Yesterday I mentioned that I need one or two books to focus on. Today I've decided one is going to be Joanna Cannan's Princes in the Land. It's a slim book to begin with and I've only a hundred pages or so left to read, which means I should easily finish it in the next few days. It's very much a domestic novel, similar in theme to Elizabeth Cambridge's Hostages to Fortune, which I enjoyed reading but apparently failed to write about, since I can't find a post about it anywhere. The idea is to finish the Cannan (which I do hope to write about), so I can make a fresh start for Paperback Reader's Persephone Reading Week Challenge beginning August 24.
Don't be alarmed by these photos, I'm not going to attempt to read them all. I'd like to read a novel and perhaps dip into a book of essays or short stories. If I'm going to celebrate a week of Persephones, it might be fun to have something shorter along with something longer on the go. Now it's just a matter of choosing. Princes in the Land is a lovely novel, but it's also somewhat bittersweet. It's a book that I can relate to in my own way, even though I don't have any children. So, I'm being a little cryptic here, but I'll write about it properly soon. I was thinking for my next Persephone I wouldn't mind something a little bit on the lighter side, though I'm not sure my choices really reflect that:
Saplings by Noel Streatfeild -- This novel follows a happy middle class family in prewar Britain through the destructive war years.
A House in the Country by Jocelyn Playfair -- Also set during the war years this sounds like a novel about ordinary country life--the life that soldiers were fighting to protect and defend.
The Village by Marghanita Laski -- This one takes place in postwar Britain and is the story of two lovers divided by class.
And for something shorter I have:
Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll -- These essays appeared in The Times in 1921-22. Nigella Lawson's blurb on the book reads, "An enchanting period piece and, in its own quirkily intelligent way, a culinary gem."
Good Evening, Mrs, Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes -- I've really enjoyed the books by Panter-Downes that I've read and wouldn't mind reading some of her short stories now. This contains twenty-one stories that appeared in the New Yorker between 1939 and 1944.
I've got a week to decide. Any insights into the books to make my choice easier?