The Sunday when we were in Norfolk and it snowed, we saw this snowman in a neighbour's garden. I love the way the snowman's clutching a daffodil - not a common combination even in this unpredictable climate - and the somewhat gloomy expression on his face. Perhaps he knew that a thaw was imminent.
During that week, I made splendid inroads into my to-read pile: all of the above (the Betjeman only part-read) and lots of magazines and copies of the "Spectator" and also a book my aunt lent me: C S Lewis's "Surprised by Joy". The Kate Atkinson was especially good. She is such a wonderful writer - her novels are so cleverly and intricately plotted.
But then we made our traditional visit to the second-hand bookshop in Burnham Market. Fatal. I read the top one, the Alice B Toklas - very interesting.
Since coming home, I haven't even quite finished the Betjeman.
I just put holds on two Atkinsons - you'll have to let me know if the Betjeman is good after all!
ReplyDeleteI would like a whole week, of being fed, & just reading. No meals to cook, no dishes to do, no 'other' to worry about. Just me & the books. Selfish, I know!
ReplyDeleteI dream of a week to read!
ReplyDeleteI love that snowman. Such a brief life, being a snowman.
I must try a Kate Atkinson book.
ReplyDeleteIn my 101 things to do list I want to read 70 books from the Top 100 books in NZ. I had already read a few and have just finished #27 so this will get me reading different books to normal.
Snowman is cute!
That little snowman is adorable! At least you're getting some reading in -- I've been too busy goofing off and haven't managed to get my book group read done this month. Bad, bad girl!
ReplyDeleteSnowmen have a transient existence you can tell them your secrets and they take them with them. What a whacky thought don't know where that came from.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the 4th book in your to read pile all I can make out is KATY is that the title or part of the auhor's name?
A week to indulge in your reading just not long enugh.
I love the idea of whispering my secret thoughts to a snowman. My book stash gets bigger and bigger. My Amazon, "wish list" now fills two pages. It is about to get bigger too. I have written down the titles of your books; I will go there now and have a look.
ReplyDeleteCute snowman! We have no snow, but my daffodils are still just waving green leaves.
ReplyDeleteThe snowman is wonderful! Such a sad face, he recognises his fate!
ReplyDeleteIn my wildest dreams, I have holidays like those- days wandering a stately home, sitting for hours with my book of choice, painting happily ("just as an accomplishment, not as a trade!") and peering at daffodils and snow.
Instead, I find my holidays involve squatting in dirt fighting off dingoes with a stick...
I have excitingly, a copy of Kate Atkinsons Human Croquet, signed by her in York last year. Sent to me by friend. I can't say I like the crime novels as much as the others. My favourite was Case Histories, which a didnt see so much as a crime novel as an exploration into human nature.
Hope you get your pile read!
I am intrigued by Fifi's holiday activities...
ReplyDeleteI fear Doris Lessing was right and blogging is the enemy of books, though she didn't have to be quite so snooty about it.
I really enjoyed 'Behind the scenes at the museum', but I've had 'Case Histories' on the shelf for ages and never seem inclined to pick it up on the rare occasions when I've finished a book and am looking round for another. She's quite bleak really, though she can be hilarious too.
I've always meant to read more of CS Lewis's non-fiction; I love Screwtape abidingly, and am interested in that later part of his life with Joy Gresham.
Cheers Isabelle!
well, am I stupid or what, I didnt even realise One Good Turn was a sequel to Case Histories. I read the two years apart.
ReplyDeleteOk. I exaggerate.
In January on the camping trip, there were, as I have mentioned, a bunch of dingoes hanging around. At night the little puppy one would slink into our campsite and chew the shoes up.
Because I was the lone protector at the time, and the smallest boy-cub insisted on sleeping in his own tiny little tent, I procured a big stick and propped it up next to my bed in the case the dingo decided to chew up the boy instead of the shoes. (Mother dingo was busy sniffing around the food)
And the dirt, yes, lots of dirt, no phone reception, no electricity, no hot water, no shops, anything.
Just bush, dingos, kids, long rolling waves.
Not a patch on a posh house and books.
Perhaps they are both equally nice.
Sun just came up.
Good night!