One of the things that stood out for me in this book was that it was easier for the women writing to the magazine to ask advice anonymously, rather than from a close friend, because of embarrassment, shame or not wanting to add to a friend’s burden, especially during the war when everyone had large troubles. It also shielded the inquirer from a negative in-person reaction to her situation, making her less vulnerable. I thought this was underlined by Bunty writing in herself near the end of the book. Emmy’s work to help other women helped bring about her own reconciliation to a dear friend. I loved this book club pick and will be reading the others in the series.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

That's a great point! So glad you enjoyed the book xxx

Miranda/Donna, I simply love the relationship you both have, and the respect for one another. It is totally admirable. Bless you both!

Hi Miranda, I love your Comfort Book Club and really enjoy hearing Donna’s input, in addition to your own. 👍👍. You two make a great team!

Miranda, I am SO thrilled that February's choice is The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, that I gasped so loudly that my husband panicked and thought something was wrong haha. Lost Art is SUCH a sparklingly beautiful and wonderful book, I first read it about 15 years ago and have read it at least once a year ever since. Anyone who hasn't read it before is in for such a treat in this coming month. I have been longing for it to be picked as a Comfort Read and I am SO HAPPY that it finally has! This has made my weekend!

@myriammourani3145

5 ай бұрын

I loved it, too, and couldn't put it down!

I also loved this book! My late grandfather was a fireman in London during the war and met my late grandmother through his work as she was a volunteer for the fire brigade like Emmie - I definitely think AJ Pearce did her homework as the book really does come across in the way that my grandparents described life at the time. I also thought it was so funny that she thought she was going for a job to be a lady war correspondent. I have now read book two and am looking forward to book three! x

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

How interesting your own family history connects to the book in that way! That’s fabulous ❤️

Hello Miranda & Donna, this was a reread for me and it was a pleasure to return to the world of Emmy Lake and Woman’s Friend magazine. I think that the author did a great job in creating a sense of place and time, particularly in the use of language of the time. I always enjoy novels about the Home Front and I’ve since reread Yours Cheerfully and am now enjoying Mrs Porter Calling. Thank you for choosing Dear Mrs Bird as your book club choice for January.

This was a lovely read especially with the humour. I have heard stories from a friend of mine who experienced the war as a young child - A J Pearce got it so right.

I so agree with Elly that the resourcefulness and fragility of women’s experiences are a beautiful aspect of the book. What a wonderful read. Thank you, Comfort Book Club. ❤

I loved reading Dear Mrs. Bird. Pierce did a wonderful job of making this time so real and personal. I could see and feel the effects of the bombs on the children and young people just trying to make a life normal in extraordinary circumstances. I felt that this was the point of the argument Emmy had with Bill and how truly important it was to save the child’s doll. So poignant.

Hi Miranda, I just wanted to thank you for this afternoon’s wonderful discussion. I especially enjoyed it because as a young girl on a Sunday afternoon I was usually either visiting my grandmothers or my elderly Victorian aunt. Their conversations tended to concentrate on the war years and were so well described, and I remember those happy times, yet as you were saying, tinged with sadness, loss and tragedy too. You helped me remember those times today, and how I miss those older generations. And I’m hopeful that despite everything nowadays, that somehow we can forge through and make friendships and acquaintances like the ones you mentioned. As I’m now in my fifties, it’s hard to realise I’m the age now that they were when I was a young girl, because I feel that they experienced so much, so fast and so demandingly that they were a different breed in a sense, yet hopefully we the later generations can take some if their wise ways and traditions into the future with us. Thanks again, and I hope you have a lovely week ahead. Maria

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

So happy to have brought back cherished memories for you!

I really enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird for so many reasons. One of my favorite laugh out loud moments was when the girl wrote in saying her boyfriend would look at other girls on the street and Mrs. Bird said if he doesn’t stop then to “Call the police!” 😅 Like the police have nothing better to do in wartime or at all. Not to mention there are no cellphones during the time so it would be a time later once she’s home to call the police. Mrs. Bird was a hoot. Looking forward to February’s read!

I enjoyed the book and this book discussion! I look forward to reading the others in the series.. i did laugh out loud and cry too.. such a great book, written so well. I felt I was there. Thank you so much for this Comfort Book Club.. You and your mom, Donna, are just wonderful! This brings me such happiness. 😊 📖

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it! ❤️

Thank you, Miranda and Donna, for a lovely discussion. For me, the real heroine of this book was Bunty: so honest and true, and oh so brave. Thank you, too, for recommending The Village and Nella Last's War. Carol

Thank you so much for having Dear Mrs Bird for the January Cosy Book Club! Loved it and so sorry when it ended, but I will definitely get the sequel. The resilience of Emmy and her friends and colleagues was so admirable and humbling. Thank you Miranda and Donna. 😊

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

So happy you enjoyed it, Penny! 😊

Thank you Miranda and Donna for The Comfort Book Club. It was fun to read Dear Mrs. Bird. The characters were all so interesting to follow. I have requested both of the other books in the series from our town library. My daughter and myself greatly enjoy all your hard work! Greetings from Southern Ontario, Canada.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you ❤️

Thank you for a thought-provoking discussion. I am fascinated by how deeply this book is loved: I found it quite difficult to even like. I'm going to re-read it now with the Comfort Book Club readers' and hosts' words to guide me.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind support, Christina! It is much appreciated. Perhaps this book just isn’t for you!

Thanks Miranda and Donna for choosing Dear Mrs. Bird for the Comfort Book Club chat. I first read this when you interviewed A.J. Pearce quite some time ago and eagerly waited for each of the two books that followed. I'm always excited when I get introduced to a new author who then becomes a favourite. I appreciate the research that went into the writing of this book which in turn enabled me to learn more about this time in London during the war from a personal perspective.

Thank you Miranda and Donna this was my first book club and so enjoyed the book and discussion. Will be ordering the next book too 😃

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Welcome! So glad you enjoyed both! ❤️

Even though we enter the story with the war already going on, there was an innocence that was really shaken to the core. That was the turning point from childhood to adulthood. Heartbreaking and beautiful.

Thank you for another good read. I'm in Alaska for the winter, and my sister and I have been enjoying all three of the Emmy Lake series. They've been fun to read and cry to while watching the snow pile up. Stay warm there and enjoy the snowdrops in bloom!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for your lovely support! I so appreciate it, and how nice both you and your sister read along 😊❤️

Enjoying this Vlog with Miranda and her mother, Donna. Explaining books. Enjoying hearing the voices of the readers, too.

Great discussion! All the voice message comments are fabulous too! I loved reading this book. It is written so well that the reader feels as if they are there with Emmy dodging the bombs on the way to the Cafe de Paris instead of reading about it. I'm happy to hear that Cheerfully Yours is as good ( such a let down when a sequel disappoints), as I'm about to start in on it. Thank you for this introduction to AJ Pearce. I will read the entire series.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your lovely support & comment, Faith! I appreciate both very much and am glad you enjoyed the book ❤️

Hi Miranda and Donna, thank you for your book suggestion and the discussion. I loved how well the author brought that time during the war in London to life. It was so frightening when the bombs were falling. Yet the funny passages of descriptions really make me laugh out loud. 'Mrs Bird looking determined in tweed' was one of them. A very talented writer.

Hello Miranda and Donna...❤. As always, I love hearing your discussion and thank you for this suggestion. I am going to read the rest in the series if I can get hold of them. I, too, love books with WW2 in the background. Have a splendid week, Miranda and Donna...😊

I’m reading Dear Mrs Bird at bedtime to my 16 year old daughter and she’s loving it! (We did the same with Enchanted April and Sense and Sensibility. It’s such a lovely throw-back to reading aloud when she was younger, and seems to give us a shared experience and vocabulary for conversations down the track. It’s been lovely :) Thanks, Miranda and Donna, for the inspiration and the discussion!!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Lovely to read of another mother-daughter pair enjoying books together!

I really love “Dear Mrs Bird” and the second book. Has not read the third because when I read it is over, no more books, but now I think it is time to read the third and last book between essay correction. I will correct three essays then read a chapter three essays etc. a good way to get through all correction with a good and positive main set. Thank you for the video Miranda and Donna, always a treat to watch.

You both look beautiful! Wonderful video, per usual and please tell mum she’s looking extra cute and happy today. What a doll!

Another soothing uplifting dose of book discussion 🧡❤💛 Also Love looking at the endless books lined up in the book shelves in the background! Perfect setting in my opinion xxx

A lovely discussion on a wonderful book. Rather poignant, as I remember my Grandmother and Great Aunts stories of their service during WW2. My Gran worked in munitions, a rather dangerous job, while my Great Aunt worked with the 'ack ack's , and we're a similar age to Emmy and Bunty. Beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you for this recommendation, I'm now enjoying the second in the series 'Yours Cheerfully '. X

Dear Mrs Bird was a great book, loved it. Mrs Bird was quite a character, wasn’t she? 😁 And throughout the whole book I asked myself: does Emmy ever sleep a normal night in her bed?! She always seems on the go, day and night. Love to read more of A.J. Pearce. And looking forward to the next comfortread. So thankful to be part of your CBC 📚 Greetings from the Netherlands 🤎

Thanks for another great video- I have read all 3 books and absolutely loved them - I really hope there will another- they are the sort of books that make you feel really involved in each of the characters lives - feeling each high and low - such easy reading xx

Dear Miranda & Donna, Such a wonderful discussion as always - it was a treat to read-read Dear Mrs Bird in January. The triumph of hope over difficulty is such a present theme in the book that it can’t help but carry you through the dreary 56 days of this month. I’ve used it as motivation to let out my inner Emmy whenever I’ve had the opportunity this January and it turns out paying it forward can be the antidote to January blues! X

Having read “Dear Mrs. Bird” and the sequel, “Yours Cheerfully,” I look forward to the third book in the series, “Mrs. Porter Calling.” Wonderful reads.

Dear Miranda and Donna. Thank you for this nice video. I have enjoyed this book very much and found it an interesting read. I have already ordered the sequels. Thank you for choosing it as a Comfort Bookclub Read. It was a true comfort indeed. Have a lovely week, you two❤

Dear Miranda, how lovely that I just got this notification, I am just going to get my earl grey tea and kick back - what a perfect Sunday afternoon! Have a great day and much love to you and your mum.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you! Hope you enjoy having a watch 🩷

@myriammourani3145

5 ай бұрын

I love my Earl Grey tea, too! :-)

Lovely to have your email arrive and know that your video was up and ready. I've just begun on a knitting project for the first time in about 20 years - inspired by your recommendation of 52 weeks of easy knits! I'm not using a pattern from the book though. Any way I thought I could do a few rows while I listened today as I knew I would have to be jotting down book titles as I usually do. I loved Dear Mrs Bird, it really was a fabulous read with several laugh out loud moments as well as the sad ones. A great story of friendship, courage and compassion with delightful and believable characters. I will be reading the others in the series once I've got through my current stack. Thanks to you and Donna, your hard work is always appreciated.

I'm so happy to see you two again❤. Sadly it's been totally impossible for me to read this one but I've loved the discussion❤❤❤. Thank you Miranda, Donna and the wonderful readers who have sent those lovely messages. I have begun to read "The lost art of keeping secrets" 😊 and I hope to be on time next month!!!! Thank you again, Miranda and Donna, for this marvellous place that comforts all of us ❤

Hi Miranda and Donna , Thank you for posting.

Hi Miranda and Donna-I absolutely loved reading all the books in this series and am looking forward to the next one. Thank you for bringing this book (and the series) to my attention. Hope you have a lovely week!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week too!

Hello Miranda and Donna - an interesting book discussion - I didn’t get to read the book. It is now on my TBR list. Thank you for this recommendation!

Cannot wait to read these books!

I just finished reading this series and so enjoyed it. I hope there will be more to come.

I loved this book, especially its characters and emphasis on friendship during such a harrowing time in history. I also read and enjoyed the second book, and the third is on my TBR. I am glad that you mentioned that the series will continue; I want to move the third book up my list so that I'll be ready when the fourth comes out! Thanks to both of you for choosing Dear Mrs. Bird.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it! I’m looking forward to whenever book 4 comes out!

Thank you, Miranda and Donna, for a great video! I love your Comfort Book Club recommendations, as I was never much of a reader in my youth (except Nancy Drew books), so I get to catch up on books that I should have read in the past, a well as new, amazing books! It sure beats wasting my time watching silly shows on TV....

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the CBC reads, thank you! ❤️

I can't believe I haven't found this book club before. You have been reading so many books I love. I'll definitely be joining in on future occasions. I'm going to have to re-read Mrs Bird now xx

Thank you Miranda and Donna for another insightful discussion. Several points discussed I did not necessarily see in the book. I enjoyed this book, but once again, I want to reread it to understand other opinions discussed prior to picking up the second book. I’m so happy that you started your book club and that I have been able to participate for so long. It’s definitely a highlight to each month.👏🏻

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you enjoyed the discussion and found it thought-provoking, Glenda! ❤️

This was a wonderful discussion as always 😊. Thank you for choosing this book and I can’t wait to read book 2, it was a fantastic read and Emmy is one of this special characters that will stay with me forever.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your really lovely support, Sophie! I appreciate it very much indeed, and I'm so glad you love Emmy too!! She's such a great character xxx

Thanks for the recommendation! This was a great book. I am so tried of people, like Mrs. Bird, with no empathy.

These videos seem soo lovely and cozy and all the discussions made by you and your mim offer so much insight as well as the comments here. I haven’t read the book yet, but I’m going to order it as well as February’s and a goal of mine this year is to tune in for the comfort book club. Thanks for another lovely video I am looking forward to diving into both books this week!- Kira

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy joining in for the next book 😊

I love this! I love this so much! I just purchased this book, and I'm reading it after The Camomile Lawn so I'm in the mood for this time period.

This was such a lovely reread for me. I found this reading especially poignant and was struck by how young Emmy and Bunty were and how they and those of their generation had to deal with so much and did so with such strength of character and resiliency. There were so many small and touching moments throughout the book that made me tear up - Emmy and Charles in the process of falling in love, the Czechoslovakian waiter giving Emmy "secret sugar" for her strong cup of tea, the bond among the men and women at the fire station, the warmth of Emmy's family and their inclusion of Bunty into their family group after the death of her parents. I am about to start a reread of #2 and #3 and am eager for the publication of the fourth book in the series. Have a great week Miranda and Donna! 💕

Thank you for making me start the year's reading with this five-stars book, the sequel is already seating on my TBR! 😅

Hi Donna and Miranda, I just ordered all three and am looking forward to a good read. I also ordered Homecoming based on your review. Thank you so much for the recommendations!

Absolutely ADORE your comfort videos. 💕💕💕💕💕💕. This one is really close to the top of my TBR pile! It made me want to hurry up and read it, and then get back to your video, but I couldn’t resist, alas… I had to hear what you two ladies had to say! Can’t wait to read it now.soon! Thanks a lot.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed our discussion! xxx

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for very kind support, Shirley! I really appreciate it ❤️

I absolutely LOVE A.J. Pearce's books! I have read all three and hope that she goes on to write other books! I very much enjoy your discussion and LOVING your library behind you!!

Thank you for a very interesting chat about 'Dear Mrs Bird'. I discovered this novel at the library. It's so lovely to stumble upon a book that immediately appeals to you, like discovering a surprise treasure 😊 I really enjoyed it and the two sequels, the characters, the setting, the humor, and life during the second world war.

Thank you for your interesting video which made me know a book about women during war. My mom was a baby during the second World War and she tells me about her mother 's life during these terrible days. She tells me about the balance between the sweetness of her child life and the moments of fear and horror. I will sure read this book. Love from Italy to you and your mum Donna!

This book was such a wonderful read- I loved it and look forward to reading the next two in the series. New to Comfort, although, I have been on your Utube for a while, - still have to learn how to comment needing some variety. You and Mom - are so enjoyable - I was happy that my friend on Cape Cod, Ma., was able to get it out of her local library - she loved it also. - See you next time, Ginny A-

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

So glad you enjoyed it! xxx

Also, The Long Way Home the new book by Lynn Austin is a great WWII book I just finished. Love your vlogs❤.

I want to buy this book like yesterday! It seems so enjoyable! I love a good world war 2 set book.

Thank you Miranda and Donna, I so agree that re-reading is such an interesting experience as you pick up so many new things to enjoy. This is such a wonderful read. ♥

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Teresa for your very kind support! I so appreciate it and am so pleased you enjoyed re-reading this one too ❤️📚🌷

I started watching this video the other day and liked the sound of this book very much so I've borrowed a copy from my library. I'm looking forward to reading it and will then watch the rest of your video after ❤️. I have just got back my love of reading after a couple of years not feeling motivated to read so thank you for your content which is giving me lots of recomendations X

This is on my tbr so I'll come back to this video later. But it's awesome to know you read it and liked it. I'm looking forward to reading it myself 😊

I did read this, thank you it was different to my normal read.

Thanks

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your lovely support! I really appreciate it ❤️

Just getting around to watching this. I love books set during this time period, so I am very much looking forward to reading this book. Speaking of cozy books set during WWII & knowing you enjoy children's literature, I wonder if you have ever read 'Goodnight, Mr Tom' by Michelle Magorian, which is a heartwarming story about an abused boy evacuated from London who comes to live with a lonely elderly man in the English countryside. It's absolutely wonderful and I'm sure you would love it.

@MirandaMills

4 ай бұрын

Yes, that one is a great favourite of mine too! Hope you enjoy Dear Mrs Bird as well ❤️📚

This is next on my list to read. Enjoy your channel very much. 🇨🇦📖

I loved this book and have purchased the sequels to read after I finish, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, the CBC’s next read. I have also shared it with friends who are enjoying the series as well. Thank you for recommending this book🥰

Thanks! great book! great series! Have a good week!❤

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your very kind support, Carol! I really appreciate it, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the book! xxx

I’m so glad you included links to the books you recommended in the vlog. Not sure I liked hearing my voice 😂 but it was lovely to see how many of us were captivated by this book.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for your fabulous message, Janet! ❤️

Well I am a Mrs.Burd so I should read it lol

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you very much for your fabulous support! I’m very grateful for it ❤️

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind support & lovely voice message, Myriam! ❤️

Thanks!

@Meadowviewcottage

5 ай бұрын

I enjoyed not only the book, but listening to all of your thoughts about it. Thank you so much for the joy that is The Comfort Book Club.

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

That’s very kind of you! Thank you so much for your fantastic support ❤️

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind support ❤️

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind support, Judith! I really appreciate it! ❤️

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your lovely support! It's so kind of you, and I really appreciate it ❤️

Thanks!

@MirandaMills

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind support! It's much appreciated ❤️