One of my favourite varieties of blog post to write, or to read, is a book haul. It’s always interesting to see what sorts of books people select when many are on offer – and I love writing and receiving the comments that cheer on one of the books, or ask what a book is about.
But what happens next?
Well, I decided to start a series looking at previous book hauls, called ‘The Overhaul’. It’s a really clever pun if you don’t think about it for too long and discover that it’s kinda meaningless. In this intermittent series, I’ll be looking back at previous ‘haul’ blog posts, seeing what I have and haven’t read (and why), and generally chastising myself, I suspect. IS my brother correct that I should read the books I have on my shelves rather than buying more? All that to come. FUN.
Feel free to borrow the idea and the image, if you fancy doing anything similar. I’ll keep doing it if people like the idea and/or if I enjoy the retrospective.
The Overhaul #1
The original haul post is here.
Date of haul: July 2011
Location: Hay-on-Wye
Number of books bought: 19
Now let’s take a look at the books individually…
- Jenny Wren by E.H. Young
I have yet to read this, though I have read a handful of other EHY books over the years since 2011.
- The Vicar’s Daughter by E.H. Young
Er, see above. I should totally read some more E.H. Young. A couple have names in the title, so maybe they’ll come next.
- Through a Glass Darkly: the life of Patrick Hamilton by Nigel Jones
Not only have I not read this, I haven’t even read another novel by Hamilton since 2011. C’mon, Si!
- The Letters of Evelyn Waugh ed. Mark Amory
Erm, I’ve used it to rest my laptop on. Does that count?
- The Corner That Held Them by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Hurrah! One I’ve read! Though sadly I hated it. Lots of people really rate this many-centuries look at a nunnery, but I’m afraid I found it really dull. I held onto it, because I want my STW collection to be in tact, but I’m not sure it’ll stay forever.
- Jill by Philip Larkin
Ermmm ok, I might read this for Project Names.
- The Second Mrs Tanqueray by Arthur Wing Pinero
OK, I’d actually read a library copy of this before I bought it, but I’m still putting it in the ‘read’ pile.
- The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
I’d already read this too. This was a Penguin edition, which I have since discarded in favour of the Persephone edition.
- The Swan in the Evening by Rosamond Lehmann
Not read it – but I have read two of her novels now, whereas I was accumulating her in 2011 and earlier without having read a word she’d written.
- Safety Pins by Christopher Morley
I read this one, and in 2011 too! It’s delightful.
- Shaving Through the Blitz by G.W. Stonier
AND I read this one in 2011 – observational essays from WW2, from a very unusual character.
- The Ballad of Peckham Rye by Muriel Spark
I read this one in 2012, during the Muriel Spark Reading Week that Harriet and I held (maybe it’ll be time for another before too long?) It’s Spark on strong form, about a man who arrives in town and may or may not be the devil.
- A Reckoning by May Sarton
I haven’t seen this for a while, but I’m going to assume it’s on my shelves somewhere… unread.
- Messages From My Father by Calvin Trillin
I’ve read three books by Trillin since 2011, but this was not one of them.
- A Baker’s Dozen by Llewelyn Powys
While I never got around to blogging about this, I did read and very much enjoy Powys’ reflections on life growing up as the son of a Montacute vicar.
- The Shakespeare Wallah by Geoffrey Kendal
Unread. I did start watching the film and it was terrible.
- The Island of the Colorblind by Oliver Sacks
There are plenty of unread Sacks books on my shelves, but I *have* read this one! Not my favourite of his, but very interesting nonetheless – looking at an island where a high percentage of the inhabitants are colourblind.
- Gin & Ginger by Lady Kitty Vincent
- Lipstick by Lady Kitty Vincent
I think I read these almost immediately, and they’re great fun. When a book starts “No, my dear, I cannot say that I really know the Bishop of Runnymede”, you know you’re in for a treat, don’t you?
Total bought: 19
Total still unread: 9
Total no longer owned: 1
LOL I don’t dare do this…
Ha, be brave!!
You disposed of The Victorian CL to ME and I finally read it last year! x
Ohhh yes! I can count that as another ‘read’ ticked on the list, right??
What a good idea! Of course I’m incredibly irritating and pi and everything I buy goes on the TBR in acquisition order and gets read within the year. Although doing my reading slightly differently this year has left me longer than a year on the older ones. But shorter on the newer ones!
I am always amazed by your restraint and how compact your tbr is!
Great fun to read over morning coffee. I dare not do this on my book hauls. Yes, please continue, but perhaps use a pen name so your brother may not find it and read it, cos I think you might be in trouble over the number of TBRs. To the rest of us, the number gives us hope.
I was slightly worried by the photo. If that is Simon’s home, I thought, a) where is puss and b) why is one wall seemingly a glass window? All understood now. Thank you.
Ha! If my brother asks, I’m Thimon Somas. And yes, this is Richard Booth’s in Hay! My house is definitely rather more compact.
Like this idea a lot. It’s interesting to see what you read and don’t read, and also how your interests evolve over the years. It’s a good thing to have a bit of an audit from time to time.
Thanks Hayley! Yes, my interests seem to have been largely static since 2011 – or, rather, have increased without losing anything.
Wonderful idea!- please keep it up. I feel so much less guilty now about all the unread books in my pile……
Ha, and this will be one of my better scores, I suspect!
I’ve rarely done Bookhaul (I hate that term but love your Overhaul derivative), posts, just mentioned incoming books here and there, so can’t join in this one. Loved this post though.
Thanks Annabel! It turns out I’ve done quite a few similar haul posts, so will have lots to choose from…
What a fun idea! I’m not sure I dare do this, because I imagine my success rate at reading the books I buy would be much the same as yours…. Plus there is any number of book buying posts on my blog so where would I start!! =:o
Ha! Well, I was quietly proud of this success rate – it’s definitely going to get worse!
Great idea. Loads of fun. I dont7feel so bad either about my unread books. I hope you do this again. Happy Easter!
Thanks Pam! I’m already wondering which haul to address next…
I am definitely not doing this, but I shall live reading your overhaul posts. You must read EH Young! Though you should probably read The Curate’s wife before Jenny Wren (though they probably each stand alone). The Corner that Held them was the first Sylvia Townsend Warner that I read.
This is a great idea, I’d like to get around to doing this – eventually. I do know that I usually read one book from a haul very quickly, and most of the others languish in piles for ages.
I’d be terrified to do this with my own book hauls…
I haven’t read any of the books on your list but I strongly disagree with your brother. What would be the fun if we first had to finish all the books we already have? ;)
Happy Reading
Hahahah, I love this idea, but I don’t want to confront all the books that I’ve bought and not read. I know how terrible I am about reading the books I’ve bought, especially nonfiction. Nonfiction takes so long to read! Yet I love it so much!
The ratio of bought to read isn’t that horrendous is it? fortunately I don’t go in for buying large numbers of books in one go since I know my ratio would be dire.