Confession - books no 2999, 3000 & 3001!

In this post, just a few weeks ago, I wrote this,

The dilemma is - do I buy two more books to make it to 3,000 by the end of the year when I've stopped buying books & haven't ordered a single thing for a month? My plan was not to buy any books until at least the New Year & as I'm doing nothing but rereading at the moment, I've had no temptation to buy anything until I realised I was so close to the magic 3,000. At the moment, I feel that I won't buy those two books, I'll just wait until something (or two somethings) comes along that I can't resist.

I currently have 2,996 books on Library Thing (Claire Harman's biography of Charlotte Brontë arrived a few weeks ago & at least I've read it already. By the way, there's a fascinating look at how the lovely embroidered cover of the UK/Australian edition was created by Chloe Giordano here, just scroll down a little. Thanks to Vintage Reads for the link). Jennifer Morag Henderson's biography of Josephine Tey was on preorder & has just arrived (2,997). I also have a Standing Order for the Slightly Foxed editions & Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road will be published any day now. (2,998 & the 3rd copy of one of my favourite books).

You may be wondering what Hugh Walpole's Rogue Herries is doing at the top of this post. Well, many years ago, a friend I worked with at the library recommended Walpole's Herries Chronicles & I never forgot the recommendation. This was before the internet & abebooks so I just filed it away in my mind. Years later Frances Lincoln reprinted the series so five years ago I bought the first book (very restrained of me) & it sat on the tbr shelves. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Clouston & Hall's November catalogue came out. Clouston & Hall are a remainders bookseller in Canberra & I've been buying books from them for over 30 years. It would have been impolite not to scroll through the catalogue so I did, hoping I wouldn't find anything I wanted.

I looked through my favourite sections as always - Biography, History, Language & Literature - & everything I liked, I already had. I thought I was safe until I reached W in Language & Literature.

There they were, books 2, 3 & 4 in the Herries Chronicles. Judith Paris, The Fortress and Vanessa & only $7.95AU each. I could have resisted but I didn't. So, here are books 2,999, 3,000 & 3,001. Oh no, another odd number... Doesn't the man on the cover of The Fortress look like the actor Peter Vaughan (actually it's Monsieur Bertin by Jean-Auguste Dominique)? He's been in many series but I especially remember him as the grandfather in The Choir & as Boffin in Our Mutual Friend. I would also love to know why they've used a portrait of the Empress Elisabeth on the cover of Vanessa. If it has any relevance to the plot (& it's not a spoiler) please let me know.

I thought I should at least read Rogue Herries to find out whether I'd made a terrible mistake & fallen off the wagon to no purpose. But, I loved it & I'll be reviewing it here soon. I wonder how long it will take me to start on the second book? I'm also firmly back on the no book buying wagon & plan to stay there for at least three months.