The Betsy-Tacy Books by Maud Hart Lovelace

I started the Betsy-Tacy series in 2014, but stopped with the fourth book. I adored these stories about three little girls at the turn of the 20th century. In Book One (Betsy-Tacy), the two friends meet at a birthday party. In Betsy-Tacy and Tib, they incorporate a new friend into their circle. Betsy and Tacy are the dreamers and Tib is the practical one who good-naturedly goes along with their shenanigans. In Book Three, Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill and befriend a Syrian girl; they learn about prejudice, patriotism and religious persecution (a lovely, painless way to introduce these subjects to young children.) Book Four, Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown, was a delight with its literary references and parental wisdom. Betsy is an aspiring writer, but is writing trash (modeled after Victorian sensation novels). Instead of condemning her, her father gives her a library card and lunch money so that she can spend all day Saturday in town, reading the classics. Her trips to town open up a new world to her.

One of my goals for 2022 was to finish the series and I was glad to be able to get the books via digital download from my library. Books Four to Eight (Heaven to Betsy, Betsy in Spite of Herself, Betsy was a Junior, and Betsy and Joe) cover each year of high school. I have to admit, I did not enjoy them as much as the first four because Betsy was so boy crazy. This spills over into Book Nine, Betsy and the Great World. Happily, she comes to her senses in Book Ten, Betsy's Wedding, which was a fantastic conclusion to the series.

Throughout the series, Lovelace draws a lovely picture of small-town girls, the simple pleasures they pursue, their growing pains and, above all, their enduring friendship. I especially appreciate how Lovelace portrayed the girls as normal (not sickeningly sweet) and how she incorporated their hard-earned life lessons without ever being preachy. 

Highly recommended. (Even with the high school episodes!)

Blessings,

Sabbath-Keeping (quote by Pete Scazerro)

On Sabbath I embrace my limits. God is God. He is indispensable. I am his creature. The world continues working fine when I stop…. We stop on Sabbaths because God is on the throne, assuring us the world will not fall apart if we cease our activities…. Ultimately we will die with countless unfinished projects and goals. That’s okay. God is at work taking care of the universe. He manages quite well without us. When we are sleeping, he is working. Every Sabbath reminds us to “be still, and know that he is God.” The core spiritual issue in stopping revolves around trust. Will God take care of us and our concerns if we obey him by stopping to keep the Sabbath?

(from p. 147-148 of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazerro)

Blessings,

What I Read in January and February

We've had a crazy two months, and I'm finally sitting down to record my reading streak. Because we both had the Omicron variety of Covid in January, we were flat on our backs with nothing to do but read. Hallelujah! Then in February we took several trips that enabled us to read for hours in busses and airplanes. Although I didn't have much time at my computer, I gloried in the reading time and will simply list what I was able to read: My favorites are in bold type.

January

1) The Corner Shop by Elizabeth Cadell (my first title by this author, reviewed here)

2) Six Centuries of Great Poetry (took three months to finish!)

3) Trollope: An Autobiography (audiobook)

4) Galusha the Magnificent by Joseph Crosby Lincoln, one of my favorite vintage authors

5) Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour - a pro-Palestinian look at the nation of Israel. I'm reading it in conjunction with the Literary Life Podcast where we are supposed to be reading two books from different viewpoints.

6) A Midsummer Night's Dream - Shakespeare (audio with Lit Life group)

7) Far From the Madding Crowd - Hardy

8) Have His Carcase - Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey #7)

9) Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries - Martin Edwards

10) Restoring Beauty: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the Writings of C.S. Lewis - Markos

February

1) ESV Journaling Bible (the end of a two-year reading plan)

2) The Purgatorio - Dante (with the #100daysofdante group)

3) Heaven to Betsy - Lovelace (book #5 in Betsy-Tacy series)

4) Betsy in Spite of Herself (book #6)

5) Betsy was a Junior (#7)

6) Betsy and Joe (#8)

7) Betsy and the Great World (#9) - I disliked Betsy in this one!

8) The Water Babies - Charles Kingsley, a Victorian morality tale

9) The Five Red Herrings - Sayers

10) The Gathering Table - Kathryn Springer, Christian fiction that I listened to on audio

Don't know when I'll ever be blessed with so much down time again, but I certainly enjoyed it!

Blessings,