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#12BooksOf2024 July

This collection of quirky characters read with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub was a lot of fun and is my pick for July.

#12Booksof2024

The #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub pick in July was a delightful surprise for me. If the rest of Fair‘s works are as sly and humorous as this one, I may have found a new favorite author!

This is one of my favorite kinds of books - where we are dropped smack-dab into the middle of village life as though we‘ve always lived there. Nothing of much real importance happens, so every little daily detail takes on importance. Julia Dunstan reminds me a bit of Jane Austen‘s Emma - believing she knows best, she tries to fix and improve everyone around her. A delightful, light, entertaining read.
#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

I read this in July, and while I enjoyed it while I was reading it, I must admit that now I can‘t remember a thing about it, except the townspeoples‘ fear of becoming a New Town. Delightful, in the ephemeral way these books sometimes are.

#furrowedmiddlebrowclub

My first Elizabeth Fair, but not my last!
1950s village England with gossipy busybodies, rivalries, romantic crushes, mixed in with urgent worries (based strictly on rumor!) of being overrun & turned into a smoggy New Town. Likable oddballs abound. My favorite: seeing their internal monologues directly contradict their outward words/actions. Enjoyable read with satisfying endings.
And the cover is 💯😉
Read with the #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

It surprised me how a story about interfering and gossipy people in a village could be so enjoyable and even page-turning at times. This was good escapist entertainment and I'm definitely interested in reading more by Elizabeth Fair.

#192025 #1954 @Librarybelle
#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

I enjoyed this #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub read quite a bit! The village gossip, intrigues, and purloined honeycomb entertained me. The Minnis‘ garden party reminded me of a scene from a Mapp and Lucia book. The boozy vicar drew a laugh out of me. My heart needed a happy ever after which I‘m choosing to believe happened here as Goatstock remained free becoming “New Town”. It lives as a secret hamlet in my mind full of Aged Animals and people.

I‘m glad to see that Julia is as fascinated with making her planner look nice as I am. 😊

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

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A re-read for me, but still a pleasant time. It's probably my least favorite Elizabeth Fair, but very cozy and the quintessential #furrowedmiddlebrow publication, I think.

#furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Starting this now with a lovely cider from the local lavender festival. Lavender cider and the July #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub read are what I needed on this Sunday evening. @Tamra I‘m adopting your quiet hour before making dinner routine!

Gentle, amusing, filled with delightfully eccentric characters. Quite enjoyed my visit to the 1950s village of Goatstock where ladies wear proper hats and aged animals are cared for.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Here‘s a snapshot from the charity meeting for the Aged Animals‘ Pension Fund. 😂

I thought this book was lovely. My only complaint is that the ending was a tad abrupt. Widowed Julia Dunstan inherits a house in the country settles herself in with the aim of improving the lives of everyone around her, regardless of their personal wishes. Shades of Barbara Pym and Mapp & Lucia, but still very much its own thing.

The theft of the honeycombs! 😱🤣

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Not much story, but what an entertaining collection of characters! I loved Harriet & her Aunt Finch (I could just imagine Aunt Finch as a Suffragette, yelling slogans while chained to the railings at the Palace of Westminster😆) & I liked Robert for seeing her charms. The interactions between Mrs Prentice and Mrs Minnis were a hoot, but as for the Popes… oh dear.

Hiya #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub reading buddies! It‘s almost time for our July 2024 pick by Elizabeth Fair. She‘s a new to me author and this story sounds like it‘ll be fun and cozy read set in a village with eccentric characters.

Please read at your own pace and post at will. We usually aim to be done mid month, but there‘s no hard or fast rule! Be sure to tag the group if you do post so we can join in on the discussion.