The Fairy Tale Girl by Susan Branch – Bee Readin'

The Fairy Tale Girl by Susan Branch

Do you all know who Susan Branch is?  I hope you do and I hope you love her artwork and books as much I do.

I just finished The Fairy Tale Girl by Susan Branch and I will tell you  the review is completely biased and here’s why….

Let’s just get it out there, I am huge Susan Branch fan!  For a very long time I have collected her cookbooks, her Day by Day spiral calendars that I use to journal, her scrapbook stickers, note cards and notepads.  The desk blotter calendar that she designs every year sits on my desk and every morning as I wander into my home office and sit at my desk, I read  and re-read the quotes, touch the colors and designs.  The calendar puts a huge smile on my face and brings me so much joy.  The 2017 desk calendar just arrived and sits safely tucked away just waiting for the New Year.  Her artwork and creativity is inspiring, fun, colorful and and each piece makes me happy and it will do the same for you.

If you aren’t familiar with her, please check our her website at http://www.susanbranch.com/.
Be sure to have the speakers on your computer turned up just a little for the cheerful sounds to brighten your day.

Let’s get to the book, The Fairy Tale Girl is a heartwarming piece of her beautiful, creative spirit that she has chosen to share with all of us. The book  gives us a window seat to her life.  So grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee if you must, curl up in your favorite chair and dive in to this charming story of Susan’s life. Her words are handwritten in her own handwriting, the pages are filled with her story, family photos and her artwork is scattered throughout, much like I imagine we would find in her journals and scrapbooks.

Susan’s writing makes you, the reader, feel as though it is just the two of you sitting in a cozy corner over tea served in dainty English tea cups having that best girlfriend conversation.

In The Fairy Tale Girl Susan tells of her growing up in a large family, the teenage shenanigans, love, heartbreak and finding the courage to start life over again when her path and future take a major detour.

Throughout the book there were giggles, tears and tidbits that brought back my own childhood memories. When she talked of her first diary, I could vividly remember what mine looked like.  We girls all remember our first diary, you know the one with the lock that we wrote our private thoughts in and protected with our life?

Being an April baby too and not far behind Susan, times were simpler, the world was a much friendlier place and kids were safe playing and riding bikes outside, dating was different and we all had to make our own entertainment.  Her world was much like ours, women were homemaker’s, who loved to cook, sew, craft and create and raise the children; college wasn’t a necessity.  But then when her life falls off the rails, she has to find her voice and put life back together again, one step at a time, or one giant airplane ride at a time.

The Fairy Tale Girl is a book written from her soul, journals, diaries and teaches all of us to have a voice, follow your heart and understand things happen in life that when you look back you might just see a different path was being created and you didn’t notice.

I admire her courage to relive the past and all of those memories, to put it all out there for us to read.  You will love holding the book in your hands, smelling its pages and feeling the paper as you turn each page to discover new treasures.

I encourage you to have her second book, Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams ready to go as you close the pages of The Fairy Tale Girl.  I wasn’t ready to say good-bye, but as I read the last page, I immediately opened the first page of Isle of Dreams and the journey continues……

Book Club Thoughts,

Afternoon tea and cakes in the garden

For all you book club girlfriends, pull out your cloth napkins, favorite dishes, tea cups, make some tea sandwiches or Susan’s Indian Pudding recipe from the book, and start chatting.  If your book discussion continues into the evening, find Diana’s Margarita recipe in the book, stir ’em up and keep talking.

Have fun!  I hope you all love the book as much as I did.  If you aren’t familiar with Susan Branch, may you discover her world and the joy she brings us girls.

Until next time,
Bee Readin’
Terri

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10 thoughts on “The Fairy Tale Girl by Susan Branch”

  1. I love Susan Branch and have been collecting her books since she first come on the literary scene. I didn’t know about all the “extra” goodies she has available. Thank you for her link. Off to get my credit card…

    1. Nanci,
      I love it all too. Have the note pads, desk calendar, books, cookbooks and the list goes on. Her art work and books put a smile on my face. Happy Shopping!!

  2. It’s wonderful to meet another Girlfriend and kindred spirit, Terri! ♥ Susan Branch has been such an inspiration in my life, home, garden and family traditions for the past thirty years. It feels like such an honor to read her memoir ~ a wonderful, heartwarming trilogy! I’m to happy to hear that you are enjoying Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams. It is my very favorite book of all! 🙂 Can’t wait to follow along (virtually) on Susan’s blog as she travels through England and Scotland for the next two months! I have shared many stories about Susan Branch on my blog. Stop by for a visit some time! ♡

    1. Dawn,
      Thank you so much for your comment. It is nice to meet you, another girlfriend through Susan Branch. I love her things and she has been such an inspiration to me too. I loved her memoir, I truly felt like a girlfriend sitting over a cup of tea and having a conversation with her. I am in the middle of Martha’s Vineyard, Isle of Dreams and loving it too. I will be following along virtually through England and Scotland and am looking forward to the picnic. Her blog showed some adorable napkins and I’m sure it will be a memorable event. I can’t wait to check out your blog.
      Thanks again. Terri

  3. Susan Branch…the name sounded familiar but I couldn’t place her until you said “scrapbook”. Yes, I have used her stickers and albums. The story sounds great, another to add to my list (which is growing quite large thanks to your recommendations). 🙂
    P.S. I too am an April baby.

    1. Janet, Another April birthday and scrapbooking, sounds like we have so much in common. If you love her artwork, you will love the book. She ties the artwork in with her life story and it is hard to put down. Enjoy! Hope to read another great hiking story soon. Have an awesome day!

      1. Terri, I FINALLY read this book. I scrolled through your website to find your review and I can’t believe it was in 2016 that you wrote it. Wow, time flies. I felt like it was just a few months. I adored this book. I could hardly put it down and didn’t want it to end. I’m a fan. Now I’ll read her other two (though it might take some time for me to get to them as well). Thank you for always recommending such interesting reads. Hope you’re doing well.

        1. Janet,

          I am thrilled you finally got to the book and read it. I’m even more thrilled that you loved it and are a fan. She is actually writing another book, not sure when it is due out. I love her books, her art and her creativity. Thank you for following along and it warms my heart that you are finding interesting books amongst my reads. I am doing really well, thanks. I hope all is well with you too. Any great hikes planned in the near future?

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