It’s the fourth week of Bookshelf Travelling in Insane Times which is hosted by Judith at Reader in the Wilderness, you can read about it here.
This week I’m looking at the bookcase which stands on the upstairs hall outside the room that Jack has as a study/office. It’s a tall IKEA one and when we first moved to this modern house we thought we were going to have to get a saw out and chop some of its height off as it wouldn’t fit downstairs. Then I decided to measure the ceiling heights and would you believe it – upstairs ceilings are three inches higher than downstairs – how weird is that?! So we just managed to fit it in sans sawing.
Anyway, this bookcase is home to the many books by modernish Scottish authors. Jack has read all of these but I have such a lot of catching up to do. I’ve really only read the Christopher Brookmyres, a couple by Margaret Elphinstone and the William McIlvanneys. Click the photos to see them enlarged.
Voyageurs by Margaret Elphinstone appeals to me, the blurb says: In the early 1800s, Rachel Greenhow, a young Quaker goes missing in the Canadian Wilderness. Unable to accept the disappearance, her brother Mark leaves his farm in England, determined to bring his sister home. It sounds like a bit of an adventure.
Hame by Annalena McAfee is about a woman who leaves New York after the breakdown of a relationship and moves with her 9 year old daughter to a remote Scottish island. She has been commisioned to write the biography of a cantankerous old Scottish poet who has an international reputation. It’s described as a dazzling kaleidoscpe of a novel.
This Is Memorial Device by David Keenan. The blurb on the back says: It’s not easy being Iggy Pop in Airdrie. The Year is 1983 and Memorial Device are the greatest band that ever existed. It’s described as being intoxicating and brilliant, compelling, funny and often profound. It might be a bit niche but I intend to give it ago soonish. Jack thinks it is brilliant, you can read his thoughts on it here.
I’ve enjoyed perusing your very full bookshelves. There are many authors that are new to me. I love the possibilities that full bookshelves hold:) The three books sound interesting, too, especially the first two.
Paula,
I’m hoping to get around to those books soonish – but I’ve been saying that for quite some time!
Those are very nice IKEA bookshelves. I am glad you did not have to use a saw on them.
Voyageurs and Hame both sound good, I hope you read and review them. I am not so sure about This Is Memorial Device, but Jack wrote a very nice review on that book.
I saw a lot of Iain Banks books on one of the shelves. I have never read any books by him.
tracybham,
We tried to buy another set of those bookshelves when we were still in the old Victorian house but they seemed to have discontinued them. I think that This Is Memorial Device sounds a bit niche but I will read it sometime.
Iain Banks lived quite close to us and he went to a lot of SF conventions, he wrote his SF as Iain M Banks. Jack used to meet up with him and a mutual friend at the conventions. It was so sad when Banks died so quickly after his cancer diagnosis. I’ve not read any of his SF.
I have those very same IKEA bookshelves! Yours are much tidier than mine! đŸ™‚
Stefanie,
Ah you didn’t see them before I took the photo, I had to get a duster out and clear away all sorts of ‘stuff’ from in front of the books!
Hi Katrina,
Oh, how I love how you managed to get a great photo of this bookcase! Brava!! So much fun, totally great fun to see. Thank you for the effort.
I loved the one Margaret Elphinstone that I read. So I’m very interested in pursuing the one you’ve described. It sounds fascinating.
And I’m very interested in getting a hold of Hame right away. Will see where it’s available. Sounds perfect for what I’m looking for now.
Judith,
Thanks, I hope you were able to see the books. I’ve enjoyed a couple by Margaret Elphinstone and don’t know why I haven’t read more of them.