Project Gutenberg

A curated list of older, copyright-free books and audiobooks. Click covers for details and links.

New to Dawnlight

The Twenty-Fourth of June: Midsummer’s Day by Grace S. Richmond

When a spoiled, rich, young man takes it upon himself to woo a woman unimpressed by his wealth, she gives him an ultimatum: If he can leave her alone for four months, she’ll give him a chance. During those four months the man discovers himself, and when midsummer comes, he hopes he has something to offer her.

Jill’s note: Grace Richmond wrote around the turn of the century, but her books are fresh and easy to read, and she is a master at characterization. She is my new favorite author. Give her a try.

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The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. 1920.

Agatha Christie’s first Hercule Poirot mystery was published in 1920. The retired Belgian detective Poirot and his friend Hastings find themselves faced with a murder among friends.

Wikipedia says “The story features many of the elements that have become icons of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, largely due to Christie’s influence. It is set in a large, isolated country manor. There are a half-dozen suspects, most of whom are hiding facts about themselves. The plot includes a number of red herrings and surprise twists.”

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Red Pepper Burns by Grace S. Richmond

This is a delightful tale about a burly country surgeon and the people who love him. From his next-door neighbors to the boy he adopts to the woman who captures his heart, everyone has to learn to deal with the driven, scattered, constantly-in-motion Red Burns.

Jill’s Note: This book is humorous as well as thoughtful, and Ms. Richmond again gives us deep, full characters. I especially love Red’s car, The Green Imp, and the relationship people had with those early cars.

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Romance/Women's Fiction

The Enchanted Barn by Grace Livingston Hill. 1918.

The Hollisters didn’t know what to do. Forced to abandon their home after the death of Professor Hollister, the problem was too much for their bright, ingenious minds.

As usual, Shirley thought of the solution–Shirley who was sweet, efficient, naive, and adorable all in one bundle. Soon the Hollisters found themselves in The Enchanted Barn, a ramshackle affair that Shirley had rented for a ridiculously low price, but which under the enthusiastic hands of the family became a veritable paradise.

Unlike the conventional, gruff, overbearing landlord, the Hollisters found young Sydney Graham quite likeable, and more than willing to help them in their schemes. In fact, Shirley found him so nice that… But we’re getting ahead our story.

Jill’s Note: This description comes from a clipping inside a very old copy of this book. Grace Livingston Hill is known for her charming, Christian romances. These were the romances I cut my teeth on, and this particular book simply makes me happy.

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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

True Confession: I have never read this book nor seen a movie adaptation. However, all of my female friends and the 70,700 people who downloaded it from Project Gutenberg in the past 30 days can’t be wrong.

Wikipedia says this about the book: Pride and Prejudice is the second novel by English author Jane Austen, published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist of the book, who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness.

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The Old Peabody Pew: A Christmas Romance of a Country Church by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Set in an old country church in New Hampshire in the early 1900s, this short book follows a group of busybody church women determined to spruce up their church pews before Christmas.

In the midst of this, one of them remembers an old love who used to sit in one of the pews. As Christmas approaches, it appears old love might become new love again.

Jill’s Note: This is a short, charming read with a lot of atmosphere.

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The Second Violin

A reader recommended author Grace Richmond to me, and I am in love. I’d never heard of her before, but her romances, filled with rich characters and interesting stories, have been keeping me busy lately.

The Second Violin follows the large Birch family through a series of ordeals as their children step into adulthood, focusing on the importance of family and friendship. Written in 1906. I suspect both readers of historical fiction and modern romance will enjoy this story.

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YA/Coming of Age

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Published in 1911, The Secret Garden tells the story of angry orphan Mary Lennox. After losing her parents to cholera, she finds herself in an old Yorkshire house owned by an uncle she doesn’t know.

Soon she meets Martha, a maid, Martha’s brother Dickens, who’s nearly Mary’s age, and her spoiled, sickly cousin Colin. Together they discover a locked, hidden garden.

Tending the garden is tanamount to tending the souls of these broken, lost young people, and the story follows their changes as they heal and mature.

Jill’s Note: This is one of my favorite stories. I stole some of the ideas for my fantasy book The Weeping Heir. I haven’t read it in ages, but the idea of a hidden, secret garden still makes me smile.

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The Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

Spunky, imaginative orphan Anne Shirley comes to live in a small Prince Edwards Island town, where her antics scandalize–and charm–everyone who meets her. The series follows Anne from around the age of twelve through stories of her children.

Jill’s note: I vividly remember reading this series with my mother. She read each first, and I would follow. So there’s some serious sentimentality here.

The series includes: (click each title to go its download page)

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of the Island

Anne’s House of Dreams

Rainbow Valley

Rilla of Ingleside

Two more Anne books aren’t here because they were published later and are still under copyright.

To snag audiobooks of all of these books and to see the full list of L.M. Montgomery books, CLICK HERE.

Fantasy/SciFi and Mystery

Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

You may be familiar with Peter Pan, which was first a play (1904) and then became a novel in 1911. It’s the story of a boy who doesn’t want to grow up and his world, Neverland, where he takes three siblings. Adventure, danger, pirates, and spiteful fairies await…

Jill’s note: I only recently read this, and the writing is witty and delightful. The narrator’s point of view and the running commentary on the minds of children and of us as we grow up and lose some of our wonder is profound, and yet the writing is simple and accessible and entertaining.

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Nonfiction

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

In this compilation of letters, 16th century French monk Brother Lawrence, who works in his monastery kitchen, tells a friend about his spiritual practices that lead him to remain in God’s presence on a daily, hourly basis.

Jill’s note: This book is short and simple and powerful. This is a favored Christian book of one of my sons.

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Published in 1928, this little book is written for children, using that delightful, thoughtful tone of children’s books at the time. Ms. Shaw walks through stories of the New Testament simply and yet with great insight.

I can find almost no history of this book or its author. However, if you want to sit with the Gospel stories like a child, written in a peaceful, calm voice, spend some time with this little book. Read it alone or with children or grandchildren.

This is not Ms. Shaw’s only book. I haven’t read the others, but they might be worth a look.

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2 Responses

bcs says:

September 8, 2024 at 6:45 am

The Robber’s Cave by A.L.O.E in the Gutenberg Project is an amazing book! It has very strong Christian topics, and growth in actually living our lives for God not just going through the day-to-day motions of life saying we Love God.
(Sorry if this is not the place to put book recommendations…)

Reply
1. admin says:
  
  September 15, 2024 at 7:14 pm
  
  This is a great place for recommendations. I love Project Gutenberg, but it can be hard to use with no descriptions and very few covers. Recommendations help us navigate it. I’ll have to check out this book. Thank you!
  
  Reply