1. I wrote a post back in 2011 about my Top 10 Literary Love Stories. I thought about updating it but I re-read it this morning and pretty much agreed with myself. I'm not sure I would add anything to the list. Is this because no love stories have swept me off my feet in the last two years? I'm not sure. It seems unlikely. But anyway, it takes a lot to make a story Top 10 Worthy.
Now for some Valentine related pins I've saved:
2. Massive round-up of Valentine related printables:
3. We've played this oh, so easy game at our church's children's program for Valentine's, but it would be fun at home too. (Tip: if it's too easy, have your kids make a stack using chopsticks to pick up the hearts instead of their hands):
4. You might need to make some red hot chocolate:
5. Or some Raspberry Punch:
6. Or a different pink punch:
7. A classic dessert for your kids on Valentine's:
8. Someone might want to decorate their chocolate boxes (once they finish the chocolates):
9.Another round-up of ways to show your children you love them:
10. And, just for fun, a love story that didn't make my list:
And - shh! - don't tell Philip, but I'm giving him this Valentine. We don't usually exchange gifts but I'm making an exception this year:
OK, not the most romantic thing you've ever seen, right? Well, he'll love it anyway.
This post is linked to Top 10 Tuesday at Many Little Blessings.
1. Favorite book from 2007: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I had never read this before and I absolutely fell head over heels in love with it. (P.S. 
is excellent as well. P.P.S. This is not about the American Civil War. It's set in England. Gaskell was a contemporary of Charles Dickens.)
2. Favorite book from 2008: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. I know. I can't believe I waited so long to read it, either.
3. Favorite book from 2009: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.Sure, there was a plot twist or two I could have done without. And I think you can tell the difference in the authors' styles. But overall, this is an excellent work of fiction. I own two copies. You never know when you'll need an extra, right? (The only other books I own multiple copies of: all the Jane Austen novels. Because, again, you can never have too many copies of those. What if someone borrows it and didn't give it back?!)
4. Favorite book from 2010: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. One of the best biographies ever written, if not the best. Truly amazing and inspiring.
5. Favorite book from 2011: The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers.I thoroughly enjoyed all the Peter Wimsey books written by Sayers but this might have been my favorite. But then there's 
and that might be my favorite too...
6. Favorite book from January 2012: Bright Young People: The Lost Generation of London's Jazz Age by D. J. Taylor. This was a hard choice because I finished a lot of great books in January. I'm choosing this one because it inspired a lot more reading, which I think is the mark of a great book.
7. Favorite book from February 2012: The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts. The best book on WW2 that I've read this year.
8. Favorite book from March 2012: The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr. Highly informative and thought-provoking.
9. Favorite book from May 2012: Witch Wood by John Buchan. Rather a tough slog at the beginning but well worth the effort. Completely engrossing. (And no, this is not about witches, as such. This is an excellent example of what Christian Fiction ought to be: compelling fiction written by a Christian.)
10. The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by G. K. Chesterton.The version I'm reading is from our library and is a hefty 993 pages. I have no idea if the one I linked to from Amazon contains all the same things but it ought to be close. Some of the stories are better than others and I don't think Father Brown is my favorite amateur sleuth ever, but Chesterton's skill and wit are undeniable.
1. Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice. I would be shocked if this didn't make every list.
2. Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe, Anne books. We know it all works out because L.M Montgomery continued to write about their family. But even if she hadn't, everyone knows this relationship worked.
5. Tristran and Yvaine, Stardust. And not just because the author tells us so.
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by D.E. Stevenson. Another Stevenson. I (having four daughters myself) thoroughly enjoyed this one. These Stevenson books were reissued in the '70's (complete with cheesy covers) but they're well worth looking for at your library or used book store.
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by Miss Read. More English village life.
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