Five Fall Favourites Day 3 // Go-To Favourites!

Welcome to day 3, guys! We have some epic books lined up for you today!!!

Today we get to explore the barn! It’s going to be a sort of treasure hunt, since some of my favourite old books are scattered around here. Isn’t it such a picturesque old place? Old barns have so much history. Who knows what we’ll find inside? Are you all ready now? Get your cameras ready if you’re one of those picture bugs! Here we go!

It was very hard to pick what books to put here. My two top favourite books ever didn’t make it on this list, because they’re nonfiction. But I’m gonna give them a little shoutout. Basic Principles of Speech (1946 edition) by William Trufant Foster & Lew Sarrett, and Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout by Stewart Edward White.

Basic Principles is pure gold. I am rereading it right now and I can not get enough of it! So much great advice about talking, being a worthwhile person, making speeches, writing… it’s seriously amazing. This link leads to my review and this link leads to a free download of this goldmine!

Daniel Boone is my second favourite book ever. It is such a fantastic biography—so detailed, full of so many stories of the people and times around Daniel Boone’s life. I learned so much about Indians, pioneers, America, and the Revolution! It can’t recommend it high enough. Here’s the link to my review, and here’s the Amazon purchase link.

All that being said, I’d like to mention two other books that are my top favourites but that I didn’t put on this list because they are so popular. It’s the entire Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. If you haven’t read these yet, THEN PLEASE GO DO SO. You can get LW for free here and the Anne books for free here.

*coughs* Okay, on to the official list now.

(P.S. Click on the book title for a Goodreads link, and click on the book image for a link to a download of the book.)

Now here sitting on this stool is my top favourite novel ever (even more than LW and the Anne books). Allow me to present to you…

1. Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery.

British airman Dym Ingleford is convinced that the young German prisoner, Max Eckermann, is his brother Anthony who was kidnapped years before. Raised in the Nazi ideology, Tony has by chance tumbled into British hands. Dym has brought him back, at least temporarily, to the family he neither remembers nor will acknowledge as his own.

As Tony keeps attempting to escape, his stubborn anger is whittled away by the patient kindness he finds at the White Priory. Then, just as he is resigning himself to stay with this English family, a new chance suddenly opens for him to return home—to Germany!

If you thought you’d get away with me not mentioning it—think again. I fell in love with this book as soon as I started the sample and I could not rest until I read the whole thing. It is so absolutely amazing, full of beauty and truth and sweetness and real life. I can’t even describe it well enough. My review is here… and my friend Mary’s is here, and Sarah Brazytis’s is here. And if we don’t convince you to read this, no one will ever convince you of anything in your whole life.

Just read it, okay? Thank you. Okay, here’s our next favourite—

2. The What Katy Did Series by Susan Coolidge.

What Katy Did is an 1872 children’s book which follows the adventures of a twelve-year-old American girl, Katy Carr, and her family who live in the fictional lakeside Ohio town of Burnet in the 1860s.

Katy is a tall untidy tomboy, forever getting into scrapes but wishing to be beautiful and beloved. When a terrible accident makes her an invalid, will her illness teach her to be as good and kind as she has always wanted?

My second favourite series 😉 and all of it free on Gutenberg!

I love What Katy Did so, so much. I love how it takes a flawed character and traces her path to greater godliness. I relate a lot to Katy and honestly she is a model. I don’t love female characters, but Katy I love so much. I love all the other characters too, and the sibling relationships, and theme, and humour… it’s simply an amazing book! Full review here.

What Katy Did at School was delightful! It is so funny and light-hearted, but with good lessons. Clover is a dear, and Katy is such a sweet heart—and I love how she has grown and matured even more. The other girls are all fun new characters, too. An excellent sequel—and don’t let the ending fool you! Full review here.

Curly Locks is a fun, cute little story about education and children, found in the book Nine Little Goslings. 😉 Full review here.

What Katy Did Next is my favourite of the series. The descriptions of Europe are so well done, one feel as if one were traveling along with Katy. I was delighted with her bookish outlook and certainly felt a strong wish to travel to England myself. The descriptions of nature and the cities are lovely, those of the people very humourous. And the Lieutenant is wonderful. ❤ The whole book is simply delightful, and I love it. ^_^ Full review of this one and the next two coming soon ;P

The last books are even better than the first and second books, in my opinion! I love book 4, Clover, so much. Katy’s wedding was so sweet! I loved seeing Clover handle the whole trip & settling down in Colorado. It was lovely to see Clarence again, & Geoff is such a nice man. I loved the humour, the gorgeous scenery, seeing Rose Red… it was just such a sweet, lovely tale & the perfect continuation of the series!

In the High Valley is the last book—and it brought the series to an end perfectly. Each sister and her husband make the perfect pair (I love the relationship between Elsie and her husband so much). I also love how it gives us a glimpse of Phil’s marriage without doing the “this is how they all ended” wrap-up. I was disappointed in Imogen, because I expected to love her and didn’t, but Clover and Elsie were lovely and so were Geoff and Clarence. ❤ The author did a splendid job with making all her characters grow up.

And all these books are free, so click the cover image to find ’em.

All right, that was quite a book pile, actually! On to the next one, which is…

3. The Settlers in Canada by Captain Frederick Marryat.

The Settlers in Canada is a children’s novel written by Frederick Marryat, and published in 1844. The novel is set in the wilderness of Upper Canada in the 1790s. It describes the adventures of an immigrant family who settle near Lake Ontario, despite the threats from the native people and wild animals.

(That synopsis is no good)

Oh my, yes, I love this book! It’s such a nice mix of survival and excitement with calm and humorous family scenes, with such great characters! (Malachi, Alfred, Emma, Henry, John, the Strawberry, Martin… *nods*). It’s also perfectly clean! Here’s my more detailed review… also the link for this book leads to a free download 😉

Three books down (officially) and two more to go! Are you all ready? We’re going to climb into the hayloft now… ah, here we go!

4. Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.

For all of her nine years, fragile Elizabeth Ann has heard her Aunt Frances refer in whispers to her “horrid Putney cousins.” But when her aunt can no longer care for her, Elizabeth Ann must leave her sheltered life to live in the wilds of Vermont with those distant relatives.
In the beginning, Elizabeth Ann is shocked by country living—pets are allowed to sleep in the house and children are expected to do chores! But with country living comes independence and responsibility, and in time, Elizabeth Ann finds herself making friends and enjoying her new family.
Understood Betsy has delighted generations of young readers since it was first published by Henry Holt and Company in 1917.

Understood Betsy is for sure a go-to favourite of mine. It’s such a sweet, old-fashioned, delightful story! Perfectly peaceful and satisfying. This one is free on Gutenberg too, so click that cover image! And here’s the link to my review.

Here we are at the back of the hayloft, and here’s our last book—

5. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

In one of the best-loved classic tales for children, Sara Crewe is sent to England to attend Miss Minchin’s boarding school for girls. Her time there starts wonderfully as she is treated just like a princess. Unfortunately it is because Miss Minchin is hoping to gain a piece of Sara’s family fortune. 
But when Sara’s wealthy father dies and leaves her penniless, Miss Minchin makes Sara do the worst chores in the house. Still, as badly as Miss Minchin treats Sara, with a little help from her friends and her imagination, Sara is determined to find happiness no matter what. 

Oh, I love this book! It might have been the beginning of my love for orphan stories and attic stories and boardinghouse stories. Anyways, it has a ton of my favourite tropes in it. It’s such a dramatic yet sweet and heart-satisfying stories. Full review here… and click on the cover image to be lead to a free download.

All right, everyone! Let’s get back down the ladder and out of the barn. Be careful there—it’s a little shaky! Before you all run off, head back to the Literary Lodge to participate in the giveaway! It’s quite epic—open both Internationally and U.S. The prize is really awesome, all about books… of course! If we get enough entries, there’ll be a second place winner—and if we get more entries, there’ll be a third place winner!! So what are you waiting for? Hop on over! There’s also a Books room where you can get a free ebook, so be sure to check out the other blogs to find it!!

Adios, amigos! Until tomorrow! I hope this little tour was fun, and I’d love to hear what your go-to favourites are in the comments!