer I will say Jane Eyre is my choice. Jane Austen and Elizabeth Goudge please forgive me!!
Congratulations, Lanier!
Some of my very favorite books are treasures from my childhood. Some have already been mentioned so I’ll choose one that hasn’t. I adore the All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor. I am so looking forward to sharing them with Caroline! 🙂
To Dance, To Dream by Maxine Drury. A children’s book with real life stories of great dancers. My worn 1965 edition leaves little doubt that a love of ballet was birthed in me as a young girl. I’m very happy for its long life.
All of the Miss Read books, particularly the Fairacre series. If I had to pick one, I would pick the first, Village School (published, I think, in 1955). The wry and wise observations of the new Fairacre schoolmistress, Miss Read, are enchanting. The series is wonderful– Miss Read writes beautifully about the changes over the years in the rustic village of Fairacre– both to the inhabitants and, on a larger scale, to a whole way of life.
Hi! I am so happy for you that your dream has come true and your beloved bookstore has blossomed into such a success. I delight in reading about it! I would like to enter the giveaway. My favorite book is “Hope was Here” by Jean Bauer. It is about a sixteen-year-old waitress uprooted from yet another attempt at making it in life with her aunt. Dumped in Wisconsin (land of cheese and oh so hokey pokey to this NYC girl), she becomes passionate about fighting for a good cause and learns to love the father she’s always waited for. This book has been an inspiration to me more than words can describe (but of course I’ll try to anyway!). First and foremost it is a good old fashioned testimony of how hope changes lives and sometimes even whole towns! Thanks!
I started reading Elizabeth Goudge after learning about her books either here or on YLCF. I fell in love first with The Bird in the Tree then quickly devoured all that our library could locate for me. I most recently re-read Green Dolphin Street and was torn and in tears by my love and understanding of both Marianne and Marguerite.
I recently read my first Elizabeth Goudge book (Gentian Hill) and loved it! It has been sometime since I read a book drew me in that much. Books I love….there are to many! Laddie by Gene Stratton-Porter is a huge inspiration to me, and of course I love Jane Austen’s writing. Rosemary Sutcliff reminds me of Tolkien, and I love Enemy Brothers and The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savory. I think though, if I have to pick one, the The Lord of the Rings would top the list. I first read it during a time of tough changes in my life, but I’ll always remember that time as special as well, because of the story I was experiencing.
My aunt introduced me to Elizabeth Goudge while I was visiting her home in Devon. I was worn out with our whirlwind of “once in a lifetime must cram it all in” European trip and wanted nothing more than to hide in my airy bedroom and lose myself in “The Rosemary Tree.” It was the beginning of many delightful hours spent in the company of Ms. Goudge’s lovely characters.
I’ve been thinking all day about how to choose my favorite book…Is it The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien? I fell head over heals in love with the beauty of his prose and worldview in high school. Or how about C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce with its so-compelling glimpse into the joys of heaven? Then there is Sheldon Vanauken’s piercingly poignant A Severe Mercy. I’ve finally decided to give in to my indecision and break the rules and list them all.
It’s a very good thing you requested a favorite book – favoring one above others would be heartwrenching and quite impossible.
So many books have deeply affected me, with each turn of the page turning something in my life.
At this time, I have to recommend the Lord of the Rings trilogy, preceded by the Hobbit of course, as is the proper order of things.
Tolkien took me by storm. I began with the innocent simplicity of Bilbo’s adventure and continued into the unreckoned story of the trilogy. I stepped out the door and I didn’t keep my feet –I was swept off.
Continually I’m surprised at how much I find some of my own story thread through the characters of Middle Earth. It’s utterly compelling.
Thank you for your lovely website, Lanier! I’ve been so inspired by your writings and book choices.
April Heki