An unopened letter. A childhood friend. A bootlegger “cousin.” It’s 1922 in the town of Emmett, Washington. Fluffy biscuits fresh from the oven to feed to paying boarders. The love of a precocious 4-year-old girl and the friendship of a maiden sister. The white three-story boarding house should be a domestic delight to 24-year-old Grace…
The Printed Letter Bookshop–a bookshop, not a bookstore, mind you–is where Aunt Maddie invested everything, including the money from Uncle Pete’s life insurance. And while it may not have shown great monetary profits, the close-knit community of friends she’d made is priceless.
“Tell me honestly, do you really believe one word of all that?” The skeptic’s question to the curate was a staggering blow to someone whose occupation presupposes faith in God—rather like assuming a child brought up in a Christian home will automatically become a child of God. The story of Thomas Wingfold, Curate (republished in the…
I was Lucy the Valiant, Queen of Narnia. In one hand I grasped my shield–a metal garbage can lid–and in the other I held a wooden sword. Together with my brother, Peter, High King of Narnia, we vanquished the White Witch and brought spring to Narnia once again. The books I read as a child…
Dear Reader, Larkin is one of my favorite games, stories, and dreams. Alan W. Harris’ The Tales of Larkin are adventurous, exciting, and comical. All four books are perfect for the whole family to read aloud. Hawthorn, a young Larkin, is off on his first hunt when he is ambushed by the Renegades. He is…
“A children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last.” -C.S. Lewis If a good children’s story is one that can be enjoyed by all ages, then Love, Mary Elisabeth is a good children’s story indeed. In Love, Mary Elisabeth, Christy Martenson has given us a winsome…
Dear Reader, Since my mother first got Love, Mary Elisabeth on my Kindle, I have been a TOTAL fan! Love, Mary Elisabeth is a heart-warming story of a young girl who, after her mother is diagnosed with Tuberculosis, is whisked off to her uncle’s farm where she is safe. Imagine, a simple farm about one mile…
I met my husband when we were thirteen years old. Our families exchanged mailing addresses after a “chance” meeting and a few hours’ conversation in Yellowstone National Park. His big sister became one of my many pen pals. Soon so did his little sister. And then one day, when I was 17 years old, I…
I like to sing. I can’t sing parts, but I can usually keep to the melody (if not on key). But I can never remember the right words. So I make my joyful noise. And I mix up the lyrics and verses and put them in the wrong spot in the song altogether. And as…
What’s not to love about tales of little people? John Peterson’s The Littles. Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. And of course, E.B. White’s famous little mouse adopted by big people, Stuart Little. But The Tales of Larkin by Alan W. Harris are our family’s favorite. The Larkin aren’t just little people. These books are about little people with a big…
I like old things. Old furniture, old books, old authors. Austen, Bronte, Alcott, Montgomery, Stratton-Porter, Wodehouse. We’re well on our way to having a personal library stocked with the finest in vintage fiction. It isn’t often that I find a “new” author I like. It is even more rare when I find a modern-day author…
He found it on a bookshelf in his parents’ basement. The spine was worn, but you could still read the title: Eggs, Beans and Crumpets. It only took a few chapters before he’d found a new favorite author. And soon the book made its way to my mailbox for me to peruse, as well. Though the first…
The End.
The End.