A Work in Progress

Lost in the Stacks: Pastoral

I always assumed Nevil Shute was an Australian author, probably due to my familiarity with his novel A Town Like Alice (which I should note is a novel I know a little about but have not yet read, but of course have somewhere in my own stack of books), as it is set in Australia.  Shute, however, was born in Britain and only after WWII emigrated to Australia.  My library has almost a shelf worth of books by him, and as they sit on the end of a range of shelves slightly above eye level I quite often find myself passing them on my way to grab something else.

Apparently his books were bestsellers in the 1950s and 60s, though it seems he's somewhat neglected these days.  Interestingly the Wikipedia (okay, I know the wikipedia is not the best resource but for a very general introduction there is usually some interesting tidbits to be had) Shute's most famous novel is On the Beach, which is an apocalyptic novel depicting the effects of an atom bomb in Australia.  It sounds very bleak indeed, so I opted for a novel called Pastoral.  The Times called it "one of the happiest books which war has called into being."  Pastoral is a love story set in an Oxfordshire airbase during WWII.  Much pleasanter, don't you think?

This particular edition was published in 1944 by William Morrow & Co.  I'd never seen this little symbol in a book before.  The little banner says "books are weapons in the war of ideas" and the blurb reads "This complete edition is produced in full compliance with the government's regulations for conserving paper and other essential materials".  So I guess William Morrow was doing their part for the war effort!  The story begins:

"Peter Marshall stirred in the broad light of day and work up slowly.  The pale sun of February streamed into his narrow room, a gold streak crossing the foot of his bed and lighting on the deal washstand.  He saw the sunlight through half-opened eyes, then closed them again to ease the dazzle.  He could not close his ears.  He heard, passing away above his head, the high scream of an ungeared engine in fine pitch, and automatically his mind said, 'Harvard'.  He listened, tense even in his torpor, till the note dropped as the unseen pilot changed to course and throttled back a little; then he relaxed and pressed his head more deeply in the pillow."

I've been in the mood for a book with an Australian setting (was just this week contemplating reading another Phyrne Fisher msytery), so perhaps I'll bring home another book by Nevil Shute soon (or dig out my copy of A Town Like Alice).  Have you read Shute?  Or do you have a favorite book set in Australia?

New Arrivals Chez a Work in Progress

It's been a while since I've shared any new books with you and they've been accumulating all month long and then some, so before I find homes for them on shelves and in piles, I thought I'd show you my recent finds.

Last fall Caroline wrote about Daniel Gattauer's Love Virtually, so it caught my eye when I came across it at the supermarket (of all places!) last weekend.  I love epistolary novels, so this should be fun.  It's very modern, however, as the communication/love affair takes place via email. 

I'm always up for a good thriller.  Last year I read another book by Carolyn Hougan.  It felt a little dated, but that didn't stop me from zipping through it--a perfect book for the gym, and I am hoping this will be the same.  Shooting in the Dark is also set in the early 1980s, but this time with an Amsterdam setting.

I've heard lots of good things, in particular Dorothy's post earlier this year, about Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, and now that she's won the Pulitzer Prize for it, I broke down and bought a copy.  Although I've read Egan before, I'm not sure this particular sort of story would have tempted me, but it's good to read outside your comfort zone now and again--particularly a book that's received so many accolades. 

Litlove called Ross Macdonald's work "seriously classy crime", which is more than enough to tempt me.  I had him in mind for some time, but now I have his first two Lew Archer books to read (sometime soon I hope)--The Moving Target and The Drowning Pool, which both have Southern California settings.

I still haven't gotten the right motivation (inspiration really) to write about W. Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil, but that didn't stop me from ordering Mrs Craddock.  "In this penetrating study of an unequal marriage, Maugham explores the nature of love and happiness and finds that the two rarely coincide."  Did I already tell you I want to read All of Maugham's work now?  I rank him way up there on my list of favorites alongside Wilkie Collins, Sarah Waters and E.M. Forster (to name but a few).

Rachel introduced me to Mrs Parkington (which I still have checked out from my library...), but as some of his books are still in print, and one happens to be his Pulitzer Prize winning Early Autumn, I thought it deserved a place in my collection.  It was published in 1926.  "Sabine Callendar had fled from the stifling propriety of Durham, New England twenty years ago.  With a failed marriage behind her and an eighteen year old daughter to present to society, everyone is surprised to find that Sabine has returned, not as the pitiable and broken creature they expected, but as a strong and assured individual with an uncanny ability to se through the postures and pretenses of the society that oppressed her as a girl.  With her bold independence and forthright nature, Sabine challenges the social order and becomes a catalyst for changes in the lives of the people around her."

The next three books are upcoming reads in Caroline's Literature and War Readalong: The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli about the fall of Saigon during the Vietnam War, Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi (which I really probably should have read before now), and The Sea and Poison by Shusaku Endo about the "problem of individual responsibility in wartime". 

And last but not least I am really looking forward to Linda Gordon's biography of Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits.  It's won lots of praise and a prize or two, and is about a fascinating woman and time period.

These should keep me busy for a while, right?  And for once a little good news...My furnace is fixed and thankfully it ended up being a simple solution.  The first repair which was replacing a part was not installed properly and broke a second time (within 24 hours of the installation).  The second serviceman didn't spot it, but a second opinion from a second company (third! visit) set things back to rights again!  I'm a little unhappy that the first job was rather shoddy, but I am just thankful I do not have to scrape up enough money for a new furnace.  I was thinking that this would likely be the last new pile of books I would be seeing anytime soon.  Still, I should now concentrate on paying off (once and for all) that dreaded credit card.  So other than a little splurge now and again, this might be the last big pile of new books from me for a while!

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

Although more years have passed than I care to think about, I am very fortunate to be able to say I once visited London.  My London, however, was not the same as Helene Hanff's, which she wrote about in The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street.  Reading such a delightful book makes me want to travel to London and rediscover it all over again.  (Actually I've wanted to do so long before reading the book, but it just throws it all into high relief how much I'd love to go back).

A devoted Anglophile, Hanff wasn't able to get to London before Frank Doel of Marks & Co. died unexpectedly.  She corresponded with him for some twenty years and published their letters as a sort of tribute, in 84, Charing Cross Road, which I wrote about here.  Although Hanff had been writing for years, it was 84, Charing Cross Road, which caused not only her first real success but she became something of a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic.  It was thanks to the book that she was finally able to afford to travel to London in 1971, just a few short days after 84, Charing Cross Road was published in England.  Although she had just had unexpected surgery and was still recovering, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit the place she had dreamed of seeing for so long.

Hanff's London was different than mine for a variety of reasons, but one that I am envious of is that a small royalty check of £50 or a gift from a relative of $100 meant she could spend not just an extra day, but days or even a couple of weeks.  I can't imagine that would even cover a night's stay in a hotel these days.  Granted that amount of money was a lot in the 70s and even with it Hanff was on a strict budget and willingly allowed her friends and acquaintances take her out for meals so she could stretch her stay out just a little longer.  She was to be met by Frank's wife Nora and his daughter Sheila at the airport and an enthusiastic fan/reader of her book who also happened to work at the London Airport and could see her through customs and immigration.  Along with her British publisher and the names of a few friends of friends she was set to be feted and entertained and met a fair few more people while she was there. 

It was suggested she keep a diary during her stay, which is how she tells her story in The Duchess of Bloomsbury--an entry for each day of her stay.   She notes the things she didn't bring with her that a BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) booklet lists as necessities for a London trip: 3 washable dresses, 2 vests, 2 pair gloves, small (hat)s, twin set, wool stole, evening dress, evening bag, evening shoes, girdle.  "I'd brought three pantsuits, two skirts, several sweaters and blouses, a white blazer and one dress.  The dress was silk, chic and expensive, it had a matching coat and was intended to cover large evenings".  I'm glad she jettisoned the girdle, but the pants actually caused consternation from a British gentleman who "loathed women in trousers".  Said gentleman actually turned out to be quite a find and he and Hanff got on quite well together.  It's handy to know someone with a letter of introduction from King George VI allowing entrance to Marlborough House.  Unfortunately even the King is barred entrance on cleaning days!  Hanff was able to visit places in London and in the close countryside guided by her British friends such as Windsor and Eton. 

"If you're born in the U.S. with a yearning love of classical scholarship and no college education, you are awed by a school in which for centuries boys have learned to read and write Greek and Latin fluently by the time they're in their teens.  PB (Pat Buckley) took me into the original classroom, five hundred years old, and made me sit at one of the desks.  They're dark, heavy oak, thickly covered with boys' initials scratched into the wood with pocket knives.  Five hundred years' worth of boys'  initials is something to see."

She visited a pub called The George, which was enjoyed by the Bard himself, saw plays, was interviewed on BBC radio, ate at Claridge's, saw the expected London sights like Buckingham Palace, The Tower and St. Paul's and of course went to a now empty 84, Charing Cross Road.

What is the saying--we are two countries divided by a common language (G.B. Shaw).  Differences in the way we speak have certainly not changed at all, and the cultural differences she notes are interesting as well.

"People here ask you for 'a light' only if you're smoking and they can light their cigarette from yours.  Nobody would dream of asking you for a match, it would be like asking you for money.  Matches are not free over here.  There are none in ashtrays in hotel lobbies and none on restaurant tables.  You have to buy them at the store, I suppose they are imported and too expensive to fling around the way they're flung around at home."

*****

"Nobody over here says 'six-thirty' or 'seven-thirty', they say 'hoppussix' and 'hoppusseven'.  And 'in' at home is 'trendy' here and 'give it up'  is 'pack it in' and 'never mind' is 'not to worry!'"

"And when they pronounce it the same they spell it differently.  A curb's a kerb, a check's a cheque, a racket's a racqet--and just to confuse you further, jail is spelled 'gaol' and pronounced 'jail'."

And a newsstand's a kiosk, a subway's the tube, a cigar store's a tobacconist's, a drug store's a chemist's, a bus is a coach, a truck is a lorry, buying on time is hire purchase, cash and carry is cash and wrap...".

She writes about Q, her mentor of sorts, Sir Arthur Quiller Couch, who was her inspiration and guided her on her quest for knowledge--no doubt what started everything to begin with, but I think I'll save writing about him until I read Q's Legacy.  The Duchess of Bloomsbury was a lovely, entertaining read filled with Hanff's acerbic wit and wisdom.  I'm happy I finally got around to reading it and will be reading more of her other works.

Teaser Tuesday: Bronx Primitive

Although I've been greatly enjoying Helene Hanff's books (and will share a little about The Duchess of Bloomsbury later this week), I decided to take a little break and choose another memoir to read that has long sat on my bookshelves unopened.  Biographies and memoirs have always appealed to me, but lately they seem to be the only sort of nonfiction that can keep my attention.  I really love nonfiction and have stacks of books on a variety of subjects, but for some reason whenever I reach for something to read I invariably pick up a novel over anything else. 

I know I've mentioned it before but there is always so much to remember when reading nonfiction, often there are so many facts and figures and interesting bits that I want to keep in my head, but I can't seem to do so.  I end up feeling overwhelmed and a little disappointed that so much doesn't get absorbed.  Somehow memoirs seem to accomplish the same thing as novels--the presentation of an interesting story.  At least that's what it seems like as I read Kate Simon's Bronx Primitive: Portaits in a Childhood.  This is the first of three books that Simon wrote about growing up in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s.  I read Bronx Primitive years ago, but I never got around to reading her other books.  This time I want to read all three.  Simon also wrote a number of travel works, which I am also curious about. 

Kate was born Kaila in Warsaw, Poland.  She emigrated to the US with her mother and younger brother when she was four, joining her father who had come ahead to establish a home.  This short book is made up of chapters that read almost like essays on different aspects of her life--family, school, her neighborhood, being Jewish.  I'm reading a chapter called "The Movies and Other Schools" at the moment and thought I'd share an excerpt as my teaser.

"Life on Lafontaine offered several schools.  School-school, P.S. 59, was sometimes nice, as when I was chosen to be Prosperity in the class play, blond, plump, dressed in a white pillow case banded with yellow and green crepe paper, for the colors of grasses and grain, and waving something like a sheaf of wheat.  The cringing days were usually Fridays, when arithmetic flash cards, too fast, too many, blinded me and I couldn't add or subtract the simplest numbers.  (For many years into adulthood, I carried around a sack of churning entrails on Friday mornings.)  The library, which made me my own absolutely special and private with a card that belonged to no one but me, offered hundreds of books, all mine and no tests on them, a brighter, more generous school than P.S. 59.  The brightest, most informative school was the movies.  We learned how tennis was played and golf, what a swimming pool was and what to wear if you ever got to drive a car.  We learned how tables were set, 'How do you do? Pleased to meet you,' how primped and starched little girls should be, how neat and straight boys should be, even when they were temporarily ragamuffins.  We learned to look up soulfully and make our lips tremble to warn our mothers of a flood of tears, and though they didn't fall for it (they laughed), we kept practicing.  We learned how regal mothers were and how stately fathers, and of course we learned about Love, a very foreign country like maybe China or Connecticut."

I love reading about this period and Kate Simon writes about it very unsentimentally yet quite vividly.  I always feel a little like I am a voyeur peeking over someone's shoulder and nosing into their most intimate thoughts.  I would be a terrible memoirist as I have such poor recollections of my own childhood, so I appreciate someone like Kate Simon who can tell the stories of her own childhood as if they just happened.

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Deanna Raybourn's Silent on the Moor is for me one of those 'satisfying sigh when you turn the last page' sorts of books.  The story and characters are totally engaging yet it is an undemanding  read, perfect when life is full of too many stresses and you need a little escapism.  I know I read a lot of 'comfort read' type books, but I think Lady Julia Grey's adventures are my own little guilty pleasures.  There is something to be said for a story that you know is going to end well even if the road there will be a rocky one.  I gulped the first two in the series down and I am sure I waited anxiously for this third instalment, but for some reason it sat unread for a while.  Actually so much time passed that the next book, Dark Road to Darjeeling, came out.  And when I discovered her newest, Dark Enquiry, was in the works for a June release (and that I could get an electronic version from Netgalley ahead of the publishing date) I knew the time was right to pick up where Lady Julia's adventures left off. 

The Lady Julia Grey novels are a mix of mystery and romance with a dash of humor thrown in, though I believe they end up in the fiction section of bookstores.  Raybourn has created such a wonderful chemistry between Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane that you can't help but be caught up in their romantic (and sleuthing) escapades.  They first met when Lady Julia's husband was murdered.  Nicholas Brisbane had been retained by him to look into some private matters, which ended in Edward's death.  Although the marriage was one of convenience rather than a love match, Julia is determined to see that the murderer is brought to justice and with the help of Brisbane is able to do so.  And of course along the way they fall for each other, but this is proper Victorian England and wealthy aristocratic ladies don't involve themselves with inquiry agents, particularly those with gypsy blood, no matter how distinguished and well mannered they may be.  Further adventures ensue in Silent in the Sanctuary when Lady Julia once again trips over a body, figuratively in any case, and again assists Brisbane in a little more investigative work. 

To say that Lady Julia is unconventional is something of an understatement, but her family is equally as eccentric.  A sister who lives with another woman, a brother whose scientific study means that whispers of grave robbing follow behind him, and family interest in the betterment of young ladies who have fallen into ill-repute (and often end up as house parlor-maids in the family home) does nothing to dampen the resolve of Julia's much more conservative elder brother to at least rein in Julia.  It helps to have a father who is an Earl.  It also helps to have a father who is quite liberal, too, so when Julia decides to follow Nicholas Brisbane to Yorkshire, she may not have the blessing of her brother Bellmont (next in line to the Earldom, desiring his son to make a good match and therefore preferring his siblings to not create yet more scandal), but she agrees to travel with chaperons.

So, Lady Julia with her sister Portia and younger brother Valerius, two maids, two dogs and a raven named Grim all in tow travel north to Yorkshire.  Grimsgrave Hall is an end of the line sort of place in more ways than one.  It's about as far away as possible from any sort of society in the middle of the moors.  Meant to be a reward for services rendered to the crown by Brisbane, it's an odd choice of family seats since it is about as ramshackle as is possible for any building to be.  Portia had been invited to help in the redecoration of the estate, but it's Julia's desire to sort things out between she and Brisbane once and for all.  The entourage is surprised to find that Grimsgrave is inhabited by not only Brisbane but members of the former, and once noble family, the Allenbys who are the estates former residents.  There is something very strange about the Allenby family, who remain on their once great estate on sufferance only.  The very proud Lady Allenby has long been widowed and lives with her remaining children, two daughters--a son having died years before.  Brisbane's history is somehow inextricably linked with that of the Allenbys, and when he's poisoned and nearly dies Julia is left on her own to unravel the deep and very dark mysteries of Grimsgrave Hall.

As always Lady Julia is a plucky heroine with a sharp tongue and no shortage of moxie.  Although Julia is someone who breaks every convention of Victorian society, there is one that Brisbane will not allow to be broken.  Since he is a man of property, but not of wealth, he believes it unconscionable to take a wife he cannot provide for.  Particularly when she is a widow of some means and accustomed to living in style.  So, do they find a way to be together?

I thoroughly enjoyed Silent on the Moor.  The Lady Julia Grey books are fun, very light and entertaining reads.  My only quibble is with the cover illustration.  The first two captured the feel of the story much more (my favorite cover here), than this particular design.  I'm afraid someone not familiar with the previous books might pass this up as being a simple bodice-ripper.  There are certainly romantic elements in the story, but in many ways they are quite chaste.  If the story sounds appealing, don't hesitate to pick it up despite the cover.  I've got Dark Road to Darjeeling on my night stand and am looking forward to reading it with much anticipation!     

March 24: Reading Notes

The nice thing about taking a blogging break is knowing that I can do so and not feel as though (well not too much anyway) I'm going into withdrawal by shutting off the computer and turning my attention elsewhere.  I sometimes wonder if I spend too much time on the computer, but now I know it's just fine if I don't feel like posting now and then.  The world will continue to spin on it's axis and I can do something else, or maybe not do anything at all, and it will still all be here when I come back.  Now last week wasn't quite the week I expected it to be (see previous post), and it had it's own weird little stresses, but it was still nice to not feel any pressure to sit down and prepare a post for the following day.  The thing is I do enjoy posting daily (or almost daily), so I am happy to get back into the routine.

As usual I had a few expectations and had hoped to finish a book or two, and while I did spend more time reading, I didn't actually finish anything.  And that's okay, too.  I did something I told myself I wasn't going to do (but knowing my track record is anyone actually going to believe me anymore?), I started a couple of new books.  I'm working in reverse it seems.  Why finish reading books when it is so fun to start them?  (Just kidding).  I only managed to write one (and a half) posts--to follow later this week.  And instead of resting more I caught a cold.  So there you have it.  Oh, and didn't stitch and extra stitch either. 

But I did make my way through season two of the original Upstairs/Downstairs.  I've become a little addicted to the show, though when I first started watching it seemed a pale comparison to the lavish and beautifully acted Downton Abbey.  I had hoped to see all five seasons before seeing the remake, but it doesn't seem to matter whether you know anything about the original or not.  I also had hoped to read South Riding by Winifred Holtby before it airs on PBS, but I seem to have frittered away the month of April and May 1 is quickly approaching, so that may not happen after all.  I rarely watch much TV, but I have to admit there have been a number of good programs on this year.  

My attention has been on several good books as well, however.  I hope to finish Carol Ann Lee's The Winter of the World today.  I am having very mixed feelings about this one.  She's a good writer, and I like how she is telling her story, but what do you do when you aren't particularly drawn to any of the characters?  Although the setting is WWI, and it is this aspect of the novel I am enjoying most, I think to really feel the story succeeds you almost have to believe in love at first sight, since that plays such a significant role in the story.  But I can't decide whether it is the fault of the characters or whether my own general crankiness of late is overshadowing things.  I need to finish and then ruminate on it a little.  More to follow.

The books in the photo are my latest library loot.  They are both interlibrary loan requests and therefore I try and make more of an effort to read them in a timely manner.  I'm very much enjoying Stella Gibbons's Westwood or The General Powers, though I am not too far in yet.  This is one of several books by Gibbons that Vintage UK is reissuing later this year (with those gorgeous covers).  This book in particular caught my eye and as I was lamenting the fact that it isn't being published for quite some time I thought why wait when I can get it from a library (the beauty of libraries!).  It is set during WWII and is about two young women--one attractive and something of a man magnet and the other plain and with no luck at all concerning the opposite sex.  Gibbons is very good at characterization and I love all the bits about living in London during the war. 

I've not yet started reading Slyvia Thompson's The Hounds of Spring in earnest.  I wrote about her recently, and as this was her most popular novel I wanted to give it a try.  I liked the sound of this one as well--a woman believes her lover is dead and marries another only to find he is still alive.  This is another story with a WWI setting, so I seem to be getting my fill lately.  I guess these could both be 'lost in the stacks' books--just not in my own library's stacks.  

What do you do when you come across a mystery that sounds really interesting, but it isn't published in the US, no American libraries own it, and you can't afford to buy a hardcover from the UK?  Where there is a will there is a way!  I discovered (and I have noticed this in a few cases) that Amazon is selling the book but only a Kindle version!  If you are me, you cave in and read it on a Kindle.  The library where I work has a number of Kindles for patron use and they will download any book as long as it is inexpensive. 

So, I am reading Death on a Galician Shore by Domingo Villar on a Kindle.  I'm very much enjoying it (and if you click through the link you can see the striking cover that first caught my eye).  It is set in Galicia, Spain and concerns a murdered man who had been involved in a shipwreck many years previously.  One man drowned in the shipwreck and you wonder how the two events are connected.  Surely the drowned man is not returning to claim the survivors?  I only wish I had read the previous book in this series, but I am going to try and find a copy and do so after the fact.  By the way reading on a Kindle has been an interesting experience as I have gotten used to my Nook.  The Kindle is a first generation model and while I am envious that the battery has such a long life, I don't like the page turning mechanisms.  I think the problem is the library's Kindles have been so heavily used you barely need to touch the edges for the pages to turn.  I constantly find myself having to flip backwards.  And there are no page numbers, which also drives me crazy.

Given the chance I will always choose a book over an ebook, but if reading a book in an electronic format is the only way I can do so (otherwise I will have to wait patiently, and books and me and patience---well, never the twain shall meet if you know what I mean), I will grab my Nook and read happily away.  So I have also been working on The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller (due to be published in the US July 5).  Yet another WWI mystery, but Speller tells such a good story and I am completely taken with Laurence Bertram, the main character, that I don't want to put the book down.  Sadly I seem to be an even slower ebook reader than I am a regular book reader.  I think I am going to break down and buy the UK version when the second book comes out!     

I'm actually dabbling in a few other books, but I'll save them for another day as my post has gotten very long.  That's what happens when I take a few days off--I can't wait to get back and share all my book news at once.  Now I think I'm going to go find my copy of South Riding and see if there is any chance I can read it before May 1.  

By the way, for those who celebrate have a lovely Easter!  

Have You Heard of Faber Finds?

I bet you've heard of the publisher Faber and Faber, right?  But have you heard of their imprint 'Faber Finds'?  The catchline is "bringing great writing back into print".  And they've been doing this for a number of years apparently from the looks of their backlist.  Where have I been?  This seems just up my alley, and I would have continued on completely ignorant had not a copy of P.H. Newby's Something to Answer For not have crossed my desk earlier today.  Newby won the inaugural Booker Prize in 1969 for this book, which was published in 1968.

The book itself is quite pretty and eye catching in its simplicity.  I pulled it right off my cart and thumbed through it discovering that the aim of this imprint is to "restore to print a wealth of lost classics and authors of distinction".  The books range in subject matter from fiction to chidlren's books as well as the arts.   The only flaw I can see is that there is no description of the contents anywhere on the book.  Luckily they've given it on their website (so maybe it was on purpose?  As now I will be browsing the list of books...).

"It was 1956 and he was in Port Said. About these two facts Townrow was reasonably certain. He had been summoned there, to Egypt, by the widow of his deceased friend, Elie Khoury. Having been found dead in the street, she is convinced he was murdered, but nobody seems to agree with her. What of Leah Strauss, the mistress? And of the invading British paratroops? Only an Englishman, surely, would take for granted that the British would have behaved themselves. In this weirdly disorientating world, Townrow is forced towards a re-examination of the basic rules by which he has been living his life; and into a realization that he too may have something to answer for."

I like the sound of this one.  As a matter of fact I like the sound of a number of their titles, which could be dangerous as they are on the high end cost-wise for paperbacks.  I'll have to choose carefully as now I think I need to own one or two of these myself.

By the way, I thought I'd drop in as I am killing time waiting for a technician to come look at my furnace.  I might add this is the second time this week I've had to have someone look at it.  It's not been the fruitful week I had hoped for taking a blogging break, but never mind.  Maybe it will be better to get back into a routine as I accomplished not a single thing, though it's been nice to hide under the covers since it's been a little nippy in my house lately.  I heard a couple of rumors.  One that it was spring, and that two it was going to be sunny today.  Unless I can see these things with my eye, I'm not believing them!

Edited: Bad news.  I have to buy a new furnace.  This was not the news I wanted to hear.  Just when I thought I was close to paying off my credit card and being debt free I am faced with another major purchase.  Not the way I wanted to end my week!  At least I can use the library as I don't think I'm going to be buying any new books for a while.  Sigh.  Maybe my library will buy more of these Faber Finds.

The Seasons in Stitching (& a little break)

I've finally gotten around to assembling my bee skep design, which I am sure I have shown you before.  It is one month in a series of designs that covers an entire year (the designs come from two different charts by the designer Prairie Schooler).  I started stitching these in 2006!  I might just be able to finish them this year.  Some are finished, a few are in the process of being stitched, and a few I have yet to start.  Since I actually am making progress I thought I'd share them with you.

Before I do so, I thought I'd mention that I am taking a short blogging break.  I'll be back next weekend, however.  I've been burning the candle on both ends so to speak and have been very tired and find I am not feeling as though I am accomplishing much and what I am doing I feel I am doing poorly.   I'm looking forward to spending less time online and more time reading and sleeping and maybe even stitching a little more.  I do hope to catch up on emails and blog reading (famous last words), but I can space this out over the week rather than always feeling rushed. 

As I've finished several good books I also will be writing about them when I come back and it will be nice to work on those posts at my leisure.  And most importantly I hope to finish a few books that have been languishing for too long on my night stand.  Lately I've been feeling as though I am in over my head and am floundering about, which is never much fun.  Of course what I would really love would be to go away for a proper vacation.  I'm trying to save my pennies, so perhaps there will be something to look forward to in the near future.  In the interim, there are always good books to take me away!

While I'm away, here is something nice to look at.

When I started this project in 2006 it was my intention to stitch each month in the year as it happened and finish each design in a different way.  So here is January finished as a pin pillow with tassles on each corner.

February is finished as a 'biscornu'. or an eight-cornered pin cushion.  This is one of my very favorite ways to finish a small design.  I've made a number of these but I always give them away.  This is one I kept!  I should really make more of these.

March is a pinkeep.  I love pinkeeps but I am terrible at making them.  My bows never look good and I am not very good at stretching the linen over the matte board that needs to hold the design taut.  The back is covered with cotton fabric.  I had intended to stitch the month, year and  my initials on each design, but that sort of got lost along the way after this one.

April is a rabbit.  I should really try and finish him this month.  I had planned on turning him into a little pillow as I have lots of springtime fabric.

I don't really like the May design on either chart, but this is the one I will likely stitch.  Not sure how I will finish it.  I have a feeling I'll end up finishing it in the same way as one of the other designs.  I'm not sure how creative I can get for twelve different projects. 

I very much like June, however.  Again, not sure how to finish it.  Maybe I'll attempt to make cording, which will be attached along the sides and make it into a scissor fob.  I like making cording (I have this cool little machine), but I hate sewing it on--you can always see my stitches!

I stitched July years ago, but I only finished it last year.  It is a pin pillow.  I forgot to add my initials or the date.  Oh well.  Too late now.

And here is August!  I finished it last night and am very pleased with it.  This is my second try at making a 'mattress' pincushion, and while I was happy with my first attempt I am much happier with this second try!  You can see more pictures of it on my needlework blog.

September has a back to school theme.  What a thought when the weather hasn't even turned really nice yet for spring!

October has a witch.  I will probably finish her as another pin pillow like the July design as I have lots of fun fall fabric.

November will be a cornucopia.

And December is Santa with a little pine tree.  These will be my Prairie Schooler year!  If I finish them this year, it will only have taken me a mere six years to complete!

Have a great week everyone.  See you next weekend!      

Lost in the Stacks: Portrait by Caroline

"Peter Stanley lay on his back on Jane's lawn.  His head reclined on a cushion which one of her children had offered him.  'Would you like a blue cushion?' it had said, leaning over him with an intent expression."

"The September sunshine bathed his eyelids and drenched his body.  He gave himself up to a delicious lassitude.  Scents and faint sounds drifted across his mind like clouds across a pool; thoughts, disjointed memories, stirred momentarily in its depth, rippled the surface, dived again with silver agility, and disappeared."

Sylvia Thompson (1902-1968) is an author I came across in a reference book of 20th century British women writers.  I had not heard of her before or any of her books, but I discovered that my library owned one, Portrait by Caroline, and a quick visit to the fiction section meant I had found my newest lost in the stacks book to share. 

I've not been able to find out much information on Thompson, other than a few remarks gleaned from a couple of book reviews, but it sounds as though she had one bestseller amongst her many novels and then faded into obscurity.  She was part of the 'Oxford Generation' of authors that included Margaret Kennedy, Winifred Holtby and Vera Brittain.  Their circle was known as 'The Somerville School of Novelists', and it's her inclusion with such famous names that piques my own curiosity.

Published in 1931 Portrait by Caroline is a story of infidelity.  A Time magazine review calls it a novel of "human situations", so it's a drama of sorts I would guess.  I feel like I am doing my own bit of sleuthing trying to find out information on some of these books I come across, but I've not done a very good job with this one.  

Her major novel, The Hounds of Spring, was written when she was only 23 in 1926.  The premise sounds interesting--a women who believes her lover is dead marries another man but later discovers that he is alive.  I'm trying to get a copy through ILL as her books are not available online, and will try and dip into Portrait by Caroline in the interim.  Her work is supposed to focus on young people between the wars, "women's experiences of grief and their desire for safety and order".   

This is a very pretty little book and it appears to have been circulated a number of times all the way through the late 1970s.  It's always a little sad to think of these forgotten books and the stories within the pages.  Has anyone read Sylvia Thompson? 

A Little Library Loot

I have quite a nice stack of library books, all of which look like wonderful reads in one way or another, but how I think I might possibly squeeze in all of these is beyond me (see yesterday's post).  Still, I like to share my books and it's sort of nice to have a record of what I was reading (or thinking of reading) during the year that I can look back on later. 

I can probably safely hold on to most of these for a while, but Paula McLain's The Paris Wife has a very long line of people waiting for a copy, so there will be no renewals.  It's either read it now or wait a very long time if I need to get back in line.  I've heard good things about it, so I might just crack it open tonight and see how it goes.  It's a fictionalized account of Hemingway's first marriage.

I do wish publishers would stop illustrating book covers with headless women.  It's becoming very off-putting.  Surely with so many talented artists and graphic designers around there's no need for the same old, same old, but it seems there is a certain type of book which always ends up having a headless woman on the cover.  I know it's all down to marketing, but surely the moment has passed.  Give readers something new, please.  I've not let the cover of Teresa Grant's Vienna Waltz put me off, however.   The story is set in early 19th century Vienna and is a mix of mystery, suspense and romance.  As the setting is a particular favorite of mine, I have high hopes for it. 

Moving from Vienna to Italy I also have Dolci di Love by Sarah-Kate Lynch, a contemporary novel that is "in the tradition of Chocolat".  I sort of like novels that have something to do with food, which now that I type that sounds sort of strange.  But you know what I mean, right?

I also like the sound of Graham Joyce's novel, The Silent Land, which is billed as a suspense story but sounds like it's at least as much about love and relationships as anything else.  The premise: after a couple survives an avalanche in the Pyrenees, they discover they are entirely alone.  The town is empty and their attempt to walk to another town brings them back full circle.  Could be very creepy.

A coworker is reading J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace and raved about it, which makes me want to read it.  Coetzee won a second Booker for this.  "Written with austere clarity , Disgrace explores the downfall of one man and dramatizes with unforgettable, almost unbearable vividness the plight of South Africa-a country caught in the chaotic aftermath of the overthrow of Apartheid."

Shuichi Yoshida's Villain is a book I checked out when it was first released but was unable to read at the time.  This is a Japanese thriller, and as I am hoping to read more international crime novels, I'm very keen to read this one.  "From the desolate seaside towns and lighthouses to love hotels and online chat rooms, Villain reveals the inner lives of men and women who all have something to hide.  Part police procedural, part gritty realism, Villain is a coolly seductive story of loneliness and alienation in the southernmost reaches of Japan." 

I found The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum via Reading, Writing, Working, Playing.  It's a nonfiction book written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer.  "...Blum shares a fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder."  It sounds right up my alley and perhaps a good way to ease into lengthier non fiction books.

Now with so much to read, I had better go get to it.