The 1940 Club which is hosted by Simon at Stuck in a Book and Karen at Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings begins on Monday. The idea is that we all read and write about books that were published in 1940. The year was chosen some months ago. I realised that I had already read a lot of books that were published in 1940, however I didn’t think it was as many as 19. It’s quite an eclectic mix, from children’s books to what is now vintage crime. I’m going to be reading Mr Skeffington by Elizabeth von Arnim to start off with and I hope I manage to get another one read within the week too, I’m not sure what though.
The School in the Woods by Dorita Fairlie Bruce
Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell
Strangers at the Farm School by Josephine Elder
Smoky-House by Elizabeth Goudge
Cockle Button, Cockle Ben by Richard Phibbs
Doreen by Barbara Noble
Malice in Wonderland by Nicholas Blake
The House in Cornwall by Noel Streatfeild
A Scream in Soho by John G Brandon
The English Air by D.E. Stevenson
Rolling Stone by Patricia Wentworth
At Dusk All Cats are Grey by Jerrard Tickell
Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky
The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky
The House That Is Our Own by O. Douglas
The Provincial Lady in Wartime by E.M. Delafield
Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford
The Great Mistake by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Journey Into Fear by Eric Ambler
Are you going to be joining in this time around?
19 is an impressive number! I’ve just posted my own list of previous reads and have read 10, but we don’t have any in common.
Helen,
I saw your list and tried to comment but for some reason I can’t, something wrong at my end I’m sure, I hope I can fix it.
What a wonderful variety of reads – 1940 really was good! Will look forward to your thoughts on Mr. Skeffington!
kaggsysbookishramblings,
I was so pleased when I realised that Mr Skeffington was published in 1940!
I’ve read six of those! I was going to read The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy but when I got it down from the shelf it did not say 1940, which surprised me. And one of my others seems to be missing the first five chapters although I suspect I can find them online.
Constance,
I hope you do manage to join in.
Hi. Thanks for sharing this. I have read three from the list: Journey into Fear; Scream in Soho; and Dogs and Wolves. I didn’t enjoy the 2nd and 3rd as much as you did:). I’ll be reading Rinehart for the club this time. Last week, I also posted abut my previous reads of 1940. Here it is if you are interested:
https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpress.com/2023/03/30/books-read-1940/
This is a very good list, some of these I never would have run into. I would like to have read Journey into Fear, but did not have a copy, and wanted to read books I already had. I will check out all these review links, but especially Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford and Malice in Wonderland by Nicholas Blake.
tracybham,
It’s a long time since I read those ones but I know I enjoyed Malice in Wonderland, and Nancy Mitford is always good for a laugh.
Wow! 19 that’s impressive. I’m reading The English Air for this week. It has been utterly charming.
Brona,
Those DE Stevenson books tend to be good comfort reads. I still have quite a few of hers to read.