Vacationing on Blossom Street

A while back I won Debbie Macomber's Summer on Blossom Street at my sweet friend Renee's blog. (Renee is now posting mainly at her new blog--A Path of Joy, you should visit her!) I've been wanting to read Debbie Macomber's stories since I heard about her and this seemed like a great introduction.

But in true Julie fashion, after realizing Summer on Blossom Street wasn't the first of the Blossom Street books, I had to see if I could find the start of the story. And I did!! The Shop on Blossom Street was available at my library branch and I grabbed that and put the other stories on hold. Somehow I didn't realize that they arrived out of order and after flying through the first (in a day and a half) I jumped into Back on Blossom Street, which is the third book. And in a couple more days I had finished Summer on Blossom Street.

Five days on Blossom Street (amidst travel and restarting school for the boys and just general life) was awesome!! As a relatively new and very obsessed knitter, I was charmed by Lydia Hoffman's store. I love that Debbie includes a knitting project in each of her books. I think I need to start listening to audiobooks, though, because the only problem I've found with knitting, besides storing my yarn stash, is that you cannot knit and read at the same time!!

Debbie Macomber's characters are varied and vulnerable, each in their own unique way. The common thread that connects them all is Lydia Hoffman--a young, two time cancer survivor, who recently lost her father. Lydia is stepping out in faith, believing that she will meet life head on and enjoy it the way her father would have approved of.

In The Shop on Blossom Street we meet Lydia's sister, Margaret in the first book, we also meet Alix Townsend, a tough young woman with community service hours to fill, Carol Girard who prays for a child, and wealthy Jacqueline Donovan who proves money doesn't buy happiness. These original characters remain friends with Lydia, some of them taking background roles, some remaining in the forefront of subsequent books. And in the following books of the series we continue to meet new knitters, all with stories that lead them to A Good Yarn, Lydia's shop.

No one is perfect at A Good Yarn, and they certainly have mixed and sometimes questionable backgrounds, and yet they all charm their way into my heart. God's redeeming love is evident on Blossom Street and that is why I will be returning to visit there often.

Thanks, Renee for getting me started on Blossom Street and Debbie Macomber. I can't wait to go back!