The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

From the inside cover, "Edie is an only child of respectable if dull parents who, when she was growing up, did little to nurture her natural love of words or mystery. But now, a letter that should have been delivered fifty years earlier arrives for her mother and send Edie on a journey into the past. It takes her to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house in Kent, where the Blythe spinsters live and where, she discovers, her mother was billeted as a thirteen-year-old child during World War II. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn't been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941. Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother's past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst. The truth of what happened in "the distant hours" of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it. Morton pays homage to the classics of Gothic fiction, spinning an intricate web of mystery and suspense that will stay with the reader long after the last page."

This is Kate Morton's latest book which I picked up after having enjoyed her last book The Forgotten Garden. It is very much in the same vein as her previous The Forgotten Garden. It is a page turner and somewhat of a fun ghost story, with mostly likable characters. It only had one question I felt was unanswered. However be warned the ending will leave you surprised and feeling a bit melancholy.

Little Heathens By Mildred Armstrong Kalish

From the back cover, "'I tell of a time, a place, and a way of life long gone but still indelible in my memory. For many years I have had the urge to describe that treasure trove, lest it vanish forever. So, partly in response to the basic human instinct to share feelings and experiences, and partly for the sheer joy and excitement of it all, I report on my early life. It was quite a romp.'So begins Mildred Kalish's story of growing up on her grandparents' Iowas farm during the depths of the Great Depression. This, however, is not a tale of suffering but the story of a childhood that "built character, fed the intellect, and stirred the imagination."

I picked this book up quite by random when heading out on a trip with my husband. He was in conferences during the day and I had the opportunity to cuddle up in bed with this book--quite the luxury. It took me right to the Midwest where I was constantly amazed at the way of life for this family, which was so different than my own. I especially loved reading about the women of this family and what their daily chores entailed. The book contains a few pictures,and a few recipes and was listed a top 10 best books of 2007 by The New York Times Book Review. This book is not a page turn, but a steady read taking you to a different place.