~ Guest Writer, Melanie Moore ~
Melanie travels around in a VW book bus (now we want one, too!), so who better to recommend some interesting reads for us?
Home. Family. Comfort.
Great Reads for November
As I flip the calendar to November, I look forward to a season of family gatherings and holiday festivities. Is it just me or does this time of year always produce an inner longing for “home”? Home being not just a physical place, but a state of being, a sense for comfort and belonging. This month I have chosen a few titles that center around family and that desire we all have to find “home”.
This Tender Land
by William Kent Krueger
I have no doubt that this new release that just came out in September will become a favorite to many. It’s storytelling at its best. I was immediately sucked in with the opening words, “I am a storyteller. I live in a house in the shade of a sycamore tree on the banks of the Gilead River. My grandchildren call me a liar but I remind them, ‘Not a liar. A storyteller’. There will be courage in this story and cowardice. There will be love and betrayal. And, of course, there will be hope. In the end, isn’t that what every good story is about?” Oh my heart! This beautifully written tale is the epic journey of four orphans searching for a place called home.
Find This Tender Land at an Indie Bookstore near you on IndieBound.org
I Capture the Castle
by Dodie Smith
This lovely novel was first published in 1948 and is one of my all-time favorites. The setting takes place in 1934 in the English countryside where the main character, Cassandra Mortmain, lives in a dilapidated castle with her family. You’re enchanted already aren’t you?! It’s a coming of age story where seventeen year old Cassandra is trying to understand her Bohemian, untraditional family and the yearnings of her own heart. The reading is both gentle and charming. It’s one of those books you want to curl up with in front of a cozy fire sipping a cup of tea.
Find I Capture the Castle at an Indie Bookstore near you on IndieBound.org
The Honey Bus
A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees
by Meredith May
If it’s a memoir you are looking for, then I highly suggest you get your hands on this one. I’m a bee lover so I was immediately drawn to the title. Not only will you learn a lot about beekeeping, but you will be swept into a beautiful story of a grandpa’s love and how he impacted Meredith’s life with gentle storytelling and the healing power of beekeeping. It’s a captivating memoir that at times will break your heart but will also fill you with hope and grace.
Find The Honey Bus at an Indie Bookstore near you on IndieBound.org
Here’s your guide to Indie Bookstores in Los Angeles
Here’s Melanie and the coolest Book Bus ever…
Melanie Moore
I love books. I mean I really, really love books- the feel of them in my hands, the smell, the artistic covers and the words found among the pages. So when I retired from 25 years of teaching in inner city schools around the country, I decided to steal my husband’s 1962 VW truck, load it with books and hit the road. When I’m not reading, I’m watching classic films like Rebecca or The Picture of Dorian Gray and knitting. I’m also known to frequent vintage clothes shoppes and donning said attire. In fact, I do believe I was born in the wrong era.
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Melanie Moore – Thank you for your book recommendations. I will be sure to pick up those books. Your book van is the bomb ❤️
Also, to Jean – Thank you for making your recipes shareable to Pinterest! That’s my medium of choice for saving recipes. It irks me to no end when I can’t save a recipe to Pinterest ????????. Much love to you and Alex ????.
Hi Alison! ????
Hi Sheila, Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the books as much as I did. Please support your local library or indie bookstore. Happy Reading!
Looking forward to curling up with one or two of these over the holidays! Thanks for the recommendations. Love the Book Bus!
Hello. When I looked up the author and title of “This Tender Land” it is a completely different book from the description provided here. Am I missing something? Thank you so much – I cannot wait to get my hands on the “Honey Bus”!
Hi Debbie, Melanie has provided her ‘review’ of This Tender Land. The description you will see when you search for the book to purchase it will be a little different. Hope that answers your question and let us know how you enjoy the Honey Bus!