Thank you for that insightful and festive discussion of 'The Country Child'. As the year draws to an end, thank you for all the book recommendations, travel vlogs, food recipes and letters - I enjoyed them all. Merry Christmas to you Miranda and Donna and to all CBC readers. Best wishes, Jason
thank you so much for being such a fantastic supporter of the Comfort Book Club, Jason! It's been great to listen to your thoughts about the books. Merry Christmas and all the best for 2022! xxx
Hello Miranda and Donna you both look really pretty and I love the background, I’ve never read Alison Uttley before, so I got the kindle version along with the audio, I can’t escape Jilly Bond ( and don’t want too) she also narrated two of my favorite books by Rosemunde Pilcher… “The Country Child” was so relaxing too listen too( I stopped reading and just listen to the audio) … I went too sleep too it with my earbuds in my ear and my phone in my hand until it hit the floor…I would have loved to lived like Susan (even now as an adult) ❤️ 🥰🥰… Miranda and Donna and thank you so much for a beautiful year of reading, discussions, and no pun intended 😊 comfort 🥰❤️📚…Merry Christmas 🎄
I agree with you Kiki. I so wanted to live like Susan and would have loved that outdoor way of life. It really opened my eyes to what's around me particularly outdoors.
Like many others I had only known Alison Uttley from her Little Grey Rabbit books,so this was a wonderful discovery. I read so many bits out loud to my family that my youngest daughter , who is 11, asked me for her own copy and adored it so much. I did wonder if she would struggle with it, but no, occasionally she would ask what things meant and she was horrified at the notion of walking four miles through a dark forest to get to school. She actually brought up the Little House in the big woods herself , she described it as a kinder book than the Country Child which I thought was interesting and she found the parent /child relationship hard to understand. Susan’s parents seemed really hard and distant to my modern child, used to being the centre of our world and having her safety being considered constantly. It made us both think about the freedoms that Susan had compared to modern children . Thank you so much for this recommendation- it’s been a really hot topic of discussion in our house! Merry Christmas x
Thank you for introducing me to Alison Uttley. This was such a lovely read and had me reminiscing about my childhood and the special connection children have to the world around them. Each member of my family had it's own "special" tree in our Long Island, NY suburban backyard and I felt like each tree indeed had a distinct personality. I still have an affinity for maple trees and think fondly of my Dad whenever I see a dogwood in bloom. I loved the passage that Donna read and it brings back the special sparkle and wonderment of Christmas I experienced so strongly as a child. This was very festive and you both looked beautiful (as did your tree, mantle and mince pies)!! A heartfelt thank you for "The Comfort Book Club". It is just what the world needs now. I would also like to thank the other viewers and all who comment. I enjoy reading all of your thoughts and have been enriched by your insights in addition to feeling part of a community during these isolated times. Seasons Greetings to all and Best Wishes for a New Year of health, happiness and good books!! 🎄🎉❤📖
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Nancy! I loved hearing about your 'special' trees (I lived in Long Island for 5 years and know how many trees there are!!). Hope you have a wonderful festive period and enjoy a happy and healthy start to the New Year xxx
I’ve just come across your channel and am so happy! The Country Child is one of my most favourite books (I have the Peacock edition) and I have probably read it nearly every year since childhood! It truly is a comforting read. Like you, one of my favourite passages is when she waits outside the room for all the objects to rearrange themselves 😊 I also love the Christmas pages and the description of walking home from school through the dark woods! So excited to have come across fellow Uttley fans (I also love A Traveller in Time). Wising a merry Christmas to you both x
Heartwarming to see so many people appreciating this wonderful book, Miranda and Donna. I wish you both a cosy and happy Christmas up there in Yorkshire, and look forward to many more book discussions and recommendations on your channel in the new year!
This has been my favourite book since early childhood but I've never even met anyone who had heard of it before; it was so fascinating and lovely for me to hear you discussing it. I'd never thought how Uttley perhaps suffered a lack of more widespread popularity due to her gender - the comparison to Laurie Lee was SO interesting. I also love Cider with Rosie, but odd that that should be seen as an adult's book whereas The Country Child perhaps suffers from being called a children's book where it ought to be more widely read and cherished as a fascinating illustration of bygone customs and ways of life (not to mention admired for its incredible poetic prose!) It made me quite emotional to hear this book - so precious to me it feels like a part of my soul - being given the love and praise it deserves. Thank you
This has also been my favourite book from childhood (along with 'A Storyteller's Childhood ' by Patricia Lynch). I was probably about ten when I read 'The Country Child ', and loved it so much, partly I think because I so yearned to be English! (I'm Australian).
So glad to find another Uttley fan! And delighted you picked up on our Laurie Lee point; I do think her writing deserves to be much more recognised. Have you read the sequels to 'The Country Child'? xxx
Thank you, Miranda and Donna, for another wonderful book discussion. You two are the very vision of Christmas with your lovely outfits, mince pies and decorations....I'm very much wanting a mince pie now! This was the first Alison Uttley that I've read, though I'm familiar with her work. I must confess, I struggled at first with the style as I think I was expecting a children's book -- I quickly recovered my equilibrium though and was swept away by the beautiful, lyrical prose and the nostalgia of my own imaginative childhood that it awakened in me. I had no idea I wasn't the only one to see trees and inanimate objects as sentient beings! I studied children's literature years ago -- and came to understand that modern publishing has very different ideas of what's appropriate for children.....and that publishing of years ago expected child readers to be far more sophisticated in comprehension and vocabulary...which I think is not a bad thing at all. I know there are some books I read in my early years (I'm 50 years old) that I'm sure wouldn't be considered appropriate (in style and vocabulary) to what's published nowadays. I remember learning that there was even a scale of readability that publishers used and being horrified at how it sorely underestimated children and their reading skills. But that's a soapbox from which I shall quietly step down and away....;) I wish you both a magical and festive holiday season and look forward to more videos and books in the new year!!!
Thank you so much, Melanie! I so enjoyed reading your interesting comment, and I completely agree with you about how awful it is to dumb down children's literature. I could get too carried away on that topic too! Hope you have a lovely rest of December and a very Happy New Year! xxx
Hello Donna and Miranda! You have just inspired me into reading this title. I have just bought it! Thank you for the lovely book club and your recommendations that give me the opportunity to discover some hidden gems of English literature. All the best!
Another very interesting and insightful Book Club discussion- you are a great team! I agree that A Country Child is an underrated classic for children from 9 to 99 years old! I am fascinated that a realistic memoir of a spartan way of life can also reawaken the eternal child within us- the poet and the 'faery' spirit alive within Alison Uttley do the trick, especially in the Christmas scenes- speaking of which, I send you both all best wishes and thanks for all your work this year.
Thank you for introducing me to this delightful book, Miranda & Donna, and for the festive discussion which included really lovely insights from our fellow readers. My daughter and I read it together, a chapter each night. Donna, I was so interested to hear that The Country Child reminded you of the Little House in the Big Woods because we had the same thought. I must say I don't know how Susan Garland/Allison Uttley survived her childhood both emotionally and physically given the several near misses, and the child's fire and brimstone interpretation of religion. Certainly, it was a different time. Congratulations on reaching a well deserved one million views ( well, now a million plus with this video)!!! I can't wait for your 2022 content. Wishing you a very wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. "See" you in 2022.
Thank you so much, Faith! Remarkably, Alison Uttley went on to become the second woman in Britain to gain a degree in physics! She was such an intelligent and determined character. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! xxx
Today is my birthday too! :) I am spending it alone and this video doesn't make me feel lonely, I feel like I have really lovely and interesting birthday guest :) Thank you for another cosy video! :)
finally a book vlogger that I can relate to - I will have to go back to your previous videos. I so enjoy them and the close relationship you have with your Mum. It's like a warm hug watching you both
I ADORED this book! I had purchased the ebook for this read-along, but had to find a hardcover copy for my shelves. I had done the same with A Traveler in Time when you had recommended it in the past. I think that I especially loved this book because setting has always been my favorite device in my reading. I thought this sentence summed up the book: “There was little profit, but a blessed peace in this world high up, away from mithering, blustering folk.” (From chapter 20: The Harvest) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both and thank you for all the wonderful reading you have brought to my life!
I still have a few chapters to go, because December has been crazy and, as English is not my first language, I found the book not an easy read. I was about to give up after the two first chapters, but I am now happy to have been persistent. Thank you
What a joyful book discussion and a beautiful Christmassy feeling, thank you so much Miranda & Donna! Being introduced to Alison Uttley in a brand new way has been so special. I even found one of her books in a 2nd hand bookshop today. How lovely to think it's her birthday! May you have a very blessed Christmas & New Year, looking forward to seeing you then! 💗
What a propitious find, Jenneth! Thank you so much for your lovely contribution to this discussion video; I'm so happy you enjoyed the book. Merry Christmas! xxx
What a delightful book...I'm adding this to my reading list for 2022. It sounds like just my cup of tea! Thank you for all the wonderful recommendations, reading inspiration and cozy videos this year. Finding your channel this autumn has been such a fun treat and I look forward to your videos in the new year. Merry Christmas, Miranda and Donna! May your celebrations be fun, cozy and festive! Wishing peace and happiness from my Tennessee home to you both! ♥
Oh my! What a lovely birthday wish. I was so surprised😊😊Thank you so much Miranda and Donna for making me feel so special. My daughter and I do read your book club books and enjoy your videos and other creative projects together. We feel that mother-daughter connection with you two. We wish you both all the joys of Christmas🎄🎄♥️♥️
I adore this book! And I adore Alison Uttley. Just the wind down to Christmas that we all need. I live near Cromford in Derbyshire, where she was born. Highly recommend a visit to the area in better times. Particularly as it has the rather magnificent Scarthin Book Shop in the town...
Thank you for this lovely discussion. I was a huge fan of the Little Grey Rabbit books as a child but this was a first read for me which I had really looked forward to. It did not disappoint! Much as I have enjoyed the previous comfort book reads, this is my favourite. I absolutely loved it! I was reminded of living in the countryside again. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start again immediately and I aim to read it seasonally throughout the year in 2022. My paperback edition published by Jane Nissen Books has the Tunnicliffe illustrations in it, which I agree enhance the read. For me, this is not a children's book but one that defies genre and age. Uttley's use of language is exquisite and I will read A Traveller in Time and the follow up books too. Thank you for reuniting me with this author again! Happy Christmas and New Year to both of you, Miranda and Donna.
Thank you so much, Ruth! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book so much! What a lovely plan to read it throughout the seasons next. Wishing you all the best for a lovely Christmas and start to 2022 🎄❤️
Thank-you Miranda and Donna for a lovely discussion in a beautiful festive setting. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you both and all in the book club.
Thank you Miranda and Donna for an interesting discussion about a book I first read in my 30s - not as a child. I was therefore pleased really to hear that you both felt that it was not necessarily a book that would appeal to children, or at least not for those born this century. I loved hearing from your readers in far flung places, thanks to them for their contributions. Happy Christmas to you both.
Cheers Miranda and Donna! Thank you so much for your hard word and beautiful content. You have inspired me to discover several authors and I'm very grateful. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎄😘😘
Thank you once again Miranda and Dawn. A lovely book and an introduction for me to Alison Uttley. I particularly felt for Susan when she was late for school, and anticipating the cane.
Happy birthday to everyone celebrating today💕I’m still reading The Country Child and enjoying it very much. This is my first time reading her, I hadn’t heard of her before frankly, which is why I love your channel so much and this book club for all the wonderful writers I’m being introduced to. So far I would equate this to Little Women in that it’s perceived as a children’s book but is it? Perhaps earlier generations were more sophisticated readers at tender ages. I loved Susan and her friendships with nature, especially the trees. I never thought of it before but I think growing up I may have been a little like that myself. I didn’t recall having imaginary friends like so many children do but the connection with nature rang familiar to me. I saw earlier Miranda that your channel has just celebrated one million views! I am so thrilled for you and so glad that I found you. you and Donna have enriched our lives and I wish you both the happiest of holidays and I look forward to the new year. 💕💕
Thank you so much, Sandy! So interesting to read your thoughts on the book - Susan's affinity with nature is so special. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a wonderful start to 2022! xxx
I finished The Country Child just in the nick of time to count it as my last read of 2021. Thank you for such a special recommendation. I know that I will be returning to this book again and again. While I didn't grow up an only child or as isolated as Uttley, I did grow up in the countryside on a hobby farm. I would often play by myself in the fields, pastures, and woods, and saw so much of my own childhood leap off the pages! I was delighted to hear that Uttley wrote some companion novels to The Country Child. Hopefully I can track them down. Happy New Year, Miranda and Donna. Thank you again!
What a wonderful read and such a cosy-christmassy atmosphere you created ! Thank you so much for all your videos, letters and little journeys you shared with us throughout this year. I enjoyed it all ❣ Have yourselves a very, very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year🥂 🎄🍾. Can't wait to "see" you again 📚📚📚 All the best from Germany ( You both looked beautiful - especially Donna's new hair 🤗)
I enjoyed this discussion very much. I loved the December and Christmas chapters the best. Also the tree chapter. I could relate to Susan being alone so much of the time. I too grew up mostly alone, living next a 100 acre Woods. Trees of all kinds, with oaks and birch and crab apple. I named them all. If one came down in a storm I would mourn them as I would a friend. I visit them often in my dreams. Anyways, the book was lovely. I enjoyed the illustrations. And you two looked so pretty sitting in front the Christmas tree 🌲. So cozy. Seriously, please adopt me. 🤣 Are you in the market for a crazy old aunt?. 😉 Hope you two have a wonderful Christmas 🎄. And thank you again for all the magical books you've brought to my attention. 😘💕
Thank you! Lovely vlog. Merry Christmas Miranda & Donna. Can’t wait to see you both in 2022. Wishing many special blessings, so enjoy, stay safe! Greetings from Australia. 🎄🥳❤️🦘
Thank you so much both yet again. I would never have come across this book without you! I shall keep this always and definitely give it a reread in the future. Its really opened my eyes and given me fresh desire to 'see' life outside more and cherish it. Xx
This was my first time joining in on the comfort book club and I am so glad that I did. I have so enjoyed reading the The Country Child as well as being introduced to Alison Uttley and this video has truly enhanced my reading experience. I think I will try to get my mom to join in next month because I know she would love it. Thank you again for such a delightful December read and such a fun and festive discussion. Wishing you both a very happy holiday season!
well... and to borrow one of the author's book titles, readers really are travellers in time, aren't they? Thank you so much for the video and I am looking forward to reading this one! Merry Christmas!
I have so enjoyed your book club discussions. As a family we 3 sisters all read Little Grey Rabbit. I have ordered this title and look forward to reading it over the Christmas holidays. I wish you both peace and joy for Christmas, and all the very best for 2022. Thank you both.
Wishing you and your mother a wonderful festive season. I've especially enjoyed your Christmas themed videos. I know it must be a lot of work but they are appreciated as a lovely way to relax with a seasonal watch. My favourite Alison Uttley book is a Traveller in Time, an amazingly atmospheric historical novel.
Miranda and Donna, you both look so lovely and your decorations are so festive. :) I just want to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of love, joy, and blessings to you both and to all your viewers.
I have been loving all the coziness of your channel this season. My mom and I talk books a lot too! Thanks for putting together so many warm and inviting videos! Happy holidays from FL!
You both look so beautiful. I haven’t read this book yet so only watched the first few minutes. I’ll put in on the list and watch later. Have a happy Christmas
I have just discovered your channel in recent days, so I have been binge watching to get caught up. You have given some good ideas for my job as a librarian in charge of the adult programs. Thank you!
Merry Christmas to you, Miranda and Donna. Your videos are just delightful, especially at this time of year. I have that same orange edition of The Country Child, can't wait to sit down on Christmas Eve and start reading it 📚🎄
I enjoyed this one so much and it is one of the best books I have read this year. The description of everything and Susan as a character were wonderful, the country living and the stories remind me of the stories my Great Nan used to tell me (she also grew up on a farm in the country!) You and your mum look lovely in this video, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both :)
Thank you for this discussion. I had to finish the book and waited to watch it. Have you posted the book for January if you are continuing this in the new year? Wishing Donna and yourself a very Merry Christmas 🎄 and a safe, healthy and happy 2022! Thank you both for the heartwarming videos over the past year. 🥂
Yes, January, February & March titles were announced in last month’s video and on my IG page. Please see the Comfort Book Club link in the description box for the list. Enjoy the holidays 🎄
Thank you so much for presenting one of my absolute favourite authoresses. Alison is truly magical. There’s no other word. I especially love her books very few people know about. For “adults”. Her more autobiographical ones. My bookcase is filled with them. They are all about out of print now sadly. ❤
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Thank you for that insightful and festive discussion of 'The Country Child'. As the year draws to an end, thank you for all the book recommendations, travel vlogs, food recipes and letters - I enjoyed them all. Merry Christmas to you Miranda and Donna and to all CBC readers. Best wishes, Jason
thank you so much for being such a fantastic supporter of the Comfort Book Club, Jason! It's been great to listen to your thoughts about the books. Merry Christmas and all the best for 2022! xxx
You both are so nice and gentle ladies.
Merry Christmas!! Thank you for everything!!! God Bless!!
Hello Miranda and Donna you both look really pretty and I love the background, I’ve never read Alison Uttley before, so I got the kindle version along with the audio, I can’t escape Jilly Bond ( and don’t want too) she also narrated two of my favorite books by Rosemunde Pilcher… “The Country Child” was so relaxing too listen too( I stopped reading and just listen to the audio) … I went too sleep too it with my earbuds in my ear and my phone in my hand until it hit the floor…I would have loved to lived like Susan (even now as an adult) ❤️ 🥰🥰… Miranda and Donna and thank you so much for a beautiful year of reading, discussions, and no pun intended 😊 comfort 🥰❤️📚…Merry Christmas 🎄
Thank you so much for your lovely comment as always, Kiki! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book & hope you have a lovely Christmas ahead. 🎄📚😘
I agree with you Kiki. I so wanted to live like Susan and would have loved that outdoor way of life. It really opened my eyes to what's around me particularly outdoors.
Thank you both. A pleasure to watch and listen to and to evoke a certain Christmas joy.
Like many others I had only known Alison Uttley from her Little Grey Rabbit books,so this was a wonderful discovery. I read so many bits out loud to my family that my youngest daughter , who is 11, asked me for her own copy and adored it so much. I did wonder if she would struggle with it, but no, occasionally she would ask what things meant and she was horrified at the notion of walking four miles through a dark forest to get to school. She actually brought up the Little House in the big woods herself , she described it as a kinder book than the Country Child which I thought was interesting and she found the parent /child relationship hard to understand. Susan’s parents seemed really hard and distant to my modern child, used to being the centre of our world and having her safety being considered constantly. It made us both think about the freedoms that Susan had compared to modern children . Thank you so much for this recommendation- it’s been a really hot topic of discussion in our house! Merry Christmas x
So glad that you and your daughter enjoyed it so much! Merry Christmas! xxx
Thank you for introducing me to Alison Uttley. This was such a lovely read and had me reminiscing about my childhood and the special connection children have to the world around them. Each member of my family had it's own "special" tree in our Long Island, NY suburban backyard and I felt like each tree indeed had a distinct personality. I still have an affinity for maple trees and think fondly of my Dad whenever I see a dogwood in bloom. I loved the passage that Donna read and it brings back the special sparkle and wonderment of Christmas I experienced so strongly as a child.
This was very festive and you both looked beautiful (as did your tree, mantle and mince pies)!! A heartfelt thank you for "The Comfort Book Club". It is just what the world needs now. I would also like to thank the other viewers and all who comment. I enjoy reading all of your thoughts and have been enriched by your insights in addition to feeling part of a community during these isolated times. Seasons Greetings to all and Best Wishes for a New Year of health, happiness and good books!!
🎄🎉❤📖
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Nancy! I loved hearing about your 'special' trees (I lived in Long Island for 5 years and know how many trees there are!!). Hope you have a wonderful festive period and enjoy a happy and healthy start to the New Year xxx
I’ve just come across your channel and am so happy! The Country Child is one of my most favourite books (I have the Peacock edition) and I have probably read it nearly every year since childhood! It truly is a comforting read. Like you, one of my favourite passages is when she waits outside the room for all the objects to rearrange themselves 😊 I also love the Christmas pages and the description of walking home from school through the dark woods! So excited to have come across fellow Uttley fans (I also love A Traveller in Time). Wising a merry Christmas to you both x
Thank you very much! How lovely to find another Alison Uttley fan. Merry Christmas! xxx
Oh! Here you are...I've been anticipating. Thank you for this delight. xo lesley
Hope you enjoy watching! Xx
Heartwarming to see so many people appreciating this wonderful book, Miranda and Donna. I wish you both a cosy and happy Christmas up there in Yorkshire, and look forward to many more book discussions and recommendations on your channel in the new year!
Thank you very much! Merry Christmas! xxx
This has been my favourite book since early childhood but I've never even met anyone who had heard of it before; it was so fascinating and lovely for me to hear you discussing it. I'd never thought how Uttley perhaps suffered a lack of more widespread popularity due to her gender - the comparison to Laurie Lee was SO interesting. I also love Cider with Rosie, but odd that that should be seen as an adult's book whereas The Country Child perhaps suffers from being called a children's book where it ought to be more widely read and cherished as a fascinating illustration of bygone customs and ways of life (not to mention admired for its incredible poetic prose!)
It made me quite emotional to hear this book - so precious to me it feels like a part of my soul - being given the love and praise it deserves. Thank you
This has also been my favourite book from childhood (along with 'A Storyteller's Childhood ' by Patricia Lynch). I was probably about ten when I read 'The Country Child ', and loved it so much, partly I think because I so yearned to be English! (I'm Australian).
So glad to find another Uttley fan! And delighted you picked up on our Laurie Lee point; I do think her writing deserves to be much more recognised. Have you read the sequels to 'The Country Child'? xxx
Thank you, Miranda and Donna, for another wonderful book discussion. You two are the very vision of Christmas with your lovely outfits, mince pies and decorations....I'm very much wanting a mince pie now! This was the first Alison Uttley that I've read, though I'm familiar with her work. I must confess, I struggled at first with the style as I think I was expecting a children's book -- I quickly recovered my equilibrium though and was swept away by the beautiful, lyrical prose and the nostalgia of my own imaginative childhood that it awakened in me. I had no idea I wasn't the only one to see trees and inanimate objects as sentient beings!
I studied children's literature years ago -- and came to understand that modern publishing has very different ideas of what's appropriate for children.....and that publishing of years ago expected child readers to be far more sophisticated in comprehension and vocabulary...which I think is not a bad thing at all. I know there are some books I read in my early years (I'm 50 years old) that I'm sure wouldn't be considered appropriate (in style and vocabulary) to what's published nowadays. I remember learning that there was even a scale of readability that publishers used and being horrified at how it sorely underestimated children and their reading skills. But that's a soapbox from which I shall quietly step down and away....;)
I wish you both a magical and festive holiday season and look forward to more videos and books in the new year!!!
Thank you so much, Melanie! I so enjoyed reading your interesting comment, and I completely agree with you about how awful it is to dumb down children's literature. I could get too carried away on that topic too! Hope you have a lovely rest of December and a very Happy New Year! xxx
Hello Donna and Miranda! You have just inspired me into reading this title. I have just bought it! Thank you for the lovely book club and your recommendations that give me the opportunity to discover some hidden gems of English literature. All the best!
Wonderful! Hope you enjoy it xxx
Another very interesting and insightful Book Club discussion- you are a great team! I agree that A Country Child is an underrated classic for children from 9 to 99 years old! I am fascinated that a realistic memoir of a spartan way of life can also reawaken the eternal child within us- the poet and the 'faery' spirit alive within Alison Uttley do the trick, especially in the Christmas scenes- speaking of which, I send you both all best wishes and thanks for all your work this year.
Thanks so much, Fiona! So interesting to read your thoughts, and I so agree xxx
Thank you for introducing me to this delightful book, Miranda & Donna, and for the festive discussion which included really lovely insights from our fellow readers. My daughter and I read it together, a chapter each night. Donna, I was so interested to hear that The Country Child reminded you of the Little House in the Big Woods because we had the same thought. I must say I don't know how Susan Garland/Allison Uttley survived her childhood both emotionally and physically given the several near misses, and the child's fire and brimstone interpretation of religion. Certainly, it was a different time.
Congratulations on reaching a well deserved one million views ( well, now a million plus with this video)!!! I can't wait for your 2022 content.
Wishing you a very wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. "See" you in 2022.
Thank you so much, Faith! Remarkably, Alison Uttley went on to become the second woman in Britain to gain a degree in physics! She was such an intelligent and determined character. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! xxx
Yes, she more than survived, didn't she! Extraordinary woman.
I so adore you videos with your mum. It makes me miss my mom so much but the videos bring me comfort nonetheless 😍
Today is my birthday too! :) I am spending it alone and this video doesn't make me feel lonely, I feel like I have really lovely and interesting birthday guest :) Thank you for another cosy video! :)
I'm so glad! Happy birthday to you!! 🎂
@@MirandaMills Thank you! Happy holidays! :)
Happy birthday, dear. May you have a wonderful new birth year🎉🎉🎁🎁🎂🎂
Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday, Laura!! 🎂🎉
Happy December!! It has been such a joy to meet and follow you and Donna! Thank you for a wonderful year!!
finally a book vlogger that I can relate to - I will have to go back to your previous videos. I so enjoy them and the close relationship you have with your Mum. It's like a warm hug watching you both
I ADORED this book! I had purchased the ebook for this read-along, but had to find a hardcover copy for my shelves. I had done the same with A Traveler in Time when you had recommended it in the past. I think that I especially loved this book because setting has always been my favorite device in my reading.
I thought this sentence summed up the book: “There was little profit, but a blessed peace in this world high up, away from mithering, blustering folk.” (From chapter 20: The Harvest)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both and thank you for all the wonderful reading you have brought to my life!
So glad you enjoyed it, Laura! Thank you! I love that line from the book too - a real favourite. Merry Christmas 🎄😊📚❤️
I still have a few chapters to go, because December has been crazy and, as English is not my first language, I found the book not an easy read. I was about to give up after the two first chapters, but I am now happy to have been persistent. Thank you
Glad you persisted! The vocabulary is difficult even for native English speakers! xxx
What a joyful book discussion and a beautiful Christmassy feeling, thank you so much Miranda & Donna! Being introduced to Alison Uttley in a brand new way has been so special. I even found one of her books in a 2nd hand bookshop today. How lovely to think it's her birthday! May you have a very blessed Christmas & New Year, looking forward to seeing you then! 💗
What a propitious find, Jenneth! Thank you so much for your lovely contribution to this discussion video; I'm so happy you enjoyed the book. Merry Christmas! xxx
What a beautiful picture you ladies create! Happy Holidays to you both and to all in this community.
Thank you very much! xxx
What a delightful book...I'm adding this to my reading list for 2022. It sounds like just my cup of tea! Thank you for all the wonderful recommendations, reading inspiration and cozy videos this year. Finding your channel this autumn has been such a fun treat and I look forward to your videos in the new year. Merry Christmas, Miranda and Donna! May your celebrations be fun, cozy and festive! Wishing peace and happiness from my Tennessee home to you both! ♥
Oh my! What a lovely birthday wish. I was so surprised😊😊Thank you so much Miranda and Donna for making me feel so special. My daughter and I do read your book club books and enjoy your videos and other creative projects together. We feel that mother-daughter connection with you two. We wish you both all the joys of Christmas🎄🎄♥️♥️
Thank you so much for all your kind words and support, Shanne! I hope you're having a fabulous birthday weekend. Merry Christmas! xxx
I adore this book! And I adore Alison Uttley. Just the wind down to Christmas that we all need. I live near Cromford in Derbyshire, where she was born. Highly recommend a visit to the area in better times. Particularly as it has the rather magnificent Scarthin Book Shop in the town...
I would love to visit there one day!
Merry Christmas!
Thank you for this lovely discussion. I was a huge fan of the Little Grey Rabbit books as a child but this was a first read for me which I had really looked forward to. It did not disappoint! Much as I have enjoyed the previous comfort book reads, this is my favourite. I absolutely loved it! I was reminded of living in the countryside again. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to start again immediately and I aim to read it seasonally throughout the year in 2022. My paperback edition published by Jane Nissen Books has the Tunnicliffe illustrations in it, which I agree enhance the read. For me, this is not a children's book but one that defies genre and age. Uttley's use of language is exquisite and I will read A Traveller in Time and the follow up books too. Thank you for reuniting me with this author again!
Happy Christmas and New Year to both of you, Miranda and Donna.
Thank you so much, Ruth! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book so much! What a lovely plan to read it throughout the seasons next. Wishing you all the best for a lovely Christmas and start to 2022 🎄❤️
Like your new look Donna, very becoming! You both look and sound wonderful, listening to this vlog adds to the Season's cheer! 🎄✨🌟
Thank-you Miranda and Donna for a lovely discussion in a beautiful festive setting. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you both and all in the book club.
Thank you! Merry Christmas! xxx
Thank you Miranda and Donna for an interesting discussion about a book I first read in my 30s - not as a child. I was therefore pleased really to hear that you both felt that it was not necessarily a book that would appeal to children, or at least not for those born this century. I loved hearing from your readers in far flung places, thanks to them for their contributions. Happy Christmas to you both.
So glad you enjoyed the discussion, Joy! Merry Christmas! xxx
Cheers Miranda and Donna! Thank you so much for your hard word and beautiful content. You have inspired me to discover several authors and I'm very grateful. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎄😘😘
Thank you Teresa! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too 😘
Thank you once again Miranda and Dawn. A lovely book and an introduction for me to Alison Uttley. I particularly felt for Susan when she was late for school, and anticipating the cane.
So glad you enjoyed it Margaret!
Happy birthday to everyone celebrating today💕I’m still reading The Country Child and enjoying it very much. This is my first time reading her, I hadn’t heard of her before frankly, which is why I love your channel so much and this book club for all the wonderful writers I’m being introduced to. So far I would equate this to Little Women in that it’s perceived as a children’s book but is it? Perhaps earlier generations were more sophisticated readers at tender ages. I loved Susan and her friendships with nature, especially the trees. I never thought of it before but I think growing up I may have been a little like that myself. I didn’t recall having imaginary friends like so many children do but the connection with nature rang familiar to me. I saw earlier Miranda that your channel has just celebrated one million views! I am so thrilled for you and so glad that I found you. you and Donna have enriched our lives and I wish you both the happiest of holidays and I look forward to the new year. 💕💕
Thank you so much, Sandy! So interesting to read your thoughts on the book - Susan's affinity with nature is so special. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a wonderful start to 2022! xxx
A truly lovely post. Thank you for this festive look at Alison Uttley’s book.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you 😊
I finished The Country Child just in the nick of time to count it as my last read of 2021. Thank you for such a special recommendation. I know that I will be returning to this book again and again. While I didn't grow up an only child or as isolated as Uttley, I did grow up in the countryside on a hobby farm. I would often play by myself in the fields, pastures, and woods, and saw so much of my own childhood leap off the pages! I was delighted to hear that Uttley wrote some companion novels to The Country Child. Hopefully I can track them down. Happy New Year, Miranda and Donna. Thank you again!
Happy holidays to you both 💝
Happy holidays to you too!
What a wonderful read and such a cosy-christmassy atmosphere you created !
Thank you so much for all your videos, letters and little journeys you shared with us throughout this year.
I enjoyed it all ❣
Have yourselves a very, very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year🥂 🎄🍾.
Can't wait to "see" you again 📚📚📚
All the best from Germany
( You both looked beautiful - especially Donna's new hair 🤗)
Thank you very much! Merry Christmas! xxx
Thank you Miranda & Donna! Happy Christmas & prosperous 2022!
I enjoyed this discussion very much. I loved the December and Christmas chapters the best. Also the tree chapter. I could relate to Susan being alone so much of the time. I too grew up mostly alone, living next a 100 acre Woods. Trees of all kinds, with oaks and birch and crab apple. I named them all. If one came down in a storm I would mourn them as I would a friend. I visit them often in my dreams. Anyways, the book was lovely. I enjoyed the illustrations. And you two looked so pretty sitting in front the Christmas tree 🌲. So cozy. Seriously, please adopt me. 🤣 Are you in the market for a crazy old aunt?. 😉 Hope you two have a wonderful Christmas 🎄. And thank you again for all the magical books you've brought to my attention. 😘💕
So glad that this book spoke to you so much, Diane! Thank you so much for your kind words. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas 😊🎄❤️
Thank you! Lovely vlog.
Merry Christmas Miranda & Donna. Can’t wait to see you both in 2022. Wishing many special blessings, so enjoy, stay safe!
Greetings from Australia. 🎄🥳❤️🦘
Thank you so much both yet again. I would never have come across this book without you! I shall keep this always and definitely give it a reread in the future. Its really opened my eyes and given me fresh desire to 'see' life outside more and cherish it. Xx
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! I think it is a real treasure. Have a lovely rest of December!
I am so delighted to have discovered you lovely ladies this year. Have a wonderful Christmas and I am looking forward to more great content 2022.
Thank you! Merry Christmas!
This was my first time joining in on the comfort book club and I am so glad that I did. I have so enjoyed reading the The Country Child as well as being introduced to Alison Uttley and this video has truly enhanced my reading experience. I think I will try to get my mom to join in next month because I know she would love it. Thank you again for such a delightful December read and such a fun and festive discussion. Wishing you both a very happy holiday season!
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I'm so glad you joined in this month and enjoyed The Country Child! Happy Holidays! xxx
well... and to borrow one of the author's book titles, readers really are travellers in time, aren't they? Thank you so much for the video and I am looking forward to reading this one! Merry Christmas!
My wife and I just found your channel and we have promptly subscribed. We are looking forward to viewing your content. Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much! Merry Christmas ❤️🎄
I have so enjoyed your book club discussions. As a family we 3 sisters all read Little Grey Rabbit. I have ordered this title and look forward to reading it over the Christmas holidays. I wish you both peace and joy for Christmas, and all the very best for 2022. Thank you both.
Thank you so much, Clare! Hope you have lovely holidays too & enjoy reading The Country Child 😊🎄📚
So delightful, magical,
Charming and happy to watch. I love your videos!!! Thank you so much.
Wishing you and your mother a wonderful festive season. I've especially enjoyed your Christmas themed videos. I know it must be a lot of work but they are appreciated as a lovely way to relax with a seasonal watch. My favourite Alison Uttley book is a Traveller in Time, an amazingly atmospheric historical novel.
Thank you! Have a wonderful Christmas 🎄
Miranda and Donna, you both look so lovely and your decorations are so festive. :) I just want to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of love, joy, and blessings to you both and to all your viewers.
I have been loving all the coziness of your channel this season. My mom and I talk books a lot too! Thanks for putting together so many warm and inviting videos! Happy holidays from FL!
You both look so beautiful. I haven’t read this book yet so only watched the first few minutes. I’ll put in on the list and watch later. Have a happy Christmas
Thank you both and have a Happy Christmas 🎄 I’m really looking forward to watching you in 2022 xxxx
Thank you! Merry Christmas 🎄❤️
I have just discovered your channel in recent days, so I have been binge watching to get caught up. You have given some good ideas for my job as a librarian in charge of the adult programs. Thank you!
A lovely setting for your book club! And you both look so pretty! ❤️❤️📚📚
Merry Christmas to you, Miranda and Donna. Your videos are just delightful, especially at this time of year.
I have that same orange edition of The Country Child, can't wait to sit down on Christmas Eve and start reading it 📚🎄
Merry Christmas to you both and a very Happy New Year!
Thank you so much 🎄❤️
Absolutely The Country Child should be remarketed as an adult book on a par with Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Thanks for this post
I enjoyed this one so much and it is one of the best books I have read this year. The description of everything and Susan as a character were wonderful, the country living and the stories remind me of the stories my Great Nan used to tell me (she also grew up on a farm in the country!) You and your mum look lovely in this video, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you both :)
I'm so glad you loved the book so much; that's wonderful! Have a very Merry Christmas! xxx
Happy Christmas Donna and Miranda
Merry christmas to you💝
Excellent video ! 🙏🏼💯
Thank you for this discussion. I had to finish the book and waited to watch it. Have you posted the book for January if you are continuing this in the new year?
Wishing Donna and yourself a very Merry Christmas 🎄 and a safe, healthy and happy 2022! Thank you both for the heartwarming videos over the past year. 🥂
Yes, January, February & March titles were announced in last month’s video and on my IG page. Please see the Comfort Book Club link in the description box for the list. Enjoy the holidays 🎄
@@MirandaMills Thanks Miranda. Off to look for the link.
Thank you so much for presenting one of my absolute favourite authoresses. Alison is truly magical. There’s no other word. I especially love her books very few people know about. For “adults”. Her more autobiographical ones. My bookcase is filled with them. They are all about out of print now sadly.
❤