The Clan are off to Cornwall tomorrow, and my student days finished today – after being up all night packing, I waved farewell to Magdalen and went on my way. And now I shall be away from the world of computers for a week. while Our Vicar and The Carbon Copy stride manfully along the Cornish Costal Path, and I accompany Our Vicar’s Wife in a gentler holiday of painting and reading, and tending to the burning brows of said manful walkers.
So, you ask, which books to take? Thought I’d let you know which will be coming with me. The selection was pretty much taken from those left on my university shelves, and consequently not a great deal of thought has gone into the choices. Heresy, I know, but they all look promising nonetheless. And I’m afraid not a hint of the 21st century. Cornwall isn’t the right place for gritty.
I failed to find pictures of the books in question, so here are the novelists instead. They make rather a nice collage, don’t you think? If you fancy a little challenge, have a guess who these figures are…
Ok, time up.
-Monica Dickens, One Pair of Feet (top left) – loved One Pair of Hands enough to make it a swift inclusion in the 50 Books You Should Read… (more of these now that I’m reunited with my bookshelves), and I have high hopes that this book will be equally enjoyable
-Elizabeth Myers, A Well Full of Leaves (top right) – no, this novel is not a mass effort, nor is ‘Elizabeth’ a pseudonym for this enormous family. It’s the nearest I could find to a picture of Elizabeth, because I believe she is in this Powys family photo, since she married Llewelyn Powys. Her letters were my favourite book of the last year, so intrigued by the literature
-Nancy Mitford Omnibus (bottom left) – The Pursuit of Love, Love in a Cold Climate, The Blessing are all included in this collection, and I just know I’m going to love them.
-Tove Jansson, A Winter Book – this one has been on the cards since The Summer Book was the first book in my list of fifty. Karen, fancy a joint read?
See you all in a week – might even show you the paintings I do, if you’re lucky!
Have a lovely holiday, Simon. I hope you enjoy Nancy Mitford as much as I do (The Pursuit of Love must be my most read book), and I’ll try to squeeze The Winter Book in over the next few days!
I love the collage; Nancy Mitford is so splendid looking. I have finally obtained both these Monica Dickens books and am looking forward to them. Have a wonderful holiday!