Just came across this one again - wow, does it bring back memories! My Dad must have read this to us half a dozen times, we loved it so much. I remember the kids entering contests (which they found on the backs of tin cans and flour sacks)in order to try to earn money to pay the rent (on the empty cottage they occupied). If I remember right, the Dad used to make pancakes he called "golwallopers" and "whales". Absolutely loved this as a kid.

This young adult book was written in 1939 and is set during the depression. A homeless widower and his children are traveling to stay with his unwelcoming sister when their car breaks down on a back road. The family takes shelter in a summer cottage for the night and ends up spending the winter. A good story exquisitely told.

Another lovely Brink book.

4.5

This is fabulous. Warm, detailed, and tiptoeing on the edge of timelessness. Even the part that could read as dated - the visit to the nearby reservation - is elevated by the nuanced acknowledgement of the missionaries on site. I really like stories about capable children accommodating for their less-worldly parents (much more realistic than absent parents!) and poetry-quoting Pop is hilarious.

Also, this is Excellent Example of Inflation #1 of the books I read today. Next up: The Saturdays.

Pending...

Such a sweet and cozy middle -grade book. Perfect for the end of the holidays.

Another old fashioned gem of a book I found on a "Winter Reads" list. This book was published nearly 90 years ago by a Newberry Award winning author. It was lovely and quaint and made me want to live 100 years ago when life seemed so much more simple and genuine.

Read this while staying in a cabin, so perhaps that swayed me a bit? Lovely, warm-hearted story. Its simplicity won me over.

I’m certain I must have read this book before. However, I didn’t remember anything! This was a sweet and cozy read—a little mystery, a little poetry, delightful hospitality, creative boredom busting, comfort food!

This was such a charming read! It gave me so many Melendy family vibes from the single-father family to the adopted boy to the glory of nature right outside the front door to the creativity and energy of the three kids. Father Sparkes is always quoting poetry and he’s a hospitable, kind-hearted dreamer. Thirteen-year-old Araminta (Minty) is the practical housekeeper who has to turn her mind to worldly things while her father is dreaming. It’s a tough situation for her at the start but the Winter Cottage brings her stability so that she can be a playful kid again. Eglantine is the younger sister and she is called Eggs.