I hadn’t intended going into the library but after going for a walk along the esplanade where we ended up having our skin blasted by very sharp snowflakes, the library in the high street was calling to us as a place to get warm and dry – for a wee while anyway.
I ended up borrowing Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton. I had wanted to read all of these books in order but that would mean requesting them all one by one so I’m just going to get them as I can, so long as they aren’t too recent. This one was published in 1999. Doesn’t that number look weird and so old-fashioned, I’m obviously getting used to the 20 numbers!
I also picked up The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller. This has a sticker on it saying that it’s by the author of The Senator’s Wife which apparently was a Richard and Judy bestseller! That’s the sort of thing which usually puts me right off a book but I think that Peggy Ann read this one recently and enjoyed it so I’ll give it a go as I’m trying to read some more up to date fiction now and again.
I stopped looking then as I had thawed out a bit and was ready to brave the weather in the street, and at least I’ve done a bit towards keeping the library numbers up.
As if that wasn’t enough, when we got back home I started having a wander around Project Gutenberg and came across the name Isabel Anderson in their lists. Such a Scottish sounding name – I thought, so I had to have a look and see what I could find out about her and her writing. It turns out that Anderson was her married name, she was previously Isabel Weld Perkins from Boston and at one point she was apparently the wealthiest woman in the world. The upshot is that I downloaded her book The Spell of Japan as I thought it might be interesting and the original cover looked lovely, she also wrote one called The Spell of the Hawaii Islands and the Philippines and one about Belgium as well as one fiction book.
You can see her books here if you’re interested.
That should keep me busy for a while!
Katrina, I read Sue Miller’s The World Below. I liked her writing so hopefully you’ll enjoy this one! Agatha raisin is a hoot, a fun quick read. I can’t wait to ‘walk on the esplanade’ too!
Peggy Ann,
Aha – at least I got the right author! The esplanade sounds posh doesn’t it, but it is anything but, it has been badly damaged by the recent storms and very high tides. It’s going to be refurbished, not before time.
I know you probably think it is crazy, but I am jealous of your snow! It is practically spring weather here and I am just not ready for the heat again 🙁
Is the Richard and Judy seal of approval kind of like the Oprah endorsement here?
Anbolyn,
I’m just a moaning Minnie – I’d die in your temperatures!
Richard and Judy approved books become instant best-sellers and I hate the idea that people can have so much power, it seems unhealthy to me. Also – Richard is a … I was going to say something beginning with ‘w’ but I’m a LADY so I’ll just say – prat!
I was intrigued when you mentioned Mrs. Anderson and a bit put out when I didn’t know who she was. You know I spent most of my life living in and near my beloved Boston, so I thought I should know about her. Well, when I read who her husband was, Larz Anderson, I felt relieved. We’ve been to the Larz Anderson museum to see the wonderful classic cars. And I see that her Bonsai collection went to the Arnold Arboretum, which we’ve been to numerous times. I wonder if any of her Bonsai survive? So now I can sleep at night feeling that I still know my Boston very well.
And I’m off to download her travel books from Gutenberg or Many Books for Kindle. I love personal travelogues from that time period. Thanks for the tip!
Joan,
I was sure that you would know about her! I think her husband’s name must originally been Andersen, with him having Larz as a first name. I bet there are some of her Bonsai trees still living, I love Bonsai, in fact I tried to grow my own from acorns but I wasn’t ruthless enough with the root trimming and just got slower growing oak trees! Yet again I wish travelling wasn’t such a pain in the neck as I’d love the car musuem too.
It seems very ambitious of you to try bonsai starting with an acorn! You must be a very patient woman. I like bonsai, too. They remind me of miniature worlds, like The Borrowers.
There is a very impressive car museum here in Philadelphia, too. Here’s a link to see some of the cars: http://simeonemuseum.org/the-cars
I like the cars from the 1940s and 1950s best.
Joan,
I got a few acorns from Birnam Wood of Macbeth fame about 20 years ago but only one has survived and I should have had it growing in a more constricted container. I wanted teeny wee oak leaves on wizened branches but I have normal sized oak leaves and I keep having to cut it back but I’m not brave enough to cut the roots. I love The Borrowers, books and the older film.
Thanks, I’m going to pass that link on to Duncan – there are some gorgeous cars.
If you want a bit of contemporary fiction with a bit of detective stuff thrown in with a setting in the Western Isles, then I heartily recommend Peter May’s trilogy. The first book is The Black House, the second, the Lewisman, and the third which only came out about ten days ago is The Chessmen. Excellent!
I haven’t read Agatha Raisin but I must look out for her, MC Beaton wrote Hamish Macbeth. Am I right?
Evee,
Thanks, I’ve added him to my list. Yes MC Beaton did write Hamish Macbeth, she fairly churns them out at some rate but they are good for when you don’t want to have to concentrate on something too much a bit like modern day O Douglas really. I’ve never actually watched an episode of Hamish Macbeth!
The TV series veers liberally from the books! But it was very good.
Peggy Ann,
I must watch it when they start showing re-runs again.
Hi, Katrina,
The Senator’s Wife was wonderful! Several years ago I was in a groove where I listened to Audible audiobooks on the PC (with speakers) in the kitchen whenever I cooked, washed dishes, etc.
And, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have a superb recollection of books I’ve listened to, but I very clearly recall enjoying the book very, very much.
I like Sue Miller’s work. I suppose many would deem it “women’s fiction,” but her plotting and her characters are both excellent and, I think, surpass the typical view of the genre.
I all too briefly picked up The Lake Shore Limited, but the story just wasn’t what interested me, so I put it down.
Best wishes!
Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)
Judith,
I actually gave up on The Lake Shore Limited last night, I think it was page 56. It’s very rare for me to do that but there was just too much doom and gloom for my liking. I’ll give The Senator’s Wife a go though.