Tuesday 14 January 2014

Reading: The Year in Books


I love reading. I always have. When I was little we lived in a short row of Victorian terraces, at one end of which was the local post office (next door to that was a wool shop, so it must have been a long time ago!) They sold little toys and books, and every week my mum would come home with a new Enid Blyton hardback for me. In fact, she still talks about the time she took me to church with my Polish grandmother and looked down in horror to see I'd brought Mr Pinkwhistle's Party to read during Mass.

I moved through new worlds and places: the Enchanted Wood and Magic Faraway Tree to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory to 1950s England where girls rode ponies and started riding clubs; I giggled my way through Judy Blume's Forever and yawned through Shakespeare's Henry IVth at school (preferring Othello and Romeo and Juliet). My degree was in English and we read any number of tomes: the magic realism of Angela Carter; Tess of the Durbevilles; Jane Eyre (still one of my all-time favourites, and I can never resist a TV adaptation either).


There's always a stack of books by my bed and although reading took a bit of a hit once Joe came along I still manage a chapter or two at night.

Of course, I love reading blogs and sometimes the odd magazine. I tend to go for Country Living during autumn and winter as a treat (that photography and styling!) and occasionally Psychologies if I'm in the mood for a bit of self help. I steer clear of the glossies these days as they're usually full of adverts, diets and unattainable things. I suppose I've moved on from all that.

So I'm joining in with Laura's link-up. My January choice is JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. Although I'm a regular user of the library, I actually picked this one yesterday at the shop where I volunteer. We get some really great books coming in. The JK Rowling one appealed as it's quite recent and I'd read mixed reviews so fancied giving it a go.

Having visited other blogs where people are joining in it's interesting to see their choices. And Bee inspired me to send off for the Persephone Books catalogue (could be dangerous)...


It's the perfect time of year to cosy up with a good read. I'm making a start on it tonight... here's hoping it's a good one!

PS The photos are some I took when visiting Barter Books in Alnwick on our way home from Scotland a few years ago. Well worth a visit if you're ever in the North East...

10 comments:

  1. Haha, just laughed aloud at the Mr Pinkwhistle's Party in Church story! I'll be interested to hear what you think of The Casual Vacancy - I got given it for my birthday and still haven't got round to picking it up. Perhaps that'll be next month's book! x P.S You won't regret the Persephone catalogue...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello! I'll let you know whether I get along with it or not. Fingers crossed! As for the catalogue... I've seen some of the books (might have been on Jane Brocket's blog) and decided there and then that if I ever won the lottery I'd invest in the whole lot. What a gorgeous library that would make!
    S x

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so glad that you will be joining in, Sarah. I look forward to hearing what you think of The Casual Vacancy. Thanks for getting involved. Laura

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laura - I'm enjoying it already! Started the book last night and ended up turning the light out way too late... always a good sign!

      Delete
  4. I love reading too. Barter books is fab although I've only managed to get there once! I found reading took a back seat too when BigR was born (apart from blogs and magazines) but strangely I've read more since LittleR was born. Persephone books are great. I love the Dorothy Whipple ones (amongst many others). I would love to go to browse in the shop...the fabric prints on the inner covers are beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do look lovely. And the shop's one of those places I'd like to visit when we next go down South (whenever that may be)... I'm looking forward to the catalogue dropping through the letterbox :)

      Delete
  5. Yay, such good news that you are joining in, I look forward to hearing about your book choice, I have wonders whether to read it or not. Wonderful photos of Barter books, I would never want to come out f there xox Penny

    ReplyDelete
  6. We may come home via Alnwick from our Scotland trip - possibly. Have you ever been to Hay on Wye? Book heaven. My favourite shop was full of vintage children's books.
    Well worth a trip (but maybe not during the Festival - so difficult to get accommodation).
    I'm loving my book choice but it's a long one - I'm only a quarter of the way through! x

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your photos.
    I think my early reading habits mirrored yours, Enid Blyton, Famous Five, Secret Seven, then Swallows and Amazons, Black Beauty, Jill and her pony. Started A Casual Vacancy but didn't finish it - possible because I had a fever when I began reading it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Jill books were an all-time favourite! I still have them squirreled away somewhere...

      I'd definitely recommend The Casual Vacancy if you fancy giving it another go. It is quite dark, but the characters are so well-observed and I'm having difficulty putting it down at the moment!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...