Category Archives: 1990s-

364R: Beach Read Where Woman Moves Back Home on Boat

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I’m looking for a book that I picked up in a B. Dalton in the mall in the late 90’s. Given the late 80’s/early vibe of the book I would say it was published in the 90’s. It was a novel, geared toward women, short and thick type. I guess now this type of book would be considered like a beach read or not serious writing (I don’t know the term) but I imagine it would be in the cozy reads section due to its lack of depth. The cover was beachy, with water and maybe a boat. From what I remember of reading the book there’s a girl who’s been out of her hometown doing her own thing and comes back to visit or move back and is arriving via the boat. There’s mention of a man or ex in town. She goes to a diner to eat or local restaurant and runs into friends. That’s all I can remember. I hope this helps enough to find it. 

364Q: Young Woman Who Stops River of Time (Solved!)

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I am hoping to find a Novel read about 5-6 years ago – thought authors name included “Beatrice” but maybe just “Bea”. thought title included “River” but possibly just an image not actual word River.

Definite ” River of Time” imagery in my head – do recall looking for other titles by the author then,  and finding none or very few.

Story is about a young woman/girl who eventually has a memory of herself in the past stopping time with grandfather whose estate she was (is?) to inherit and she was somehow foiled (by bad relatives ?)

Also a romance line involves a noble neighbor? Friend? Lover? Who is/was older who could not break some type of vow – who also travels into the future with her –  was her best friend maybe as a young woman on her family’s estate (England pre-regency)….does he show up as a cheesemonger in America (Vermont) and that is how they meet in the modern day?

O how I do hope I am not mixing up several storylines

I remember really loving this book – but it is lost to my brain – I would  give a LOT to locate again.

One further detail: The detail about the protagonist’s “time stopping” skill – not revealed until end of novel – an inherited skill from her grandfather as a child in England she finally remembers she can actually freeze time and thereby stop motion…. “Freeze frame” style…  so prevents a tragic death by going back to the second before a murder?  Something to that effect.

364N: Teddy Bear Party?

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A teddy bear goes into the forest at night and comes back home each night/morning with something different about him.  A missing button, mud on him (possibly a missing hat?).  There is a little boy as the teddy bear’s owner who notices these things askew.  (this is not a Fred Asche book).   Maybe the boy starts to go with the bear at the end, the boy might follow the bear into the woods after he notices that things are different about him.  
The cover had a teddy bear forward facing (wearing overalls I think) and the little boy (blonde?).  Most likely from the late 80’s early 90’s.  The book was light colored and had speckles and a frame like border about an inch or so inset from the outside edge.  

364L: Aliens interbreed with human woman (Solved!)

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I read this book some time between 1991 and 1994, it was a true story about a woman who had repeat alien abductions throughout her lifetime, at some point she mentions she had found an implant on her body from the aliens, she believed it was a tracker, and thought they used this with many people. One time that she was abducted they introduced her to several “children” of hers, they had removed ova / ovum from her on previous abductions and were creating a mixed breed, and they took her to meet her “children” with this alien being, and the alien “mother” who was taking care of the children was allowed to watch her interactions with her “children” so she could learn about emotions, because apparently they are not emotional creatures.

364I: Wizard with prism brings color to gray world 

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Description: Likely published in 80s to early 90s. Educational content about prismatic light and rainbow colors. Illustrated story book. I remember it being hard cover, but may have been published both ways.
World is grey and wizard/magician/sorcerer brings prism to introduce light and color to the people. Takes children characters (more than one) on the journey to discover the colors of the rainbow throughout the world which may be better defined as a kingdom. I think there was a king and a castle involved. 
I’ve located a similar book titled The Color Wizard by Barbara Brenner. It is very close to the story line, where there is a magical person painting the colors of the rainbow. In the book I’m searching for there are children and a prism is involved in the story. I don’t remember the magical one inhabiting the castle, but as a visitor. 
Thank you to anyone who is able to contribute to finding this!

363Y: Mystery about disappeared businessman found in a circus (Solved!)

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This is a mystery I read in the past several years, set in London, about a tall man who worked in the City, left for work, seen by a tradesman in the block by his house, never reached the end of the block. Years later, the ?main character, a younger man or maybe a detective, found him in a circus in Europe. The younger man may have been a relative. It turned out the tall man was very athletic and had bounded over a high brick wall around an estate in his block to live with a woman who collected snakes. They left for France and owned the circus, I think. I thought it might have been a Sayers or Allingham mystery, but the descriptions of each of their books doesn’t sound like it could have been.

363U: China Doll Buried in Earth Years Ago (Solved!)

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I am not sure where to start. First of all, I think it was one of those books where a little girl is sent to a relative for the summer. This book would be from the 1980’s at the earliest. Not sure on that. But during the time she is wherever she is – and it IS in the country – she finds out about a doll that’s been lost for a long time. It’s a china doll and I am pretty sure there’s a silver or pewter tea set. Again, not positive, but I think the doll was buried to protect her from something real or imaginary. Somewhere in the story there was a bunny salad bowl with a hole in one of the bunny legs. A map or directions of some kind were wadded up in that hole. I am nearly sure it was a Scholastic book.

I think it was something about the British coming and the little girl was worried about her doll. Then years later this little girl comes along and hears the story and tries to find the doll. It could be as much difference as 80+ years later. The mystery was solved a great many years after the doll was buried. Her cloth body was gone, it was just her china parts. And the bowl with the bunnies decorating it was important to the mystery. It might have been a bunny platter or big plate instead of bowl, but there was a hole in a rabbit’s leg and the map was wadded up in it.

There is no magic or otherworldly parts to this book. I THINK the little girl learns about the doll through either an old letter or a diary she reads. I THINK the doll doesn’t get found for a long time because the girl that buried her years ago moved.  I really wish I could remember more. Its a chapter book and was probably for tweens, so we are looking for a paperback. Although it could have come in a hardback. But its not a picture book.

363Q: St Patrick’s Day Nocturnal Mystery

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I hope that you can help me find a book that one of my former students is looking for! I taught her in 6th-8th grade in 2015-17 I believe. She messaged me on Instagram asking if I could help her figure out the title of a book she had borrowed from my bookshelf back then but I am coming up with no leads. Here is what she remembers: The main character is a girl who wakes up every morning at 3:17 am then goes back to sleep. (Not a time loop). She realizes at the end that it has to do with St. Patrick’s Day, between the time, and there are also St. Patrick’s Day treats and a party. My student thinks there is a paranormal mystery vibe and that the book ends on a cliffhanger. I’m going batty trying to figure this out.

363O: A picture book about a house with too many books

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I am searching for a picture book I really loved as a child, but neither my mother nor I remember the title. It was published, we think, around 1996 (it was given to me as a gift around then). It was about a house with so many books, they piled up to the ceiling, they used books as furniture, and so on. It is a little like the 1980s book TOO MANY BOOKS, but with a very different aesthetic. More pastel or oil painting style art, full color full page paintings, no white space. There were cats and, we think, two ladies (maybe librarians?) who live in the house. I remember being enchanted and a little creeped out, in terms of vibe. We think it was either 8×8″ or 8×10″. We hope you can find it, because we want to give it to a friend who is expecting a baby! 

363N: Girl Witch and the Ferris Wheel (Solved!)

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The book I am looking for must have been published before 1994 at the very latest, and I would think after 1975 although it could be earlier. It’s a children’s chapter book. The main character is a girl child with magic who is learning to be a witch: she lives in a cave with I think her grandmother/s and/or aunts who are old witches, and who are pretty grumpy and uncomfortable. She sneaks out one night and discovers a fairground nearby, and rides on the ferris wheel. (She might make a human friend, which isn’t allowed, and there might be a cat, but I’m not sure about those.) She decides to show her older female relatives that humans can have nice things, and I think she steals some of the ferris wheel cars and puts cushions and warming spells in them so her older female relatives will have nice warm places to sit? I think the cover was illustrated, but not super cartoon-y. I have googled and googled and found nothing.