For several years, it was hard to keep Sassy in books. Like when they grow too fast to keep them dressed? Keeping Sassy in books proved to be a growing pain. She’d read through everything age-appropriate at home and the school only let her check out x amount of books at a time and we were buying her books and we don’t own a bookstore and she’d just devour them so quickly…and really, shouldn’t all parents have this complaint?
Anyway, that’s when we took Sassy to get her very own library card and bought her a Kindle and now we can go long spells without Sassy gasping and hand-waving over which books we neeeeeed to buy her or she’ll die. She’ll just die!
I recall the summer my mother took me to get my own library card. I must have been twelve. It was the summer I had read every book at home, every book at my grandmother’s house, all the books my parents bought me and their friends loaned me. I had read all the Agatha Christies, all of North and South, Gone With the Wind, Homecoming, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, The Flowers in the Attic series, some Dean Koontz, some Stephen King, and honestly that’s what I remember — those books stayed with me — but for this one obscure little series…
My grandmother must have bought them used, because they were well-worn paperbacks. I have absolutely no idea what they were, or who wrote them. Yes, I have Googled, thank you. My memory describes them to me as Southern turn of the century historical fiction. Each book focused on a young woman in a specific family whose surname I do not recall. Each book included a mystery and clean romance in the plot lines. The ghost matriarch of this family (Augusta? Agatha?) haunted each girl with the smell of violets. The smell of violets caused my eyes to roll after a few books, because it was predictable and annoying in that way that recurring clues often are after three or four books. Nonetheless, the books entertained me with their particular charm, and that nameless ghost remains my favorite.
If you know the books, lemme know.
Do you have books that haunt your memory like that?
Just Jot it January is brought to you by LindaGHill
joeyfullystated 
You’re right: All parents should have this problem. Great solution.
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Thank you. I do think it’s a nice tradition 🙂
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Happy for you that Sassy loves books 🙂 Good parent!! Yes, I do have books that haunt me. Sometimes I find them, and it’s such a wonderful feeling! I hope you find your violet-scented memories!
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Thanks 🙂
It’d be pretty neat to find them one day!
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Not sure about your mysterious books, Joey, but few years prior…I first fell in love with Nancy Drew mysteries. But oh, that first library card was special. I found solace and refuge from a turbulent household in those musky shelves. Great memories. 💕
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🙂
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The childrens story “The King of Cats” did that to me until I finally found out it was even a real thing a few months back (finding that out kind of blew my mind at the time..) It haunted me for YEARS. As long as I can recall.
I have since bought the hardcover version of the childrens book.
Funny thing is, no one in my family can figure out where or when I might have heard the story before.
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Interesting. I’ve never heard of it. I’m glad you found it! Imma look it up 🙂
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Here you go. 🙂 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_the_Cats
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Already saw 😛
It’s got its own series as well!
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I hadnt seen that..hmm. I may look into it some. 🙂
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Amazon 🙂
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Of my two boys the eldest was always too busy to read, but the youngest loved reading. I don’t remember when I got my library card. It seems as though I always had one. When I was young I was a very solitary fellow, somewhat of a nerd so I was a frequent visitor to our little library in Brightwood. I don’t think any one book or author haunted me but several of them effected me. Heinlein, Uris, Verne oh and of course Dumas for the Three Musketeers. So much better than TV.
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You were such a fantasy and adventure kid, huh? Moo’s like that, too. She likes to read action 🙂
Yeah, I had a library card as a kid in Franklin, when I lived with my father. Used to ride my bike to the library, how one does in a small town, but the city meant library by car, and being 12 meant I got my own grown-up card. Libraries are magnificent! 😀
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Well back in the 50’s and 60’s Brightwood had a little library with in walking distance or you could ride a bike. I didn’t discover the Central library until I was 13 or so then I also discovered bus routes.
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We didn’t have buses in the suburbs then. At least, not where I lived. I walked 75th street from past 37 to Shadeland to work. It was uphill both ways, too, cause bridge over 465. But I didn’t have to walk in the snow, so mine’s not a very good old-timey tale. 😛
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LOL Well mine wasn’t really an old-timey tale either. In the city at that time we had quite a few amenities with in walking distance,like variety stores and libraries. Now an old-timey tale would involve wild animals and marauding bands of bandits as well as a constant snow storm.
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LMAO! True!
But you know the old joke about “When I was your age, I had to walk to school in three feet of snow! Uphill, both ways!” That’s what I meant.
But thank you so much for the hysterical scene of bobcats and coyotes and explorers run amok in the snow — Truly LOL’ing!
I wish we had more walkways. And pedestrian bridges. And places to tie a dog for a few minutes! *sigh*
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I know I just had to embellish. When I was 16 we moved to the burbs and I was appalled that were no sidewalks. Can’t we at least get some sidewalks?
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Yes! *pumps fist*
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I can’t give you any help, but I can commiserate with you on having to buy a bookstore. But your right. it was a good problem to have.
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Two thirds of my kids are voracious readers. Then there is the youngest.
I can’t help with the name of the books, I can only remember reading the huge set of encyclopedias my parents bought. Chile and Brazil have held my interest ever since. I had a library card and for the fantasy side, Amelia Bedelia was my favorite.
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Oh how interesting! Chile always does sound captivating to me as well, even without encyclopedia reading!
The boy one was a good reader and avid for a time, Moo took a while to warm up, but she enjoys it now. (She’d still rather be active.) Sissy never did like to read, and doesn’t read for pleasure now. But Sassy’s like me, and my mother, and her mother, and well…you get it.
I think it’s nice people think I’m a good parent for having a good reader, but I don’t think it’s like that. I did all the same things, but they all came out different.
I hadn’t thought of Amelia Bedelia in a long time 😀
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They all have a different drummer.
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Let me run this by Miss Madison she was a bookworm at that age also. That’s great that Sassy is an avid reader. Good job mom!
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The smell of violets seemed vaguely familiar to me…I’ll keep thinking and ask my mother too…since she read a lot as a young girl. Good luck…I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you find your answer.
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Nifty, thanks 🙂
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The series sounds familiar. I ruined my eyes reading as a child and teen. I believe my favorite was The Scarlet Pimpernel!
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Hey bookie-pants, try “The Third Woman” – Jean-Anne De prè?
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Nope, but that does look like a good book 🙂 Did you read/enjoy it?
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WordPress blog “My love haunted heart” – gothic romance lover. It was featured there. I haven’t read it but the “smell of violets” rang a bell for me too.. I read everything! Every thing!! I can’t even remember not reading as a kid, and also read non-fiction voraciously. I’ll read the inside of a friggin toilet roll if I’m caught without a book… (it’s generally just the one word, so don’t bother) 😉
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I wonder if we read the same books! (Wouldn’t be surprising!)
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Prolly 🙂
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Sorry, don’t recall a book like you described. But, yes, there have been books I can swear I’ve read, and I can recall everything about them, even what the book looked like. And, now, when I want to find it again, there is no record of such a book anywhere.:( … (I’ll throw this out here just in case anyone has ever heard of it… it was called something like ‘the green room’ or ‘in the green room’ Fiction, can’t remember author. About a guy that died, and before he could enter heaven, he had to put in time in the ‘green room’ to get adjusted to the ways up there.) It was really good! haha… Well, good luck finding yours someday 🙂
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I Googled yours and had quite a laugh. I cannot find what you describe, but I did find a description on Goodreads about a book entitled The Green Room which told me it had been assembled BY HUMAN BEINGS, lol! And then I found In Heaven as on Earth, which sounds less fictional and more spiritual. If you ever find yours, let me know, as I think the premise is wonderful!
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Oh, that one does sound interesting…assembled by human beings!! glad they let us know it wasn’t by aliens or robots or something! If I Ever find it, I’m letting everyone know I wasn’t just making it up! I really did read it…it was a real book …haha!
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Gah there’s been a book driving me nuts for the past 10 years. We had a book of children’s tales at my grandmother’s house. One day it disappeared (my cousin stole it, but would never admit to it). Anyway, I can’t remember the name of the book to save my life, but it had some strange stories in there, like burying a giant under sand and him almost drowning when tide came in. Now that I’ve type that, maybe that’s not the best book to procure for my kids anyway.
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I think it is wonderful that Sassy shares your love of books Joey. I hope someone is able to help you out with knowing the name or the author of those books. 🙂
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It’s great that your daughter loves to read so much. I think I was eight when I got my first library card. At one point, I had read every single fiction book in my small local library… I think I was 15 at the time. Sorry you cannot find the names or author of those ghost story books. I have the same issue with a book I read as a young teenager. I’ve searched everywhere for it, but cannot remember the exact title. Definitely drives me insane thinking about it though.
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Pingback: Phun – Solving Mysteries/The Scent of Violets | MINDING MY P'S WITH Q
Posted this mystery on my blog today…asked my mother, she said she couldn’t think of what it might be…it still seems so familiar to me. I hope the mystery will be solved.
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I came here directed by Kathy( Timelesslady)- I can’t remember having read a book with violets in them. I hope you find your answer- as they say- Seek and you will find.
I love books too and think your encouraging Sassy to read and Sassy reading voraciously is such a wonder, in this time and age. Long may she keep her reading habits !
One book that is constantly haunting me is a book I borrowed from a public library, which now come to think of it, was perhaps a romantic book but at that time seemed to be a family drama but the one thing that struck me about that book( can’t remember the name) is that the main character called Randall called his first cousin, whose name was Sheila, “My dear sweet” and kissed her in the final chapter of the book. I remember this scene and would love to read this book again if I could find it.
Susie
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Thanks for coming by 🙂
I can’t remember having read your book, either. Perhaps one day we will have the pleasure of finding and rereading these books that haunt us!
I really hope Sassy remains a reader. Reading is truly a lifelong pleasure 🙂
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Joey, I might have found it…at least the timeline seems to be right for when it was written. I went to Goodreads and just typed “A Scent of Violets” in the search box. It came up with this…
Author: Ruth Fabian, title of the book is actually “A Scent of Violets.” I hope this is the book…perhaps Ms. Fabian wrote a series. I’m going back to check it out. Fingers crossed!!!
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Thanks for trying, but I’ve already found that one in my searches. It’s a series.
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Oh drat! I was sure I had found it. Boo-Hiss! I will keep thinking…and trying. 😀
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I’ve Googled for years. Don’t spend too much time on it 🙂
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Joey,
The mystery deepens, this lady wrote under several pen names…here is the link I found…
http://www.aileenarmitage.com/Books%20and%20Audio.htm
I don’t know if it is an old book or just a story set in the early 1900’s. Let me know if this helps your search. Kathy
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