The cover of Miracles on Maple Hill caught my attention at a used book sale so I grabbed it up to read with my 9-old daughter at some point. There are actually two covers to the book – the original and the updated one I have.
When a friend mentioned she was reading the book and then I saw someone else online mention they were reading it, I decided I would read it for fun as well. I read it in February but it is timely that I am writing about it during Middle Grade March, which is when some readers pick up middle grade books to read or read again.
I don’t usually read middle-grade books at any time but last year I read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr and enjoyed it so decided I’d try another one. I now, incidentally, have a stack of them I want to read.
The story follows Marly and her family as they visit her mother’s grandmother’s house in rural Pennsylvania. The family lives in the Pittsburgh area but decides to visit Maple Hill to help Marly’s dad who is dealing with PTSD from being a prisoner of war and presumed dead. The book doesn’t specify which war but the book was published in 1956 so it could either be World War II or the Korean War.
Marly’s family includes her mom, dad, and brother Joe. When they arrive in Maple Hill, Marly’s mom hopes that the time at the farm, even if it is only weekends, will help her husband feel better and less hopeless.
When they arrive they meet neighbors of Marly’s Mom’s grandmother, Mr. and Mrs. Chris. It’s a little confusing is Chris is the man’s first or last name since the wife calls him both during the book, but it doesn’t really matter. They are a sweet older couple and when Marly first meets him he is tapping maple trees for sap.
According to information online, Sorensen based the book on her real-life experiences while visiting Edinboro, Pennsylvania.
Someone I follow (though I can’t remember who) had mentioned that this book took place in Pennsylvania but I completely forgot that until I started it. The fact that the book begins and ends during maple syrup collecting and cooking season was interesting to me since that is the season we were in when I started the book.
My husband, in fact, had just come back from a demonstration at a local farm where they collect the sap and make maple syrup. He had attended it for work as a reporter/editor at the local paper and I suggested he use a quote from the book for his story. He ultimately rejected that idea even though he liked the quote.
“The sap running gives me a feeling I can’t describe,” Mr. Chris said. “Like it is the blood of the earth moving.”
Mr. Chris has a lot of great quotes in the book including: “Everything has its own sap, I guess,” he said. “It’s got to rise, that’s all. Nobody knows why. It’s like the sun in the morning.”
There was one disturbing scene in the beginning of the book that made me almost abandon it. In the scene Marly finds a nest of baby mice. Her mother is disgusted and tells her husband to do something about it. He tells Joe to throw the nest into the stove downstairs where they have just started a fire.
Marly is horrified but the rest of the family doesn’t understand what her problem is. The mice can carry disease, they argue. They needed to go. To Marly the mice were alive – they were potential pets and she decides she can never just accept that a life can be snuffed out because it is inconvenient. She is comforted when Mr. Chris agrees when he discusses the mice living in his sugar shack and how they have become his friends.
I’m glad I didn’t give up on the book based on that scene, however, because it is a pivotal motion that launches off changes in the family as the book progresses. We go from a dead and dark feeling inside the father where baby mice don’t matter to him to a place in his life where life becomes bright and enjoyable again. I won’t spoil how we get there or the incidents that show that but it is very heartwarming when it begins and continues.
I sobbed through much of the last three chapters of the book. Things became tense, the family had to rally together, and I wasn’t sure who would be left when it was over. I knew this was an older book and they didn’t always end on a happy note (hello Old Yeller) so I read it with trepidation. I will not ruin the ending for those who never read the book but I will say I was not disappointed with the ending and felt a sense of hope based on it.
According to Wikipedia, the Hurry Hill Maple Farm Museum in Edinboro features an exhibit dedicated to the book and the author.
The book won the 1957 Newberry Medal and was illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush.
Sorensen, who was born in Utah, was called a Mormon writer but once said she did not have a great deal of interest in Mormons or the faith. Despite that, she wrote several adult books tying her faith into life and is considered by most to be a Mormon author – even though most of her books had nothing to do with the Mormon life. She wrote seven children’s books and nine adult books.
I enjoyed Maple Hill and will be looking for other books by her to read in the future.
Have you read this or any of Sorensen’s other books?
Winter can last a long time in Northern Pennsylvania, which is why choosing what I want to read for the rest of winter here means I am choosing books for the rest of January, all of February, and a good portion of March. It has even been known to snow in April and the first week of May here, but I still consider the end of March and all of April to be spring, so that will require a new list.
I always list a lot of books I plan to read, or want to read, knowing full well I will not get them all read and will probably become distracted in the middle by another read.
For example, this week I am reading Little Women and finished another book I’d been reading for a bit but I got distracted by a lighter read called Sisterchicks Do the Hula by Robin Jones Gunn. After finishing the one book, I needed something lighter. Little Women is lighter but I like to read that book before bed as my nightly routine. I’m a bit of a creature of habit sometimes. I would, however, like to finish Little Women since I’ve been reading it leisurely since the end of November, so I will probably start reading it at other times as well. Anytime I need a bit of downtime and breather from life, I think.
Anyhow, enough rambling. Here are the books on my winter to be read list (subject to change):
The Bungalow Mystery and The Mystery At Lilac Inn (Nancy Drew Mysteries)by Carolyn Keene.
These two came together in one volume from Thriftbooks. I enjoy disappearing into these light, sometimes silly mysteries as a way to escape my worries.
Can I tell you how stupid I felt this week when I read that these books were written by several authors, just like the Hardy Boys? Talk about a facepalm moment. I had heard that years ago and then completely forgot that Carolyn Keene was simply a pen name.
Well, it doesn’t really matter. These classics are still a nice escape.
The Cat Who Went Into The Closet by Lillian Jackson Braun.
Braun’s books are a comfort read for me. I’ve already started this one and will probably continue it this week or next since I did get distracted by the fun Sisterchicks book. It will be a perfect read for the darkness of February – the month that seems like it will never end even though it is shorter than other months of the year.
Blessed Is the Busybodyby Emilie Richards
This is a cozy mystery I picked up. It looked like it might have some faith elements but after reading part of Chapter 1 I see that the main character is a member of a Unitarian Universalist church and . . . well, I won’t comment here but that’s probably not the type of faith book I’m looking for. I don’t think? Still, most cozy mysteries I pick up have been clean and fun so I’m sure this one will be too.
I doubt it will be preachy because most cozy mysteries I’ve read aren’t, even if they are in the Christian fiction category. I only picked up one that went off about breast cancer and the importance of getting checked for a few pages, which totally threw me off since I read books to escape and this book read like a non-fiction book. I put that one aside and haven’t read anything by that author since, just as a way to protect myself from finding non-fiction subjects shoved at me in my fiction.
A Tale of Two Citiesby Charles Dickens
My son and I started this classic in the fall, became very bored and disenchanted and set it aside but now I am listening to it on Audible and it is making more sense. I am going to try to finish it and then he and I will “read it” (probably listen to it) again in March or April as part of his English course. This way I’ll have more of an idea of what is happening and can explain it to him instead of us both wandering around in the dark looking for a clue.
A Taste of Fameby Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson
This is a Christian fiction/cozy mystery and is part of a series of books. I’ve never read any books from these authors so I’m looking forward to seeing if the book is good or not.
Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie
I have been saying I would read this book for the last two years and I am determined to do it this year. This is a collection of stories from Agatha, I believe.
Hell Is Empty by Craig Johnson
I didn’t read one Longmire Mystery book last year so I hope to remedy that this year. Johnson’s books are pretty dark but also have some humor in them. Still, the darkness is what often keeps me away from them in winter (when I deal with some seasonal depression but better than in the past) so I will probably read this one toward the end of the winter.
Do The New You by Steven Furtick
I’ve already started this book and hope to continue reading it and I know I’ll be reading it with my online Bible study group through February.
Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe
I heard about this book when it first came out a couple of years ago and I’m finally deciding to tackle it now. This may end up getting pushed into the spring, though.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them if you did?
As we all know, history is something important for children to know because, as the saying goes, we are doomed to repeat it if we don’t learn about the negatives of our past. History doesn’t only remind us of negative events, of course, though. We can also learn about how our ancestors lived and about the good things that happened in the past.
As a homeschooling mom, I am grateful to be able to expose my children to a variety of historical fiction that ties in with the historical events we are discussing in our lessons.
My youngest prefers hearing a story versus a list of facts. She learns about history better this way. We have been either introduced to or have found on our own, a selection of fiction books that have enriched our historical knowledge.
What I love about historical fiction is that while the book educates, it also entertains.
Here are six of my family’s favorite historical fiction books for children ages 8 to 12.
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This story about a brother and sister who hide a slave in the mid-1800s is a nail-biter with a great message but also realistic portrayals of life for black people in the United States when slavery was legal. My daughter and I read it when she was 7, going on 8, and enjoyed it very much, even though it presented us with a difficult topic to discuss. We became wrapped up in the story of Martin, a young male slave, and Laura and her brother who work to help him escape to Canada.
Laura is not completely on board with this mission in the beginning and struggles with overcoming her preconceived ideas about slavery, which makes the story even more realistic and believable.
Description:
Laura Eastman returns to New York after living in the South with relatives for four years to discover that her brother and father are part of the Underground Railroad, helping fugitive slaves to escape to Canada. When a friend brings a runaway slave, Martin, to the house while her father and stepmother are away, Laura must decide what she believes — and whether she should help Martin escape.
This book is my 9-year-old daughter’s favorite book, besides Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman and the Paddington books. It is a book that tells the story of the Native Americans of our country and kicked off a fascination of Native Americans for my daughter. She now has asked that we read and learn about Native Americans every Friday for our lessons.
The book tells the story of Ohkwa’ri and his sister Otsi:stia. Ohkwa’ri overhears the plans of some boys in the tribe who plan to attack another tribe and tells on them. This makes the boys angry at him and they threaten to hurt him. Between their threats and his being ready to grow into a man, Ohkwa’ri struggles with his emotions while his sister worries about him. Woven into the story is the lead-up to a showdown with the boys and Ohkwa’ri through the game Tekwaarathon (lacrosse).
My daughter was 8 when I read this to her and when we were done she asked me to read it to her again.
I can see this as a book she will read on her own as she grows up as well.
Description: When Ohkwa’ri overhears a group of older boys planning a raid on a neighboring village, he immediately tells his Mohawk elders. He has done the right thing—but he has also made enemies. Grabber and his friends will do anything they can to hurt him, especially during the village-wide game of Tekwaarathon (lacrosse). Ohkwa’ri believes in the path of peace, but can peaceful ways work against Grabber’s wrath?
We have several other books by this author on our book wish list.
This book was very charming and also very informative about Native Americans from Alaska.
It is the story of children from the point of view of Frederika (Fred for short), a Native American girl living in a fishing village in remote Alaska. Miss Agnes comes to their small school to teach, but the children think she’ll leave because all their teachers do – the smell of fish and living in the middle of nowhere gets to them too much.
This book had me laughing and a few chapters later I was crying from a touching scene. It was a gentle roller coaster of emotions and at the end, I had such a peaceful and warm feeling.
Description:
A year they’ll never forget Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn’t have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote, Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard. But Miss Agnes is different — she doesn’t get frustrated with her students, and she throws away old textbooks and reads Robin Hood instead! For the first time, Fred and her classmates begin to enjoy their lessons and learn to read and write — but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came?
Like The Year of Mrs. Agnes, this book features a girl main character who is brave, strong and overcomes her fear to help not only her family but our country.
This one was an action-packed one and we both looked forward to when it was time to read another chapter of it. This one takes place before the Revolutionary War so it is perfect when you want to teach your child about the start of our nation.
Description:
When her grandfather is injured, 10-year-old Ellen Toliver replaces him on a top-secret patriotic mission. Disguised as a boy, she manages to smuggle a message to General George Washington.
This book is part of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder but it does not focus on Laura and her family’s life. Instead, it is a book completely about Laura’s husband, Almonzo, and his childhood.
This book is rich in description of life in New York State in the mid to late 1800s. It is not about a pioneering family, like Laura’s other books are. This book is about Almonzo and his siblings growing up on a farm
Description:
While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the Western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits or, best of all, when the fair comes to town.
This is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved story of how her husband, Almanzo, grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived.
I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I have not read it with my daughter yet because she is extremely sensitive and I don’t really want to have to tell her about what happened during the Holocaust until she is a little bit older. The book is aimed at 5th grade and older so this one is a little bit out of the lower end of the age range of for this post.
It is very historically based since it is based on the true story of the author’s family and a great leap-off point to discuss the situations surrounding World War II.
Description:
Anna is not sure who Hitler is, but she sees his face on posters all over Berlin. Then one morning, Anna and her brother awake to find her father gone! Her mother explains that their father has had to leave and soon they will secretly join him. Anna just doesn’t understand. Why do their parents keep insisting that Germany is no longer safe for Jews like them?
Because of Hitler, Anna must leave everything behind as her family embarks on a journey that extends over several years and over the borders of many countries.
Have you read any of these books to or with your children?
I was roaming the bookshelves in the children’s section of our local library a few months ago when a book title caught my attention: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.
I felt like this was an odd book for the children’s section, even if it was middle grade, at least based on the title. I took it home and started to read it and was pulled in quickly. The only issue was that the book was old and the mildew smell triggered my allergies and gave me a weird headache. I really wanted to finish the book, though, so I found a cheap copy on Thriftbooks and prayed it wouldn’t have that “way too old” book smell.
It did have a bit of an old book smell but it wasn’t enough to keep me from reading and finishing it last week. While the topic of this book is heavy, there are some humorous and sweet moments that balance out the dark subject matter.
The book is written by children’s book author Judith Kerr and is semi-autobiographical. It is the first book in a four-book series called Out of The Hitler Time. Kerr wrote 48 children’s books besides this series. A German movie based on When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and directed by Oscar-nominated director Caroline Link was released in 2019, the same year Kerr died at the age of 95.
I plan to watch it and write about it in a future blog post.
Kerr changed the name of the characters and fictionalized parts of the story of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, but the story is very close to the real-life story of her and her family and their escape from Germany in 1933.
In the book, Anna is the main character’s name. She has a brother Max and her parents who are just called Mama and Papa. Anna’s family is Jewish and her papa is a newspaper columnist who has been very critical of the Nazi party.
In the beginning of the book, as it begins to appear it will become a reality that the Nazi party will be elected, Anna and her friends begin to discuss Adolf Hitler and what his election might mean for the country. They aren’t sure what to make of him or the Nazi party but Anna’s non-Jewish friend, Elsbeth, announces to Anna that after Hitler gets elected he’s going to “take care of the Jews.”
“It’s another picture of that man,’ said Elsbeth. ‘My little sister saw one yesterday and thought it was Charlie Chaplin.’
Anna looked at the staring eyes, the grim expression. She said, ‘It’s not a bit like Charlie Chaplin except for the moustache.’
They spelled out the name under the photograph. Adolf Hitler.”
Anna wakes up one morning after this discussion and finds out Papa has disappeared. Mama tells her that her father has gone to Switzerland and they are all going to meet him to live there, though she isn’t sure for how long.
Since the family can only take enough to fit inside a few suitcases, Anna has to decide which toys to take with her.
“Deciding which toys to take was the hardest part. They naturally wanted to take the games compendium but it was too big. In the end there was only room for some books and one of Anna’s stuffed toys. Should she choose Pink Rabbit or a newly acquired wooly dog? It seemed a pity to leave the dog when she had hardly had time to play with it, and Heimpi packed it for her. Max took his football. They could always have more things sent on to them in Switzerland, said Mama.”
Heimpi is the family’s nanny. She’s supposed to move with them, but in the end, she can’t get across the border and finds a new family to work for.
The family leaves on a train and while traveling Anna begins to feel sick. Her Papa left with a cold and it’s clear she now has it. By the time they arrive in Lake Zurich, Switzerland, Anna is extremely sick and falls in and out of sleep for days as she tries to recover. At one point the doctor that comes to check on her says he’s concerned she might not make it.
When she wakes up recovered, she learns the details about her father’s escape and her surroundings. Her brother, Max, explains to her what has happened in Germany. Hitler has been elected and their house was raided by the Nazis.
Trying to make light of the situation, Anna and Max joke about the toys that Hitler is probably playing with at their house, including Pink Rabbit. The joking is their way of dealing with the sadness and fear, of course.
“When she was safely back in bed, she said, ‘Max, this . . . confiscation of property, whatever it’s called – did the Nazis take everything – even our things?”
Max nodded.
Anna tried to imagine it. The piano was gone . . the dining room curtains with the flowers. . . her bed . . .all her toys, which included her stuffed Pink Rabbit. For a moment she felt terribly sad about Pink Rabbit. It had had embroidered black eyes – the original glass ones had fallen out years before – and an endearing habit of collapsing on its paws. Its fur, though no longer very pink had been soft and familiar. How could she have ever chosen to pack that characterless wooly dog in its stead? It had been a terrible mistake, and now she would never be able to put it right.
‘I always knew we should have brought the games compendium,” said Max. “Hitler’s probably playing Snakes and Ladders with it this very minute.”
‘And snuggling my Pink Rabbit!’ said Anna and laughed.
But some tears had come into her eyes and were running down her cheeks all at the same time.”
The family stays in a small tavern (or a Gasthof) in Lake Zurich for the next six months. Papa looks for work but it’s hard to find a paying job in newspapers in that area.
The family is mainly welcomed into the community. Adjusting to their new life is a challenge but eventually, they make friends. During one playdate with their new friends, a new set of children come to play. Their family is visiting the lake but they don’t want to play with Anna and Max because they are Jewish.
At one point their uncle Julius, who isn’t actually their uncle but a family friend who they call uncle, visits and tells their parents about how bad things are getting in Germany. He decides not to leave and laments about missing going to the zoo with the children. The letters he sends to the family in the future are coded and get sadder and sadder each time.
Anna had once imagined what it would be like to have a tough life after reading a story about someone who had a rough life but became famous. She thinks about this on her tenth birthday, which she celebrates in Switzerland instead of Germany where she wanted to be instead.
“Am I ten yet?” asked Anna. Papa looked at his watch.
“Ten years old exactly.” He hugged her. “Happy, happy birthday, and very many happy returns.”
And just as he said it the boat’s lights came on. There was only a sprinkling of white bulbs around the rails which left the dock almost as dark as before, but the cabin suddenly glowed yellow and at the back of the boat the ship’s lantern shone a brilliant purply-blue.
“Isn’t it lovely!” cried Anna and somehow, suddenly, she no longer minded about her birthday and her presents. It seemed rather fine and adventurous to be a refugee, to have no home and to not know where one was going to live. Perhaps a a pinch it might even count as a difficult childhood like the one in Gunther’s book and she would end up being famous.
As the boat steamed back to Zurich she snuggled up to Papa and they watched the blue light from the ship’s lantern trailing through the dark water behind them.
“I think I might quite like being a refugee,” said Anna.
Eventually, Papa needs to find work and travels to Paris to look for a newspaper job. He returns and takes Mama with him so they can look for a place to live. They leave the children but they are checked on by the tavern owner.
The family moves to Paris and they all have to learn French, which is a struggle for Anna until one day it clicks for her and she begins to speak it fluently.
By then, though, Papa has decided they will move to England in hopes he can find even more work as a columnist and writer. A movie company has even offered to make a movie from a screenplay he’s written. From what I understand the second book in this series continues the family’s story while in England.
There are so many moving and heartbreaking quotes in this book.
When Anna tells her father she doesn’t want to leave Paris, he assures her they will return again one day.
″‘We’ll come back,’ said Papa. ‘I know,’ said Anna. She remembered how she had felt when they had gone back to the Gasthof Zwirn for the holidays and added, ‘But it won’t be the same- we won’t belong. Do you think we’ll ever really belong anywhere?’ ‘I suppose not,’ said Papa.” ‘Not the way people belong who have lived in one place all their lives. But we’ll belong a little in lots of places, and I think that may be just as good.‘”
Link, the director of the film based on the book, said about the story that “it is not shocking but still deep.”
That is exactly the takeaway I had after reading it. I hope to read the rest of the books of the series soon and when Little Miss is a little older I will either read the books to her or have her read them herself.
I started this book in July or August and finished it about two weeks after the massacre occurred in Israel on Oct. 7.
I’ve read many stories about the horrible treatment of the Jews during and prior to World War II either fictional based on real events or non-fictional.
I won’t get too much into the specifics of the conflict currently going on right now, but I will say that I’ll never get used to the complete idiocy of hating a group of people simply because they are of a different faith or ethnicity than you. I’ll also never get used to the barbarism and sick actions against the Jewish people since pretty much the beginning of time. On October 7 we saw it happening again.
I found myself crying as I read the book because, after the Holocaust, the world said, “Never again,” but here we are again, letting it happen and, once again, turning a blind eye to the fact that antisemitism is very real and still very much alive.
How Is a Missing Military Working Dog Related to Two Local Fires?
Snuggle with your trusty hound and settle into a small-town mystery in book 6 of the Gone to the Dogs series.
Air Force veteran Dr. Lane Bishop and Nora Hernandez’s romance has cooled. He is busy working as a researcher at the vet school, and she’s busy with her restaurant and opening an antique shop. What Lane hasn’t told her is his PTSD, which manifests mostly with nightmares, makes him believe he’s damaged goods. But that is about to change when he meets a stray pup that acts a lot like a military working dog.
When a tornado hits Brenham, there is damage in the downtown area and a fire is ignited in Nora’s new store. A Belgian Malinois dog is seen at the fire and later Lane sees him at a wedding venue where an explosion occurs. Not long after, a second explosion rocks Brenham and sends Nora and Lane on a hunt for the person responsible. Will the pair find the guilty party before more damage is done to the city’s landmarks? And will Lane find the words to tell Nora how much he loves her before it’s too late?
This is the second book I’ve read in this series and I enjoyed it, especially the romance mixed in with the mystery. This was a to-the-point mystery that wrapped up without a ton of clues but that was okay – the clues weren’t needed to make the story interesting. It was fast paced with a new development in almost every chapter but not so fast paced that it was unrealistic or ridiculous.
I loved the main characters, even though I have not read a cozy mystery where there was a POV from two people before. I don’t know if I really liked the switching back and forth at first but I really loved both characters so it started not to bother me as much.
The supporting cast in this book was also a book to the story.
The plot line of the military dog drew the elements of the mystery together and I was pleased with how that part of the story resolved. The ending was somewhat predictable but I didn’t mind that because it ended how I hoped it would.
Though I felt there were a couple of plot points that didn’t quite come together for me, I still enjoyed the book and would read more in the series. This book came at a good time in my life when I needed a clean and wholesome book to read.
About the Author
Kathleen Y’Barbois a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and bestselling author of more than one hundred books with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she is a member of the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division, Texas A&M Association of Former Students and the Texas A&M Women Former Students (Aggie Women), Texas Historical Society, Novelists Inc., and American Christian Fiction Writers. She would also be a member of the Daughters of the American Republic, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a few others if she would just remember to fill out the paperwork that Great Aunt Mary Beth has sent her more than once.
When she’s not spinning modern day tales about her wacky Southern relatives, Kathleen inserts an ancestor or two into her historical and mystery novels as well. Recent book releases include bestselling The Pirate Bride set in 1700s New Orleans and Galveston, its sequel The Alamo Bride set in 1836 Texas, which feature a few well-placed folks from history and a family tale of adventure on the high seas and on the coast of Texas. She also writes (mostly) relative-free cozy mystery novels for Guideposts Books.
Kathleen and her hero in combat boots husband have their own surprise love story that unfolded on social media a few years back. They make their home just north of Houston, Texas and are the parents and in-laws of a blended family of Texans, Okies, and one very adorable Londoner.
More for Kathleen
You’ve most likely seen military working dogs (MWDs) on television shows or in the news. Maybe you’ve seen police dogs in action or read about them. They’re often fierce looking and always well-trained and intelligent. Along with their handler, the MWD is a brave and not so secret weapon in the military and law enforcement world. And did you know that an MWD always outranks his or her handler? It’s true.
I was very aware of all of this, but I had no idea what happened to these dogs when they were too old or perhaps physically unable to continue in their roles. People retire from their careers, so it makes sense that MWDs would as well.
I first learned about retired MWDs from watching my friend Ronie welcome a gorgeous Belgian Malinois, Vvolt, to her family. Anyone who knew the family or came to know Vvolt through social media fell in love with that dog. With his ears cocked just so and his bigger-than-life personality, I knew I had to write about him someday.
When I was given the opportunity to co-write a cozy mystery series with my dear friend, Janice Thompson, I knew one of those books would have to include an MWD. Because MWDs are used in so many situations, from military police work to bomb sniffing to PTSD care and more—I had to narrow down the choice of what my dog would be doing. I won’t give anything away, but I can tell you that Pal, the fictional Belgian Malinois in NEW LEASH ON LIFE is very good at what he does. He also loves a good Whataburger when his regular kibble isn’t available, but I digress.
When I set out to create the personality for Pal, I looked to what I knew and loved about Vvolt. Big personality, toothy grin, and the ability to run and jump like a champ were all included in my dog’s version of the MWD. And like Vvolt, my MWD develops a strong bond with his handler and the family who welcomes him into their home. Pal is loyal, friendly, and apt to stand between his people and danger at the slightest provocation.
Pal’s person in NEW LEASH ON LIFE is Dr. Lane Bishop, a Texas A&M University research veterinarian and Air Force veteran. Lane deals with nightmares that came out of his military experiences. As you can imagine, this causes an issue or two with Nora Hernandez, the woman Lane adores but has not shared his worries with.
Then along comes Pal, a stray (or is he?) with a habit of disappearing and then turning up at the most unlikely places just when he’s needed. I won’t give away the story, but let’s just say that sometimes it takes an animal to show the humans what needs to be done.
NEW LEASH ON LIFE is the story of new starts and second chances, of how God can doesn’t just use humans to achieve His purposes. For this and so many other reasons, the tale of Lane and Nora and Pal is dedicated to the memory of Vvolt and his people.
I have been wanting to put together a list of cozy reads for Spring but then I realized something – I’m not sure if what I see is cozy is what others would see as cozy. Also, they are cozy for me, but do I only read them in spring? I don’t know. Not really. Unlike others who share such book recommendations, I don’t have a book I read each spring. It’s not something I do for whatever reason. I have re-read a couple of these books but not in spring.
Anyhow, I’m going for it anyhow before spring is gone (though it’s so cold out, my area thinks it is winter!) and recommend some books I feel fit spring and some that you could really read any time.
(Note: There are affiliate links in this post that I could monetarily benefit from. That’s not why I wrote the post though. The links were an afterthought.)
Really anything from The Mitford series fits for cozy reading in my opinion. Sure, there are some tough topics in the books, but they are mixed in with enough light humor and sweetness to make it easier to take in.
I enjoy this one because it chronicles the romance of Father Tim, an Episcopalian priest, and his neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith.
It’s such a sweet romance that leaves you rooting for this older couple who are finding love in their golden years. It is nothing like the romances out there in the world today. It is a sweet, gentle story of friendship that blossoms into love. No kisses or swooning or cheesy physical descriptions of them checking each other out.
“Oh, Timothy, how could you not have loved someone all these years? Loving absolutely seeps from you, like a spring that bubbles up in a meadow.”
“Maybe you can convince me of that, but I doubt it. I find myself self-seeking, hard as stone somewhere inside. Look how I’ve treated you.”
“Yes, but you could never deceive me into thinking you were hard as stone. You’ve always betrayed your tenderness to me, something in your face, your eyes, your voice …”
“Then I have no cover with you?”
“Very little.”
“ ‘Violet only wanted a friend,’ ” he quoted, “ ‘but every time she tried to have one, she did something that chased them away.”
~ A Light in the Window
Throw in a bunch of other quirky and fun characters and I can’t help but to be charmed by the world Jan has created in the pages of this book and the entire series. There are 14 books in all.
This is the story of a pastor Jake Wilkerson who is disillusioned with his job when he meets a cat named Petey who seems to always be in the way and leading to situations that make Jake think differently about life. The story takes place in a tiny little town about an hour from where I live and close to where my brother lives, which I didn’t know when I first picked up the book. I have a copy of The Dog That Talked to God too by him, but I haven’t read it yet.
Book description:
Jake Wilkerson, a disillusioned young pastor who is an expert at hiding his fears, takes on a new assignment at a small rural church in Coudersport, Pennsylvania–which is a far piece from anywhere and full of curiously odd and eccentric people. His first day on the job, he is adopted by Petey–a cat of unknown origins and breed–but a very sentient cat who believes that he is on a mission from God to redeem Jake and bring him back to the truth. Jake must confront his doubts early on when he meets Emma Grainger, a single woman and a veterinarian who dismisses all Christians as “those people.” Then, Tassy, a young runaway with a secret, arrives at the door of the church looking for a place of refuge. How does Jake deal with this runaway and his interest in Dr. Grainger? More importantly, can Jake rekindle his faith? Petey does his best to lead all people to the truth, in a most subtle and feline way.
Most people are familiar with this book, even if you haven’t read it. On the off chance someone has no idea what the book is though, it is a book about a young orphan girl who comes to live with an elderly couple in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The couple think they are adopting a boy to help them with their farm, but instead, they are accidentally given a girl who enchants them and enriches their lives.
Anne is a girl who daydreams her way through life. She loves to read, pick flowers, imagine grand situations and think the best of everyone. She has had to use all of those things to help her deal with a difficult childhood where she was in foster care and treated horribly by those who took her in. Those who did take her in mainly did so to have her as someone to either care for their children or do their housework.
I read this book to Little Miss last year, and she really enjoyed it. I’m making my way through the series of books (there are eight) but I gave up on book four, Anne’s House of Dreams, because the cute and humorous moments that were in the original dissipated by book four.
Any of the Cat Who books are cozy reading to me, but I picked The Cat Who Wasn’t Therebecause it was on my shelf and I remember that being one of the better ones. The books are written by Lilian Jackson Braun and there are a few duds in the series, especially toward the end.
These books are the story of Jim Qwilleran, a retired newspaper reporter who moves to a small town called Pickax in Moose County, up toward the Canadian border after he founds out he has inherited a wealthy woman’s entire fortune, even though they weren’t actually related.
Qwill writes a column for the local paper and lives in a barn that has been turned into a house with his two Siamese cats. He frequently finds himself wrapped up in various mysteries that occur in the town. The series starts with Qwill living “Down Below” which refers to the city or anything south of this rural area in the north. I’m guessing this town is based in Minnesota or Michigan, but I don’t know that it’s ever really made clear what state it is in. Qwill used to work in Chicago, I believe. It’s Down Below where he acquires his cats. Koko, the male, is the one who “helps” Qwill solve crimes by conveniently knocking over plants or pawing at books or finding clues, or simply acting weird around a suspect. Yum-Yum is there mainly for comic relief. She’s a sweet kitty who often “steals” items from visitors so she can bat them around for fun later.
She was kidnapped in one of the books and I swear I almost had a heart attack. These are very light reads so I figured she would be fine but I just couldn’t stop reading until Qwill had her safely in his arms again.
Back to this particular book, which is about Qwill traveling to Scotland with other regular characters from the book. During that trip one of the people who comes with them as a guide (not a regular) is murdered and the crew returns to Pickax sad and in need of finding out who killed her. Koko wasn’t on the trip but even he gets in on the sleuthing when Qwill returns home.
There is also a little bit of romance in the books between Qwill and the town librarian, Polly Duncan, but like A Light in the Window, it is not a romance about kisses and physical description. It’s more like a friendship romance.
For a list of all of the 29 books in the series see this site:
I have been reading through the All Creatures Great and Small books by James Herriot over the last few years and they are cozy reads for me.
There are eight books in the main series, but Herriot, whose real name was actually Alfred Wight, also put out collections of short stories, and then other books were compiled with the original stories and photos so online there looks to be 19 different books by Herriot. I only own one in paperback. I own six of the eight main books about his beginning years as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales in ebook form.
I like how each chapter is a little story all its own. I read a chapter here and there when I do read the books and it is like escaping into a little cocoon of comfort. Right now, I am readingThe Lord God Made Them All.
I cannot tell you which each book is about because they all sort of blend together in a collection of stories about his life and job. The one I am reading now takes place after he was in the war. He’s now married with his first son and is no longer living in the same house as Siegfried Farnon, whose real name was Donald Sinclair. I don’t like the writing style in this book as much as the others because he seems to be slipping between past and present tense at times, even in mid-sentence, but the stories are still entertaining.
For spiritual books I enjoy in Spring, there is Gracelaced, a devotional book by Ruth Chou Simons. The art and words inside the book are beautiful. I only picked this up last year but I can tell it is going to be a favorite of mine in the spring when the flowers are blooming but also all seasons when I need to look at some beautiful paintings of flowers.
A children’s book I enjoy reading with Little Miss in spring is Share, Big Bear, Share by Maureen Wright, who is a local author to us.
The book is about Big Bear’s need to share his stash of blueberries with his friends and I guess blueberries often grow in the summer, not the spring, but for some reason the book feels spring-like to me.
I’m sure there are other books I enjoy in spring but haven’t thought about for this post. They’ll just have to wait for next year.
Since I got this idea after my friend Erin and a YouTuber we watch posted their favorite cozy spring reads, I thought I’d link to their suggestions as well.
Little Miss and I have been reading a lot of different books in the last couple of months.
We’ve read some picture books and a couple of chapter books.
We abandoned one of our chapter books – Soft Rain, which was a book about the Trail of Tears – part way through. It was a bit too heavy for Little Miss right now so we read it almost to the end but then I noticed there was a bit more tragedy than I felt Little Miss could handle at her age. We’ve decided we will try it again when she is older.
We were reading it as part of our history unit on Native American history.
If you think you might be interested in it for your older child or grandchildren, here is a quick description:
It all begins when Soft Rain’s teacher reads a letter stating that as of May 23, 1838, all Cherokee people are to leave their land and move to what many Cherokees called “the land of darkness”…the west. Soft Rain is confident that her family will not have to move, because they have just planted corn for the next harvest but soon thereafter, soldiers arrive to take nine-year-old Soft Rain and her mother to walk the Trail of Tears, leaving the rest of her family behind.
Because Soft Rain knows some of the white man’s language, she soon learns that they must travel across rivers, valleys, and mountains. On the journey, she is forced to eat the white man’s food and sees many of her people die. Her courage and hope are restored when she is reunited with her father, a leader on the Trail, chosen to bring her people safely to their new land.
A book we did finish recently was In The Land of The Big Red Apple by Roger Lea MacBride. This book gave us a glimpse of life in the Ozarks (Missouri) during the 1890s through the eyes of Rose Wilder, the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is a fictionalized account of Rose’s life as a child based on stories she told MacBride, her adopted son. I kept calling the book The Land of the Big Red Apple because the library covered part of the title with their labeling. Ooops.
It is part of a series of eight books about Rose’s life as she grew up, including her as an adult.
Description:
The third book in the Rose Years series, the story of the spirited daughter of the author of the beloved Little House series.
Eight going on nine, Rose Wilder is beginning to settle into her new life in Missouri, the Land of the Big Red Apple. Her father is building their farmhouse and she dreams of the day they’ll have their own bright crop to harvest. But before that can happen, she has a fierce ice storm to contend with and her first real Christmas in the Ozarks to enjoy.
We are now reading On The Other Side of the Hill, which is the book right after In The Land of the Big Red Apple.
Description:
The fourth book in the Rose Year series, the story of the spirited daughter of the author of the beloved Little House series.
On The Other Side of the Hill continues the story of Rose, Laura, and Almanzo as the young Wilder family struggles to overcome a series of natural disasters that beset their little farm.
We had picked up The Little Town in the Ozarks, which is also part of the series, from the library at one point but we didn’t get a chance to read it and sent it back because I didn’t know when we would get to it. We will get it again later, probably this summer, now that we know we like the series.
I didn’t write down the names of all the picture books we signed out at the end of March and the beginning of April,l but we did read a few I remember, including a book about John Audobon called The Boy Who Drew Birds. This fit in nicely with our science unit on birds. We enjoyed learning how Audobon studied and drew birds even as a young child.
For picture books this week, we are reading, or have read:
The Umbrella by Jan Brett
This was a really cute book with amazing artwork. Little Miss didn’t want to read it at first but it turned out to be very creative and entertaining. It was the story of a young boy who went into the jungle to find animals but then . . . well, I won’t spoil the ending.
Verdi by Janell Cannon
This was a cute book about a snake accepting who he is becoming as he grows up and then who he becomes. It is very funny and entertaining and the artwork is beautiful.
Cubs First Winter by Rebecca Elliott
As I am writing this, we haven’t yet read this book but it looks so sweet so I’m excited to read it with her tomorrow.
And Little Miss picked Grumpy Monkey by Susan Long again.
This is a very creative book about a monkey who is grumpy and who decides that sometimes it is okay to be grumpy or sad as long as you aren’t mean to other people.
Little Miss also has two books to read on her own this week for Reading Time:
Backyard Wildlife: Wolves (by Blastoff Readers)
And
I Can Read: Paddington’s Prize Picture
Later this week we will be reading a book about Claude Monet as part of our Art unit on him, but I still have to go pick that one up.
What have you been reading with your kids or grandkids or just what are you reading?
I have been remiss over the years in reading books that are considered classics so this year I hope to read a few at least.
Now, I will admit that I said the same thing last year. Or was it the year before? I can’t remember now but I do know I said I would read more classics and didn’t, except for what I read with The Boy for school.
We read Silas Marner, Lord of the Flies, To Kill A Mockingbird, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
We are now reading The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien.
On my own, though, I hope to read at least five other classics this year:
Little Women
Lilies of the Field
Shane
The Secret Garden
and something by one of the Bronte sisters. Who can give me a suggestion of which one to read?
Also, are there any other classics you would suggest for me to read this year? I’ll see if I can squeeze them in.
Have you read any of the classics I mentioned? What did you think of them?
I am not a prolific reader like The Husband and my mom, but I did read more books this year than in other years and thought I would share a few of my favorites today.
If I counted right (because I didn’t keep a list like other years and my totals are mixed up on Goodreads with all the books my mom read), I read 37 books last year, not counting children’s books. If I add in the kid-level books (Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Michael Bond, and C.S. Lewis) then I read 47. That’s a lot more than in previous years, so I’m pretty proud of myself. I actually think there are a couple of others I forgot to list.
Among my favorites were:
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
I read three Anne books in 2022, including Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Anne of the Island. Anne of Green Gables was a reread, which I read with Little Miss. Anne of the Island was my favorite of all three as it took her out of Avonlea more and pushed her to spread her wings even more.
For 2023 I plan to finish Anne of Windy Poplars and hopefully a couple of other Anne books.
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie
I watched the mini-series of this on BritBox (on Amazon Video) before I read the book and ended up liking the book as much as, if not more, than the mini-series. This was the second book of Christie’s I’d read and as always the prose and dialogue is brief and to the point but always tells a suspenseful tale.
I plan to read more of Agatha this year.
Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz
This one had me guessing and on the edge of my seat all the way through. Part of this may because I have watched so much Sherlock Holmes related content with my husband who is a huge fan of Sherlock books (the original and beyond), movies and shows. I think anyone, a fan of Sherlock or not, would love this book but it is definitely geared toward Sherlock lovers who simply can’t get enough of stories about him, whether the originals by Arthur Conan Doyle or spinoffs, so to speak, like those by Horowitz.
I hope to read The House of Silk, another Sherlock-related book, this year.
Walking in Tall Weeds by Robin W. Pearson
This is a book I thought about long after I finished it. Part of the reason I thought about it was because I didn’t know if I agreed with a couple of scenes in the book. They rubbed me the wrong way. I think the fact they rubbed me the wrong was is a testament to Robin’s writing because it made me sit and think about why they rubbed me the wrong way. I realized I had a lot to learn about race relations but also relationships between family in general. It wasn’t only a thinking or issue book, though. There was an underlying love story between a longtime married couple and that story spilled over onto their son and their extended family. Love isn’t always romance, of course.
Call Me A Cab by Donald Westlake
I had not read any books by Donald Westlake before this one and my husband told me that this was a big departure from his other books. I tried another one of his a couple of months ago and have yet to finish it because, yes, Call Me A Cab was much nicer and sweeter. I still want to finish the other book, even though it isn’t necessarily my style.
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
This was one of two of the Longmire books I read in 2022. I really thought I’d read more of Craig’s books this year. That is something I hope to remedy in 2023. This was my favorite of the two I read. It followed the story of Walt Longmire investigating a case that other investigators said was already solved. Walt didn’t feel that way so he threw himself right down a rabbit hole to find the truth and I went with him on that ride. A lot of nail-biting fun, as always. Poor Walt, though. He’s always getting stranded out in the cold Wyoming winter while trying to find the truth.
Open Season by C.J. Box
I stayed in Wyoming for this first book in the Joe Pickett series. The Longmire Mysteries take place in Wyoming too, in case you weren’t sure what I was talking about there. This was another mystery that I wasn’t sure where it was going until it was barreling out of control to the finish. By the halfway point I couldn’t put it down and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series this year.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
This was a non-fiction book that I enjoyed very much despite some crass descriptions, way too many sexual references and quite a few four-letter words. I don’t usually read books like this but I watched Bourdain’s shows for years before he passed away and wanted to go back to the book that launched him into stardom. It was a fascinating look into America’s high-quality restaurants and not all the looks were good, but they were interesting. Bourdain’s love of food from the way it is prepared to how it connects people was the undercurrent of the book and the main reason I pushed through some very cringeworthy sections (cringeworthy for me at least).
Love and A Little White Lie by Tammy Gray
This was a book I read toward the end of the year. I enjoyed the downhome style of it and the real look at the Christian community from a woman unsure of what she believes about God. I hated the one male character and how whiny he was but didn’t let him steal the enjoyment of the book away from me. If I were to meet someone like him in real life, though, I’d most likely grab him by the front of his shirt, shake him a few minutes and tell him to, “get it together, man!”
I’m looking forward to reading the other two books in the series.
The Do Over by Sharon Peterson
This was a fun rom-com that had me laughing and shaking my head over the witty way in which it was written. The main character, Perci, was a blast and a treat but her Mimi (grandmother) had me gasping and shaking my head more than once. This was a clean read as well, which made me like it even more. I read two books with this title in 2022 and liked this one the best.
Miss Julia Renews Her Vowsby Ann B. Ross
I wasn’t as enamored with the other two books I tried from the series because they either seemed to promote lifestyles and situations I wasn’t really a fan of or just weren’t as good as Miss Julia Renews Her Vows. I actually stopped reading the one at the beginning and didn’t look back. I do, however, think I will try one or two more of her books this year.
Favorite Christian Fiction Books
A couple of these books can also be listed under my favorite reads for the year, but I thought I’d separate them out for any Christian Fiction fans who are looking for definite clean reads. Some of the books above were not clean.
I already mentioned Love and A Little White Lie above.
Dead Sea Conspiracy by Jerry B. Jenkins
This was my first book by Jenkins, who has published more than 200 novels, and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would when I first started it. His writing style irritated me a little bit but the story was well done so I kept reading it. I will read others by him in the future.
The Heart of the Mountains by Pepper Basham
This was my first book by Pepper and it was a wild, historical ride. This one was about a young woman running away from her fate in England and being forced to find a new life in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It had a lot of drama, romance, and heartfelt lessons. I am now listening to The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper and enjoying that as well. Some of The Heart of the Mountain was predictable but it was written well so I didn’t mind the predictability as much.
The Uncertainty of Fire by Stephanie Daniels
This was a debut book by an indie author, and it was very good and I’m sure she’ll going to go far. This was a Young Adult Historical Fiction book.
Walking in Tall Weeds, which I mentioned above.
The Rhise of Hope by Max Sternberg
Max is a new independent author who writes Christian fantasy. I am not a big reader of fantasy but have enjoyed his series. This is the second book in the series.
A Refuge of Convenience by Kathy Geary Anderson
I am not usually a big fan of “marriage of convenience tropes” in romances, but this one was creatively done and the storyline surrounding it was interesting enough to keep my attention. The writing itself was also compelling enough that I could look past the trope and instead focus on non-stop action and conflict. It was the second of Kathy’s books I read and I have her others on my 2023 TBR list.
Honorable Mention
Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour
This next one is an honorable mention because I don’t know if I can make a book that provides such a raw look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a “favorite” book but it was definitely the most eye-opening I’ve read all year.
Blood Brothers is the story of the Israeli takeover of the Palestinian region and Elias’ struggle with how it was done but also balancing his life as a Palestinian Christian in a world which assumes all Palestinians are Muslims.
For books I read with Grace this year I really enjoyed Emily’s Run Away Imagination, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and The Year of Miss Agnes.
Here is my full list of books read:
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson
Holly’s Homecoming by Jenny Knipfer
Still The One by Susan May Warren and Rachel Russell
The Rhise of Hope by Max Sternberg
The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Road To Redemption by Lisa Jordan
Every Star in the Sky by Sara Davison
Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz
Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle by Ann B. Ross
Miss Julia Renews Her Vows by Ann B. Ross
Anything But Simply by Lucinda J. Miller
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Open Season by C.J. Box
Violet’s Vow by Jenny Knipfer
Walking in Tall Weeds by Robin Pearson
The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates
The Heart of the Mountain by Pepper Basham
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
The Do Over by Bethany Turner
The Do Over by Sharon M. Peterson
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans by Agatha Christie
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Dead Sea Conspiracy by Jerry B. Jenkins
Into the Flood by Milla Holt
A Brea of French Air by H.E. Bates
A Refuge of Convenience by Kathy Geary Anderson
The Cat Who Wasn’t There by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Uncertainty of Fire by Stephanie Daniels
The Dog Days of Summer by Kathleen Y’Barbo
Shepherd’s Abiding by Jan Karon
Love and A Little White Lie by Tammy Gray
By Broken Birch Bay by Jenny Knipfer
A Quilters Holiday by Jennifer Chiaverini
Christmas Cookie Murder by Leslie Meier
A Mark of Grace by Kimberly Woodhouse
Books Read with Little Miss
The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Freedom Crossing by Margaret Goff Clark
Emily’s Run Away Imagination by Beverly Cleary
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
