Weekend Miscellany

Happy weekend, folks!  As I warned, things have been a bit quieter than usual on SiaB this week.  I’ll tell you more about my job next week (thanks for all your lovely congrats) – for now, sit back and enjoy a book, a link, and a blog post.

1.) The blog post – You know how great it is when someone loves an author you love?  Even better is when initially they don’t, and then discover later that they do.  Harriet rather hated her first experience with Ivy Compton-Burnett (whom, as you might know, I adore).  Bravely, after some encouragement from me and some reading around the blogs, Harriet decided to give Dame Ivy another try.  And let there be rejoicing in the street, it worked!  Let Harriet explain it all, here.

2.) The book – just look what will be coming out in April…

3.) The link – I’m afraid I can’t remember where I first saw this (it was on Facebook, let’s face [ahem] it) but thanks if you brought it to my attention!  It’s 30 of the Most Beautiful Abandoned Places – some really stunning, quite eerie, photos.

I’m starting a new job on Monday (maternity cover) at Oxford University Press.  It’s all happened very quickly – I applied for it two weeks ago – and I’m both excited and nervous.  I might well tell you more about it in the future, once I’ve worked out how much distance I ought to keep between my job and this blog, but for now I just want to explain why posts will be a bit sporadic for the next week or two, as I get used to a new environment.  But I’ve quite enjoyed posting every other day, for a bit, rather than everyday – because more people seem to interact with each post that way.

But don’t worry, I’m definitely not going anywhere!  Stuck-in-a-Book is still very important to me.

Some quick weekend links…

1.) The book – is Jenn Ashworth’s The Friday Gospels, which I’m 50 pages into.  I loved her A Kind of Intimacy, and have somehow still not read her second novel (bad Simon), but have gone straight onto the third, which Sceptre kindly sent me when I sent them a begging email.  It’s about Mormons, and is from various different perspectives, all of which are wonderfully realised so far.  More soon…

2.) The link – Radio 4 do a programme all about Nancy Mitford!

3.) The blog post – I’m trying to resist writing about The Lizzie Bennet Diaries again (IT’S JUST GOT SO EXCITING), but I’ve found my way around that by linking, instead, to Iris’s blog post about it, and about Pride and Prejudice‘s anniversary – have a gander here.

Happy weekend y’all!  Hope everyone is very well.  I spent my Friday evening watching a great 1945 film I Live in Grosvenor Square with Rex Harrison and Anna Neagle – and, the reason I watched it, Dame Irene Vanbrugh!  It was the inaugural film in Andrea & Simon’s Film Club (basically a fancy name for my friend Andrea and I taking it in turns to choose films) – I’ll keep you posted if we watch anything really great.  And maybe I’ll do a proper post on I Live in Grosvenor Square one day.

1.) The book – could have your name in it!  A youtuber I was watching mention U*Novels (‘you star novels’) which allows you to have specially printed editions of classic novels where you choose the names of the cast.  This could make a really fun gift.  Want to put your husband in as Mr. Darcy?  Fancy taking a trip to Wonderland and having your friends appear as the caterpillar or Chesire Cat?  It sounds silly and fun to me.

2.) The blog post – Melwyk over at The Indextrious Reader has started up a really interesting Postal Reading Challenge – reading books with postal themes (e.g. collections of letters – those of you who got excited about Maxwell/Welty or Maxwell/Warner collections could jump on board!)  Head over here to find out more.

3.) The link – I just wanted to remind you to WATCH THE LIZZIE BENNET DIARIES if you’re not already.  (A re-telling of Pride and Prejudice through vlogs – I first wrote about here.) It’s got so good recently – and Lydia Bennet’s channel is also brilliant.  Mary Kate Wiles (along with the writers) has really fleshed out Lydia to be a very sympathetic, thorough character, rather than the silly, flighty girl that Lizzie sees (and thus that we see in the novel.)   Lydia’s channel is here, and Lizzie’s is here.   There are quite a lot of videos to watch, but I’ll make it easy for you to start – here is ep.1 of Lizzie’s channel.

Welcome to the first Weekend Miscellany of 2013!  I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year, whoever you were with.  As of Thursday, I’m back in Oxford, having refuelled on cat, countryside, and family.

1.) The blog post – lovely Thomas at My Porch has had a clear-out, and (as well as admiring his lovely shelves) you can put your name in the draw for his duplicate Dorothy Whipple books.  US residents only, though, since he wanted to keep the Whipples in a country where they’re difficult to find.  It’s open til 31st January.

2.) The link – I’ve yet to listen to it, but Mary has passed on the info about a Radio 4 programme on the incredible Margaret Rutherford.  Click here for it.  If I had a time machine, I’d probably (mis)use it just to go and see her on the stage as Miss Hargreaves.  What bliss that would be…

3.) The book – I really loved The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice (it was in my top books of 2008), so I was very excited to receive a review copy of her new book, The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp – with a lovely note from Eva too.  My reading will be taken up by Vanity Fair for the foreseeable future, but Eva Rice’s is one of many 21st century books I’ve been holding off until A Century of Books was finished.  If it’s half as good as The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, then I’ll adore it!

And not forgetting… the readalong of Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is coming up soon!  A lovely lot of people seemed keen – see here for details – I suggest we post reviews sometime in the week beginning Monday 28th January, and I’ll post links and have a discussion here.  Fun fun!

It’s all rather damp and miserable chez Stuck-in-a-Book at the moment.  Damp house, damp streets, even a book gone mouldy because I foolishly left it on the window sill (sorry, The Haunted Woman by David Lindsay, mea culpa.)  But by next weekend I’ll be back home – with family, cat, log fire, and such.  So, my final damp weekend miscellany of 2012, and possibly my final weekend miscellany of 2012, damp or otherwise.

1.) The book – stuck for something to give a bibliophile under the Christmas tree?  I was recently sent 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Octopus Publishing.  I’m sure a lot of us love these sorts of lists, and this book is far more than just lists, of course.  Lots of info by well-informed people (including my supervisor, I noticed!) as well as lovely pictures etc.  Since I’ve only read 80 or 90 of ’em, I’ve got plenty to go before I die.  More info here.  It’s a really nicely produced book, and I think it would make for great discussion on Boxing Day.

2.) The link – will go over (or perhaps under) the heads of most, but I think some of you in your 20s will appreciate this… I was obsessed with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books when I was about 10.  I’m sure OV and OVW can attest to my need to read them ALL, and they generously identified (and encouraged) the love of reading rather than my deplorable lack of taste.  For those not in the know, Goosebumps are ‘horror’ books for young children, with cliffhangers every few pages, utterly unconvincing characters, and always a huge, often nonsensical, twist at the end.  I loved ’em.  Well, some brave soul has re-read them all as an adult, and written hilarious reviews at Blogger Beware.  I’ve spent hours there.  Enjoy!

3.) The blog post – while quite a few bloggers do the TBR Challenge in the early months of the year, where they only read unread books from their shelves, Ali is spearheading A Month of Re-reading in January.  More info here, but the gist is pretty obvious – a month of re-reading books!  Lots of us who have 1001 books we want to read before we die (or before book group next Wednesday, as it may be) may feel like we never have time to re-read, so it’s nice to set aside time to do it.  It wouldn’t really work with my Reading Presently project, so I shan’t be joining in this year, but it’s something I’ll definitely keep in mind for the future.

By the way, out of interest, are there many of you using the subscribe-by-email option?

Happy Weekend, one and all.  And happy December, no less.  I’m feeling pretty proud of myself at the mo, because I’ve basically finished my Christmas shopping.  True, I wasn’t buying for many, but it’s nice to get it done and dusted, rather than trailing around Yeovil in the week before Christmas.  Yeovil is many things, but a horn o’ plenty it is not.  I tell you what does keep giving and giving – and that’s the Weekend Miscellany.  Enjoy!

1.) The book – I’ve tended to turn down review copies during 2012, as A Century of Books has restricted the (already limited) number of new books I wanted to read – but I was very tempted by A is for Angelica by Iain Broome, published by Legend Press.  Here’s the info I was sent:

Set in a northern mining town, the novel deftly draws us into the secretive life of troubled Gordon Kingdom. Gordon struggles with the fate of his seriously ill wife and patiently observes the unusual goings-on of his neighbours in Cressingham Vale. The arrival of the enigmatic Angelica prompts Gordon to make difficult decisions, as well as to embark on a flurry of cake baking. The book elegantly weaves prosaic tragedy, dark comedy and Hitchcockian menace.

It all sounds like it might fit with my love of Edward Carey, Barbara Comyns etc.  I’ll let you know when I get around to reading it!

2.) The blog post – I know I’ve been championing Claire’s reading of A.A. Milne all year, but if you read only one review of an A.A. Milne book this year, make it her brilliant review of Peace With Honour.  It’s definitely made me want to re-read it.

3.) The link – I’ve been getting into the sketch comedy of BriTANick on Youtube.  It’s sometimes ‘a little near the knuckle’, as Our Vicar’s Wife would say, but a lot of it is also very funny.  Here’s their brilliant Every Academy Award Winning Movie Ever Trailer (er, the screencap isn’t very representative of the content):

Another Saturday at work for me, but nothing planned for the evening – X Factor or Iris Murdoch?  Hmm.  It should be an easy choice, but I have to admit that I’m finding The Sea, The Sea rather ponderous.  It’s a book group choice, and I do think it’s very good, but it’s not light reading.  And it is long.  You know how I feel about long books.  Over 500 pages of tiny font.  Huh.  I might be shouting at Louis Walsh instead…

Well, now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’ll throw a book, a blog post, and a link your way.

1.) The book – came from Tara Books, an Indian company which produces really beautiful books.  I wrote  a bit about them here, two years ago, and now they’ve sent me another gem.  To celebrate Dickens’ centenary (which has rather got lost in the whole Olympics fever, but let’s remember it now!) they’ve produced a gorgeous copy of Dickens’ Pictures from Italy, illustrated by Livia Signorini.  I think it would make a brilliant Christmas gift (oh, so early, sorry!) for any fan of Dickens in your life.  If that person happens to be you, then… so be it! ;)

2.) The link – was sent to me by my friend Rachel, and is about the language of P.G.Wodehouse.  Fun!

3.) The blog post – is by Karen/Kaggsy – the first person to review Guard Your Daughters after the mad rush for copies which happened when I waxed enthusiastic about it!  Read Kaggsy’s review here, and revisit mine here, if you so wish.  She lucked out with a lovely (if oddly irrelevant to the book) cover for her copy – go have a gander.  (If you have reviewed Guard Your Daughters, on a blog or LibraryThing or whatever, then let me know!  I’m hoping to gather together reviews…)

Another rainy weekend here, I think – but I’ll be at work on Saturday anyway, so I feel a bit better about it… hope you have something planned!

1.) The link – is shameless.  I discovered @EmergencyPuppy – basically lots of very cute photos of animals (not just puppies).  If you want a taster, here is the one captioned ‘Here is my ball, perhaps you would like it?’

2.) The blog post – I’ve never entirely worked out how Slaves of Golconda works, or where they got their curious name from, but lovely blogger Danielle has chosen lovely book Crewe Train by lovely author Rose Macaulay for their next group read – ergo, a whole heap of lovely.  Some info here. Discussion starts November 17th, and if you need further persuasion, my review of the novel is here.

3.) The book – came the other day, was left in the living room, picked up by my housemate – and then I heard lots of helpless laughter the other side of the wall!  Just My Typo, kindly sent my Hodder and Stoughton, is a collection of amusing typos from literature, signs, text messages, newspapers, etc… on the first page is a taster of what’s to come: “Barney” by Rudge – $1.50.  It’s an 19th century American advert… think about it…

I’m at work this Saturday (boo!) but a friend is coming over to watch I Capture the Castle in the evening (hurray!) so it’s not all bad.  Plus word got round at church that I like baking, so I got an 11pm text asking me if I’d make something for the Sunday service – will do, check.  Better than being asked to lift things or (the horrors) kids’ work (kids work?), which I have managed always to avoid.  Anyway… here’s your weekly miscellany, tuck in!

1.) The link – Adam and Chloe got in touch, and told me about The Willoughby Book Club.  It looks like a great idea – here’s what they had to say:

A little about us… we offer our customers a personalised book club gift service for a range of ages and interests. In short, they choose from our range of book club packages (Babies, kids, adult fiction, non-fiction, cookery etc), tell us a little about the person they’re buying for, and we’ll then send out a brand new book once a month with a personalised message with their first delivery.
Maybe drop hints with your nearest and dearest…

2.) The blog post – is Lisa May / TBR 313’s take on Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men on the Bummel – partly because it’s a book I’ve been intending to read for ages, and partly because I’ve neglected her wonderful blog up til now, and I’m discovering all the delights that are there!

3.) The books – came from lovely Slightly Foxed, as a delightful surprise in the post.  Their beautiful Slightly Foxed Editions are gorgeous hardback reprints of memoirs.  Some of the most popular ones, now sold out (as they only print 2000 of each title) are available now as paperbacks – and they have sent me Blue Remembered Hills by Rosemary Sutcliff and Adrian Bell’s Corduroy, which Karyn was recommending only the other day.  Can’t wait to get onto these, as the other SF editions I’ve read have all been utterly wonderful!  (And now the collector in me wants them aaallllll…)

My ex-housemate Mel is visiting Oxford this weekend, which will make me very happy.  It’s not the same city without her, and we’ll paint the town red this weekend (or, more likely, play Scrabble.)   This might mean no post on Monday – forewarned is forearmed, and I’m sure you’ll get through the day!  But for now, a link, a blog post, and a whole mound of books.

1.) The link – is a free library!  “The only rule is that there are no rules” – books can be borrowed for any length of time, or even kept.  The man running this, from his home, wisely says “As a book caretaker, you become a full man.”  Take note, OV and OVW.   Oh, and it’s in one my very favourite cities, Manila in the Philippines.  (WHY didn’t I visit when I was there?)  Read more here.  I know a few of you live in Manila – have you ever been?

2.) The book – comes from beautiful Folio Books (thank you!) – a rather lovely edition of The Wind in the Willows, which I haven’t read since I was about 12.  I’ll probably have a re-read soon, and will post more then, but I promised Ozal a link to Folio’s page on the book asap. 

3.) The blog post – is Victoria/Litlove’s fascinating discussion-opener on writing blog reviews.  She also includes links to other posts, which will send you off into one of those link-blog-link-blog spirals that could be gloriously unending.  Well, that’s what it did for me.  Victoria’s post also acts as LitCrit 101 for those who sometimes feel out of their depth in that area – and there’s also a really interesting set of comments which are worth reading.

4.) The ebooks – *washes mouth out with soap*  Yes, I’m going to talk about ebooks.  The lovely people at Bloomsbury Reader got in touch to ask whether I’d like one of their Ivy Compton-Burnett ebook reprints (can one reprint an ebook?)  Obviously I couldn’t accept, but I did offer to do a ‘shout-out’.  So, for those of you who are yet to try Dame Ivy, Bloomsbury Reader have quite a few available as ebooks: A Heritage and Its History, Elders and Betters, Two Worlds and Their Ways, The Present and The Past, The Last and the First, A Family and a Fortune, Men and Wives, Parents and Children and even her first, disowned, novel Dolores.  The only one of those I’ve read is Parents and Children, which is great – and I imagine all the others are great too!  (Some are available as print-on-demand paperbacks, but at twice the price of the ebooks, and rather more than you can find the books for secondhand.)  Let me know if you try any!