Wednesday Afternoon Tea and Chat

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings7 Comments

Flames are curling around the logs in my wood stove as I write this, creating a cozy, warm glow that we need as it is very cold and raining outside.

Tomorrow, temperatures are supposed to be higher and more manageable so we might not need a fire. By Thursday (Thanksgiving) night, we will be back to lighting the fire to keep the house warm.

Heating oil has been through the roof for two winters now so we have been glad to have a wood stove that heats much of the house and helps us cut down on that bill. We have electric heat upstairs so that helps some but this year the state deregulated electric so now that is also going up.

I don’t usually write share a tea and chat post in the middle of the week but this week I felt like I wanted to just chat with visitors to my blog.

Don’t worry, this isn’t an affiliate post, which you might be seeing more of from time to time here on the blog. I am not really a fan of affiliate posts, to be honest, but our family can use all the financial help it can get so I’ve decided to at least do a few a month. I doubt I will make anything, honestly, but I’ll never know if I don’t try.

That’s one thing I wanted to talk about in this post – to assure my regular readers that this blog isn’t going to become just an advertising blog. I will link to some products I like but they won’t all be affiliate links. Sometimes I just want to show you somewhere you can grab a copy of a book or a journal or find a movie I liked. I am working with a couple of different sites but many of the links I provide won’t be affiliate links – just informational ones.

And I won’t even link to products all the time. I don’t have time for all that, for one, but I also like just sharing for the fun of it and not to get something in return.

With that being said, I’m going to go back to rambling now.

Tonight I am watching Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman as I write this. I’m watching the Pilot episode which was a 90-minute movie first aired in 1993.

I used to watch this show every Saturday night when I was a teenager. It’s not holding up too bad – at least based on this pilot episode. Of course there would be people who would call it racist or cultural appropriation, or who knows what, these days, but for me it was one of the first show where I saw Native Americans portrayed as they are, not as stereotypes. It was a show that also showed the prejudice against them by white settlers and the army. It showed me that what our country did to the Native Americans was wrong and, in almost every way, unforgiveable.

I need the escape right now so I am sure I will continue watching it the rest of the week.

Life is heavy sometimes lately, right?

Like it isn’t just me?

So many people, including my family, are struggling financially. Where it was just a few here and there before, it’s not a lot of people around me and a lot of us are embarrassed to say anything.

An author friend and I finally had to admit to each other we are broke and can’t send out books for free or giveaways anymore. It feels good to be honest, even if I am embarrassed that I’m a grown woman who feels like I should be more financially secure at this point in my life.

Every time I feel like we are ahead, though, we get kicked back with either heating costs, things shutting down, rising food prices, or a doubling of our health insurance premiums.

I don’t want this post here to be too much of a downer, so I’ll say that even as I worry and we stress there are good moments too.

There are some successes and a lot of laughter and joy in our family.

Yesterday our daughter was talking to a friend on the phone and they were playing an online roleplaying game (safe one. I checked.). Little Miss said to her friend, “I just think you need to break up with him.”

The friend said back to her something like, “I will but messing with him is fun right now.”

God bless whomever that young lady dates later in life.

Little Miss was watching Bambi on her phone the other day and I quickly texted The Husband:

“Should I warn her about Bambi’s mom? I mean she about flipped out when she thought Chance was going to die in Homeward Bound. I should probably tell her.”

The Husband: “She has to grow up sometime. She’ll be fine.”

I look at her and it’s getting closer to the scene and I finally say, “Listen, about Bambi’s mom…”

“Yeah, Mom, I know. She dies. It’s fine.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, good, I’m glad you know.”

“I’m more upset that they have a man voice acting Flower’s voice.”

“You can’t enjoy the movie because a man is voice acting Flower? Not because Bambi’s mom died?”

“Yes.”

A quick Internet search later to double check I am right: “Honey, Flower is a boy. Bambi just called him Flower because he thought he was a flower. Also, his voice was done by three different male actors of different ages.”

She lets me know then it is fine that a male voice actor provided the voice and she can now enjoy the movie.

We are going to my parents tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. What are you doing? If you are in the United States and celebrate it, of course.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a good one. I’ll touch base again this weekend and see how it went.

Eight cozy gifts for the reader in your life

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Gift Ideas14 Comments

When I have an extended amount of time to read, there are a few things I like to have in hand before and while I settle down with my book of choice.

For example, I love to have a warm blanket, a cup of tea, and maybe some classical or jazz music playing softly in the background or through my earbuds.

Every reader is different so the reader in your life may have different preferences but here are eight cozy and comfy gift ideas for the reader in your life.

**This page contains affiliate links. I only recommend items that I love, actually use, have used in the past, know someone else has used, or want to use in the future.. Clicking the link does not mean that you will pay more for the item, only that I make a tiny commission if you make a purchase. Thank you so much! I really appreciate when you support my family..**

  1. Tea mugs or cups with covers

I love to sip tea while I am reading a book, but I really love to not have to keep getting up to warm up my tea. That’s when something like this item would come in handy:

Tea/Coffee Mug with Lid

It is so cute, for one, plus that convenient lid. Love the idea! There are tons of items like this for sale right now on Amazon.

You can also find covers like these to add to a mug you already have:

Silicon Lids for cups

If you don’t need or want a cover for your tea or cocoa, then this is a cute idea:

Bookmarks Are For Quitters Mug

2. A cozy blanket or quilt

Another wonderful idea to go with that mug of tea, cocoa, or coffee is a beautiful, cozy blanket.

Oh my goodness. This blanket looks perfect to cuddle up under to read a good book and can go right in your gift basket for your reader.

|| Cozy Bliss Beige Checkered Throw Blanket Ultra Soft Warm||

Here is another option:

|| Bedsure Sherpa Fleece Throw Blanket for Couch ||

Oh and I love this one and especially the price (at least when I first posted it)

||Inhand Fleece Throw Blanket||

3. Fuzzy, warm socks

To go along with the blanket, you need some fuzzy socks. I would love these to put on on a cold winter night and cuddle in front of the fire in our woodstove with a good book and my tea.

|| 5 Pairs Women’s Wool Socks||

|| Mens Warm Wool Socks ||

Some more socks that I love the look of! (not just saying that for this post. Ha!)

|| Loritta 5 Pairs Womens Wool Socks ||

4. Booklight

A good book light is very important if the lighting where you are isn’t super strong. I have a book light similar to this one here but this one has three settings, a timer, and comes with six magnetic bookmarks. I have some magnetic bookmarks from a different company and I really love them. They stay in place and don’t slip out like other, paper bookmarks.

The book light hooks easily onto the back or front of your book. It is also rechargeable and features a USB port that can be charged in a computer or by plugging into a block that plugs into a wall.

|| 2-Pack Reading Light with 6 Bookmark ||

5. Book-related stickers

Okay, these are not necessarily a need for a good reading session but they are a great gift for the reader in your life for the simple fact they are cute.

I love these stickers. I totally want them and they are perfect for the reader who also likes to journal, keep scrapbooks or stick stickers on various things for fun. This might be perfect for young readers as well.

|| 100 Pcs Book Stickers, Reading Stickers, Bookish ||

I also love these stickers:

|| Bookish stickers ||

6. Highlighters or book tabs

If your reader is a person who likes to mark their favorite passages in their favorite books but don’t want to mark up the pages with highlighters there are these:

|| Transparent Sticky Notes,Clear Waterproof 3 x 3 inch ||

7. Headphones/earbuds

I love to listen to jazz or classical music when I read and having a good pair of headphones or earbuds helps to keep the background noise out so I can just concentrate on reading.

|| JBL Tune Flex – True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds ||

I use this brand myself and love the variety they have.

|| JBL Endurance Race Waterproof True Wireless Active Sport Earbuds ||

And

|| BL1 JBL LIVE 300 – Premium True Wireless Headphone ||

8. Reading Journal

I love a good reading journal. I made one for myself but also love looking at ones pre-made. I haven’t picked one out yet but have a few in my wish list.

Here are a couple I picked:

|| Elegant Reading Journal – Review and Track Your Reading

Progress with 60 Book Reviews ||

Or

|| Book Journal – Reading Journals For Book Lovers ||

Those are some of my ideas for the readers in your family. Keep your eyes peeled (like not literally because … gross) because I plan to do another one of these. I have so many ideas for things I – ahem, I mean, readers would love to have.

Feel free to add the items you like to have when you are reading (besides a good book) in the comments.

Sunday Bookends: Preparing winter reads, finishing book two in the series, and looking for cozy Christmas reads

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends11 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer and Kathyrn at The Book Date.


What I/we’ve been Reading

I finished Walls Crumbling by Alicia Gilliam last night. She’s a very good writer and I enjoyed this second book in her Seth Browne series. I’ll have a review up later this week or next, depending on how my week goes.

In the evening, right before bed, I am reading a chapter or two of Little Women. I have seen the movies so I know the story but I’m so glad I’m reading. I feel like I am getting to know the characters even more. I look forward to that time when I can snuggle down with. It’s such a nice escape, even though I know some sadness is coming.

The Husband suggested The Spectacular by Fiona Davis so I am trying that, but I will be moving into my winter reads this week too.

I have a collection of winter short stories by Agatha Christie I want to add to that list, as well as more cozy, Christmas reads. If you have any idea of any cozy Christmas reads please let me know in the comments.

Hopefully, anything I pick will be better than the book I picked up recently that I thought was a cozy mystery but dropped two f-bombs in the first two sentences so I immediately sent it back to Libby. I had high hopes for it based on the title and theme and it isn’t that I don’t read books with swearing but it was a little abrupt right out of the gate and I was in the mood for a more cozy feeling book so it grabbed be surprise – not in a good way.

Little Miss and I are still reading The Black Stallion at night. I might be enjoying it a bit more than her but she still likes it so far – or at least she isn’t complaining too much.

The Boy and I will be starting a fiction book soon but I haven’t decided which one I want him to read for English. We have a literature-based history course we are doing for school this year and they have a wide variety of books as part of it but some of them are just very tedious to read so I am picking and choosing something from the list that won’t leave us severely depressed.

What’s Been Occurring

Not much happened last week. It was mainly at-home stuff – washing dishes, homeschool lessons, and making corrections on my manuscript for Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage.

I did ramble about some stuff in my post yesterday if you want to check that out.

Today we went to my parents and I spent most of the day making corrections to the copy of the manuscript The Husband printed out so my mom could read the rest of the book and help find typos for me as well.

I will have a break this week from correcting the manuscript and I hope I can use that time to work more on Cassie, the book that comes out in August 2024 as part of a multi-author project.

What We watched/are Watching

Last week Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and I watched Fisherman’s Friends for our Comfy, Cozy Cinema and wrote about it on our blogs. Yesterday I watched the sequel to the movie, Fisherman’s Friends: One and All and while I don’t usually like sequels to movies, this one was actually quite good, heartwarming and full of great music.

Erin and I are taking a break for a couple of weeks so I may write about it for a movie impression post later this week.

Here is a trailer for it for now.

I also watched an episode of Miss Scarlet and am planning to re-watch Rosemary and Thyme this week.

What I’m Writing

I am writing Cassie, as I mentioned, but will start more in earnest once I get finished with the corrections to Gladwynn’s book two.

I already have ideas for Gladwynn’s book three but I won’t start that one until I finish Cassie … probably anyhow.

This week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

This past week  I listened to a lot of those Jazz channels with the sound of rain behind them for background sound while I edited.

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Saturday Afternoon Chat: Cozy weather, making soup, my racing mind

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Saturday Afternoon Tea8 Comments

I’m so glad to be able to just sit down and chat with you all today.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing about many different things the last few weeks but today I just want to write about nothing. Okay, so most of the time I write about nothing, but…go with me on this.

I started this post on Thursday. It was chilly outside but not as cold as it was earlier in the week. Friday we were supposed to have warmer temps again and get some rain and we did – late in the day. Then temps dropped sharply again today and we will be back to lighting the fire at night or even during the day this next week.

I really do like having the fire and enjoying its warm glow during the colder weather. The only thing I have to watch for is that too much wood doesn’t get loaded into it that the living room becomes a sauna and that has happened a lot in the past. We are supposed to get the temperature up to 300 degrees at least once during the day to burn off the creosote in the pipes so our smallish living room can get a bit too toasty when we do that.

All day Friday I wanted to sit in front of the fire and read a book but we didn’t start a fire since it wasn’t cold enough and I didn’t have time to open a book. I finally opened a book at almost 11 but then remembered I still had editing to do on my book.

My brain was a racing mess all week. It jumped from thing to thing to thing that I needed to do.

“Oh, I promised this group I’d post this.”

“Oh, I promised I’d write this post.”

“Oh, I need to get that one post ready.”

“Oh, I forgot to make the corrections on my book and it comes out in only two weeks.”

“Oh, I forgot to plan our homeschool lesson.”

“Oh, I wanted to make soup for that lady The Boy rescued this past summer.”

“Oh, I need to outline my next book.”

“Oh, look the animals have fleas again despite using the same flea medicine we’ve been using for years.”

“Oh, look we have a full on flea infestation in the house now.”

“Oh, I forgot that one bill.”

On and on it went and still it goes. Today I am desperate for a small amount of time where my brain only says, “That was a nice chapter,” or “I liked that video. It was peaceful,” or “Bob Newhart is so funny.”

I’m craving calmer days where I don’t feel like I’m plugging my finger in another hole in the dam of life which is about to burst and send me careening down a river of trials.

I don’t know if that is going to happen any time soon so I am going to enjoy some pockets of peace instead, stealing those quiet moments when and where I can.

Today (Saturday) The Husband has taken Little Miss to a makeup gymnastics class and I am watching Darling Desi’s latest video, will make some tea, and will hopefully read another chapter of Little Women.

Then I need to make the corrections from The Husband and my mom on Gladwynn Grant Takes Center Stage before it goes to another editor this upcoming week.

After that, I really hope to watch a cozy movie and work on some upcoming blog posts, but I don’t want to feel as rushed as I did all week long.

The rushing really hasn’t helped any situation – I haven’t sold more books (in fact I’ve sold almost none this entire month), I haven’t brought any more money in for my family to help as we struggle that way (in fact I have spent money will trying to bring in money so that has defeated the purpose), and I haven’t solved even one problem with the rushing and worrying.

This upcoming week will be Thanksgiving and we will spend the day with my parents. My brother and his wife will be home because my sister-in-law has to work the night shift (she is a 911 dispatcher) and it is also their anniversary. My brother is going to spend time with his wife before she has to go to work.

Thanksgiving is also my husband’s birthday which means the pies we make can be for his birthday and Thanksgiving.

Since Erin (from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and I are kicking off our Cozy Christmas the week after next, I’ll also be spending some time to plan out my posts and grab onto the cozy feel of the season as much as I can, despite all the oddness going on in my life.

In addition to trying to figure out finances, my animals have fleas right now and our normal OTC flea medicines (both are very well-known, high-quality medicines) are not working. It’s possible we have an infestation in the house so we are working to solve that issue without having to set off one of those awful bombs that requires everyone to leave the house for two days.

While things have been stressful here, there have also been some lovely moments. Little Miss has made another one of her cozy forts for us to snuggle in at night when we want to read. Adding an extra pillow to the floor has helped this old lady with sciatica issues be able to sit there and I’m sure we will find time to snuggle tonight and this week while reading books.

I’ve pulled out my fluffy, very warm, blue blanket my husband bought me for Christmas our first Christmas here and put it on the bed and it’s been wonderful to snuggle under it while reading Little Women with a booklight at night.

We’ve had some nice family nights with my parents, playing charades and laughing while we all try to figure out what the other person is trying to describe. My dad is the best at charades, I should add. Mom and I are probably the worst.

Later today I hope to make some sweet potato and butter squash soup, which Little Miss has been asking for. She lost a tooth the other day and that reminded her of her dental surgery earlier this year and how I had to make her a variety of soups to eat while she recovered so she asked for sweet potato soup again.

I also hope to make potato soup at some point this week. I had planned to make it last week but never got around to it.

It will be a week of soups, I think, because I also have some frozen roast and potatoes to add to the Instapot to make vegetable beef soup later in the week.

Today I am closing my post with the Darling Desi video because the end of the video really hit me this week in a place I needed it.


How was your week last week?
Did you do anything fun?

Try any new teas or warm drinks?

Let me know in the comments.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot November 16

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Weekend Traffic Jam5 Comments

Welcome to another Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot hosted by me, Marsha in the Middle and Melynda from Scratch Made Food For Hungry People.

I cannot believe next week is Thanksgiving! Can you?!

It seems like school just started and now here we are rushing toward the end of the year.

I’ve been super busy lately with writing blog posts, editing books (past and future ones), and managing social media.

Last week a reel I posted on Instagram to promote the blog posts Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumb) and I were doing for autumn (Comfy, Cozy Cinema) went viral.

The reel was simply a clip of the documentary Tea With The Dames that Erin and I wrote about on our blogs but for some reason, it started to be shared and watched and commented on to the point it has 6 million views, 331,704 likes, 148,939 shares and 2027 comments.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to what goes viral on social media, but I am guessing the reason this clip went wild is that people, one, love the dames (Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, and Eileen Atkins) and, two, people simply need something happy and joyful to see these days with all the horrors and negativity going on in the world.

If you want to see the Instagram post you can find it here:

I enjoyed the documentary but I don’t know if I thought the clip was worth 6 million views. Ha! Ha! I am really glad it made people happy, though. A couple of people even messaged or left me comments to tell me how much it uplifted their spirits during dark times. I suggested they watch the full documentary to further improve their mood.

If you would like to see the documentary, you can find it streaming for free on Tubi or you can buy or rent it here: https://amzn.to/3SKEL7d

You can also buy a DVD of it here: https://amzn.to/3QJQgct

Now, on to our most clicked link for this week:

My Latest Trip To The VA and the Chanel Exhibition by Frugal Fashion Shopper

And my three favorite posts this week:

That Was October 2023 by Is This Mutton

Thanksgiving Activities To Do With Your Family and Friends by Grace Filled Moments

Wordless Wednesday: Finishing Up Fall by My Slices of Life

We will be taking a break for Thanksgiving next week so please return with us on November 30th to link up your posts.

Also, don’t forget that we are looking for a couple more hosts for this feature. Contact one of us and we will put you in touch with Marsha. And please take the time to hop around to other blog posts that link up here.

(Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. I only recommend items that I love, actually use, have used in the past, know someone else has used, or want to use in the future. Clicking the link does not mean that you will pay more for the item, only that I make a tiny commission if you make a purchase. Thank you for helping my family bring in a little extra, much-needed money.)

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Comfy, Cozy Cinema: Fishermen’s Friends

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings9 Comments

For October and November, Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I will be watching cozy or comfy movies, and some of them will have a little mystery, creepiness, or adventure added in. You can find out about the other movies we watched by searching Comfy, Cozy Cinema in my search bar at the right.

(This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on them I get a small commission but there is no increase in cost to you.)

This week our movie was Fisherman’s Friends, a heartwarming story about a group of fishermen who sing sea shanty songs and are discovered by an agent for record labels.

I watched it on Amazon, but it is available other places as well.

The movie is loosely based on the true story of a real band and takes place in Port Isaac, Cornwall in 2010.

The movie starts with a group of fishermen singing on a boat in the ocean.

We meet the characters a little bit on their boat and in their favorite pub and inn. We also see them getting ready to sing and one of them (Jago, a bawdy older man) with his wife.

Then we switch to a stag party for a man and one of the friends who is supposed to be going to it with him waking up late.

That friend is Danny and as we watch he seems to be a bit of a mess.

The four men decide to stay near a fishing village where the one friend is supposed to rent a yacht for them all to go on. That trip gets canceled.

Fortunately for the story, the men end up staying in town and renting boogie boards to go out in the water together instead. It’s while out on the boards that they get stranded and the fishermen we met in the beginning have to rescue them.

The fishermen are a rough and tumble group of men’s men. They’re fishermen and also the local rescue squad – rescuing people who are stranded in the water. All the men are just trying to make ends meet but on the weekends they gather along the beach and sing Sea Shanty songs for the local residents.

It turns out Danny and his friends pitch new artists to record labels. Danny and his friends see the men singing along the edge of the ocean and while standing there Danny’s friend, who is also his boss, thinks it will be funny if he tells him he wants him to sign the group to a record deal.

Danny is very doubtful, but he launches in to trying to sign the group, but they say ‘no’ and think the whole thing is ridiculous.

But, two of the members tell him, if he can convince the lead singer Jim to do it then maybe they’ll consider letting him pitch their music to a producer

Danny thinks that this is a serious challenge so he decides to do anything he can to sign the band, including joining them on their fishing boat where he promptly shows what a city slicker he is and gets seasick.

Jim doesn’t want to agree to sign a contract to have the music pitched because he doesn’t trust Danny

Rowan, though, points out that they could use any shot at this point because most of them are hurting for money.

Jim agrees with him to take the risk, but is still very leery.

Things get complicated when Danny gets all ten men to agree to sign and record a demo because that is when his boss tells him it was all a prank. His boss has no interest in a group that sings Sea Shanty he says, so come back home and forget it all.

Danny has a problem, though, because he’s already promised Jim he won’t betray the group after Jim gives him a speech about how their word is their word in port Isaac and they don’t go back on it.

Danny promises he won’t go back on it and worries he will have to now that his bosses isn’t really interested.

Now Danny has to record a demo and sell it to a company on his own. It’s not only for the men who he is developing a deep affection for, but because he’s starting to fall for Jim’s daughter Allwyn.

Danny is determined to finish the demo and send it out to record companies, ignoring his boss who says the joke is over and to get back to work.

I should add that I think the boss is an American. You know us Americans – always the bad guys until someone needs help in a war. (*wink*)

While Danny is working on all of this some of the men are dealing with their own issues, including the pub owner, Rowan, who is about to lose his business. Rowan is hoping that if the band is successful then maybe the pub won’t have to be sold. Danny warns him that the band won’t take off as quick as he needs so he should sell the pub and help his family.

Danny sets up a deal to sell the pub to someone he knows and – that doesn’t end so well and the men feel betrayed.

In the meantime, he lands a photography job for Allwyn at a wedding where the group can also perform.

Unfortunately, they miss the performance, which would have been in front of some big movers and shakers in the business, because they are rescuing someone who is stranded in the ocean. A few of the men do show up at the reception and, well, they bomb the performance. The boss tells Danny to get rid of them. Danny refuses. The boss starts calling record companies and telling them to ignore Danny.

“My former boss has been trying to sabotage you,” Danny tells the men when he catches them at the pub.

“What do you mean your former boss?” Jago asks.

“I quit,” Danny tells them.

“What did you go doing that for?” Jago asks, clearly angy.

“Because I believe in you and I believe in the music.”

And so Danny takes the men to the city to try to get them a deal. That all falls apart but – well, that’s where I will leave off my recap because I think I’ve given you enough to make you want to watch the film.

The music in this movie is beautiful.

The characters are charming.

The scenery is beautiful.

The story is touching and emotional in all the right ways (though some hard ways too).

It is the whole cozy package for a movie night.

Just be warned you will need tissues for at least one scene and that there are a couple of bawdy jokes from the men, so I will warn you of that, but it is still free of strong swearing, sex, or violence.

The real group’s music is a bit rowdy with some off-color themes at times as well.

The real Fisherman’s Friends.

Incidentally, the movie was filmed in Port Isaac where the men were and are from.

The real Fisherman’s Friends are still performing, though one of the men and their stage manager were killed in 2013 in a tragic backstage accident.

A follow-up to the first movie has been released as well. Fisherman’s Friends: One and All is available on streaming services. I watched the trailer and it looks like one I’ll watch in the future.

The man who was killed, Trevor Gillis is featured in the video I am sharing below. He had a beautiful voice as I discovered as I listened to their songs last night.

You can read about Erin’s impressions of the movie on her blog.

Next week and the following week, Erin and are taking a break from Comfy, Cozy Cinema and will start a Cozy Christmas feature December 1. We will share a bit about that and how you can get involved in a future post.

If you watched Fishermen’s Friends and want to share your post please link below. This link is for those who have watched the movies with us and written about them only. The Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot link will be up on my blog tomorrow.

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When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit review and did we really mean never again?

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn book reviews, books and reading7 Comments

Title: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

Author: Judith Kerr

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

Rating: 5 out of 5

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.