Rediscovering Beloved Books

I've blogged before about rediscovering two of my favorite childhood books--Red Knights from Hy Brasil (read about that here)and Auntie Robbo (read about that here).

Both were bought while my parents were missionaries in Beirut, Lebanon, in the mid-60s.

Red Knights from Hy Brasil, by Christine Savery, was the book that began my lifelong obsession with Ireland. It was somehow lost, and I found it again in 2003 through abebooks.com

The copy I found of Red Knights from Hy Brasil is exactly the same as my original one--but I find it fascinating that it was a Sunday School prize for a little boy in England

I still had my old copie of Auntie Robbo, but it was missing several pages, and I was able to find a copy of that online as well.

I thought I'd share some pictures of my beloved books, which I still re-read occasionally.








How about you? Have you been able to get copies of beloved books that had been lost to you? Tell me about it!

UPDATE: Read here about how my curiosity about the original owner of my copy of Red Knights from Hy Brasil turned up a true tale of murder in an English village)

Do you only read books for your own age group?

Today I'm participating in Booking Through Thursday. The question is:

Do you read books “meant” for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks … You know … books not “meant” for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?

Well, it depends.

As I've mentioned on this blog before, there are a few childhood favorites that I read over and over again--like the Chronicles of Narnia, Auntie Robbo, and Red Knights from Hy Brasil.

And whenever I get to spend time with my little grandsons I always read to them...sometimes from new books I've bought them, other times from their own books.

Otherwise, I really don't seek out children's books to read. I wouldn't buy or check one out just for me to read.

However...I have enjoyed several books aimed at young adults...most recently Operation Bonnet by Kimberly Stuart, and Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren. After all, a great story is a great story...and I've found that the best young adult books don't "talk down" to their readers at all.

As a child, I was rather precocious in my reading. I read a lot of the classics before I was ten years old--Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, and others. I'm sure I didn't fully understand everything in them, but I formed an attachment to those books that has stayed with me throughout my life.

And although I've read and enjoyed my share of books about women in my time of life ("women of a certain age," as the French so delightfully put it), I certainly don't limit myself to that!

As I've said many times, my measure of a terrific book is one whose story keeps me turning the pages and whose characters I care about.

How about you?

Go here to participate in Booking Through Thursday!

15 Books That Will Always Stick With Me

This was originally posted on my other blog, Notes in the Key of Life, on 1/11/10.

If you're a dedicated bookworm, as I am, then books are more than just pages full of words for you. As corny as it may sound, they can be friends. There are books that you will turn to again and again, simply because reading those very familiar passages are a pleasure and a comfort.

This topic was actually one of those quizzes you occasionally get on Facebook, but it made me stop and think about the books I love the most...the books I re-read time and again.

I almost didn't include the Bible, because it's more than a book...it's a living thing. But it does take first place.

There may be a few I've left out, but these sprang immediately to mind. What are yours?


1. The Holy Bible

2. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

3. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

4. Through Gates of Splendor, by Elisabeth Elliot

5. The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis

6. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

7. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

8. The Red Knights of Hy Brasil, by Christine Savery--This was a childhood favorite when I was a missionary kid in Beirut, Lebanon. I had lost it, but a few years ago I found a copy online, and yes, I do read it again occasionally. I also give this book at least partial credit for my lifelong obsession with Ireland, and desire to go there. I blogged here about finding the book after many years.


9. Not My Will, by Francena H. Arnold

10. Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers

11. The Atonement Child, by Francine Rivers

13. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

14. The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom

15. Auntie Robbo, by Anne Scott Moncrieff--Another childhood favorite that I've found and bought again online. I blogged about it here.

Honorably mention goes to the books of Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt, which I read again when I find them at the library. I particularly love Stewart's The Moon-Spinners and Nine Coaches Waiting.

What books will always stick with you? Let me know in my comments section!

Photo credit

National Young Reader's Day: Some of My Favorite Childhood Books

Source: breathingbooks.tumblr.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Today is National Young Reader's Day--"... a special day to recognize the joys and benefits of reading."

I've been a voracious reader since I was able to string words together. Interestingly, I don't have much of a memory of the books that were read to me before I could read myself, but I vividly remember the books I loved as a child.

Here is a nod to some of them.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, is the first full-length book I remember reading. I was eight years old.

This is a picture of the actual version I read. It was an abridged version, but I loved the illustrations. In my mind, that is still what Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy look like.

My Aunt Jean (sadly no longer with us) had recommended it to me, saying "You'll cry your eyes out and back in again!"

This was just before my family went to Beirut, Lebanon as missionaries. We were in New York City for several days before our ship sailed, and my parents bought me beautiful hardbound copies of "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys." I was in heaven.

Source: search.swagbucks.com via Cindy on Pinterest

This book laid the foundation for my lifelong love of The Chronicles of Narnia. I saw British friends reading it at Manor House School in Beirut, and that sparked my interest.

Even as a child, I was able to see the spiritual parallels. Years later, I made sure my own children read them.


I received this book as a Christmas gift when I was a little girl, and it was a treasure trove for me! I also loved Blyton's "Mallory Towers" series.

Source: google.com via Cindy on Pinterest

This was the first Noel Streatfield book I read, but I think I probably ended up reading all of them. They were all about children who were very talented, either as skaters, dancers or actors. I enjoyed them immensely.

I was delighted when the books were actually mentioned in the movie, "You've Got Mail."

Those are just a few. You can read here about my other favorites, Auntie Robbo and Red Knights from Hy Brasil...and here about what my love of a childhood book has to do with a murder in an English village!

Reading enriched my childhood and continues to do so today!

What were YOUR favorite books as a child?

Saturday Review of Books: Kathy Herman's False Pretenses

Well-written, page-turning suspense

Having lived in Louisiana for four years, and having some family roots there, I know what a great Cajun meal is all about--and I enjoyed this book with all the gusto of a big bowl of spicy gumbo or a heaping dish of tasty jambalaya.

Set in the fictional southern Louisiana town of Les Barbes, this well-written mystery is about Zoe Broussard, a happily-married woman with a thriving Cajun eatery.

But Zoe has a secret. And when she starts getting anonymous notes from someone who claims they know what she's done, Zoe is terrified that her secret will be revealed and that life as she knows it will be destroyed.

Suspenseful complications ensue, and Zoe faces them with the help of her new friends Ethan and Vanessa Langley, who are strong in their Christian faith. The book is also peopled with colorful and endearing characters that reinforce the authentic feel of a small Cajun town.

(Ethan and Vanessa seem to have a strong backstory that makes me wonder if they weren't the featured characters in a previous Herman series. Anybody know?)

The main thing I ask of a suspense novel is that it keeps me turning the pages (usually way past my bedtime!) and makes me care about the characters. This book more than filled the bill.

Besides being entertaining and engrossing, the story highlights important truths about grace and faith.

I thoroughly enjoyed False Pretenses, and I look forward to the next book in Kathy Herman's Secrets of Roux River Bayou series. So pass the Louisiana hot sauce...I'm hooked!

Do check this out!

I was so excited to find that Carol at MagistraMater read and reviewed one of my favorite books of all time--the wonderful, but somewhat obscure "Auntie Robbo"--that I blogged about it on my main blog, Notes in the Key of Life. Read about it here!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Wynn-Wynn Media. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I'm participating in Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books--click the icon for more info!