Month: October 2008

What Next?

Published on by Margaret8 Comments

Thanks to all of you who commented on Wednesday’s post What’s Sitting On the Shelf?  I was wondering whether to start reading one of the many books sitting on my shelves and several people recommended I should read these from the list on my post:

  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame – suggested by Josette and Lezlie. Oh dear, I will read this one day but not for a while as I’m still reading Les Miserables and I don’t think I could cope with reading two books by Victor Hugo at the same time.
  • David Copperfield – this was suggested by Gautami Tripathy, Katherine, Babara H (it’s one of her all time favourites), and Kat (who’s read a children’s adaptation – sounds like a good idea). Gautami has promised to read Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder (one of her books sitting on the shelf!) if I promise to read David Copperfield soon – I’m very tempted to take you up on that promise Gautami, because I loved Sophie’s World.
  • The Mill on the Floss from Katherine, Lisa and Carol. I did enjoy Middlemarch, so this is a possibility soon.
  • Cider With Rosie suggested by Nan. I did pick this up and looked at it after reading Nan’s suggestion. It looks great and I’m very tempted to read it next.
  • King Solomon’s Mines from Robin. I’m not sure I’m in the mood for an adventure story just now.
  • Barchester Towers from Matt and Ann – but Ann says only if I’ve read The Warden first, which I haven’t.
  • Pickwick Papers – Joanne enjoyed that one. Mmm this is tempting too.
  • Ti suggested Great Expectations if I hadn’t already read it. I have but it was many years ago. I would like to re-read it one day, but not right now!

From your comments it looks as though Dickens sells well, but sits on the shelves unread by quite a few of us. Well, I’ve decided – I’ve made my decision (as they say on the X Factor); it’s been very hard because all the contestants are good but for me the book with the most appeal at the moment, and the one that I have chosen is …

Cider With Rosie by Laurie Lee

 So I’ve let you off the hook, Gautami, but I still think you’d like Sophie’s World and if I pick up David Copperfield soon I’ll let you know.

However, I’m not going to start it properly yet (OK I have read the first two chapters – I couldn’t resist it once I’d opened the book) until I’ve at least finished Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer. This book has taken me by surprise as when I read the first few pages I thought it wasn’t for me and it’s full of words and phrases that were presumably current in Regency England, that I’ve not come across before. I’ve started to make a list as I read. I think I understand them from the context, but for example just what was a “Tiger” (not a big wild cat), what does “laying out your blunt ” really mean and what was a “daffy” (obviously not a flower)? Having said that it is really fast reading, and very amusing.

Tales of Terror

Published on by Margaret4 Comments

The Body Snatcher and Olalla are two short stories by Robert Louis Stevenson included in my copy of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a Penguin Classic. Both stories were written for the Christmas “crawler” tradition in 1884 and 1885. Christmas was a season traditionally associated with supernatural and creepy tales. In the introduction to the book, the editor, Robert Mighall explains that a “crawler” was a ‘sensational tale of a supernatural incident designed to produce a pleasurable thrill in its readers.’

The Body Snatcher is very much a traditional Christmas ghost story, beginning with four men gathered in an inn on a dark winter’s night telling tales round the fireside of grisly deeds. On this particular night Fettes, the local drunk, is roused from his stupor  as if “arisen from the dead” when he hears the name ‘Dr Macfalane’. What follows is the tale of their relationship in the past when they were both medical students. The title of this story of course gives the game away and it is based on the activities of Burke and Hare in Edinburgh in the 1820s, body snatchers who turned out to be murderers selling bodies that had never been buried. I didn’t find this story to be very chilling or thrilling, although I didn’t predict the slight twist at the end. The interest for me is in the two personalities of Fettes and Macfarlane and how the turn of events affected their lives. Macfaarlane had gone on to be a successful and wealthy doctor, untroubled by his conscience, and

richly dressed in the finest of broadcloth and whitest of linen, with a great gold watch chain and studs and spectacles of the same precious metal; he wore a broad folded tie , white and speckled with lilac, and he carried on his arm a comfortable driving coat of fur.

Whereas Fettes overcome by his conscience had lived in idleness, pursuing

“crapulous, disreputable vices”. Permanently in a “state of melancholy, alcoholic saturation”, a “parlour sot, bald, dirty, pimpled and robed in his old camlet cloak”.

Olalla is a longer story and to my mind is the better of the two. When does a short story cease to be considered short, I wonder? It is definitely written as a Gothic tale, set in an ancient Spanish castle surrounded by deep woodland, about a young man recovering from his war wounds and to “renew his blood”, who finds himself living with a strange family. The castle is as much a character in this story as the people, fallen into disrepair as much as the family has degenerated from its noble ancestors who fell prey to evil.

The young man, naturally, falls in love with Olalla, the beautiful daughter, with a strange mad mother and a simpleton brother.  She fears she has inherited the evil of her ancestors and the hint of vampirism in her mother. There is almost a fairytale feel to this story with references to Sleeping Beauty locked by magic within the castle, and also a chill factor which Bram Stoker later developed in Dracula.

This completes my reading for the RIP Challenge, although I have several more books that I would like to read such as The Turn of the Screw. Thanks to Carl for hosting the Challenge.

What’™s Sitting on Your Shelf? Booking Through Thursday on Wednesday

Published on by Margaret24 Comments

 btt buttonBTT is a day early this week!

Okay’“here was an interesting article by Christopher Schoppa in the Washington Post.

Avid readers know all too well how easy it is to acquire books ‘” it’™s the letting go that’™s the difficult part. ‘¦ During the past 20 years, in which books have played a significant role in both my personal and professional lives, I’™ve certainly had my fair share of them (and some might say several others’™ shares) in my library. Many were read and saved for posterity, others eventually, but still reluctantly, sent back out into the world.

But there is also a category of titles that I’™ve clung to for years, as they survived numerous purges, frequent library donations and countless changes of residence. I’™ve yet to read them, but am absolutely certain I will. And should. When, I’™m not sure, as I’™m constantly distracted by the recent, just published and soon to be published works.

So, the question is this: ‘œWhat tomes are waiting patiently on your shelves?‘œ

I have too many unread books that have been sitting on my book shelves or in piles for years. Every now and them I move them all round trying to fit in more books or re-organise them to encourage me to actually read them. It’s really helpful having them on LibraryThing as I can now easily check which books I’ve yet to read.

Here are a few that I’ve owned a long, long time:

  • No Longer At Ease, Chinua Achebe
  • David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
  • Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens
  • The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
  • The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot
  • King Solomon’s Mines by Rider Haggard
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
  • Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
  • Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
  • The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf 

Quite a classical list really. After my post last Sunday about the number of books I have on the go right now I really mustn’t pick up any of these, but as I finished The Secret Scripture this morning maybe I could start one of these, but which one?

Teaser Tuesday

Published on by Margaret6 Comments

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) ‘œteaser’ sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’™re getting your ‘œteaser‘ from ‘¦ that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’™ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

    • I’m quoting two today. First from page 226 of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I have started to read this again after a long gap. I only have about 1100 pages to go to the end!

    Morning, like evening has its ghosts. He did not see them but was still conscious, as though by their physical presence, of the dark shapes of trees and hills making their mournful contribution to his violently agitated state of mind.

    Then, because the winner of the Man Booker Prize is being announced this evening I’m also going to give two sentences from one of the shortlisted books – page 76 of The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry.

    When to speak at all is a betrayal of something, perhaps a something not even identified, hiding inside the chambers of the body like a scared refugee in a site of war.

    Which is to say Dr Grene came back today, with his questions at the ready.

    I just over half way into this book. I’d like to think it will be the winner, but I can’t really judge as this is only the second off the shortlist that I’ve read.

    Tuesday Thingers – Early Reviewers

    Published on by Margaret6 Comments


    Today’sTuesday Thingers question: Early Reviewers- do you participate? How many books (approximately) have you received through the program? Have you liked them generally? What’s your favorite ER book? Do you participate in the discussion group on LT?

    Yes, I’ve participated in Early Reviewers, ever since books were offered to UK members. I’ve received two books – the first was Our Longest Days from the second batch I requested. The second was Man In the Dark by Paul Auster. Although Our Longest Days is my favourite, I enjoyed both of them immensely,  – my reviews are on LT and also here on my blog (clicking on the titles links to my reviews). Currently I’m waiting for Tangled Roots by Sue Guiney. It should be arriving soon as it’s been on its way since August!

    I don’t request every book that’s available, as I have so many books that I haven’t read yet and time is precious. So it’s been a real plus receiving the ones I’ve really fancied reading.

    I haven’t take part in the LT discussion group, mainly because I don’t have the time. I haven’t even looked at it.

    The Sunday Salon – Starting Books

    Published on by Margaret24 Comments

    Sometimes I wish I could just concentrate on reading one book at a time. What usually happens is that I start reading a book and then another one grabs my attention and then yet another one, and another one. Before I know it I’ve started lots of them. Of course I don’t actually read them all at once and often one takes precedence and I spend more time on that one than the others. The problem then is when I’ve finished one I have to start another and so it goes on.

    I’ve started reading all these books. The list is not in any order as I don’t keep a record of when I started them.

    This has got to stop. Although I have read several pages or even chapters of each when I go back to them I have to refresh my memory and sometimes even start again.

    The most shameful one on the list is Les Miserables because I’ve read a big chunk of it. Maybe if I concentrate on two or three – one for reading downstairs and two upstairs (morning and evening) I would do better.

    So for the rest of today I’m planning to revive Les Miserables, carry on with Stillmeadow and Sugarbridge and later this evening to continue with The Secret Scripture. Well, that’s the plan, anyway.