Elizabeth Goudge is definitely on my list of writers to explore for 2024. People I like to read like to read her, and that's always a good sign :-) Since I have never read anything by her, where would you recommend I start?
A book I loved this year that I think you might like is The Inquisitor's Tale: Or Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz. The style is in homage to The Canterbury Tales and if you can handle some, er, tweaking, of the story of Joan of Arc, I think it's a wonderful YA novel about friendship, faith, and how we decide who to trust.
Thnk you for this recommendation, Amy! I had not heard of it. It sounds like something my eldest would really enjoy, too!
I would start with either The Dean's Watch or the first book of the Eliots trilogy, The Bird in the Tree. The Eliots books have more romance in them, and the Dean's Watch is more contemplative. Let me know what you think if you read one!
I don’t know if you have children or not, but Goudge’s “Little White Horse” was an enchanting read-aloud for my 9-year old and 11-year-old daughters. I also loved it 😊
What a great list Dixie! I'm adding some of these books to my own Christmas list :) I actually already ordered The Dean's Watch based on your comments on Tsh's suggested reading list lately. Thanks for sharing this!! Keep any kids book recommendations coming too- my daugher loved Nancy and Plum when you suggested that one.
Thanks, Marie! Yes, I can't seem to stop talking about either The Dean's Watch or Nancy and Plum!
Did you see my post from Wednesday about gifts for kids? There are a few kids book recommendations on there. But I need to do another Quick Book Notes soon! Thanks for the encouragement!
Thank you! Does Clare still enjoy writing? If she ever has a particularly good story or wants to do a guest Quick Book Notes review of one of her favorite books, I'd be honored to publish it here.
Do you find that your reading capacity shifted with the ages of your kids? I am having such a hard time reading right now! But I’ve heard so many good things about the Sigrid Ungset books.
Definitely! I go whole long seasons (baby years, I'm looking at you!) without reading anything. It's also really hard for me to read when I'm tired (my eyes get really tired) so it's not an everyday thing for me like it used to be before kids.
When I have a good book that I'm really into, I find it helps me stay off the computer when I'm with my kids. It's somehow easier to switch back and forth between talking to/helping a child and reading than doing computer work. With reading, you can still be present in a more real way than when you're on the computer/phone. So it's actually been a good trying-to-model-leisure activity for me when I'm not in a baby year and everybody's doing okay.
Annelise, I adore Sigrid Undset (I've read Kristin Lavransdatter, Gunnar's Daughter, and her fantastic bio of Catherine of Siena) but she might be tough sledding if you have a baby and are struggling with reading. When I had 3 under 4 I did a lot of rereads (the entire Harry Potter series, the entire Swallows and Amazons series, etc) that I could dip in and out of, and I read a lot of essays/shorter nonfiction (Michael Perry and my beloved Brian Doyle) and poetry (Billy Collins, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver) because short and sweet was where my brain was at. My strategy was to prioritize reading for comfort and joy in those years, and to keep myself in the habit of reading. If you have to leave Undset on the shelf for a few more years don't worry about it, she'll wait for you :-)
If you like short stories, Amy and Annelise, try "Neighbor Rosicky!" The link leads to a collection of Cather's short stories and several of them in that collection are excellent.
"Neighbor Rosicky" is my fave short story ever, I just love it so much.
Also, the individual chapters in "Life Among the Savages" are very readable as standalone stories and are quick, easy, and funny. A good pick-me-up.
That’s very similar to what is working right now. It’s helpful to hear that this might just be an age and stage thing because I’m so tired. I just can’t focus on tracking a storyline.
Seriously, I know what you mean. There are times when I read a lot and times when I just don't or can't. It's a brain fog thing as much as anything else. Try the short stories!
For what it's worth, I do a ton of audiobooks and went through Kristen Lavransdatter that way! I was determined to enjoy that book, but I'm the world's slowest reader. It was a wonderful way to finish out my third trimester with 2 toddlers. haha
Absolutely! Ten years of pregnancy/newborns/multiple toddlers takes a serious toll on one’s reading life. Now that my youngest is 3 I have had more time to read than ever before. I’ll be doing a series of posts late in December talking about the 50 books I read this year! I can’t remember the last time I’ve read that much. Everything has a season ❤️
We have a tradition of buying each other books for Christmas and spending Christmas Eve reading by the fireplace. We're hoping our 3yo will be able to participate a little bit this year :) One of my favorites is Deep Places by Ross Douthat, and I cannot make a pitch for it that makes it sound good ("it's about his experience with Lyme disease, but it's really good I promise!") but I've read it about three times already and it's so good. A lot of it resonated with my own experience of chronic illness. I also enjoyed The Minority Body and My Body Is Not A Prayer Request. I didn't agree 100% but they both were very insightful on the topic of disability. Minority Body is very brainy in a "well organized and everything, but you need to pay close attention" sort of way so don't expect to relax with it. It's work, but it's really good.
Oh The Minority Body has been on my list for literally years and I'm just too intimidated to read "real philosophy" since I haven't done that since undergrad. But I read My Body is Not A Prayer Request this year and really liked it, so you have inspired me. To the ILL requests page!
Nonfiction by Dr. Amy Kenny, a scholar and a disabled Christian who makes a strong case for disability justice in the Christian church. I don't know what Dr. Kenny's denominational affiliation is, but she speaks prophetically about why her disabled body should not be merely a cause for pity, but an image of Christ in the world exactly as it is.
yeah! She brings a perspective that we often miss and is very valuable. I wasn't sure I agreed with her on everything but I think she gets a lot of things right, and I'm really glad to have read her perspective because I think it's one that more people need to hear.
He's a great storyteller, for one thing. He managed to mix his own medical memoir of sorts with personal bits, alongside the history and complexities of Lyme Disease. But also it's about more than Lyme Disease, venturing into what happens when we come up against what medical providers can do for us. What do people resort to, how do they feel, in what way are these things treated in society? I don't know, it was a wild ride that just sucks you in.
Yes to all this. I liked that he showed modern medicine in a respectful light but also pointed clearly to its limitations. Doctors often think all their patients get better because if you don't get better you're just going to disappear quietly from their practice. To do studies and to get funding for studies, you need things to be very clearly delineated, which is probematic for a disease as messy (inconsistent and unpredictable symptoms, etc.) as Lyme and insurance wno't pay for treatment if a thing hasn't been rigorously studied. I also thought he did a good job of defending himself as *not crazy* and explaining how he got into trying some weird treatments that would definitely make me think a person is crazy.
This photo shows a kindred spirit in love with books! The smell of old ones brings that look to my face.
Such a great list and I’m looking forward to joining our new-to-us public library in search of some of these titles. I read Life Among the Savages at your recommendation, I think, earlier this year and it was hilarious!
Also I read the Wingfeather saga and recommended it for my godson, forgetting how scary it can be in places! It’s such a great read but definitely not ideal for younger/ sensitive readers. I think it’s a lot scarier than Narnia, for example.
I’m so out of touch with so many books! Hope there’s books in heaven. There’s just not enough time. My favorite sweet book of the year was Good Night Mr. Tom. A wonderful YA read about found family and healing from abuse
Oh, I love that book. I have read it many times! It was on my brother's shelf when we were kids and I would go in and borrow it. Definitely for children old enough for some serious themes, though.
Yes. Definitely. The book I’d write about adopting out of foster care would be a lot grittier than this one, but Mr. Tom was such an inspiration. My heart melted for William in the first few pages. I was hooked
Fellow HIP here! Although I have been known to put on Bluey a little to long so I could have a moment with my book 🤣 I just finished the second in the Wingfeather Saga! What a delightful series! Currently rereading Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe out loud with my girls.❤️
I also very much enjoyed an Elizabeth Goudge novel this year (Pilgrims Inn—my first one)! Looking forward to checking out The Dean’s Watch and Green Dolphin Street next!
I gave On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness to a niece for Christmas this year, based on tons of recommendations, but haven’t read it yet.
I tried The Wake (Kindle book sample) and was intimated by the dialect, but you’re inspiring me to persevere and check it out once again! I’d also like to finally check out some Willa Cather next year :)
Thank you, Catie! I can see why a sample might not have worked...it is worth reading the note on language at the end of the book and then spending some time slowly reading aloud to yourself. Soon you won't need ot read aloud anymore. Kingsnorth delivers on the goals/reasons he identifies in the note!
A friend (Haley Baumeister) told me she read it by audiobook -- that sounded to me like a really smart choice for this particular book, too!
One thing that put me off from her books for a while was that so many of the covers of the newish editions make them look like the most saccharine romance novels. But that's not what they are at all, and I'm so glad I finally got past the covers and started reading! I guess they did the covers that way for marketing reasons, but her books are anything but shallow.
Thank you for this list! It's a good one. I plan to find that Jackson memoir asap. I'm glad you noted that the Adventures in Odyssey is generally suitable for Catholics, which tells me that it will also be suitable for Orthodox kids. I'd been wondering, as I have fond but vague memories of the series from my own childhood.
Oooh, I had no idea that Willa Cather wrote short stories!
I just read The Dean's Watch for the first time a couple of months ago and loved it as well!
It's good to know that Paul Kingsnorth's fiction is worth investing in. I've enjoyed his Substack essays, but he seems like the kind of writer whose fiction might either be amazing or weird in a difficult-to-get-into way.
Ida Elizabeth and The Wingfeather Saga have been on my to-read list, and this is inspiring me to pick them up soon!
And I loved Adventures in Odyssey when I was a kid. I can still quote them, haha!
A few favorite reads/re-reads of this year, as a fellow eclectic reader :) . . .
Dewey, the Library Cat, by Vicki Myron-Not a literary gem :), but a sweet, heartwarming story. I enjoyed the way she wove together her life, the history of the town, and Dewey's story. It's a good book for those times you need something easy and short, but still worthwhile reading.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery-An exquisitely written novel about the power of beauty and friendship.
The Geography of Nowhere, by James Howard Kunstler-A fascinating look at the spiritual, economic, and social costs of the way that American towns and cities are designed. I'm in the middle of this one now and I'm loving it!
Thanks for these recommendations, Breana! I am looking them up! I'm so interested in these questions of town design and things like that. Chris has read a few books on the topic; one thing I'm interested in thinking about is how we can better use the towns we're already living in, when we don't have the power/time/energy to create major infrastructue changes.
The three books in Kingsnorth's Buccmaster trilogy are all really different in style. I actually found the second one, Beast, less engaging than the Wake, even though it was written in plain English. But I also have a friend who felt the opposite!
I really hope you dive into Cather's stories! I'd love to hear what you think, especially about the one I mention here.
-One thing I'm interested in thinking about is how we can better use the towns we're already living in, when we don't have the power/time/energy to create major infrastructue changes.
Yes!! I would love to hear more about your thoughts on this! (Maybe a future article topic? :) Realistically, most of our infrastructure isn’t going to change enough to make a big difference in the way that we love, so how can we make the best of it?
Elizabeth Goudge is definitely on my list of writers to explore for 2024. People I like to read like to read her, and that's always a good sign :-) Since I have never read anything by her, where would you recommend I start?
A book I loved this year that I think you might like is The Inquisitor's Tale: Or Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz. The style is in homage to The Canterbury Tales and if you can handle some, er, tweaking, of the story of Joan of Arc, I think it's a wonderful YA novel about friendship, faith, and how we decide who to trust.
Thnk you for this recommendation, Amy! I had not heard of it. It sounds like something my eldest would really enjoy, too!
I would start with either The Dean's Watch or the first book of the Eliots trilogy, The Bird in the Tree. The Eliots books have more romance in them, and the Dean's Watch is more contemplative. Let me know what you think if you read one!
I don’t know if you have children or not, but Goudge’s “Little White Horse” was an enchanting read-aloud for my 9-year old and 11-year-old daughters. I also loved it 😊
What a great list Dixie! I'm adding some of these books to my own Christmas list :) I actually already ordered The Dean's Watch based on your comments on Tsh's suggested reading list lately. Thanks for sharing this!! Keep any kids book recommendations coming too- my daugher loved Nancy and Plum when you suggested that one.
Thanks, Marie! Yes, I can't seem to stop talking about either The Dean's Watch or Nancy and Plum!
Did you see my post from Wednesday about gifts for kids? There are a few kids book recommendations on there. But I need to do another Quick Book Notes soon! Thanks for the encouragement!
Yes a few of those gifts are already in my amazon shopping cart! Keep writing! I don't always have time to respond but grateful for your posts!
Thank you! Does Clare still enjoy writing? If she ever has a particularly good story or wants to do a guest Quick Book Notes review of one of her favorite books, I'd be honored to publish it here.
Do you find that your reading capacity shifted with the ages of your kids? I am having such a hard time reading right now! But I’ve heard so many good things about the Sigrid Ungset books.
Definitely! I go whole long seasons (baby years, I'm looking at you!) without reading anything. It's also really hard for me to read when I'm tired (my eyes get really tired) so it's not an everyday thing for me like it used to be before kids.
When I have a good book that I'm really into, I find it helps me stay off the computer when I'm with my kids. It's somehow easier to switch back and forth between talking to/helping a child and reading than doing computer work. With reading, you can still be present in a more real way than when you're on the computer/phone. So it's actually been a good trying-to-model-leisure activity for me when I'm not in a baby year and everybody's doing okay.
Annelise, I adore Sigrid Undset (I've read Kristin Lavransdatter, Gunnar's Daughter, and her fantastic bio of Catherine of Siena) but she might be tough sledding if you have a baby and are struggling with reading. When I had 3 under 4 I did a lot of rereads (the entire Harry Potter series, the entire Swallows and Amazons series, etc) that I could dip in and out of, and I read a lot of essays/shorter nonfiction (Michael Perry and my beloved Brian Doyle) and poetry (Billy Collins, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver) because short and sweet was where my brain was at. My strategy was to prioritize reading for comfort and joy in those years, and to keep myself in the habit of reading. If you have to leave Undset on the shelf for a few more years don't worry about it, she'll wait for you :-)
If you like short stories, Amy and Annelise, try "Neighbor Rosicky!" The link leads to a collection of Cather's short stories and several of them in that collection are excellent.
"Neighbor Rosicky" is my fave short story ever, I just love it so much.
Also, the individual chapters in "Life Among the Savages" are very readable as standalone stories and are quick, easy, and funny. A good pick-me-up.
That’s very similar to what is working right now. It’s helpful to hear that this might just be an age and stage thing because I’m so tired. I just can’t focus on tracking a storyline.
Seriously, I know what you mean. There are times when I read a lot and times when I just don't or can't. It's a brain fog thing as much as anything else. Try the short stories!
For what it's worth, I do a ton of audiobooks and went through Kristen Lavransdatter that way! I was determined to enjoy that book, but I'm the world's slowest reader. It was a wonderful way to finish out my third trimester with 2 toddlers. haha
Absolutely! Ten years of pregnancy/newborns/multiple toddlers takes a serious toll on one’s reading life. Now that my youngest is 3 I have had more time to read than ever before. I’ll be doing a series of posts late in December talking about the 50 books I read this year! I can’t remember the last time I’ve read that much. Everything has a season ❤️
I'd love to read that post, Shannon! I'll subscribe to make sure I get it! Sounds like we are in a similar season of life (my youngest is 4).
We have a tradition of buying each other books for Christmas and spending Christmas Eve reading by the fireplace. We're hoping our 3yo will be able to participate a little bit this year :) One of my favorites is Deep Places by Ross Douthat, and I cannot make a pitch for it that makes it sound good ("it's about his experience with Lyme disease, but it's really good I promise!") but I've read it about three times already and it's so good. A lot of it resonated with my own experience of chronic illness. I also enjoyed The Minority Body and My Body Is Not A Prayer Request. I didn't agree 100% but they both were very insightful on the topic of disability. Minority Body is very brainy in a "well organized and everything, but you need to pay close attention" sort of way so don't expect to relax with it. It's work, but it's really good.
All three of those sound fascinating! I'll check them out. Thanks for the recommendations.
What a wonderful Christmas Eve tradition! That is so cool!
Oh The Minority Body has been on my list for literally years and I'm just too intimidated to read "real philosophy" since I haven't done that since undergrad. But I read My Body is Not A Prayer Request this year and really liked it, so you have inspired me. To the ILL requests page!
Okay, so what is My Body is Not A Prayer Request? What an intriguing title. But confusing, too.
Nonfiction by Dr. Amy Kenny, a scholar and a disabled Christian who makes a strong case for disability justice in the Christian church. I don't know what Dr. Kenny's denominational affiliation is, but she speaks prophetically about why her disabled body should not be merely a cause for pity, but an image of Christ in the world exactly as it is.
Wow! That sounds really illuminating. Recommendation from both Mary and you means I'm definitely going to look this one up!
yeah! She brings a perspective that we often miss and is very valuable. I wasn't sure I agreed with her on everything but I think she gets a lot of things right, and I'm really glad to have read her perspective because I think it's one that more people need to hear.
https://maryctillotson.substack.com/p/about-those-who-speak-from-a-place?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fpain&utm_medium=reader2
The Deep Places was INCREDIBLE. I listened to him read it on audio, last year I think? Truly so much better than I was anticipating.
What did you like best about it?
He's a great storyteller, for one thing. He managed to mix his own medical memoir of sorts with personal bits, alongside the history and complexities of Lyme Disease. But also it's about more than Lyme Disease, venturing into what happens when we come up against what medical providers can do for us. What do people resort to, how do they feel, in what way are these things treated in society? I don't know, it was a wild ride that just sucks you in.
Sounds amazing.
I'm glad Haley was here because her pitch sounded a lot better than what I've ever been able to do!
Yes to all this. I liked that he showed modern medicine in a respectful light but also pointed clearly to its limitations. Doctors often think all their patients get better because if you don't get better you're just going to disappear quietly from their practice. To do studies and to get funding for studies, you need things to be very clearly delineated, which is probematic for a disease as messy (inconsistent and unpredictable symptoms, etc.) as Lyme and insurance wno't pay for treatment if a thing hasn't been rigorously studied. I also thought he did a good job of defending himself as *not crazy* and explaining how he got into trying some weird treatments that would definitely make me think a person is crazy.
This photo shows a kindred spirit in love with books! The smell of old ones brings that look to my face.
Such a great list and I’m looking forward to joining our new-to-us public library in search of some of these titles. I read Life Among the Savages at your recommendation, I think, earlier this year and it was hilarious!
There's a sequel, too! I haven't read it in a while but my friend Nadya read it recently and she loved it!
I love the smell of books, new or old!
Also I read the Wingfeather saga and recommended it for my godson, forgetting how scary it can be in places! It’s such a great read but definitely not ideal for younger/ sensitive readers. I think it’s a lot scarier than Narnia, for example.
The black carriage thing...yeah. But won't bother others!
I’m so out of touch with so many books! Hope there’s books in heaven. There’s just not enough time. My favorite sweet book of the year was Good Night Mr. Tom. A wonderful YA read about found family and healing from abuse
Oh, I love that book. I have read it many times! It was on my brother's shelf when we were kids and I would go in and borrow it. Definitely for children old enough for some serious themes, though.
Yes. Definitely. The book I’d write about adopting out of foster care would be a lot grittier than this one, but Mr. Tom was such an inspiration. My heart melted for William in the first few pages. I was hooked
Yes. Mr. Tom is one of my go-to parenting inspirations. He understood what children need.
Have read the Wingfeather Saga with my boys! So good. Andrew Peterson is a gift.
Life Among the Savages sounds interesting! *adds to TBR*
Top reads this year:
Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne
All Who Are Weary, Sarah J. Hauser
Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder
Bomb Shelter, Mary Laura Philpott
The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad, edited by Ned Bustard
When the Stars Disappear, Mark Talbot
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin
....and lots of other books that received 4 stars but didn't quite make the cut!
Oh, those sound fun! I'm only familiy with a few of them. I'll look them up!
Fellow HIP here! Although I have been known to put on Bluey a little to long so I could have a moment with my book 🤣 I just finished the second in the Wingfeather Saga! What a delightful series! Currently rereading Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe out loud with my girls.❤️
You are NOT alone in the Bluey experience.
Ahem.
Thanks for sharing, Dixie!
I also very much enjoyed an Elizabeth Goudge novel this year (Pilgrims Inn—my first one)! Looking forward to checking out The Dean’s Watch and Green Dolphin Street next!
I gave On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness to a niece for Christmas this year, based on tons of recommendations, but haven’t read it yet.
I tried The Wake (Kindle book sample) and was intimated by the dialect, but you’re inspiring me to persevere and check it out once again! I’d also like to finally check out some Willa Cather next year :)
Thank you, Catie! I can see why a sample might not have worked...it is worth reading the note on language at the end of the book and then spending some time slowly reading aloud to yourself. Soon you won't need ot read aloud anymore. Kingsnorth delivers on the goals/reasons he identifies in the note!
A friend (Haley Baumeister) told me she read it by audiobook -- that sounded to me like a really smart choice for this particular book, too!
Love seeing all these recommendations for Elizabeth Goudge. I only discovered here a year or so ago and I love her writing so much!
One thing that put me off from her books for a while was that so many of the covers of the newish editions make them look like the most saccharine romance novels. But that's not what they are at all, and I'm so glad I finally got past the covers and started reading! I guess they did the covers that way for marketing reasons, but her books are anything but shallow.
Agreed!
THANK YOU for representing all the HIPs so lovingly!! I feel "seen."
I also need to read Goudge, lickety split!
I can't wait to hear what you think of her, Kristin!
Yes, you do!
Thank you for this list! It's a good one. I plan to find that Jackson memoir asap. I'm glad you noted that the Adventures in Odyssey is generally suitable for Catholics, which tells me that it will also be suitable for Orthodox kids. I'd been wondering, as I have fond but vague memories of the series from my own childhood.
Yes, it's generally quite suitable! I hope you'll enjoy the Shirley Jackson book.
Oooh, I had no idea that Willa Cather wrote short stories!
I just read The Dean's Watch for the first time a couple of months ago and loved it as well!
It's good to know that Paul Kingsnorth's fiction is worth investing in. I've enjoyed his Substack essays, but he seems like the kind of writer whose fiction might either be amazing or weird in a difficult-to-get-into way.
Ida Elizabeth and The Wingfeather Saga have been on my to-read list, and this is inspiring me to pick them up soon!
And I loved Adventures in Odyssey when I was a kid. I can still quote them, haha!
A few favorite reads/re-reads of this year, as a fellow eclectic reader :) . . .
Dewey, the Library Cat, by Vicki Myron-Not a literary gem :), but a sweet, heartwarming story. I enjoyed the way she wove together her life, the history of the town, and Dewey's story. It's a good book for those times you need something easy and short, but still worthwhile reading.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery-An exquisitely written novel about the power of beauty and friendship.
The Geography of Nowhere, by James Howard Kunstler-A fascinating look at the spiritual, economic, and social costs of the way that American towns and cities are designed. I'm in the middle of this one now and I'm loving it!
Thanks for these recommendations, Breana! I am looking them up! I'm so interested in these questions of town design and things like that. Chris has read a few books on the topic; one thing I'm interested in thinking about is how we can better use the towns we're already living in, when we don't have the power/time/energy to create major infrastructue changes.
The three books in Kingsnorth's Buccmaster trilogy are all really different in style. I actually found the second one, Beast, less engaging than the Wake, even though it was written in plain English. But I also have a friend who felt the opposite!
I really hope you dive into Cather's stories! I'd love to hear what you think, especially about the one I mention here.
-One thing I'm interested in thinking about is how we can better use the towns we're already living in, when we don't have the power/time/energy to create major infrastructue changes.
Yes!! I would love to hear more about your thoughts on this! (Maybe a future article topic? :) Realistically, most of our infrastructure isn’t going to change enough to make a big difference in the way that we love, so how can we make the best of it?
Let's have coffee and chat!!
I would love that!
The Elegance of the Hedgehog sounds so good! (Adding to my list now… ☺️)
I just picked it up from the library!
I’d love to hear what you both think!
I'm late to the game here, but your HIP term has me grinning. I told my husband, "that's me!" and he just shook his head :)
I read A City of Bells by Elizabeth Gouge years ago and was totally drawn in. I should revisit it.
This year my favorite fiction read was A Gentleman in Moscow - riveting!
I've been thinking about HIPs all week, as you might guess from today's post (12/13)...
I haven't read A City of Bells! And I've been wanting to read A Gentleman in Moscow for years now...really must get my hands on a copy!
Okay that Sigrid Undset and Willa Cather are both going on my to-read list!
I have only read one book by Elizabeth Goudge (Little White Horse) but I absolutely loved it and need to get my hands on more of her books.
Please report back on how you like them!! I'd love to hear.