Early spring days at our little family antique store can be a bit slow, lending themselves to rearranging the displays, dusting the tables, and reading some good old books. (It would really be unpardonable to read a new book behind the counter of an antique store, would it not?) Three of them stood out as special favorites–all fiction, yes, but fiction that leaves a lasting imprint. These aren’t the dime a dozen paperbacks (my husband can hardly bring himself to read a paperback, assuming there can’t be much good inside anything but a hardback!), these are the meaty fiction of yesteryear.First there was The Virginian by Owen Wister. The title intrigued me at a book sale last spring. The entire tale kept me reading when I finally opened it this spring. The Virginian is definitely the best Western I’ve ever read. It had all the key ingredients for a Louis L’amour or Zane Grey–good guys, bad guys, a pretty girl, and plenty of horseflesh. But for once a Western delved in deep to develop characters and storyline and a love that stays faithful despite the odds against it. And I was continually sharing with my husband all the anecdotes that made me laugh. I’d love to find more of the author’s work. If you don’t have a hankering for a good Western once in a while, you won’t like this book. But how can you go wrong with a Western published in 1902 and dedicated to Teddy Roosevelt?

Next I found myself picking up The Calling of Dan Matthews. It turned out to be a sequel to my favorite of Harold Bell Wright’s books, The Shepherd of the Hills. But I didn’t know it was a sequel until I started reading of “the trail that is nobody knows how old.” Instead of being set in the Ozarks, The Calling of Dan Matthews is primarily centered in the little town of Corinth. (No, not that Corinth, but I think Dan Matthews felt much kinship with Paul in his own Corinth!) Though published in 1909, it could just as easily be written today, set for publication 100 years later. The fact that Harold Bell Wright was a preacher makes me think this book was a lot more biographical than he may have admitted. From the “politics” of the church to the way a church body could be so deeply intrenched in traditions they cared more for the way they’d always done it than how Jesus did it, the author showed great insight into the human nature of church members. Some rather different perspectives on ministry and the church, but definitely thought-provoking.

As the sun set on June 24, Midsummer’s Day, I was finishing the last pages of The Twenty-Fourth of June. It was a re-read, brought to mind by mention of the upcoming first day of summer. It had been too long since I’d read this sweet tale of love, family, and home by Grace S. Richmond. It will be on my daugher’s required reading list in sixteen years or so. For now, I’m going to pass it on to my sister and sister-in-law. When I read it at that age, I suppose I was caught up more in the love story. This time, the beauty of the peaceful home and happy family struck me in full force (and the love story made me feel like I was falling in love with my husband all over again–which is what every good love story should do for a married girl!). The Twenty-Fourth of June puts a happy family on paper. The author describes the kind of home atmosphere I want my family to feel in ours. And yes, the love story is of the more unusual strain–all centering around that Midsummer’s Day, The Twenty-Fourth of June. Originally published in 1914, it’s been reprinted, so you have no excuse for not reading it! I’m curious if anyone has found any of Grace Richmond’s other works?

Lest you think I read nothing but dusty old tomes, I should admit that the next piece of fiction I open may be not only paperback, but a bit of modern Christian “chick lit” as well. A book whose main character shares my name may just prove too tempting if our local library has Melody Carlson’s A Mile in My Flip-Flops. (Having met the author, since she and I spoke at the same writer’s conference once upon a time, makes it seem a bit less like I’m just reading some random paperback. As the old adage has always reminded us, you can’t judge a book by its cover!)