At Home in Mitford {A book review}

I’m excited to join The Blended Blog’s Virtual Book Club book review blog hop today! If you are coming from Alison’s blog, welcome!

We have a virtual book club (can you believe that I’ve never been in a book club? Ever?) and it’s been fun to chat about books on our very own Slack channel! There were some good picks for February.  I had already read one book, picked one to read, and also read my contribution which was At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon (and by “read” I mean listened to on audio.)

At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon

I first read this book a while ago – like more than a decade! I actually heard Jan Karon speak at a women’s luncheon way back then. I don’t remember much about her talk except that I was quite a fan. I had read all the books in the series up to that point. I had heard that she was not going to write any more Mitford books (she may have mentioned it in her talk) so imagine my surprise when I heard about BOOK #11 in the series (probably from Modern Mrs. Darcy’s blog or podcast). WHAT?? I was behind! I picked up one of the ones I hadn’t read (can’t even remember which one now) but I realized that I had forgotten a lot of characters and their back story. I had to start over.

Boy am I glad I did! I just LOVE these books! The characters are well developed and they seem so real! They have drama, yet they are “nice” books. In fact, one book club member said she found the book “nice and happy and soothing” and  another one said she liked reading about “kind people with drama that isn’t super-dramatic,” finding it “relaxing.” Despite being sweet, they are not teeth-hurting-saccharin-sweet. Although the characters experience some drama in their lives – and some are even hard issues – I love the way they handle them.

I find that the story and the characters inspire me to be a better person. I really like Father Tim. I attend an Anglican church so all the Episcopal jargon is right up my alley. And I love that he loves good food, good friends, and good books. I like that he likes to garden and meet friends at the diner and he (eventually) likes his dog! And I love that he meets love late in life.

If you need a break from the nail-biting suspenseful type of  books and are in need to read a nice story that will not make your heart race or your blood boil at the characters, then give this book a try! (I’ve been churning through them on audio through the Overdrive App and am already on book #5! I listen to them while I drive, cook, do laundry and wash dishes. So that’s pretty much all day long!)

A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley

The other book I picked to read was A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. I like memoir as a genre but this was a hard read. It’s the story of a poor, uneducated Indian boy who gets lost and ends up in Kolkata after a long train ride. Did I mention he is 5 years old?? He manages to survive for several weeks on the streets and eventually gets adopted by an Australian family. He eventually uses Google Earth to find his way back.

The only way I could keep reading (listening) to the story was knowing that he survives and eventually finds his hometown. The movie, Lion, is based on this book. I have yet to see it but I want to. Although I really ended up liking the book, it’s not something I would have picked on my own. It was heartbreaking!tbb book club

You can still join us if you’d like to! Just go here to fill out the Google form. The books for March are already announced!

Now head on over to Whitney’s blog to see what she has to say about her pick!

 

About Sheila @ Making the Most of Every Day

I'm a wife, mom, and a homeschool teacher. I'm always behind on housework and paper pile sorting. I'm fond of this crazy life but not of melted cheese. I want to follow hard after God, making each day really count. I like to run, read, cook (and eat!). Thanks for joining along on my journey!

17 thoughts on “At Home in Mitford {A book review}”

  1. I read the Mitford book through TBB- I would never have picked it up had it not been a book picked- I am so glad that I did. I think I had a bias against Jan Karon, that I have no idea why, but I agree about your point about the well established characters and the way that she handles hard issues in such a kind way. These were really fun reads this month, and I am looking forward to March’s picks!

    1. I am having fun reading things I would have never picked up either, although it’s making my TBR list even longer! Have you picked your March read yet? I’ve already finished mine! I love audio books because I can get stuff done and still get books read! Thanks for stopping by!

  3. I admire you ladies and all your reading! Wish I could keep up but there’s no way! It’s taking me months just to finish one book

  4. Brilliant idea to include some of the comments of other readers in the club. I might have to borrow that for my next review. I like your description of Father Tim so I am thinking I would enjoy this book. Thank you so much for reintroducing me to listening to books. I am able to “read” so much more that way.

    I hope you will go see Lion. I thought it was very well done and followed the book closely, although some of the details of young adult Saroo’s life were omitted. Let me know if you go see it.

  5. I’ve got At Home In Mitford on my list – I love the idea of a nice, relaxing book. I totally agree with your review of A Long Way Home – knowing that it had a happy ending was the only way to get through it!

  7. I may need to revisit Mitford! I did read this last book recently and really enjoyed it! It was incredibly powerful and emotional in some parts. Caught me off guard! I think I’ve read the whole series, but it was a long time ago. #tbrlistjustgotlonger

  8. I just love books reviews, these are books that are new to me and I am definitely going to check them out! I just wish I could get myself to read more than 2 books a month.

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    1. Thanks for stopping by Carrie! I get reading done because of audio books and Overdrive. I put it on as I drive around town or do housework. It makes the drive or work so much more pleasant and I get so much done while I get lost in a book. Sometimes I even look for more to do so I can keep listening!

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