Here are the books I most enjoyed this month.
Unearthing the Secret Garden- Marta McDowell
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett is one of my absolute favourite books, and I picked this up to read as a companion book . I ended up loving this book in its own right as both the author and Burnett about whom she writes have a true love of gardening and express so many of the thoughts and feelings I hold dear on the subject. The author covers the biography of Frances Hodgson Burnett in terms of the gardens she owed and her time writing ‘The Secret Garden’. My absolute favourite book this month.
“To get down and dig in the warm earth- just to smell it- is to feel new strength; and the seeds and bulbs one plants revivify – they are so full of promise of life to come”
Frances Hodgeon Burnett (quoted in ‘Unearthing the Secret Garden”)
After that I had to re-read The Secret Garden
I Capture the Castle
I enjoyed this coming of age story where a young woman’s journal entries about her family, their ramshackle castle, and the friends and activities that make up their life over the course of a year. there are lots of humorous moments, and I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of daily occurrences that I have not thought to put in words before. The book was first published in 1948 but still felt fresh to me.
Miss Buncle’s Book
Miss Buncle’s book is a lighthearted story about an English lady who decides to write a book to supplement her income and settles on her village and its inhabitants as her subject. When the people recognize themselves in the book, there is outrage, humor, and much ado! Will the author remain anonymous?
The Light Over London
An antiques dealer comes across a diary from wartime London written by a woman who joined an anti-aircraft gun unit as a Gunner Girl. The novel moves between present day and the entries of the diarist during World War II as she tries to find out more information about the woman. I enjoy stories of women’s homefront experiences in the war and this was one I had not heard of before.
Everyday Cheer 