Category: Fiction
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Heartwarming Holiday Books for all Ages

Here are some book recommendations with great examples of thankfulness and the Christmas spirit. They range from picture books to longer novels, and most will be enjoyed by a wide range of ages. Most of them I have read and enjoyed, a few are on my wish list. I will let the covers speak for…
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A Fall of Marigolds

By Susan Meissner, 2014, 400 pages, historical fiction A Fall of Marigolds is a dual time-line story of two women touched by tragedy and connected by a silk scarf with marigolds woven across it. The majority of the story follows Clara Wood, who saw the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in 1911. There she lost a person…
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A Piece of the World

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, 2017, 304 pages A Piece of the World is a fictional account of the life of Christina Olsen’s life. Characters, places and events really happened but the inner life, drama and complexities were created from the author’s imagination. The story begins on a July afternoon in…
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Books in Which Gardens Play a Part

In the spring and summer, our minds turn towards gardens and the outdoors. Without further ado, here is a selection of books where garden or gardening play a part. THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN Kate Morton A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a…
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The Most Wonderful Reading Time

Some Decembers are really good for reading. But this was not one of them. Most of the family members were home more of the time, some noisy house building going on. So I didn’t do a lot of decking the halls and all was not calm. It was still a wonderful time of the year.…
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Peace Like A River

Leif Enger, 2002, literary fiction What do Christians do when a member of their family commits a crime? Reuben’s conclusion, near the end of this story, is that fair is whatever God does. This is a tale of murder and miracles, of family love and community justice, of seeking God’s will and accepting God’s judgement.…
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50 Books with Mature Protagonists

Children typically like to read books with protagonists a couple years older than they are. This hopefully teaches them something about what life will be like as they grow older. I have been a typical reader most of my life, until one day I noticed that the heroines had gotten stuck somewhere under forty, while…
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5 Reasons To Read Middle Grade Books As An Adult

I love to read kid’s books. Recently I was assigned the job of proofreader at the school library. In the last few months, I’ve read quite a few books for middle graders and was delighted to rediscover my enjoyment of them. These books are written by adults, so it seems likely adults would enjoy reading…
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Home

Penny Parkes, 2021 Fiction Anna Wilson is a professional housesitter. She steps into people’s lives watching their houses, pets and occasionally their neighbors. All she really wants is a home of her own. One filled with love and laughter and happy memories. She grew up in foster care so she doesn’t have a baseline to…
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The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Kim Michelle Richardson, 2019, historical fiction, 320 pages Cussy Mary Martin’s father wants to see her married and settled before he leaves her an orphan. He has miner’s lung and doesn’t expect to live long. But Cussy has a rare genetic disorder that makes her skin blue, and most of the community think she isn’t…
