Happy Wednesday! If you’ve been yearning for a comfort read, I have three recommendations. And TEA.
The Bookshop on the Corner, by Jenny Colgan
Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile — a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling. From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.
I was so desperate for a sweet read, and I tried various things that just didn’t work. Then I turned to Modern Mrs. Darcy and found this truly comforting tale. (Actually, all three books in this post were recommended at MMD’s blog.) A bookish librarian in Birmingham is made redundant and decides to pursue her dream of selling books from a bookmobile…IN SCOTLAND. Such a sweet story! I ended up liking it so much better than the other Jenny Colgan book I’ve read–The Little Beach Street Bakery–which had its moments and was a quick, entertaining read, but wasn’t nearly so cosy.
The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, by Eva Rice
Penelope wants nothing more than to fall in love, and when her new best friend, Charlotte, a free spirit in the young society set, drags Penelope into London with all of its grand parties, she sets in motion great change for them all. Charlotte’s mysterious and attractive brother Harry uses Penelope to make his American ex-girlfriend jealous, with unforeseen consequences, and a dashing, wealthy American movie producer arrives with what might be the key to Penelope’s—and her family’s—future happiness.
This story is quite reminiscent of I Capture the Castle but it’s set in the 50s and is more focused on society life and pop idol obsessions. I truly enjoyed reading it–the novel offers a fascinating look at culture in 1950s England–but keep in mind that, for me, it wasn’t nearly as cosy or moving as Dodie Smith’s story. I’ll definitely try more of Rice’s books. (She, by the way, is the daughter of lyricist/writer Tim Rice!)
The Lost Husband, by Katherine Center
Life on Aunt Jean’s goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet—deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny “on the other side,” and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she’s been looking for. And despite everything she’s lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she’s found. She hasn’t just traded one kind of crazy for another: She may actually have found the place to bring her little family—and herself—back to life.
I never would have read this if I hadn’t seen it on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s blog. What a lovely discovery! This is a funny, poignant, and sexy (but not explicit) book about grief, letting go, and moving on. I enjoyed every word of it AND I rather liked the recently released film adaptation–available on Prime!)
**Do you have favorite comfort reads to recommend? Please share in the comments!**
For tea I chose Thé des Amants (the tea of Lovers), which seemed fitting since all three of these books are romances. (Learn more about the tea in this Instagram post.) For my tea treat I added delightful little dried Maine blueberries to this gluten-free Lemon scone mix from Sticky Fingers (which only seems to be available on Amazon? Egads!). There are other gluten-free options you might like.
Keep on keeping on, folks!
P.S. I’m officially shifting to the UK spelling of “cosy” (vs. cozy) because it just looks nicer.
