I have so many favorite books I’ve read over the years. Those are the books where I still remember the characters or the ideas promoted in the book or perhaps a certain way it made me feel. I saw one of My Favorite Reads at a recent Library Sale.

September by Rosamunde Pilcher, St. Martin’s Press, 1990

Synopsis from the book jacket:

As the novel opens, “invitations are being written for a party in September. September is an extraordinary month in Scotland, when a brief but glorious summer is ending and the long, gray winter has yet to begin. It is a time of almost frenzied rounds of parties and house guests and reels. September is a month when marriage is proposed and marriages break up, when even normally reticent Scots, Londoners, and Americans drink a little too much, dance a little too late into the night, when promises are made, hearts are broken, and long-buried family secrets can come to light.”

Why it’s one of my favorites:

I first read this book back in the 1990′s and I still remember the characters, especially the main character, Violet Aird. Violet is still the same, steady as she goes. She’s coming up to her 70th birthday and she’s the matriarch of her family. She is not a powerhouse matriarch but a quiet, gentle person who worries about her family. She knows it’s best not to force them into doing what she thinks is best for them. She may be a quiet person but she is not silent. Violet likes to guide with little nudgings. Her family and friends tell her not to worry. But Violet says that all mothers worry about their families. Of course we do. I always thought that I’d like to be like Violet Aird when I got to that age. Well, now that I’m getting close to that age, I still want to be like her.

September is the kind of book a person should spend time with and savor. At 536 pages you can’t race through it anyway. It’s definitely a book to settle in with. And now is the perfect time to read this kind of story: the hectic Summer pace is over and it’s not yet time to start in with all the holiday planning. Just the right time to settle in for a good book that feels like visiting with old friends. Try visiting with Violet Aird and her family, friends and neighbors.

To read about more bloggers who are featuring My Favorite Reads, visit Alyce at At Home With Books.

]]> http://joyfullyretired.com/2009/09/10/september/feed/ 10