Five Fall Favorites
2026
The Blessings of Life
Day 2
Traditions
These are my picks for books that
best represent Traditions
This is the second book in the Heirs of Peverell and this one focuses on Princess Isabella and her attempts to matchmaker for her friends. But along the way Isabella loses her way in trying to be the perfect princess and uphold the standards that she feels a princess should present. Isabella and her childhood friends are known as the Castle Kids because they all grew up playing and visiting the castle. The Castle Kids have a tradition of one dinner a month just for them, one that Isabella started when the kids started drifting away as they grew up just to stay connected. And then there is a tea that she helps put on for the children in the children's hospital department.
But along the way Isabella makes mistakes and learns the value of admitting the truth and asking for forgiveness. But her journey isn't easy because when she makes a mistake, she needs to address it, to admit it to a kingdom not just a handful of people.
Traditions, faith, and links to the past are important in Peverell and that makes this book a perfect addition to today's theme of Traditions. And asking for forgiveness and accepting mercy? Yes, her grandfather had to do the same thing tears ago.
About the Book: Princess Isabella of Peverell couldn’t be more thrilled for her brother’s new romance. Nothing could make her happier, not even a perfectly baked dark chocolate cheesecake drizzled with fudge sauce and topped with strawberries cut into roses. With a few curls of toasted coconut tossed around for that extra flair. Because baking is all about the presentation.
But life? Life is all about the romance. You can’t force it. At least for oneself. For others? Absolutely. Why wouldn’t the rest of her friends want to be as blissfully happy as her brother? If she can take a few ingredients and turn them into the most beautiful high tea, surely she can find perfect matches for her friends. She’s the princess, after all, and what better legacy to leave as a royal than one of love and care for her people? If she just happens to find a man to love her along the way, even better. Only life doesn’t follow a recipe, and as decisions and their consequences start piling up around her, Isabella finds herself in over her head. And the one man who’s always been there for her just walked away.
For nearly one hundred years the lost queen of Lethersby's disappearance has been a mystery to not only her country but the world. For most of her life Ellie Sawyer has been intrigued by the story of Queen Alma, in fact her whole life is dedicated to solving this mystery. When she applies to become the resident scholar in an attempt to find an overlooked clue that will make her doctoral dissertation standout, she never foresaw that she would be given just weeks to conduct her research. Instead of a semester, Ellie is offered the weeks of the Christmas holidays to prove her theories about Alma's disappearance.
Traveling to Lethersby, a country rich in tradition, Ellie discovers that accessing the materials she needs will be much more complicated than she anticipated. When she happens upon Mark, a castle staff member who shares her passion about history, she discovers that he is a treasure trove of information about Lethersby, its traditions, and Queen Alma. But there is one secret he doesn't share, one that casts doubt upon her stay at the castle.
This is the first book of the In the Castle Library series which includes three books which feature the search for the truth about Lethersby's Lost Queen. Reading in order is a must! I recently enjoyed this book as an audiobook - the narration was excellent.
About the Book: Ellie Sawyer has always felt more comfortable with books than people, which explains why she's a PhD history student neck deep in research and trying to complete her doctoral dissertation in time to graduate. But the final books she needs are half a world away in the tiny European kingdom of Lethersby, and the only time she can access the secretive Royal Castle Library is during the Christmas holiday.
Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that has eluded Lethersby scholars for more than 100 hundred years by figuring out what happened to their long-lost queen, a young royal who disappeared shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. With the help of Mark, a handsome castle staff member who shares her love of history, she might be able to unravel the queen's story. But Mark is keeping his own secret from her, and what they discover together could change everything for Ellie—and the entire kingdom.
This book (and series) is one of my favorites, and for years it was my summer vacation kick-off read. Now I work, and summer vacation is a long-ago memory or dream. But I again revisited Emily Byrd Star this summer via audiobooks that I borrowed from my local library. And yes, I still have my paperback copies lovingly worn from years of reading. So not only is this book filled with family traditions, it has been an important part of my own.
Upon her father's death, Emily finds herself living with her late mother's family, the Murrays of New Moon. Here she learns a whole new way of living, many of which are steeped in the Murray tradition - candles to light the house, sanding the wood floors, aprons to school (which Emily finds ridiculous), and more.
This is the first book in a trilogy, and it follows Emily's journey from a young, grieving girl to a young woman with hopes, dreams, and disappointments. This series was my introduction to Lucy Maud Montgomery and remains one of my favorites by this author, along with her Pat of Silver Bush/Mistress Pat duology.
About the Book:
Emily Starr never knew what it was to be lonely—until her beloved father died. Now Emily's an orphan, and her mother's snobbish relatives are taking her to live with them at New Moon Farm. She's sure she won't be happy. Emily deals with stiff, stern Aunt Elizabeth and her malicious classmates by holding her head high and using her quick wit. Things begin to change when she makes friends: with Teddy, who does marvelous drawings; with Perry, who's sailed all over the world with his father yet has never been to school; and above all, with Ilse, a tomboy with a blazing temper. Amazingly, Emily finds New Moon beautiful and fascinating. With new friends and adventures, Emily might someday think of herself as Emily of New Moon.
Her husband is the toast of the town following the release of A Christmas Carol. But for Catherine she's lost the joy of the season, viewing it as a tedious obligation to entertain, to decorate their home, to pay more, the added workload. Where Charles sees another year of traditions to celebrate, she feels loss.
But this Christmas finds Catherine being visited by herself from Christmases past. Instead of ghosts showing her the deeds and hardness that has taken root like Scrooge, she is taken by her younger self into memories of past Christmases to rediscover the joys of the day and season in the little things. By the end of the party, she has found her heart rejoicing and celebrating along with her husband and children. She understands that the very things that she viewed as tedium are initially drew her to Charles, that the things that were done yearly were traditions of joy and family something beyond the extra work she had come to view it as.
I personally enjoyed this book in audio as I commuted to work. The narrator, Evelyn McCauley, did an excellent job bringing Catherine Dickens to life, eliciting this readers empathy as she confronted the sadness that had stolen her joy, her love.
About the book: Catherine Dickens, wife of Charles Dickens, experiences her own Christmas Eve transformation as she magically travels through her cherished memories to rediscover her lost love of Christmas.
By 1851, all of London has fallen in love with A Christmas Carol, heralding Charles Dickens as “the man who invented Christmas.” But for his wife, Catherine, Christmas is less of a reason for celebration and more of a burden. Between hosting lavish parties, decorating her home, and caring for her eight children—with one more on the way—she feels more like Scrooge than herself this year.
But everything changes after a chance encounter with a kitchen cook, who reminds her that Christmas can be a time of miracles and magic, if she is willing to open her heart.
Armed with a magical sprig of holly, Kate embarks on three transformative journeys into her past, hoping to reconnect with the love she once felt for the holiday—and with herself. But can these memories be enough to reignite her Christmas spirit? Or are such miraculous transformations only meant for the characters in her husband’s beloved tales?
t children home,
Inspired by real individuals, A Carol for Mrs. Dickens reminds us that the true spirit of the holiday lies in love, faith, and the joy of giving.
In this short story a family emergency involving an ill grandparent finds the Basset children home alone on Thanksgiving after their parents rush off to what could be a last moment with a loved one. Left to their own devices the children rally together to do their chores and to prepare the Thanksgiving feast. When their parents return home late in the day, it is with good news and another sleigh filled with family to celebrate the day.
Written in 1868, this story is beautiful and humorous way to capture the timeless spirit and traditions of Thanksgiving. With a few mishaps that may have a less than pleasing outcome on certain dishes, I love how the children work together to ensure that the Thanksgiving meal still happened. Add in that the delivered message was more dire than the actual situation made the evening meal one of celebration and thankfulness, even if some dishes were inedible.
This story can be read in a very short span of time and can become, if you so desire, a regular part of your own Fall or Thanksgiving traditions with a yearly reading.
About the Book: A heartwarming, homey tale of the Basset family, who were "poor in money, but rich in love."
Be sure to visit all of the
Team Mouse sites
Meagan @ Blooming With Books (you are here)
and the FFF hosts for daily freebies
Katja @ littleblossomforjesus.wordpress.com
and
Kate @ onceuponanordinary.wordpress.com
Be sure to enter the giveaway and visit all the sites daily for bonus entries when you comment.
Comments must be made under or signed off with the same name people use to enter the giveaway; otherwise bonus entries are null & void because they cannot be matched to a giveaway entry.
Giveaway runs September 21 to 26, 2026 (11:59 pm est)
The winners will be selected using a random name picker;
Katja and Kate will reach out by email to each after the party.
The prizes:
One international and one U.S. prize.
The U.S. prize is a copy of A Dream of Flight by Kate Willis (paperback for the continuous U.S. only) and either a $15 USD cash prize via PayPal or an Amazon gift card (winner’s choice).
The international prize is a copy of A Noble Comfort by Katja H. Labonté (paperback for a Canadian address, ebook otherwise) and a $15 USD cash prize via PayPal or an Amazon gift card (winner’s choice).
