A lovely mixture on this shelf. The Madwoman in the Attic by Gilbert and Gubar, one of those books of literary criticism I read over & over again in younger days. Books by Linda Gillard, one of my favourite contemporary writers. George Gissing, Rumer Godden & Lyndall Gordon - her biography of Charlotte Brontë is one of my favourites as she considers Charlotte as a professional writer & concentrates on her career much more than earlier biographers.
I can see several copies of Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road, as well as the audio book read by Juliet Stevenson & John Nettles. Also the beginning of my Hardy collection.
The rest of the Hardy collection. He's one of my favourite authors & I love the poetry as much as the fiction. Cyril Hare is one of my favourite mystery writers. I would love to reread his books. Jenny Hartley's book on Dickens & the women of Urania Cottage is one of the best books about Dickens I've ever read. I love books that take an aspect of a life or a short period in the subject's life & illuminates the whole. Charles Nicholl's book on Shakespeare, The Lodger, is another book that brings such freshness to the story of Shakespeare's life by focusing on just a year of that life.
Georgette Heyer dominates this shelf. A reasonably recent discovery for me & I have many more of her novels on the tbr shelves.
Susan Hill's Through the Kitchen Window and The Magic Apple Tree are beautiful evocations of country life. I bought that copy of Victoria Holt's The Shivering Sands from a remainders table in a fit of nostalgia as I loved her books when I was young. I had them all in those lovely 1970s Fontana paperbacks (I'm sure some of you are sighing nostalgically along with me). Winifred Holtby is another favourite author. It's the 80th anniversary of her death this year so I'd like to reread Vera Brittain's biography, Testament of Friendship.
A very battered copy of The Nun's Story by Kathryn Hulme (with the movie tie-in cover), one of my favourite movies. Why doesn't someone reprint this? Anne Boleyn is another of my historical obsessions & Eric Ives' biography of Anne is wonderful. Henry James, on the other hand, is another of my blind spots. I didn't mind Washington Square but I don't really enjoy him. Another author to clear out when I need more shelf space. On the other hand, his sister, Alice's Diary is very good, a fascinating look at a woman who could have been a writer if ill-health hadn't dominated her life.
Sorry about the varying photo sizes. I found some of the photos became blurry if I enlarged them too much but others were fine. Another technological mystery.
Next week, James, P D to Marler.
What did you think of Jane's Fame? I'm thinking of reading that for Austen in August this year.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it. I love books that take the life & work & do something different with it. It was fascinating to read about the ups & downs of Jane's reputation over the years.
DeleteI'm always so happy to find that someone else has discovered The Magic Apple Tree! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, such a lovely book. I think that one & Family, SH's book about her early life & the loss of her daughter, are my favourites of hers.
DeleteHello Lyn, those are lovely. Amazing the way you have them alphabetically arranged, which is something I never do with books or records or cds. I see several great ones. I've yet to read the Elizabeth Grant ones, or Cyril Hare, but want to. Oh, those Susan Hill ones, long time favourites! Many years ago I would check out The Magic Apple Tree from the library repeatedly, and finally found one on a trip in England, it was a newly republished one in a slipcase and signed by Susan Hill, I was very happy! The Shivering Sands is a good one. I must look at your other shelves now...
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could find anything if they weren't in alphabetical order although my tbr shelves aren't in alphabetical order so I'm not sure what the difference is. Fewer tbr books, I suspect. I feel as though I need to reread TMAT again as everyone has such fond memories of it.
DeleteI read a lot of Victoria Holt's and Dorothy Eden's Gothic romances when I was a teenager. Recently, I was thinking it would be fun to read a few more of those. It's been years since I've read any.
ReplyDeleteI also was a Thomas Hardy fan. It's been years since I read any of those either. There are just too many books to read!
I read everything VH wrote but I don't think I've ever read Dorothy Eden. I still have a few unread Hardys & I will get to them one day.
DeleteAh, Georgette Heyer, one of my guilty pleasures. Don't read romances, don't like "chick lit", but I do like her books so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to An Infamous Army at the moment & was almost in tears on the way to work in the aftermath of Waterloo. I almost had to turn it off. I do enjoy her books & I'm glad I have plenty more to read.
DeleteWhat a great mixture Lyn! Elizabeth Grant and Susan Hill just went onto my Lyn List.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's not too cold for you this weekend, I see from the nightly weather report that it's been very chilly down your way. A cosy weekend to you and the kitties.
It's very cold here this morning, still only 7 degrees & it's raining. The rain is good because we haven't had any for weeks, but the cats are hovering over the heater & I won't be going too far today. Luckily it's Saturday so I don't have to.
DeleteThese continue to be so enticing to read, Lyn!
ReplyDeleteWhat's the NYRB by the Heyers?
Sorry Simon, I can't see one! On the left is Rosemary Herbert's Whodunit and Lord Herbert of Cherbury & on the right are Christopher Hibbert's historical biographies of Dickens & Lord Raglan. Have you clicked on the photo to make it bigger?
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