adoption | Book Girl & Little Bear

The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson

This is a cozy (though not too cozy) fantasy worth settling down to read and savor. Thornwood House needs a new caretaker as it’s grieving longtime caretaker Amelia, but is picky about who it will accept. The house is sentient, though it doesn’t exactly talk, mostly expressing its moods. And despite the feet shown on the book jacket, the house very rarely travels. This is definitely not Baba Yaga’s hut.

Evie Sharpe is a land witch used to dealing with natural disasters for ECRA. She wants to adopt her foster daughter Ruby, now 11, and needs a less dangerous job. Rub also has a magical talent and ECRA doesn’t want to let them relocate. Evie and Ruby take the train to Iskendra. The caretaker job also includes caring for the villagers of Iskendra. Evie is like an apothecary with magical plants. The house, which is not an inn, is in bad shape, especially after some recent traveling. A helpful neighbor, hard work, and a little magic all help Evie and Ruby settle in, though Evie hasn’t yet bonded with Thornwood House. The house won’t let her into Amelia’s study, either. Some villagers, including one or two with magical talents, aren’t very welcoming, though others are.

Evie and Ruby bike around the town and walk through the Thornwood. Evie’s not much of a cook, but delicious meals are still enjoyed. There are secrets and wonders to be found, as well as great dangers. Ruby makes friends with two kids her age, as well as a neighbor’s dog.

There are many cozy fantasy novels currently available that are just middling in quality and rather forgettable. This book is in the top tier. While their stories are not very similar, Sarah Beth Durst is among several authors to write blurbs for this book. I haven’t read anything else by Jaleigh Johnson but look forward to reading more.

Brenda

The Vintage Shop by Libby Page

Have you ever gone into a vintage clothing store and found a fabulous dress or belt, or a blue sweater with wood buttons that reminds you of one your mom used to wear? No? Me, neither. But if we had, it would be just like Lou’s new shop on a cobblestone street in Frome, Somerset. Lou soon finds a connection in America, thanks to the yellow dress embroidered with flowers displayed in the shop window.

Donna, 60, has just found out she was adopted, and is looking for her birth mother. They both meet Maggy, who is rather lonely when not caring for her three grandchildren after school. This is a lovely story of love, loss, grief, friendship, and starting over. Sometimes starting over yet again, plus a little romance. There are tears, but also smiles. This book was published in Great Britain in 2023, and perhaps will be released in the U.S. in the near future, like her books This Made Me Think of You (which I really enjoyed) and The Lido (which I haven’t read). Little Bear kitty might be willing to lend out his copy.

Brenda