A London evening

On Wednesday evening, I made an impromptu trip to London. Not entirely spontaneous, but only planned on Tuesday – when a very persuasive promotional email arrived in my inbox, telling me that tickets for Hay Fever were cut by more than 50%. Having never sat in one of the best seats in the house before, and having intended to go at some point to see the play, I was only a few clicks away from booking my ticket – and only 24 hours away from hopping on the train and heading over to the Duke of York’s.

Photo: Nobby Clark

I got there a bit early and (shock!) bought some books on Charing Cross Road – but, before I get to that, I really loved Hay Fever. It is, perhaps, not one of Noel Coward’s most sophisticated comedies – it is entirely inconsequential, and the plot is haywire (pun intended) – but it was a complete delight. The plot: Judith Bliss (Felicity Kendal) (!) is a recently retired actress and head of a family, which comprises husband David and grown-up children Simon and Sorrell. All of them have independently invited people to stay with them in their country pile, and nobody has informed anybody else… cue all manner of romantic fiascos and familial squabbles. The Bliss family all live extremely heightened lives, responding to everything with self-indulgent drama. They understand and accept each other perfectly, under the fireworks, but the visitors grow alarmed and weary of the whole thing.

The first gasp from the audience was for the beautiful and brilliant set, designed by Peter McKintosh. It’s just the sort of 1920s house I wish I lived in, and one can excuse the unlikelihood at this family living in what is essentially a hallway. After that, we just laughed our way through the play – particularly the performances by the wonderful Felicity Kendal and the equally wonderful Sara Stewart, who played ageing femme fatale Myra Arundel with delectable wit and glorious facial expressions. It also convinced me that paying enough to be able to see the facial expressions might be an investment I should make again…

Anyway, you should go and see it. Tickets are discounted, and it’s extremely funny.

And those books I bought? Here they are…

June 2015

I always pop into Any Amount of Books and Henry Pordes Books, the only secondhand bookshops on/around Charing Cross Road which are affordable (although one of these books did come from the £2 table outside an otherwise extremely expensive bookshop on a side street). I’m always amazed by how very rude the man serving in Henry Porde Books is. I’ve been in dozens of times, and every time he treats his customers like inconveniences, snapping and grumping at them. Thankfully his colleague, standing next to him, was all laughs and joviality, which made up for it – though when I laughed along, the grumpy man openly glared at me. Which of these two is Henry Pordes, I wonder? Onto the books, before I’m banned from the shop:

The Night Club by Herbert Jenkins – and I was pondering buying it online only earlier that day! I’m currently listening to The Return of Alfred courtesy of Librivox (more on that soon), so I’m on quite a Jenkins kick.

Celia’s Secret by Michael Frayn and David Burke – an intriguing looking book about research that happened while Frayn was writing Copenhagen, as the result of a mysterious letter being sent to him…

Then There Was Fire by Minou Drouet – I’d never heard of Drouet, but apparently she was a child prodigy poet a few decades ago?

Twentieth Century Literature 1901-1940 by A.C. Ward – Ward wrote a very interesting book on 1920s literature (published just after the fact, in 1930), which helped tremendously with my DPhil – so I’m intrigued to read his wider lens on the first 40 years of the 20th century.

Apostate by Forrest Reid – I know nothing about him, but love these little editions. A bit of digging reveals this to be his autobiography, so I shall doubtless find out more about him when I read it!

 

The books I bought in the US of A

I’m back! Thank you for your lovely comments on my previous post – and for those of you who emailed/Facebooked/tweeted because of Blogger being so hopeless with comments. Any sort of communication is always a delight :)

I had such a wonderful time in Washington DC (and bits of Virginia and Maryland too). I’ll be writing more about the trip soon, including meeting up with a whole heap of bloggers, but I’ll start with what you really want to know: the books I bought.

Well, dear readers, I bought a heck of a lot. 34, I think. And, since I’d brought 7 books with me, that meant carrying more than 40 to the airport – and a substantial percentage were crammed in my hand luggage. It was quite the feat. And… here they are, with a little bit about why I bought them. As always, do comment (or email/tweet etc.!) if you have read any, want to know more about any, etc. etc.

The World in Falseface – George Jean Nathan
I was partly drawn to the prettiness and neat size of this book, but (less shallowly), it’s about the theatre, and I always love that.

The Small Room – May Sarton
Big-time May Sarton fan Thomas (from My Porch) wasn’t even with me when I picked this up – but it seemed like it could be a fun one.

Last Leaves – Stephen Leacock
A Leacock I didn’t own, to join the piles of Leacock books I’ve yet to read… In fact, I don’t think I’ve read any for about ten years, so must get onto that.

Nabokov’s Butterfly – Rick Gekoski
A book about books – specifically book dealing with 20th-century classics. Called Tolkien’s Gown in the UK, I think.

The Pilgrim Hawk – Glenway Wescott
Someone recommended this… Anyway, an NYRB Classic and an intro by Michael Cunningham sold me on it.

Alien Hearts – Guy de Maupassant
And another beautiful NYRB by an author I’ve been intending to read.

Portrait of an English Nobleman – E.F. Benson
Janet – E.F. Benson
Two in a series EFB wrote about different periods in London, with beautiful dustjackets.

The Shelf – Phyllis Rose
Non-fiction, about an experiment where Phyllis Rose decided to read everything on the LEQ-LES shelf of the New York library. I read this one while in DC, and it’s BRILLIANT. More soon.

Soap Behind the Ears 
Nuts in May
The Ape in Me 
Dithers and Jitters 
Family Circle – Cornelia Otis Skinner
I really loved Popcorn by Cornelia Otis Skinner (and I’m going to write about it soon) but she’s quite tricky to track down in the UK. So I had a parcel of Skinner books delivered to my friend’s address, to take away with me…

Barrel Fever – David Sedaris
Naked – David Sedaris
Sedaris is another one who is readily available in the US, and a little less so here.

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House – Eric Hodgins
This one went on my Amazon wishlist ages ago, and I can’t remember why. But this edition is a beauty, and the two things combined made it irresistible.

Classics for Pleasure – Michael Dirda
Book about books = sold.

Why I Read – Wendy Lesser
…and another.

Benefits Forgot – G.E. Stern
A really beautiful copy of one of Stern’s memoirs – which are piling up on my shelves now.

Bookends – Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern
I enjoyed their book about friendship and book dealing, and, well – this one seems to be about the same thing.

The Ironing Board – Christopher Morley
Morley is everywhere in the US, and I nabbed this fun-looking collection.

By Nightfall – Michael Cunningham
On the plane, I read the Cunningham novel I bought last time I was in the US (A Home at the End of the World) so I thought I should replace it with another!

Mr Whittle and the Morning Star – Robert Nathan
The Enchanted Voyage – Robert Nathan
And last time I bought, read, and really enjoyed Robert Nathan’s Portrait of Jennie – so, this trip, I took the opportunity to buy a couple more.

Absence of Mind – Marilynne Robinson
I’ve never really tried any of Robinson’s non-fiction works (and am rather daunted by them). This one is on theology and science, and maybe one day I’ll be brave enough to give it a go.

Family Man – Calvin Trillin
Remembering Denny – Calvin Trillin
Trillin is another author to be found everywhere in the US, and these two caught my attention – particularly the intriguing Remembering Denny, about a high school star who came to nothing.

Literary Feuds – Anthony Arthur
I can’t lie, I love a literary feud…

Letters from the Editor – Harold Ross
I also love a collection of letters, and this one from the man who set up the New Yorker promises to be the best of the literary 1920s.

The Year of Reading Proust – Phyllis Rose
Another book by Rose that I bought and read while in America. It’s even made me think about give old Marcel a try…

The Faithful Servants – Margery Sharp
Despite intending to only buy books that were hard to find in the UK, I couldn’t leave this lovely Sharp behind.

Two-Part Invention – Madeleine L’Engle
This is another one that was on my Amazon wishlist for ages and I don’t remember how it got there – but now it’s all mine!

More on the bookshops, people, and activities soon – but, for now, let me know your thoughts on my purchases!

Back from holiday (with, yes, books)

The Thomases had a very lovely time in beautiful Pembrokeshire. We were right by the coast, and in a gorgeous area – a house about every half a mile, and nothing else but unspoilt, craggy countryside. So we spent our time reading, walking, and playing games. Here we are…

Our Vicar and Colin did rather more walking than me and Our Vicar’s Wife; we turned our attentions to painting instead. We have curiously different styles – Mum does beautiful, accurate watercolours. I go for bold colours and slapping it on and seeing what happens… here is what happened.

We went to Haverfordwest in search of secondhand books (well, the others may have had different reasons for going, but that was mine); sadly the two the town had were now closed, but I bought a couple in an Oxfam. Then we headed over to St. David’s, a city with fewer than 1800 residents (my kind of city!), and stumbled across this bookshop. It’s tiny, and crammed to the rafters – including one wall of books which all seemed to be from the early 20th century. That sort of faded red hardback that calls to me… and all very cheap, which helped me add another eight to the pile for less than £8 in total. And here they are:

Dames of the Theatre by Eric Johns
I remember seeing the name May Whitty on the front, and now I forget who else was there (and I’m sat in a different room now…) but it’s dames of the theatre from the generation before Maggie and Judi.

My Dear Timothy and More For Timothy by Victor Gollancz
I keep buying biographies and autobiographies about publishing sensations, but have yet to read any of them… Gollancz addressed his to his grandson Timothy, which (as a concept) could be brilliant or mawkish…

The Loving Friends: A Portrait of Bloomsbuy by David Gadd
I can’t resist a book about Bloomsbury now, can I?

The Knox Brothers by Penelope Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald’s biography of Charlotte Mew was astonishingly good, and I’m sure she’ll be equally adept turning her hand to the Knox brothers.

House in the Sun by Dane Chandos
I very much enjoyed Abbie by Dane Chandos, so would love to read more. ‘His’ (it was a duo) most famous book seems to be Village in the Sun, so I’m assuming this one is related?

The Humbler Creation by Pamela Hanford Johnson
I’ve read two books by PHJ – loved one, disliked the other – so I need to try and third and settle the score one way or the other.

O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith
I read one of Smith’s novels a couple of years ago and enjoyed it, so it seemed wise to nab another.

Adventures of Bindle by Herbert Jenkins
I’ve got four Bindle books now, so I really should get around to reading one of them.

The Mystery Man by Ruby M. Ayres
How do I know about Ruby Ayres? Not sure, but the name rang a bell and it was 20p, so how could I go wrong? Anybody read her?

The books I bought in Norfolk…

I had a lovely week away in this beautiful cottage (it’s the far right in a terrace of three, with lovely views of the church):

I did lots of reading, and a fair bit of visiting bookshops (although it would have been more if Colin hadn’t intervened…) and bought quite a few books. Many of them came from a wonderful little bookshop in Watton. It wasn’t huge, but it was super-filled with books – double-stacked, hidden under bookcases, piled in corners. In no particular order, and certainly not in the order in the photo, here is what I bought…

 

Time, Gentlemen, Time by Norah Hoult
I loved There Were No Windows, so I picked up this Hoult – and was excited to see that it was signed and a limited edition for her friends and family. What fun!


A Saturday Life by Radclyffe Hall
I’ve only read one short story by Hall, but I can’t resist a lovely VMC.

No Place Like Home by Beverley Nichols
I must hold the record for the person with the most books by Nichols who hasn’t actually read any.

On the Side of the Angels by Betty Miller
Oops, I think I already have this one.

Heritage by Vita Sackville-West
Oooo, and this one too… I just remember Thomas/My Porch snatching it out of my hands in a Virginia bookshop, and had forgotten that, since then, I’d been given a lovely Bello edition.

Caravan by Lady Eleanor Smith
Does anybody know anything about this book or this author? I picked it up in a charity shop, because I can’t resist a cheap old hardback of a certain age.

Studies of Contemporary Poets by Mary C. Sturgeon
I didn’t notice the ‘poet’ bit of the title until after I’d bought it, but I mostly picked it up for the chapter on Rose Macaulay.

Mrs Bindle by Herbert Jenkins
The Bindles on the Rocks by Herbert Jenkins
I haven’t read Mr Bindle yet, but I loved Patricia Brent, Spinster so much that I’m keen to gather up more.

The Sleeper Awakes by H.G. Wells
This was mentioned in some book I was reading, and it sounded intriguing – it’s about a man who wakes up to find everyone else is dead (I think…)

Three Lives by Lettice Cooper
A Persephone author in an old hardback is not something I am likely to leave behind, is it?

An Interrupted Life: the Diaries and Letters of Etty Hillesum 1941-43
And the same goes for an actual Persephone that I don’t already own!

Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy
I thought I already had this, but it appears not – and it might come in handy for Margaret Kennedy Reading Week.

Better Bed Manners by Horton and Balliol
One of the more niche bookish interests I have is in fake etiquette guides. There aren’t all that many around, that I know of (Virginia Graham wrote two gems) – this one will hopefully be as fun as the others!

The Genius and the Goddess by Aldous Huxley
And over to the less-niche books… after Crome Yellow, and discovering Huxley wasn’t all dystopian futures, I thought I’d see what else wasout there.

The Understudy by David Nicholls
Another charity shop purchase – I’ve been meaning to read more Nicholls since enjoying One Day, like everyone else in the country.

Apple of My Eye by Helen Hanff
I thought I had all Hanff’s books, but I hadn’t heard of this one – which is about New York.

Stella Benson by Joy Grant
I’m currently reading my third Benson novel, and – having heard a great talk about her at a conference earlier in the year – I’m keen to read more about her life.

Another World Than This – ed. by Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson
SOMEONE is going to have to get me to like poetry, and it might as well be this poetry-loving pair and their anthology.

Many Furrows by Alpha of the Plough
More essays and thoughts by this writer, whose book I enjoyed last year.

William The Bad – Richmal Crompton
William The Outlaw – Richmal Crompton
William in Trouble – Richmal Crompton
I continue to pick these up when I find them cheaply, as you can’t go wrong.

Right! As usual – which have you read, or would you like to read? Tell me all!

 

A weekend away in Paradise…

I took my cold off to a beautiful cottage, aptly called Paradise, in Herefordshire – and lost my voice in the process – and I just have to share (a) how lovely the house was, and (b) the books I bought on a trip to Hay-on-Wye.  You can see the proper pictures of the house on its webpage (I want to go into full PR mode for them; it’s so incredibly beautiful) but here are some I took.  The first two are my bedroom.  I didn’t manage to get very good (or friend-free) photos of the living room, dining room, or kitchen – but I had included one of the porch, which is in itself more beautiful than anywhere I will ever live.

 

 

 

 

 

And then we spent a day in Hay on Wye.  Most of the group of friends weren’t all that bothered about buying books, so I strode off saying (or, voice gone, croaking) “I hunt alone” – and saw them later.  I came away with 11 books in the end, and here they are…

Too Many Ghosts by Paul Gallico
I keep hoping to find another Gallico novel as brilliant as Love of Seven Dolls – but even if this one ends up not being, at least it has such a lovely cover.

Open the Door by Osbert Sitwell
Still haven’t read anything by any of the Sitwells.  Maybe Osbert’s short stories?

Elizabeth Bowen by Patricia Craig
Biography of a woman novelist, you say?

Alfred and Guinevere by James Schuyler
If you think I can resist a cheap NYRB Classics edition, then this must be your first time to Stuck-in-a-Book – welcome!

Mr Emmanuel by Louis Golding
Here’s a pair of authors I get confused… Louis Golding and Louis Bromfield.  Anyone read this Louis?

The Romany Stone by Christopher Morley
I love Christopher Morley’s essays, and this edition is beautiful – and signed!  Annoyingly, Richard Booth’s Books have started sticking price stickers to the backs of their books, and this meant the back got damaged.

Accidents of Fortune by Andrew Devonshire
Mr. Debo Mitford’s autobiography

Beside the Pearly Water by Stella Gibbons
This was rather an exciting find – dustjacket and all, if you care about those sorts of things (I do, on entirely aesthetic grounds).

Picture by Lillian Ross
I’m sure I’ve heard about this somewhere – but a look at the cinema from the 1950s was irresistible.

Popcorn by Cornelia Otis Skinner
I never blogged about it, but Our Hearts Were Young and Gay was one of my favourite reads from a few years ago, and I’ve been hoping to stumble across more by one or other or both of the authors.  There are plenty of cheap copies online, but it’s nice to stumble across them – and these light essays look great fun.

The Dolly Dialogues by Anthony Hope
I don’t remember where I heard about these, but a reprint of them has been on my Amazon wishlist for four years – nicer to find a copy while browsing, and even nicer to find a nice old edition!

So, not a bad haul – not huge quantity, but definite quality.  Have you read any of them, or want to?  As always, comments extremely welcome!

A Trip to the Bookbarn…

While I was in Somerset, having a lovely time with Our Vicar, Our Vicar’s Wife, and little Sherpa, we managed to fit in a trip to the Bookbarn.  If you’ve not heard about it, it’s an enormous secondhand bookshop in north Somerset, claiming to have a million books.  Many of these are online, and you have to search for those in the shop on the world’s slowest computer, but thousands of others are available for browsing – at £1 each!  I never come away empty-handed, and on Tuesday I came away with twenty books.  That includes four which I bought in a charity shop in Wells, which we went to afterwards.  Never let it be said that I keep my purchases silent – here they are!  Please do let me know if you’ve read any, got any, would like any, or have any thoughts at all!

I’ll go through them from the bottom of the left pile upwards…

Remembering Leacock: an oral history
A book about Stephen Leacock that I didn’t know about?  Yes please!  This one seems to be interviews with people that knew the great Canadian humorist.

42nd Street
I’m off to see the musical on the 30th, and I stumbled across the screenplay.

Two by Two by David Garnett
I’ve read surprisingly little by David Garnett, considering Lady Into Fox was a fundamental book for my doctoral thesis, but now I can add another title to the pile – I couldn’t resist Noah’s Ark for a theme.

Our Stage and Its Critics by E.F.S.
I can never resist an early twentieth-century book about the theatre… This one was published in 1910, so is unlikely to include anything about authors I know and love, but I’m still excited.

The Oliviers by Felix Barker
See above… but this time about Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh!

A Cornish Childhood by A.L. Rowse
Slightly Foxed Editions have made me fall in love with childhood memoirs, particularly those which take place in beautiful locations.  Enough said.

Tobit Transplanted by Stella Benson
I ummed and ahhed over an expensive copy of this a while ago, so a £1 copy was a lovely find!  After loving I Pose earlier in the year, it’s nice to have another Benson ready and waiting.

What Next? by Denis Mackail
Every bookshopping trip should have one best find, shouldn’t it?  The one you grab and feel like the whole thing was worthwhile.  And this was mine – like everyone else, I love Greenery Street, and I’m eager to read some more Mackail and see what else he has up his sleeve.

Mysterious book…
This one is a gift, which I have cunningly doctored to hide the title…

(from the bottom of the right-hand pile)

Awakenings by Oliver Sacks
I lost my copy of this at some point – either lent to someone and forgotten, or under some floorboards somewhere.  So, hurrah for finding a copy in a charity shop!

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
It’s almost odd that I haven’t bought this before, since I enjoy Bryson’s writing. Couldn’t say no to a 30p copy.

Pilgrimage I by Dorothy Richardson
To be honest, I can’t say I’m super excited about embarking on those notoriously difficult stream-of-consciousness novel (there are 12 or so more volumes after this one), but… well, it feels like the right sort of thing to have on the shelf.

Bindle by Herbert Jenkins
Some nice serendipity – it’s no secret that I adored Patricia Brent, Spinster, and a few of you said Bindle was just as great.  Now it’s mine, all mine!

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
I thought The World I Live In was brilliant and revelatory, and have been meaning to read her earlier, more famous, book about living without sight or sound.

Every Good Dead by Dorothy Whipple
How could I resist a copy of a Whipple novel with a cover as gloriously awful as this?

Strange Gardens by Michael Quint
One day I will read a French book that I like.  Will it be this one?  Maybe…

The Setons by O. Douglas
I thought Pink Sugar was great, so… well, you’re probably sensing a theme in this post!

From A College Window by A.C. Benson
One of the Benson dynasty (E.F. and all that, though no relation to Stella, so far as I’m aware) wrote a book of essays about life, while looking out of a window at Magdalen College.  Another no-brainer, so far as I’m concerned.

So, there you have it!  And would you believe it… I’m off book buying tomorrow too.  A long fast has been broken.  Over to you – thoughts?

America: The Books

As promised yesterday, I shall probably write a few posts about my time in America, staying with my lovely friend Lorna and her husband Will, but I had to start with the bloggers and the books… and, given how many I bought, this might be rather a long post!

Will, Teresa, me, Lorna, Thomas.
Nationality indicated by handy flags…
I’d always assumed, from the testimonies of various American bloggers and other friends, that American bookshops (sorry, stores) were rather overpriced and understocked.  Well, if you are looking for Anglophilia, then I daresay that’s true – but I came with the intention of buying only books I would be unlikely to find in England and, let me tell you, I didn’t come back empty-handed.  Indeed, I came back with (ahem) 22 books.  Top tip: they don’t weigh carry-on luggage, so I crammed as many books as possible into that, and pretended that my shoulder wasn’t falling off as I walked through the airport.
While in America, I had the great joy of meeting up with Thomas at My Porch and Teresa from Shelf Love – more about them later – but I’m going to tell you about the bookshops in order, and I certainly hadn’t restrained myself before I saw them.
blurry, because I took the photo from the bus…
Bookshop 1: Book Bank in Alexandria, Virginia
I may have gone a bit mad in this one, because it was the first and because I had a fistful of dollars… it was also probably my favourite of the bookshops I went to, partly because of the range and partly because of the wonderful woman behind the desk.  This woman, probably about fifty, was very knowledgeable about the books we bought, but not quite expert at the workings of a bookshop – she was training, and when the owner came back told him “I’ve made a list of all the mistakes I’ve made, and put it by the till.”  And then she added – in a sentence that I hope will become a catchphrase for me – “What I think is great is that now I know when I’m making mistakes!”  What a woman.  And here are the books I bought, and why…
Floater – Calvin Trillin
Thomas gave me Tepper Isn’t Going Out a while ago, and I loved it – so I was pleased to find another. And then I discovered that they’re everywhere in America – but this one was still worth the purchase, as I immediately read and loved it.  Since it was about journalists in Washington DC, it was particularly appropriate, as I was staying with a couple of them.
Book Lust – Nancy Pearl
The first of several books which have been on my Amazon Wishlist for ages, but not so easy to find in England – a celebrity librarian talks about book recommendations?  I’m in.
Seize the Day – Saul Bellow
Forever ago I wrote this title down on a notecard I used for book recommendations.  I don’t remember who recommended it or why, but this was the first time I’ve found it in a shop.  A bit nervous about trying Bellow, but at least it’s a nice short one.
Old Books, Rare Friends – Leona Rostenberg & Madeleine Stern
Another one off the wishlist – a non-fic tale about old ladies and bibliophilia is another one I can’t see myself not liking.
Ride a Cockhorse – Richard Kennedy
I was determined, when coming to the US, not to come back without at least a few NYRB Classics, and this one was the first one I came across, and looked interesting.
A Home at the End of the World – Michael Cunningham
I’ve been meaning to read more Cunningham ever since I read and loved The Hours ten years ago, but had yet to buy any.  As you’ll discover, this was not the only one I bought on my holiday….
Used and Rare – Lawrence & Nancy Goldstone
One of the things I often saw in bookshops Stateside which isn’t all that common in the UK was a shelf of ‘books about books’, and well-stocked at that.  This was another one I just couldn’t resist…

Bookshop 2: Riverby Books, Washington D.C.

Just around the corner from the Folger Shakespeare Library, incidentally.  Yes, the first thing I went to in America was an exhibition about Shakespeare, which wasn’t exactly travelling far from home.  It was also the first day of the torrential rains, which continued apace throughout my stay – but rather that than the rocketing temperatures of my first weekend (which, everyone assured me, was nothing compared to the summer).  I took shelter in a bookshop, which was no hardship, and it was there that I discovered the curious animal that is the mass-market paperback.  I’ve trained my eyes to ignore cheap, nasty editions, because in the UK they’re almost invariably cheap, nasty books – but in the US there are plenty of great books which hide between this awful covers.  (Sadly, no photo of the bookshop, because it was just too wet.)
An Anthropologist on Mars – Oliver Sacks
I could probably have found this one in England, but I thought I should justify the long rain-avoidance time I spent in the shop, and I’m always willing to add to my Sacks shelf.
Portrait of Jennie – Robert Nathan
This one has been on my wishlist for ages, and impossible to find in the UK.  Sadly I found it just too late to include in my thesis, which would have been useful (it’s about a girl who ages at a different rate from everyone else) but I still enjoyed reading it – which I have done already.  When I review it, I’ll show you the unpleasant cover…
Bookshop 3: The Lantern, Georgetown

Thomas was free to show me around Georgetown, and we had a fun afternoon chatting about books, bloggers, and whatnot, and I enjoyed being shown the beautiful sites of Georgetown.  I’d already stayed one night at Thomas’s house when I arrived (and got to meet the entirely adorable Lucy, who has single-pawedly brought dogs up a lot in my estimation) but I was coldy and jet-lagged and exhausted, so it was nice to have a chance to see him when I was actually compos mentis.  And we found a bookshop, of course…
The Rise of Silas Lapham – William Dean Howells
I don’t know anything about this book, but Thomas pressed it into my hands, and at $2 I thought it was worth a go.
Land’s End – Michael Cunningham
Another Cunningham, as mentioned above – and this one came signed, and with a sweet little drawing of boats by the author himself!
The Charmer – Patrick Hamilton
And this is where I broke my self-imposed rule of only buying American authors.  Well, I say self-imposed, but really it came after Thomas reprimanded me for only bringing British books on holiday.  You should all know by now that I love love love Hamilton’s novel The Slaves of Solitude, and have been meaning to try another one for a while – this one, so far, is stylistically far less sophisticated, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The Fur Person – May Sarton
This one wasn’t actually a book purchase, but a gift from Thomas.  Thanks!
Not relevant, but here I am (with Lorna) by the White House, y’all.
Bookshop 4: Books for America, Washington D.C.

This actually represents Bookshop 3a (Second Story Books) and 3b (Kramerbooks) too, but I didn’t actually buy anything in either of those – see what restraint!  By this point of the trip, I was getting more conscious about the weight and size of my bag, and so only bought one book… All Men Are Liars by Alberto Manguel.  And American paperbacks are a hundred times nicer than UK paperbacks, am I right?  Such a lovely feel to them.
Bookshop 5, 6, 7, 8: various shops around Virginia
These were the bookshops I went to with Thomas and Teresa, and I’ve decided (since this post is getting long) that I’ll tell you more about that trip in another post.  But I’ll let you know which books I bought – only four!  
Hollywood in the Thirties – John Baxter
50 cents in a library sale: yes please!
Fancies and Goodnights – John Collier
Collier was one of the authors I wrote about in my thesis (I will tell you more about that in due course) and so I was pleased to find a collection of his short stories.  But I have since discovered that I could have found an NYRB Classics edition, rather than the noxious paperback I found…
The Brandon Papers – Quentin Bell
I hadn’t realised that Virginia Woolf’s nephew wrote a novel (or maybe novels?) so I again broke my no-Brits rule for book buying on this trip.  And Thomas and Teresa were buying so many books that I felt I couldn’t lag too far behind!
The Moon and the Bonfires – Cesare Pavese
I know nothing at all about this, but a $1 NYRB was inevitably coming home with me.
Bookshop 9: Capitol Hill Books (guess where?)

On my final day, Lorna and I headed up to this amazing shop – there wasn’t an inch of wall space which wasn’t covered by books, as you can see.  The old gentleman who runs the shop turned up about half an hour after opening time (and opening time was 11.30am so not exactly horrendously early) but made up for it with his witty signs (“As recommended by Lindsay Lohan from rehab”, “Beware, may contain data” etc. etc.)  Despite having packed my bags that morning, I still came away with four more books…
Mr. Hodge and Mr. Hazard – Elinor Wylie
Another one of my thesis authors; it’s encouraging that I didn’t get to the point where I never wanted to see any of their names again!
The Unknown Masterpiece – Honore de Balzac
Another NYRB, but this time I actually do know the author (of course) and wanted to read more by him.
Instead of a Letter – Diana Athill
More for my Athill shelf!  This is one of the books I could find easily in the UK, but the delight of an American paperback swayed me.  And I didn’t put up too much resistance, I must confess.  Oh, it is lovely.
Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson – Judy Oppenheimer
This was the last book I spotted, only about a minute before we had to buy our books and leave – and the book I was most thrilled to find, as it is next to impossible to find in the UK, and not that easy to find in the US.  And it’s even inscribed by the author, which is always fun.  
Right, that’s all for now, folks!  As always, let me know if you’ve read any of these, or want to, etc. etc.  And soon I’ll tell you all about the bloggers’ day out to Virginia…

Books from Felixstowe

As promised, here are the books I bought in Felixstowe… I intended to take a photo of them on the beach, but I forgot, so… here they all are at Felixstowe train station…

Almost all of these came from Treasure Chest Books (which was even more wonderful than I’d remembered – it looks like quite a small shop, but just keeps going on and on, room after room) but I’ll start with the one that wasn’t. I can’t remember the name of the shop it came from, actually… a secondhand bookshop nearer the sea, anyway.  Having been to Guy’s wonderful talk, I couldn’t leave behind a copy of E.F. Benson’s first book (and, during his life, his most successful) – Dodo.

Let’s start at the top of the pile, shall we?

Patricia Brent, Spinster – Herbert Jenkins
Although the word ‘spinster’ in a book title is almost certain to make me want a copy on my shelves, this one comes with an even greater recommendation – or series of them, because several people from my online book list have been reading this one lately.

Virginia Woolf – E.M. Forster
You can barely see it in the picture, but there’s a little pamphlet in the pile.  I love it when authors write about other authors, so E.M. Forster on Virginia Woolf sounds great – indeed, I have actually read it in the Bodleian, and now I get to have my own copy.

The Windfall – Christopher Milne
I do already own this, but I couldn’t leave it behind when it was only £1… so I’ll find someone to give this to at some point…

Magda – Meike Zeirvogel
Meike is better known to many of us as the doyenne of Peirene Press – I think I was actually offered a review copy of this, but knew I wouldn’t be likely to have a chance to read it for a while, and this way I get to try it without the self-imposed time pressure!

Moving House – Katharine Moore
I love the idea of someone publishing their first novel in their 80s, and have previously enjoyed Moore’s letters with Joyce Grenfell, and her novel Summer at the Haven.

Nothing Sacred – Angela Carter
I keep stocking up my Carter shelves, and I’ve still only read one book by her… but now I have another one!

Mr. Bridge – Evan Connell
There has been quite a lot of talk about this, and Mrs. Bridge, in the blogosphere lately – and Simon S’s recent review of the latter made me want to give Connell a try.

My Father and Myself – J.R. Ackerley
There might be people in the world who can see a beautiful NYRB Classics edition of an author they’ve been intending to read – but I am not one of these people.  This comes as no surprise, does it?

Dodo – E.F. Benson
As mentioned above!

On The Side of the Angels – Betty Miller
See my comment about NYRB Classics, and transpose to Virago Modern Classics…

This is Sylvia – Sandy Wilson
A £1 sale means I give things like this a go… the memoirs of a cat! It could be very funny or it could be utterly mawkish. We’ll see…

Autobiography – Enid Bagnold
This book wasn’t in the £1 sale, but I couldn’t resist buying it… once I saw that it was signed by Enid Bagnold, with a lovely inscription from her. One to treasure!

As always, do let me know if you’ve read any of these, or if any are tickling your reading fancies.
Over to you!

He went to the bookshelf and the bookshelf was bare (by the time he had finished buying all the books on it)

Before I take you through the picture below, do please keep answering the Agatha Christie questions from yesterday – I believe in you guys, I think we can get James loads of answers for his thesis!  Spread the word…

I went to London on Thursday, to hear the Persephone lecture and meet up with some online friends (all of which was wonderful) – whilst there, I managed to get a book or two… and I thought you might like to know what has entered my teetering towers of books!  It does include three gift books (my meet-up does a Secret Santa, as well as bringing lots of swaps) so they’re on the pile for Reading Presently next year.

Mariana by Monica Dickens
I found two of those fancy Persephone new editions in a secondhand bookshop – so they came home with me!  I do have both in the original editions, but… these are so pretty.

Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
This only came out a few weeks ago, I think – I spotted it in The Times review pages last week, and was thinking about buying a copy, and then I found it in Oxfam.  Win!

The Crafty Art of Playmaking by Alan Ayckbourn
Don’t worry, I have no intention of writing a play (except for my contribution to the Chiselborough Christmas Cracker) but my fascination with all things theatre could meet new levels here.

At The Pines by Mollie Panter-Downes
I don’t know anything about this, but I wasn’t about to leave a Mollie Panter-Downes behind, was I?

Adele and Co. by Dornford Yates
This was my gift in the Secret Santa – I’ve been meaning to try Dornford Yates for ages, since I know a few fans of his, and now I have the chance in this lovely edition.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey
And another one!  Very excited about the film of this coming out next year – incidentally, check out Lisa’s wonderful interview with the scriptwriter.

Money for Nothing by P.G. Wodehouse
In the swap pile at our meet-up – always happy to add more Wodehouse to my shelves, especially when it’s a lovely old edition like this.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
More from the swap pile – my book group is reading this next year, so it was great to nab a copy gratis.

Darkness and Day by Ivy Compton-Burnett
Very pleased to pick up a tricky-to-find ICB novel in the lovely Slightly Foxed bookshop.

The Man Who Tasted Shapes by Richard E. Cytowic
Anne Fadiman says that everyone has a shelf of books which don’t quite match the rest of their taste – mine has popular psychology and neurology.  I don’t understand everything I’m reading, but I find it fascinating.  As the title suggests, this is about synesthesia.

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
More Carter, please – and I love this fun cover.

Right, that’s my haul!  Probably bought a few more than I ought to have done, so I think there’s going to be a self-imposed ban for the rest of 2012…

A Bristolian Weekend

I’ve just come back from a lovely weekend with my brother – and, very to my surprise, and the surprise of everyone who heard me moaning for the past seven years, I actually got a little into the Olympics, and was genuinely chuffed when Mo won the running thingummy.  Who’d have thought?  It’ll fade, no doubt.

More importantly, I also bought some books in Bristol… and here they are, taken (rather obviously) on my bed, I’m afraid:

(Clockwise, starting top left)

Two Worlds and Their Ways – Ivy Compton-Burnett
I do already have this; I bought it to offer as a giveaway when I read it.  So, watch out for that!

No.3 – Lady Kitty Vincent
I was rather surprised to find this, since I thought nobody else read Lady Kitty Vincent.  I rather enjoyed her books last year, and have kept an eye out ever since, but this one doesn’t seem to be available at all on Amazon or Abebooks.  Worth £2.49 of my money!

The Bottle Factory Outing – Beryl Bainbridge
Spurred on by Beryl Bainbridge Reading Week!

A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
I laughed my way through this brilliant tour de force, but didn’t have my own copy – and it’s definitely one I’ll re-read.

The West Pier – Patrick Hamilton
I’ve still only read one Hamilton novel, but it was one of the best novels I’ve ever read, so I’m happy to add to the Hamiltons on my shelf.  I don’t think I’d even heard of this one.

Herland – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I’ve been meaning to read this Amazonian utopia (dystopia?) for years, and was glad to stumble across a copy.  And I had a nice chat with the bookshop owner (who, on a previous visit, had told me that he loved Persephone Books) – he, entertainingly, told me that he’d once painted his bedroom yellow after reading The Yellow Wallpaper.  A brilliant novella, yes, but not one which would lead me to re-decorate in yellow…

Brighton Rock – Graham Greene
My book group is doing this next month…

The Persimmon Tree and other stories – Marjorie Barnard
I don’t know anything at all about this, but the blurb sounded intriguing.  And I’m not a person who leaves VMCs untroubled on a bookshelf…

So, there we go!  It’s always great to spend time with my brother, and even better when he traipses after me around bookshops.  He even bought three books himself.  Perhaps he’ll let you know what they were in the comments…

As always – thoughts?  Have you read any, etc. etc.?  I’d love to know.