As busy as this past month has been for me I’ve also been able to make time to read more, which has been so reviving and calming to my mind and spirit. Winter has slowly begun to creep into my part of the world and with the end of the year merrily on its way I’ve begun to think of all the things I’ll need to tackle next year. However, next year is not yet here and so I bring you the final On Reading Life post of 2023.

Below are some of the books I’ve been reading this month; note that the following may contain spoilers:

A Little House Christmas: Holiday Stories from the Little House Books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder – This beautiful anthology covers the chapters from Little House in the Big Woods (my personal favourite as of right now), Little House on the Prairie, and On the Banks of Plum Creek that focus on Christmas. At the end of this collection is a song complete with the music. This is a book I grew up with but never read and I am so happy I finally took the time to read it. I have read the Little House series and enjoyed the books, the reviews of which can be found in these posts.

Christmas with Anne & Other Holiday Stories, by L. M. Montgomery – I had this delightful collection of stories as a child but, sadly, never read them before they had found another home. Earlier this year, however, I found a copy of them and enjoyed the pleasure of finally reading them. Only a couple of them are from the Anne of Green Gables books; most are short stories from magazines and journals. This collection is a definite reread for the Christmas season and New Year.

Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry – Part of the Port William series, this beautiful book tells in first person the story of a woman from her childhood to her old age, 1930s to 2001. It offers the perspective of someone who has lived most of her life in a small farming community and watches sadly and, in a way, expectantly the changes in her family and community as the years pass. There are a few cuss words but I don’t think they detract from the story. When I finished it I wanted to start it again, wishing I could have the pleasure of reading it once more for the first time.

The Life Giving Home Experience: A 12-Month Guided Journey, by Sally Clarkson with Joel Clarkson – I enjoyed reading through and answering the questions in this companion workbook to The Life Giving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Clarkson. In many ways it was therapeutic and something I looked forward to at the beginning of each month.

Tom’s Midnight Garden, by Philippa Pearce – It took me three months to finish this acclaimed children’s fantasy but it was worth it. The pacing for much of the book is slow, and at the beginning the main character has an attitude, being very rude to most people, both of which made it difficult for me to keep reading at first. (There is also an uncle who is very temperamental.) However, as the story progresses so does the main character, Tom, which is very satisfying. I originally began it in October because I thought it was a ghost story but I was (happily) mistaken (although I do enjoy some ghost stories!). I think it would be a fun read aloud, it just has a pacing some people may find too slow.