January 8, 2026, Seward Folly by Jessica Bamford for Dreamland Books and Yarn

After reading and loving “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans (recommended by Micheley in a previous column), I am once again inspired to get back into writing letters. I have decided it will be my New Year’s resolution to write one letter a week in 2026! Have I written one yet? Well, no… Not even thank-you letters for the lovely holiday gifts I received? Umm… no. But there’s no time like the present to get started!

Dear Readers,

I just have to tell you about a sweet little epistolary novel that I read as 2025 came to a close. It’s called “Love & Saffron” by Kim Fay. It was placed in my hands by my book bestie around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 (thanks, Jess!), and by the time I went to bed that evening, it was joining my list of finished reads. I gobbled it up in one sitting – with a break halfway through for leftover pumpkin pie (thanks, Lucy!).

This book opens in October 1962 with a letter from Los Angeles resident Joan to Imogen, the author of a monthly magazine column about life on Camano Island, Wash. In this piece of fan mail, Joan encloses a package of saffron and a recipe for mussels. Imogen replies with an impressively long thank-you letter and soon their ongoing correspondence becomes a lifeline for both women. Despite a large age difference, the two become fast friends. Imogen (along with her husband) is inspired by Joan’s adventurous appetite, and Joan finds nourishment through Imogen’s steady presence and encouragement. 

“Love & Saffron” packs a real emotional punch in less than 200 pages and has the added bonus of recipes at the back! 

Fay has also written a companion novel called “Kate & Frida,” and I ate that one up, too! Set in the 1990s, this sequel also features a life-changing correspondence between strangers who become pen pals – this time a Seattle bookseller/writer and a would-be war journalist doing her best to make a difference amidst the horrors of the conflict in Bosnia.

I hope you find a few hours to give these books a try. No need to write me back!

Happy Reading!

-Jessica