Boy. I have been absent from this space for awhile and am mostly back to throw a little life update at the people I've connected with through Reading to Know over the years. First off, let me say a great big HELLO to anyone who still receives this newsletter. (A shout-out to Barbara in particular. I pulled up your blog the other day and updated but it wouldn't allow me to leave a comment! So I hope you see this!) What are the Brownells up to these days? I, Carrie, am still running A Fine Quotation. These days I chat through Instagram (@afinequotation). I seem to have moved from book rev ..read more

 When I look at my reading stack for July, I feel like I was more of a mechanical reader who was reading books simply because they are "supposed" to be read and not so much because I was enjoying them. I read them on the recommendation of others and my dislike of them is in no way meant to disparage the other readers. Everyone likes what they like in literature and I just didn't like these books for one reason or another. Are we all clear on that point? If you love these books, don't take unnecessary offense. :) ***** First up, I read The Enchanted April. I wanted to like this because pe ..read more

  July has been a somewhat miserable reading month for me and not because I didn't make significant headway in my TBR stack! Rather, I didn't really care for very much of what I read. I'll probably hit up the books I disliked in one post to save time, but I thought I'd take a second to note one book that I did very much enjoy. Have you read Dorothy Gilman before? Born in New Jersey, Gilman began writing children's stories under the name of Dorothy Gilman Butters. She dropped the name Butters after her divorce and began writing solely under her maiden name. On the heels of Agatha Christie ..read more

I now have a long term bookish relationship with D.E. Stevenson. I hunt for her books when traveling in the UK, I scout them down online, and I browse for them in antique shops and thrift stores everywhere. I pick up each one that I find - not a single one has been left behind! I love D.E. Stevenson and so I was delighted when traveling to find this copy at a thrift store. What a find! If you've not yet read a D.E. Stevenson, I would recommend that you get to it! When people ask me what her books are most like, I commonly compare them to the Mitford or Miss Read series. They are very calm, us ..read more

  A Place to Hang the Moon is Kate Albus's debut album and worth every bit of your reading time. It won't last long enough for you -- that's how good it is. I had this book recommended to me by a trusted #Bookstagram friend (@bookworm_baggins) and she did not steer me wrong. I trust I'll not steer you wrong either. This book is set in England during the early stages of World War II as children were just being sent to billets outside of London. Siblings William, Edmund and Anna find themselves in an usual situation in that their grandmother has just passed away and there are no other rela ..read more

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple is not my normal cup of tea. Seriously, if you are familiar with me and with this blog at all, you know I'm really picky and choosey about what pieces of modern fiction I will agree to read. I think as I age, I'm actually becoming (just slightly) less picky and more agreeable to the idea of just sitting down with a book which might not be All That, but which is a bit of fun. That's what I hoped this book would be and that is what it was. I'm going to give you my regular Conservative Reader Alert straight up so that you know and understand that I did ..read more

  Look at me go! Two posts in one week. What on earth? I may not write as often as I used to, but I would like to make note of particular books that stood out to me that I've read and think others would be curious to know more about. I know I've said this before (and I will totally say it again because it was A Very Impacting Thing) but I was once told that I liked books that were rather on the childish side and weren't as worthy of my reading time as I might believe. I disagreed then and I disagree even more heartily now. I'm really glad that when my kids were little I read as many Midd ..read more

  It's been a hot minute since I've posted any sort of book review. Life sort of went topsy-turvy a few years back but more recently it's been sorting itself out, falling into place, and things are all the better for it. The events of life definitely made blogging take a backseat - and may yet do so - but right now, at this minute, I read a book I want to talk about it! Also, someone commented on an old post which sent a notification to my e-mail today reminding me that I had a book blog that could still be used. So here we are, you and I, together again! Let's have a little book chat, s ..read more

Oh for the ol' book blogging days! I've thought this often. But times and seasons change and it feels right to officially put Reading to Know to rest and take on a new mantel. If you're still around and/or are looking for me, you can find me at my new blog: Steadfast. With much love and anticipation, Carrie ..read more