I recently read, and loved, A House Full of Daughters by Juliet Nicolson, a book which begins with her great-great grandmother, the Spanish dancer Pepita, and ends with Juliet’s own granddaughters. It covers seven generations. I knew a lot about some of them from various biographies, but found it fascinating to follow the family through the female line, seeing how the troubles of one woman impacted on the next generation. Read more
Are you a Librocubicularist?
- Abibliophobiac – a person who fears being without a book to read
- Bibliobibuli – a person who reads too much
- Biblioclast – a person who rips pages from books
- Bibliographe – a person who writes about books Read more
How long should a work of fiction be?
Patrick Kavanagh & Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin
I’ve been preparing for my literary tour of Ireland in May and have enjoyed learning more about Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh (1904 – 1967). Kavanagh was born a countryman, in Inniskeen, County Monaghan, but he left the farm and moved to Dublin. In his later years, when he had a serious alcohol problem, he liked to walk by the Grand Canal, or just sit watching the water.
Of Claire Tomalin and Katherine Mansfield
Her prize-winning Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self is a delightful introduction to Pepys if you have not yet discovered how addictive he can be. Read more
More Film Adaptations
I have loved reading the Robert Galbraith series of novels (those are the crime novels written by J.K. Rowling under another name), so was delighted to learn that they have been filming the first one, The Cuckoo’s Calling. It will come out on BBC1 this year, with Tom Burke as Cormoran Strike and Holliday Grainger as Robin. It will be in 3 x 1 hour episodes.
Stevie Smith & Not Waving but Drowning
Not Waving but Drowning, by Stevie Smith
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning. Read more
Do You Ditch or Endure?
My 2016 Favourites
Bitch in a Bonnet by Robert Rodi. A book of literary criticism about Jane Austen’s novels that was fun and thought-provoking (please take it for granted that my 6 top reads every year are invariably Jane Austen’s books) Read more
Books About Art
I’ve had a lovely little run of books about art recently and can recommend the following:
Everything is Happening: Journey into a Painting by Michael Jacobs is about the Velasquez masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’. Sadly the author died before completing the book, which was edited and added to by his friend Ed Vulliamy, but there was a lot of interesting information and it was an intriguing read. Read more
A Book Collector’s Pleasure
One of the great pleasures of being a book collector is seeing your books on a shelf and mulling over memories of reading them. However, one of the biggest challenges of being a book collector is where to place each book on a shelf. I do sometimes move my books around, dithering over the best place for each one. Here are a few ways of arranging books you might like to consider for your home: Read more
Little Free Libraries
Have you heard of Little Free Libraries?
They are a form of community book exchange which started in the USA with the goal of establishing 2150 little free libraries (which was more than the number of free libraries established by Andrew Carnegie). That goal has been well and truly exceeded and it is thought that well over a million and a half books a year are donated and borrowed through the system. Read more
John Betjeman & The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel
The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel
He sipped at a weak hock and seltzer
As he gazed at the London skies
Through the Nottingham lace of the curtains
Or was it his bees-winged eyes? Read more
Mrs Bennet and Me
Mr & Mrs Bennet, Pride & Prejudice 1995
To my horror, I’ve seen in myself a decided resemblance to Mrs Bennet. This month I have a daughter getting married. My adored Elinor Elizabeth (named of course for two Jane Austen heroines) will be marrying her fabulous fiancé, Craig. And I seem to be growing more like Mrs Bennet by the day – “such flutterings all over me, such spasms, such beatings at heart…” etc. Read more