I have to work, I have to read, I chose to blog… and recently I haven’t had the time or motivation. However, I now have two blissful weeks off work which gives me more time to read and to write, so I’m breaking my silence.
In my recent reading, I’ve:
- discovered a new favourite author in Mary Wesley. I’ve now read three of her novels- The vacillations of Poppy Carew, Harnessing peacocks and An imaginative experience- and highly recommend each for their wit, wisdom and page-turning quality. I’m looking forward to reading more soon.
- read two wonderful short story collections, The Matisse stories by A.S Byatt and Unaccustomed Earth Jhumpha Lahiri which confirm both as masters of the form.
- been slightly disappointed by my first Persephone, Miss Pettigrew lives for a day. I enjoyed it as a frothy fairy tale but was disconcerted by some of the attitudes expressed re Italians and Jews. Obviously, it was published in 1938 and in this respect is a product of its time, and I read many books with dated, sexist, racist or otherwise disagreeable attitudes and still enjoy them despite this. I think it put me off so much here as I wasn’t expecting it in such a well reviewed and light-hearted story.
- and found inspiration in two books about books- the humorous and thoughtful Quiet, please: dispatches from a public librarian by Scott Douglas and the engaging and erudite My reading life: adventures in the world of books by Bob Carr.
I’m just about to start some Victorian ghost stories by Sheridan La Fanu, and then will be re-reading Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park before embarking on A Sentimental Education. I’m also looking forward to the annual sale at a favourite independent bookshop (Abbey’s) on the weekend, and will post pictures of whatever I buy.
Until then, happy reading!
15 Comments
19 June, 2008 at 5:25 pm
So pleased you are enjoying Mary Wesley. Two whole weeks of work – bliss indeed. Happy reading to you too!
19 June, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I also really enjoyed the Mary Wesleys and am interested in the other books you mention. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be a librarian and Carr sounds like the perfect book blogger (before there were such things). Enjoy the time off. Hope it is warmer there in Sydney than it is here in Cape Town.
19 June, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I’m fortunate to have quite a few of Mary Wesley’s novels yet to read. I will enjoy my time off, although unfortunately it’s raining and cold in Sydney at the moment.
20 June, 2008 at 2:27 am
It’s hard working and doing all the other necessary things that need to be done and still be able to read and blog. Have a nice two weeks off! I love Mary Wesley–she’s one of my favorites and I think I read most of her work some years back. I highly recommend The Camomile Lawn if you can get a copy (and the BBC adaptation of it was good, too). I should go back and reread her work! You may have read this already, but she didn’t start writing until she was much older, which I thought was cool.
21 June, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Hurray for re-reading Jane Austen!
A pity you didn’t like Miss Pettigrew much – I love it (I always take those unpalatable views as being of their time, and not something to hold the author personally too accountable for) but it’s not wholly representative of Persephone’s output.
22 June, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Enjoy your reading week(s) – it’s just great to have some time off to do just that, reading and blogging. Time passes so very quickly when you’re enjoying myself and my first week is almost up… I’ve always liked AS Byatt but haven’t read the short stories you mention, one for the list!
23 June, 2008 at 9:05 am
I loved The Matisse stories. Byatt really is one of the best. I’ve yet to read Jhumpa Lahiri’s new collection, but I’m really looking forward to it.
23 June, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I think I’ll have to read The Chamomile Lawn soon as Calypso has popped up in all the other novels I’ve yet read.
Re-reading Austen is so much fun I have to restrain myself from only re-reading each novel once a year!
I haven’t given up on Persephone- I’ve got The Making of a Marchioness in the TBR pile and I’d like to read the stories of Mollie Painter-Downs.
And yes, A.S Byatt is one of the best.
23 June, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I just recently snagged a copy of The Camomile Lawn from BookMooch, though goodness knows when I’ll get around to it. I keep picking up then putting down Mrs Pettigrew… in bookshops. I agree with Simon that unfortunate views are something of the time but at the end of the day I’m just not sure if I fancy the book or not.
Enjoy the JS Le Fanu stories! I absolutely love them.
25 June, 2008 at 7:04 am
I saw the movie Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day and then realized it was based on a novel. I have been thinking about reading the novel but the fact that I’ve known the story keeps me from leaving the library with it.
The two books on books sound very good, I’ll look for them and bring with me to the weekend getaway! I just started The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop.
25 June, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I’m looking forward to seeing the movie on DVD.
Of the two books about books, My Reading Life is the one I’d recommend first. I’ve read and enjoyed The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, so will be interested to read your thoughts.
27 June, 2008 at 3:05 am
I love Miss Pettigrew and as Simon says above, modern readers have to realise that such comments that we now find offensive were the norm then. In Making of a Marchioness, another persephone, there is an Indian Ayah and the English servants make remarks about her that are now considered racist. We just have to accept this. Agatha Christie is particularly prone to making anti Semitic remarks and her portrayal of all servant girls are that they are morons!
27 June, 2008 at 11:33 am
I don’t know that the comments were unarguably the norm in 1938, although obviously they were more common/acceptable than today. I do understand the dangers of reading things out of context but nevertheless, was put off by the racism in Miss Pettigrew. I’ve enjoyed all the books by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Agatha Christie that I’ve read, so maybe it was that I was less absorbed by the book and so had time to think about it.
4 July, 2008 at 5:31 am
I need to find the Byatt collection. I recently tried The Biographer’s Tale and just didn’t love it – have you read that one? Rereading Austen is a great idea for summer reading, I think I will join you on that one.
5 July, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I’ve read several collections of Byatt’s short stories- The Matisse stories, Elementals, The little black book of stories- and found them consistently good. I’d try them before her novels, of which I’ve only read Possession although I have The Game and The virgin in the garden in the TBR pile.
Re-reading old favourites is always a pleasure, and Austen’s novels are certainly in that category.