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#1929Club – your reviews

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And here is the 1929 Club! I’m excited that the club is starting again, and in my beloved 1920s. Pop your links to your 1929 book reviews in the comments here, and I’ll put together a list during the week.

For those new – anything published in 1929 qualifies, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, whatever language it was published it etc. And your reviews can be on blogs, GoodReads, Instagram, wherever. If you don’t have anywhere to post a review, then feel free to put it in the comments.

Let’s see where the week takes us!

The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham
Madame Bibi Lophile
Harriet Devine

A Background for Caroline by Helen Ashton
Sarah

Grand Hotel by Vicki Baum
What Me Read
Typings

Paying Guests by E.F. Benson
Stuck in a Book

The Piccadilly Murder by Anthony Berkeley
Words and Peace
Staircase Wit

The Black Camel by Earl Derr Biggers
Literary Potpourri

The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen
What Me Read

The Dagwort Coombe Murder by Lynn Brock
Briefer Than Literal Statement

The Mendip Mystery by Lynn Brock
Briefer Than Literal Statement

The Courts of the Morning by John Buchan
Journey & Destination

Water Weed by Alice Campbell
Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings
Heavenali
Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home

Craii de Curtea Veche by Mateiu Caragiale
Finding Time to Write

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie
What Me Read
Journey & Destination
Read Warbler
Book Around the Corner

Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau
Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

My Mother’s House by Colette
Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

William by Richmal Crompton
Literary Potpourri

Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd C. Douglas
Becky’s Book Reviews

The Maracot Deep by Arthur Conan Doyle
Relevant Obscurity

Our African Winter by Arthur Conan Doyle
Briefer Than Literal Statement

The Patient in Room 18 by Mignon G. Eberhart
A Hot Cup of Pleasure

Evelyn Finds Herself by Josephine Elder
Staircase Wit

A House is Built by Barnard Eldershaw
ANZ LitLovers

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Words and Peace

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field
Becky’s Book Reviews
Staircase Wit

The Doctor Who Held Hands by Hulbert Footner
The Book Decoder

No Love by David Garnett
Stuck in a Book

Hill by Jean Giono
Stuck in a Book

Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves
Pining for the West

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
The Book Decoder

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Madame Bibi Lophile 

Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer
Wicked Witch’s Blog
Staircase Wit
Becky’s Book Reviews

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Mr Kaggsy
What Me Read
Old Geezer Re-Reading

I Burn Paris by Bruno Jasienski
Kinship of All Species

Eve in Egypt by Stella Tennyson Jesse
Heavenali

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner
Perfect Retort
Let’s Read

Satan as Lightning by Basil King
The Dusty Bookcase

Passing by Nella Larsen
Becky’s Book Reviews
Brona’s Books
Bookish Beck
Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

The Iron Man and the Tin Woman by Stephen Leacock
Stuck in a Book

Reporter by Meyer Levin
Neglected Books

The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft
Calmgrove

Mario and The Magician by Thomas Mann
Lizzy’s Literary Life

The Squire’s Daughter by F.M. Mayor
Madame Bibi Lophile

The Jumping-Off Place by Marian Hurd McNeely
Becky’s Book Reviews

Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell
Staircase Wit
Stuck in a Book

Barbarian Stories by Naomi Mitchison
1st Reading

The Time of Indifference by Albert Moravia
1st Reading

The Luzhin Defense by Vladimir Nabokov
746 Books

David Golder by Irene Nemirovsky
Book Word

The Treasure House of Martin Hews by E. Phillips Oppenheim
A Hot Cup of Pleasure

Storm Bird by Mollie Panter-Downes
Stuck in a Book

Big Blonde by Dorothy Parker
JacquiWine’s Journal

Wolf Solvent by John Cowper Powys
Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen
Becky’s Book Reviews
Words and Peace

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Bookish Beck

Mr Ma and Son by Lao She
Literary Potpourri
Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working From Home

Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck
She Reads Novels

Some Prefer Nettles by Junchirō Tanizaki
Winston’s Dad

The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey
The Book Decoder

Cloth of Gold by Elswyth Thane
Staircase Wit

The Murder on the Enriqueta by Molly Thynne
The Book Decoder
A Hot Cup of Pleasure

The Barrakee Mystery by Arthur Upfield
A Hot Cup of Pleasure

The True Heart by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Madame Bibi Lophile

Fool Errant by Patricia Wentworth
She Reads Novels

I Thought of Daisy by Edmund Wilson
Stuck in a Book

Mr Mulliner Speaking by P.G. Wodehouse
Stuck in a Book

Summer Lightning by P.G. Wodehouse
Gallimaufry Book Studio

Leporella by Stefan Zweig
Lizzy’s Literary Life

Tea or Books? #109: Boarding House Novels vs Living Alone and Heat Wave vs Heat Lightning

StuckinaBook Tea or Books? 13 Comments

Penelope Lively, Helen Hull, boarding houses and isolation – welcome to episode 109!

In the first half of this episode, Rachel and I compare boarding houses novels and novels where people live alone – up to and including complete isolation. The blog post by Jacqui that I mentioned is on her blog.

In the second half, we pit two novels set during heatwaves against each other – Heat Wave by Penelope Lively and Heat Lightning by Helen Hull. It was hot when I read them, even though it definitely isn’t now.

Do get in touch at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com with suggestions or questions. You can listen above, on Spotify, wherever you get podcasts. And you can support the podcast and get bonus content (and the podcast a couple of days early) through Patreon.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

The Flowering Thorn by Margery Sharp
Four Gardens by Margery Sharp
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn
Hilary Mantel
Speedy Death by Gladys Mitchell
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley
The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
Barbara Pym
Paying Guests by E.F. Benson
The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton
Of Love and Hunger by Julian McLaren-Ross
House of Dolls by Barbara Comyns
School for Love by Olivia Manning
The Boarding House by William Trevor
The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks
The Magnificent Spinster by May Sarton
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Gentleman Overboard by Herbert Clyde Lewis
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer
The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier
Begin Again by Ursula Orange
Living Alone by Stella Benson
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore
Murder Underground by Mavis Doriel Hay
Yellow by Janni Visman
Summer by Ali Smith
Late and Soon by E.M. Delafield
A Helping Hand by Celia Dale
The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson

Project 24: Books 10 and 11

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On Monday I had the day off, so I decided to go to Hidcote National Trust because I’m young and vibrant. It is a really beautiful garden and June seems like the perfect time to see it. After a wander, I spent quite a while sitting there, reading The Feast by Margaret Kennedy in preparation for the next episode of ‘Tea or Books?’

But while I was up that way, I thought I’d google for local secondhand bookshops – and that’s how I came across Draycott Books in Chipping Camden. It’s less than an hour from my house and somehow I haven’t been before?? Will certainly be rectifying, as it’s a lovely little shop – a great selection of books, affordable and in nice condition. Apparently there’s also a cat, but sadly I didn’t see him/her.

If it weren’t for Project 24, I’d have come away with an armful of books – I left behind a Pamela Frankau I don’t have, the short stories of Theodora Benson, and three boxfuls of Virago Modern Classics (although I did own most of them already). In the end, I chose two –

In No Strange Land by Jane Oliver 

Like lots of us, I loved Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford’s Business As Usual, and I’ve been wondering what their other books are like. The info with the book seemed to suggest they weren’t necessarily of the same calibre – but at least this way I can find out for myself.

The Fiery Gate by Ronald Fraser

I’ve read a couple of books by Fraser, both of which were in my doctoral thesis to different extents – Flower Phantoms (where a woman turns into a plant) and The Flying Draper (where, uh, a draper can fly). Apparently The Fiery Gate is another one of his fantastic narratives – and, while his writing wasn’t particularly brilliant in the novels I’ve read, that’s enough for me to be keen to give it a try.

I’ve jumped ahead of my rationing a little, as 11 books takes me to halfway through July. And I definitely have a bookshop trip or two planned in July. I guess I might have to be particularly abstemious in August!

Tea or Books? #105: Big Families vs Small Families and Animal Farm vs Nineteen Eighty-Four

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George Orwell and families – welcome to episode 105!

Rachel is busy this month, so I put a shout-out on our Patreon page to see if anybody would be willing to step in and take her place. I was delighted that Arwen said yes, and I think you’ll enjoy the chat we had. In the first half, we talk about big vs small families in literature – and in the second half, we compare Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Rachel will be back next time, to do the books we previously advertised.

You can join the Patreon at the link above – you’ll get episodes early and other bonus bits, and you might even end up on an episode yourself!

Do get in touch at teaorbooks[at]gmail.com if you’d like to suggest or ask anything. You can find our podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify, your podcast app of choice, or the audio file above.

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

E.F. Benson
Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
Philip K Dick
Iain M Banks
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett
The Old Wives’ Tale by Arnold Bennett
Riceyman Steps by Arnold Bennett
Literary Taste by Arnold Bennett
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Diary of a Plague Year by Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Foe by J.M. Coetzee
Pamela by Samuel Richardson
The Dust Never Settles by Karina Lickorish Quinn
Kamchatka by Marcelo Figueras
Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto
Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker
Autobiography by Anthony Trollope
Anita Brookner
The Brontes Went to Woolworths by Rachel Ferguson
Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Famous Five series by Enid Blyton
Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
A Change for the Better by Susan Hill
The Nutmeg Tree by Margery Sharp
The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
Moomin series by Tove Jansson
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Dusty Answer by Rosamond Lehmann
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Hunky Parker’s Watching You by Gillian Cross
The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick
Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
Grand Canyon by Vita Sackville-West

BookTube Spin #6

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For the last book spin, I ended up reading and loving The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill, so it is definitely in my good books at the moment. This time, lovely Rick is encouraging us to do something a bit different – and so I’ve decided to go with an entirely non-fiction list.

  1. Index Cards by Moyra Davey
  2. Long Live Great Bardfield by Tirzah Garwood
  3. The Possessed by Elif Batuman
  4. The Devil’s Details by Chuck Zerby
  5. Murder for Pleasure by Howard Haycraft
  6. From A Clear Blue Sky by Timothy Knatchbull
  7. It’s Only The Sister by Angela du Maurier
  8. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way by Nancy Spain
  9. Why I’m Not A Millionaire by Nancy Spain
  10. Portrait of a Marriage by Nigel Nicolson
  11. A Chelsea Concerto by Frances Faviell
  12. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
  13. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
  14. Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets by Jessica Fox
  15. Final Edition by E.F. Benson
  16. The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford
  17. February House by Sherill Tippins
  18. Why Read The Classics? by Italo Calvino
  19. The Glass of Fashion by Cecil Beaton
  20. The Best We Can Do by Sybille Bedford

The spin happens tomorrow, so I don’t have long to find out what I’ll be reading – but do let me know which number you are hoping comes up in the spin, based on my non-fiction options above!

Tea or Books? #103: Thinking vs Feeling and Moon Tiger vs The Diviners

StuckinaBook Tea or Books? 7 Comments

Penelope Lively, Margaret Laurence, thinking and feeling – welcome to episode 103!

Apologies for the unexpected delay in recording. Blame Rachel! But we are here and raring to go. In the first half, we follow a topic suggested by Mairad (topic ideas to teaorbooks@gmail.com, please!) – do we prefer books that make us think, or books that make us feel?

In the second half, two novels that ended up having more in common than we initially imagined – Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively and The Diviners by Margaret Laurence. And no, despite the lengthy break, ONE of us hadn’t finished reading the books.

You can find us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast app of choice. Please rate and review! And you can support us on Patreon.

(This is my first episode on a new laptop, which might explain some of the weird clicking that Rachel’s side picked up? I don’t know. Sorry about it!)

The books and authors we mention in this episode are:

The Corner That Held Them by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The Feast by Margaret Kennedy
The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy
The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett
Which Way? by Theodora Benson
The Native Heath by Elizabeth Fair
Brampton Wick by Elizabeth Fair
A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair
Into the Woods by John Yorke
Emma by Jane Austen
Because of the Lockwoods by Dorothy Whipple
Dorothy L Sayers
Agatha Christie
Milan Kundera
Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
According to Mark by Penelope Lively
The Heatwave by Penelope Lively
How It All Began by Penelope Lively
The Photograph by Penelope Lively
Oleander, Jacaranda by Penelope Lively
The Great Fortune by Olivia Manning
William – an Englishman by Cicely Hamilton

StuckinaBook’s Weekend Miscellany

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Friends, I have Covid. At the time of writing (Friday evening) it isn’t too bad – coldy symptoms and exhausted – so hopefully it’ll stay that way. Hopefully the days of isolation will help me get through some books, though early signs suggest it might be better at tackling the Netflix queue.

They: The Lost Dystopian 'Masterpiece' (Emily St. John Mandel) By Kay DickAnyway, whether you’re at home or out and about, here is the usual Miscellany to help kick off your weekend….

1.) The link – I am heartbroken that Neighbours is facing the axe. For those not in the know, it’s an Australian soap opera – and, except my family, has been the longest constant in my life. I’ve been watching for 24 years, and love mocking how silly it is, but love it all the same. If you fancy signing a petition to keep it alive, then what’s the worst that can happen?

2.) The book – everyone is talking about the newly rediscovered They by Kay Dick, reprinted by different publishers in the UK and US in recent weeks. I only know Kay Dick for her interviews with Ivy Compton-Burnett and Stevie Smith in Ivy and Stevie, but if They is even a tenth as good as people are saying, then I’m sure it’s worth seeking out.

3.) The blog post – I was so delighted to see Asha’s review of Which Way? by Theodora Benson at her excellently titled blog, A Cat, A Book, and A Cup of Tea. And those are exactly the three things that are going to occupy the next part of my evening.

Project 24: Have I Read The Books I Bought Last Time?

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I can’t remember if I’ve talked about Project 24 in 2022 yet – basically, I’m only going to buy 24 books (for myself) this year. I’ve done it a few times in the past, and succeeded by the skin of my teeth. I’ve found that I buy a lot more books for other people in Project 24 years…

Why? It’s not a budget thing – it’s because I don’t have space. I live in a very small, very full flat. I also have about 1700 books I haven’t read, so I do realise that I won’t run out of things to enjoy.

Because it’s primarily about space, I’m not limiting the number of audiobooks I’m buying. If I read e-books, they’d be fine too.

It’s interesting to get to the end of the year and see which books where deemed important enough to get hold of. So, yes, I will be keeping you up to date with what I buy in 2022, but I thought it would also be fun to look back at 2017 and see how many of the 24 books I’ve read.

(Incidentally, I’d read 10 before 2022 ended – so I’ve got a good start.)

1. Dearest Andrew by Vita Sackville-West
Yes – I read this collection of letters more or less as soon as I bought it.

2. Norman Douglas by H. Tomlinson
No – I collect Dolphin Books whenever I see them, but this is one of the ones I’ve not yet read.

3. The Runaway by Claire Wong
Yes – my friend Claire wrote this one, and I read it straightaway. Though have yet to read her next novel, and must.

4. The Pleasures of Reading: a Booklovers’ Alphabet by Catherine Ross
No – though it’s been a while since I read a book about reading, so…

5. A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair
Yes – bought this one for a podcast episode, so read it pretty quickly.

6. Sunlight in the Garden by Beverley Nichols
Yes – another one I read instantly, because I had the other two in the trilogy and adored them.

7. The Pelicans by E.M. Delafield
Yes – I really kept pace with buying and reading in Project 24, as apparently I also finished this one before 2017 was over.

8. Country Notes by Vita Sackville-West
No – still waiting, still enticing.

9. All the Dogs of My Life by Elizabeth von Arnim
Yes – having accidentally bought a book I already had, I have since read it. Really interesting, and quite troubling.

10. Catchwords and Claptrap by Rose Macaulay
Yes – I think I’d read it before I bought it, in the Bodleian, but have re-read it since.

11. The ABC of Authorship by Ursula Bloom
Yes – a wonderfully out-of-touch book about becoming an author – that I quoted in the afterword to Tea Is So Intoxicating.

12. Jacob’s Room is Full of Books by Susan Hill
Yes – loved this sequel to Howards End is on the Landing.

13. Insomniac City by Bill Hayes
Yes – a lovely memoir by Oliver Sacks’ widower.

14. Letters From Klara by Tove Jansson
Yes – I’ll always buy, and instantly read, any new translation of Jansson’s fiction.

15. ABC of Cats by Beverley Nichols
No – though honestly don’t know why, since it combines Nichols and cats, two of my favourite things.

16. Stephen Leacock by Margaret McMillan
Yes – and with special memories of visiting Leacock’s house.

17. My Remarkable Uncle by Stephen Leacock
No – I think it’s a bit different to the other Leacock books I’ve got, so should experiment.

18. Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson
Yes – in fact, I finished it earlier this week.

19. The Equations of Love by Ethel Wilson
No – but even keener, now that I’ve read and really appreciated Swamp Angel.

20. A Journey Round My Skull by Frigyes Karinthy
No – it’s an odd one to be the right mood for, but its day will come.

21. Letters of Margaret Laurence and Adele Wiseman
No – I used to have a book of letters on the go all the time, but it’s been a while.

22. David of Kings by E.F. Benson
No – and it is definitely too long since I read an EFB.

23. Aspects of E.M. Forster by Rose Macaulay
No – if I’m honest, this felt more like one for the shelves, to dip into, than one I’d necessarily read cover to cover.

24. E.M. Delafield by Maurice McCullen
No – and why not? This study seems so up my street. I’m not entirely sure where I put it…

So, I’ve read 13 – just over half, but only 3 of those were between 2018 and today…

Have I learned anything from this exercise? Sadly, no. But it was fun.

My first Project 24 book of 2022 has been bought online, and I’ll share what it is when it arrives. Wish me luck!

Look, yes, I’ve been buying books

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It’s time for another haul post. But this teetering pile isn’t all from one trip – it’s from various different bookshops I’ve been to over the past month or two. That makes it ok, right??

Let’s go from the top, including a tour of the bookshops I’ve been to.

1. Regents Bookshop in Wantage, Oxfordshire

This is my nearest secondhand bookshop, about half an hour from my house, and I love it deeply. It is rammed full of stock, very affordably priced and with pretty good turnover. I’ve never come away empty-handed. Lockdown gave them a chance to neaten it out a bit, and I have my fingers crossed that it bucks the trend and manages to stay open for many years to come. And in it I bought…

The Rising Tide by Margaret Deland
I didn’t know anything about this book, but apparently it’s about New Women at the turn of the century, first published in 1916.

Women’s Weird ed. Melissa Edmundson
A collection of ‘weird’ stories by women, whatever weird means – I guess I’ll find out! I think there’s an E. Nesbit story in there, which intrigued me.

Up and Down by E.F. Benson
This was shelved in the letters section, but it is a novel in letter-form – and who doesn’t love that? Particularly from a favourite like EFB. I hadn’t heard of this one before, but always glad to add a Benson to the shelf.

The Girl from the Candle-Lit Bath by Dodie Smith
We all remember the scene of Cassandra hiding in her bath in I Capture the Castle – this is Smith’s last novel, and I wonder if it is tonally at all the same? Finding it did remind me that I have a few of her novels yet to read, and really must get onto them.

2. The Last Bookshop in Oxford

This bookshop began as The £2 Bookshop, then The £3 Bookshop, and is now The Last Bookshop – where most of the books are £3.99, but you can get 3 for a tenner. And there’s a secondhand department downstairs. As remainder bookshops go, it has really good quality stock.

The Heavenly Ladder by Compton Mackenzie
I got this from their secondhand stock. I’ve said a few times that I won’t buy more Mackenzie novels until I’ve cleared the decks a bit, but I’m a liar.

An Impossible Marriage by Pamela Hansford Johnson
Apparently this was reprinted four or five years ago – which surprised me, as I’m usually pretty up to speed with mid-century women writers getting reprinted. I’ve read three PHJ novels to varying success, but presumably whoever chose this one for reprinting was picking from her best?

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
The reason I went to the bookshop – because my book group is reading this next year. I guess it’s a glaring omission to have read no Faulkner. But I’m not terribly excited about rectifying it.

Hidden Symptoms by Deirdre Madden
Time Present and Time Past by Deirdre Madden
I was very pleased they had these in stock. Madden has been one of my favourite discoveries in the past couple of years, and certainly keen to read more.

3. The R&R Bookshop in Stroud

I had a day trip to Stroud to meet up with some friends, and obviously did some research first to see if there were any secondhand bookshops. There were TWO. This one is very cheaply priced with some interesting stuff, and I came away with so many books that I had to pop straight back to the car and leave them there.

The Bookshop that Floated Away by Sarah Henshaw
Everyone was talking about this non-fic about a bookshop on a barge when it came out, but I (wait for it) missed the boat then.

Jenny Villiers by J.B. Priestley
One day I’ll read some of the Priestley novels I’ve been stockpiling. There’s just something so pleasing about these editions.

Stars of the Screen 1932
I really love popular culture books from this period – this is basically a series of photos of actors and short bios of them. It’s all info I could find on Wikipedia, I’m sure, but I love having a snapshot of how these people were considered in 1932.

The Cat Jumps by Elizabeth Bowen
My previous attempt at Bowen’s short stories was a bit mixed, but I’m keen to try more AND this one has ‘cat’ in the title.

A Pound of Paper by John Baxter
A book about books? Yes please.

A Smell of Burning by Margaret Lane
I think Lane is best remembered for her biography of Beatrix Potter, but she’s one of those once-popular novelists I’ve been meaning to try for a while.

4. Fireside Bookshop in Stroud

Stroud has TWO bookshops! This one is rather more expensive and had less stock that appealed to me, but looked like it would have a lot for specialists and antiquarian hunters. I came away with one book.

Beyond The Lighthouse by Margaret Crosland
The subtitle is ‘English women novelists of the 20th century’. I spent some time flicking through the book, trying to work out how academic it is. I really don’t need to read any more Eng Lit academia anymore, and this book would be much more fun as a reader’s journey – I’m not sure it’s quite that, but hopefully won’t be too dry.

5. Dean Street Press

These aren’t actually from a bookshop, but they’re in the pile and I wanted to mention that they’ve sent me review copies of Green Money and Five Windows by D.E. Stevenson.

6. Oxfam, Witney

It’s always tempting to pop into the Oxfam bookshop in Witney, the town where I work. And it’s pretty seldom I come out without at least one book in my hand.

Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg
Hmm. I don’t remember why I bought this one, except that NYRB Classics are beautiful.

The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
I heard about this one somewhere recently – a blog? a podcast? a book? – and wanted to try it. It’s about a baron who decides to move into a tree. The surreal nature of that story really appeals to me.

7. The Madhatter Bookshop, Wantage

This is cheating a little, as I didn’t buy these in this little independent bookshop in Wantage (a ‘new books’ bookshop), but did order it via them over email. These are some books that were on my birthday list – and so, when I got different books, I was entitled to buy a few for myself, yes? Yes?

Iphigenia in Forest Hills by Janet Malcolm
Nobody’s Looking at You by Janet Malcolm
My unread Malcolm pile was getting dangerously – yes, dangerously – low, so I had to top it up a bit.

Keeper’s of the Flame by Ian Hamilton
And I think this one was mentioned in a Janet Malcolm book. She certainly has a devastating eye for the idiosyncrasies of literary estates, and I’m hoping this non-fic book about them will be as gossipy and scandalous as some of the things Malcolm writes about in her books.

 

Ok, that’s it! As usual, would love to know your thoughts about any of these…

 

 

 

Tea or Books? #100: Q&A Special

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For our special hundredth episode, Rachel and I are doing a question and answer. Thanks so much to everybody who sent in questions – we didn’t get to all of them, but hopefully we answered at least one of yours.

Do get in touch at teaorbooks@gmail.com if you’d like to ask anything for future episodes. Reviews and ratings very gratefully received, especially if they’re nice!

You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, podcast apps, and Patreon if you’d like to support the pod and get various bonuses and benefits.

The books and authors we mention in this are:

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
The Willow Cabin by Pamela Frankau
A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau
Marriage of Harlequin by Pamela Frankau
The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden
The Semi-Attached Couple by Emily Eden
Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton
Provincial Lady series by E.M. Delafield
Tension by E.M. Delafield
Thank Heaven Fasting by E.M. Delafield
Consequences by E.M. Delafield
Another Country by James Baldwin
Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
Pieces by Helen Oyeyemi
Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Strong Poison by Dorothy L Sayers
Whose Body by Dorothy L Sayers
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers
Jazz by Toni Morrison
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
A.A. Milne
Modern Humour
The Feminine Middlebrow Novel by Nicola Humble
A Very Great Profession by Nicola Humble
Mindy Kaling
Issa Rae
Anna Kendrick
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Donna Tartt
Milan Kundera
Leo Tolstoy
Margery Sharp
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
Louisa M. Alcott
The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Mr Pim Passes By by A.A. Milne
Richmal Crompton
Miss Ranskill Comes Home by Barbara Euphan Todd
Wurzel Gummidge by Barbara Euphan Todd
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
Emma by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Thrush Green series by Miss Read
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
National Provincial by Lettice Cooper
Guard Your Daughters by Diana Tutton
Hostages to Fortune by Elizabeth Cambridge
London War Notes by Mollie Panter-Downes
Greengates by R.C. Sherriff
The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff
Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple
Into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg
One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes
Muriel Spark
Speaking of Love by Angela Young
Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford
Told in Winter by Jon Godden
Rumer Godden
Dan Brown
The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch
The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Zadie Smith
Mary Webb
O, The Brave Music by Dorothy Evelyn Smith
The Tree of Heaven by May Sinclair
Dangerous Ages by Rose Macaulay
Mamma by Diana Tutton
Tea Is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex
Father by Elizabeth von Arnim
A Pin To See The Peepshow by F. Tennyson Jesse
Messalina of the Suburbs by E.M. Delafield
Mapp and Lucia series by E.F. Benson
A Visit to Don Otavio by Sybille Bedford
Pleasures and Landscapes by Sybille Bedford
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf
The Years by Virginia Woolf
Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
Nemo’s Almanac
Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
Miss Plum and Miss Penny by Dorothy Evelyn Smith
Marilynne Robinson