Comments for A Culture of Reading

Comment on The Betsy-Tacy Series by Marian Butkiewicz

Marian Butkiewicz — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:12:28 +0000

I also read and loved all the Betsy books as well as the books with her friends. I learned new words like aria and Oberamagau and in college read them again. I own two of the books. I lived on Loomis St. In Chicago and went to a store front library on Halsted St.

Comment on The Betsy-Tacy Series by Mary

Mary — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 23:36:20 +0000

I grew up in Mankato and was introduced to these books as a child by my mother. I love them still, many years later.

Comment on The Betsy-Tacy Series by Liz Kelly

Liz Kelly — Mon, 05 May 2025 19:34:57 +0000

In reply to Rebecca Ripperton. Available on kindle and not terribly expensive.

Comment on The Betsy-Tacy Series by Liz Kelly

Liz Kelly — Mon, 05 May 2025 19:31:57 +0000

In reply to Helen Gaye Brewster. I think 5 would be perfec.

Comment on The Betsy-Tacy Series by Liz Kelly

Liz Kelly — Mon, 05 May 2025 19:31:26 +0000

I’m a bit obsessed with them. I read the early books when I was young. I borrowed them from the public library on Loomis in Chicago. When I was a young adult, I happened upon one of the books when she is older. I was thrilled to find out there were more books and I went to Kroch’s and Brentano’s and ordered all of them. I’ve read them many times, and eventually got the e editions as well. They brought me much comfort during Covid. I’m reading them now to handle the stress of cancer treatment and an uncertainty about our current state. I’ve given my hard copies to my daughter who has two young girls. I hope they become lifelong lovers too!

Comment on The Betsy-Tacy Series by MJ

MJ — Thu, 01 May 2025 13:13:11 +0000

I was introduced to Betsy and Tracy as a 10 year old, just discovering the joy of reading. They were an amazing inttoduction to the world of fiction and set me on a life path of voracious reading which I shared with my daughter.

Comment on Writing Beyond the Essay by Open

Open — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:20:39 +0000

In reply to Trisha G.. Thanks, Trisha, for your kind comments! My daughter and I worked on this site together during a gap year between her undergraduate work and professional training. Enjoy the content available now! We don't expect to be adding any in the foreseeable future.

Comment on Writing Beyond the Essay by Trisha G.

Trisha G. — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 02:11:46 +0000

I love this. Thank you so much. I can’t find where to subscribe. I do love these suggestions.

Comment on Elizabeth Enright’s “The Melendy Family Quartet” by Momo

Momo — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 18:39:14 +0000

As young girls in an Asian city in the early 90s, my sister and I had a yellowed old copy of The Four-Story Mistake at home. We read it countless times, cover to cover, imagining all the delicious details of the Melendy kids’ lives in the countryside. I seem to remember they had picnics by the little brook near the house in the summer and would sit under the shade of a big tree, dipping their feet in the cool running water; something I could never otherwise experience as a child growing up in a large concrete jungle. Till today, it is my life’s biggest fantasy to be able to live such a beautiful idyllic life in the country, and my vacations from work are often spent trying to achieve that for just a week or two. Oh, how the book has shaped my biggest aspirations even so far into adulthood!

Comment on Elizabeth Enright’s “The Melendy Family Quartet” by Lucie

Lucie — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:52:52 +0000

I somehow missed the last book in the series, but was still reading and enjoying the previous four well into my twenties. I’m almost 64 now and haven’t looked at them for a good while, but have fond memories and still remember some of the kids’ adventures. “The Four-Story Mistake” was probably my favorite.