Category: Booking through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday – Favourite Couples

Published on by Margaret13 Comments

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Monica suggested this one:

Got this idea from Literary Feline during her recent contest:

‘œName a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like’“sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’™s just me.’

I nearly didn’t do this post as my mind went completely blank when I read the question, and apart from  Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, I couldn’t think of any couples I particuarly liked. As it’s been years since I read Pride and Prejudice I thought that was rather sad.

Then I thought of Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester, but I haven’t actually read the book! They came to mind because as a child I saw a TV dramatisation of Jane Eyre. I was terrified by the mad woman in the attic and admired the way Jane coped with it all and ended up with her hero.

Another couple from my reading at school is Lucie Manette and Sydney Carton in Tale of Two Cities – because he sacrificed himself for love of her. I must re-read this book sometime.

Going even further back in my reading as a child great favourites are Jo and Laurie in Little Women. they never actually made it as a couple and stayed as friends. I still think she should have married him instead of Professor Bhaer.

A more recent couple are Cecilia and Robbie in Atonement – denied of happiness by a terrible mistake and by war.

A real life literary couple is Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Their love story is so romantic as told in both Margaret Forster’s biography of Elizabeth Barret Browning: a biography and in her novel  Lady’s Maid.  Although not a couple in the usual sense I’m also very fond of Elizabeth and Flush (her dog) – dogs are such faithful friends. Their story is told in Virginia Woolf’s novel Flush: a biography.

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?

Booking Through Thursday on the road

Published on by Margaret18 Comments

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As you can see from the title of this post I’m not at home. Today’s question on BTT is:

I’™ve seen this series of questions floating around the ‘˜net the last few days, and thought it looked like a good one for us!

What was the last book you bought?

 Actually I bought two. One is The Secret Scriptures by Sebastian Barry and the other is completely different – The Pub Landlord’s Book of Commonsense by Al Murray. I really shouldn’t laugh at Al’s jokes as he is quite rude, but I can’t help it – he is very funny.

Name a book you have read MORE than once

Pride and Prejudice but not for a long time

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?

I don’t think so, no!

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews

Ha Ha. All of that really. I also like to read the first paragraph and have a look at the middle as well.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

I like them both although I read more fiction than non-fiction.

What’™s more important in a novel – beautiful writing or a gripping plot?

He He again. I like a gripping plot but it has to be in beautiful writing.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)

 Too hard to decide this morning. It could be Judas in the Bible as I’ve always felt sorry for him!

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?

Only two ‘cos I’m in a Bed and Breakfast. They are Robert Louis Stevenson’s Tales of Terror and Gladys Tabor’s Stillmeadow and Sugarbridge. I’ve read some of both of them – Stillmeadow last night til I fell asleep and Tales of Terror this morning – too scary for last night!

What was the last book you’™ve read, and when was it?

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale, which I finished yesterday.

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?

Yes!

Don’™t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’™t have to go searching for it) in the comments’”or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

 

Best

Published on by Margaret14 Comments

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Today’s Booking through Thursday’s question is: What, in your opinion, is the best book that you haven’™t liked? Mind you, I don’™t mean your most-hated book’“oh, no. I mean the most accomplished, skilled, well-written, impressive book that you just simply didn’™t like.

I find this question quite hard to answer, mainly because if I don’t like a book I usually don’t finish reading it. The only book I gave up on recently was Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. I found it long winded, tedious and boring. I’d borrowed it from the library and after renewing it several times I eventually returned it without finishing it. I got tired of Lily and her lust for luxury. It was one of the books read in Cornflower’s Book Group and I think nearly everybody else loved it – see here! 

I think the real turn-off for me is when I find I’m bored with a book and it could be the subject or the style. Fortunately they drop out of my mind very soon, which is why I can’t think of any others right now.

Peer Pressure – A Booking Through Thursday Post

Published on by Margaret18 Comments

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Suggested by JM:

I was looking through books yesterday at the shops and saw all the Twilight books, which I know basically nothing about. What I do know is that I’™m beginning to feel like I’™m the *only* person who knows nothing about them.

Despite being almost broke and trying to save money, I almost bought the expensive book (Australian book prices are often completely nutty) just because I felt the need to be ‘˜up’™ on what everyone else was reading.

Have you ever felt pressured to read something because ‘˜everyone else’™ was reading it? Have you ever given in and read the book(s) in question or do you resist? If you are a reviewer, etc, do you feel it’™s your duty to keep up on current trends?

I have felt pressured to read a book because ‘everyone else’ is reading it, but often find that it makes me actually resist reading it. Recently this has happened to me with what I think of as ‘that potato peel book’. Its proper title is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I’ve read several reviews full of its praise. I know that people have enjoyed it immensely, so why am I so reluctant to read it? For one thing (and this is trivial, I know) but I don’t like the title. Mainly, though, I suppose it’s because I don’t like to jump on the bandwagon and also because I have succumbed in the past and been disappointed in a book – The Thirteenth Tale, Labyrinth, and The Time-Traveller’s Wife all come to mind. All these books failed for me to live up to the hype and I don’t like to have my expectations raised in that way.

I can’t put my finger on exactly why I feel that this about some books, because I often read other bloggers’ reviews and think ‘I really must read that book’. But I don’t actually feel any need to read a book just because lots of other people are reading it – it has to appeal to me. I write about books because I want to and I don’t get paid for it so I certainly don’t feel it’s my duty to keep up on current trends. Having said that I do want to know about new books and what other people are reading – I’m just contrary I suppose.

And I expect that eventually I will pick up ‘that potato peel book’, if only to have a look at what all the fuss is about.

Stories – Booking Through Thursday

Published on by Margaret9 Comments

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Today’s BTT question is:

If you’™re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No ‘¦ it’™s because you want to know what happens next?

Or, um, is it just me?

A short answer today as I haven’t much time – still sorting out my sister’s house etc.

What happens next is what drives the story forward and makes me want to turn the pages to find out. Of course, interesting characters are essential and it is the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer that makes the book interesting to me. Metaphor and depth of meaning definitely add to my enjoyment of a book. I suppose I need all those elements for a book to appeal to me.