Several years ago, while perusing the shelves in a Barnes and Noble bookstore, I happened upon a book by an author called "Miss Read". She is an English author, and the book, about a school teacher in the English countryside, immediately appealed to me. Taking it home, I read thru it quickly and fell in love - with the author's style and the complete sense of calm and pleasure I found whilst reading her books.
Dora Saint, aka Miss Read, wrote a series of novels, I discovered, from 1955 to 1996. They are centered around two fictional English villages, Fairacre and Thrush Green. The Fairacre series involves an unmarried schoolteacher, her school and a cast of characters attached to it. Thrush Green centers on a few families and life in a village. The characters in both series are diverse, the humour is gentle and the observations of the people and the changing countryside is both informative and enjoyable.
I made it my mission to purchase as many of her books as I could. My most recent count puts me at 37 sitting on a shelf in my bedroom. The last time I was in London with the Englishman, we went to Waterstones in Trafalgar Square (The English equivalent of Barnes and Noble) soon after our arrival. When we emerged from the store, having purchased two more coveted Miss Read novels, I said that if we were to leave then and there for home, I would still be content. I had found what I was looking for. And it was worth the entire trip just to have those books.
So if during these long winter months, you are in search of a novel or two to read and enjoy, while curled up in a chair with a cup of tea, I highly recommend Miss Read. If you are not looking to buy, there are usually copies available in most libraires. I know this because those copies would sustain me until I was able to track them down and purchase them for my own library. Like an old friend, I confess to having picked them up and read them again several times. Yes, I think they are that good! Let me know if you agree.
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