Stuck in a Book

Sorry that I didn’t give anyone a last-chance-warning on the draw for Miss Hargreaves, but it has now been made and a winner has been drawn! I hope you know the responsibility which goes alongside having Connie to stay. She’s been in illustrious company – half the list of blogs under ‘people to meet’ have allowed her a brief visit which extended into a lifelong affection. Once in your head, she’ll prove impossible to forget. For those who’ve yet to make even the most cursory acquaintance, let me direct you to my post about her here. For those who’ve yet to meet Connie even cursorily, here’s a quick summary: Norman and his friend Henry are on holiday in Lusk – on a dull day they wander into a church, and have to make conversation with ean even duller verger. On the spur of the moment, Norman says he has a shared acquaintance with the parish’s beloved ex-vicar – and that acquaintance is one Miss Hargreaves. She’s nearly ninety, carries a hip flask, bath and cockatoo with her everywhere, not to mention Sarah the dog. Continuing the joke, they send a letter to her supposed hotel, asking if she’d like to come and stay. When Miss Constance Hargreaves arrives on a train, Norman has some explaining to do, and the strange occurences are just beginning…

Still haven’t got my camera fixed, so just imagine that the draw took place underwater. Patch, being of a fluffy disposition, understandably wouldn’t like to be underwater – so I’m afraid I used a little box instead. It’s quite pretty, but this doesn’t come out at all in the picture.

Congratulations to…

For those without supervision, you’ll have to trust me that the paper says DANIELLE – well done Danielle!! Book-swap ahoy. If you email me your address to simondavidthomas@yahoo.co.uk, then I’ll pop Miss H in the post to you – and I’ll send you my address for the surprise package in return! How exciting! Will, of course, let you all know the book for which Connie has gone a-travelling…

I’ve just come from a domestic little scene in the kitchen, having rustled up caramel shortbread and rock cakes. I love baking, but it doesn’t tend to go entirely smoothly – often because I don’t have the exact ingredients and utensils required, and tend to assume that it won’t make too much of a difference. Today’s caramel shortbread required a shallow baking tin… two candidates stepped forward; a casserole dish and a grill pan. Hmm. Not, as I mentioned, the exact utensils required. In the end I plumped for the correct depth – the grill pan – and realised that this would need rather more shortbread than the recipe stipulated. So far, so good. Made twice the amount, pressed it into an even layer across the greased grill pan (firmly cleaned beforehand, fear not)… and discovered that the grill pan’s handle was non-detachable. I.e. the oven door wouldn’t close. Quickly scooped up the mixture and put it in the, quite small, casserole dish. Which could only really fit the original recipe, not twice the amount, as I’d made. Ho-hum. Despite charitably eating quite a lot of raw mixture, the shortbread filled the dish when cooked, and had to have the top cut out. And somehow it’s not very shortbready – more like a crunchy cake. Good enough. The caramel worked, which is the hardest bit, so I daresay it’ll be edible enough.

ANYWAY, can’t offer a photo as my camera is still very blurry – as exemplified by the blurry pictures today. Karen, at Cornflower, wrote the other day about notebooks and diaires and the beauty to be found there. Completely agree – there is something indefinably gorgeous about a really lovely notebook, because it’s not just beautiful in and of itself – it also speaks of possiblities, potential. My latest notebook, though, is not space for a novel or blueprints for a cathedral etc, but rather 2008’s diary. I blogged about diarising aaages ago, and the past few years I’ve tried to find beautiful books in which to write, rather than the bog standard ones you can get from The Works. Have experimented with dated/undated; lined/blank; white/coloured pages, and have settled upon blank/undated/white as my favourite. My latest has lines, but wait til you see the outside…

That, ladies and gentlemen, is Mr. William Shakespeare’s signature on the front. He missed out the first ‘e’, but we’ll let it slide. The cover of this faux-leather notebook is Shakespeare’s writing of the play ‘Sir Thomas More’ (ok, academics argue that he might not have written the bit commonly attributed to him, but it’s the only way we’re going to get a self-handwritten copy of any of his writing). Had to buy it, really. Stole that picture from Amazon, but will make up for it by letting you know that you can purchase the notebook from them here. From January, I shall be writing my daily ramblings in there, purging out the dull stuff and keeping the best and most bookish for you lot!

So, if you haven’t already commented on Cornflower, and even if you have – do you have this notebook addiction? What is it that links the bookish with notebooks – do we just love books in whatever shape or size they come? And, if you keep a journal, what sort of diary/notebook do you find is best?

I don’t think I’ve officially announced my exciting news in regards next year, so I shall dedicate a post to it right now. You were going to get new accompanying photographs, but my camera is currently refusing to focus properly. Usually does this when it’s tired, so have put it to bed (aka ‘charge’) and think about what it’s done. Or rather, not done.

You probably know that I’m currently working in the Bodleian as a Graduate Trainee, with an eye to going to library school and then librarianship. Well, those plans haven’t really changed – only maybe postponed for a bit. I’ve decided to apply to do a Masters at Oxford next year – eep! Twentieth Century English, hopefully with my thesis on domestic/’middlebrow’ fiction between the wars and its thematic and stylistic relation to contemporary highbrow lit. I.e. what did Bloomsbury and Devon think of each other? Excited about it – but of course wanting to apply is a long way off getting a place and, importantly, getting funding. Eep again. But what working in a library has told me, perhaps above everything else, is how much I miss studying! Not that I’m not enjoying myself, of course – only I didn’t realise how much I’d miss it. I knew I’d long for the student lifestyle, but above all it is the academic side that I yearn for… and I’m not just saying that in case my tutor finds this blog! And hopefully a Masters won’t just be my self-indulgence, since it is very helpful if I choose to go into subject librarianship… and who knows, not ruling out the doctorate just yet…

So, those who are sad that they missed Stuck-in-a-Book’s degree (and it was almost over by the time I started this blog)… here’s hoping that the world of Oxford will be seen through your screens come September 2008!

On a rather more mundane note, I’m afraid recent spamming in the comments has meant I’m going to (try to) include the word verification bit on commenting. Sad. I didn’t want to – because it makes it inaccesible for the visually impaired, and I know one visitor is, and it’s just irritating – but had half a dozen spam comments today and it’ll only get worse. Grr!

All sorts of experimentation today… I do apologise if it doesn’t work.

Fancy a Book-Swap?

I was wandering into Arcadia, one of my favourite shops in Oxford and one which is mentioned here, and bought a little Penguin paperback, with anticipation of its being sought after with my readers on this blog. And, if you’d like it, leave a comment – or email simondavidthomas@yahoo.co.uk – and I’ll make a little draw. To make it fun and reciprocal, all I ask is a paperback-swap i.e. send me anything at all that you think I might want to read, even if it only cost 5p! How’s that for a deal?

But what is the book I’m offering, you ask? Well… it’s probably got more mention than any other on Stuck-in-a-Book, and is one of my very favourite novels. The video will give the rest away. It took me an age to get it to work, and then I forgot that videos will show you a shot from the middle as their default screen, which rather removed the mystery. But humour me, and play it anyway. I’ve put a gap in the blog to extend the surprise… If the video fails, then your answer can also be found here.

Tempted?! Remember, just comment or email, then the winner can have a paperback exchange with me.

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Today I’m going to chat about the New Penguins. Or do I mean Old Penguins? Or Penguins experiencing a second childhood? Before you think I’ve gone all David Attenborough (does that mean anything Across the Pond?) I am talking about the world of publishing. I’m probably not very uptotheminute, but I haven’t seen much discussion about the OldNew Penguins across the blogosphere, and thought I’d contribute my tuppenyworth.

For years – ever since I first found an old orange-striped Penguin paperback – I’ve maligned Penguin’s decision to ditch these covers. Yes, they’re Penguin Classics covers are often beautiful and well chosen, and I daresay some of their other choices aren’t aesthetically unpleasing, but there is no book jacket so distinctive and iconic as the old Penguin stripes. Moan on, I did, and moan. And, I can only imagine as a direct result of my solitary moaning, Penguin celebrated their birthday by reissuing several recent books in these old covers. Be still, my palpitating heart! Well, not completely still. That would be rather a fatal error.

So I did what any self-respecting bookaholic did, and scurried along to all good bookshops (or at least one of ’em) and beheld a table full of these beauties. Light Blue for big idea; Green for mystery; Orange for fantastic fiction; Pink for distant lands; Dark Blue for real lives; Purple for viewpoints. And in a buy-one-get-one-half-price offer.

My first choice was quite easy. I’ve been wanting a copy of Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen : A Life ever since I borrowed Our Vicar’s Wife’s copy a few years back – and to have a nice purple Penguin copy… But I was determined to get a truly iconic orange Penguin, in which guise so many of my favourite novels have appeared. Hmm… (quick perusal of stall)… well… no, not really… and I don’t want that. Haven’t heard of that, doesn’t look very good… Saw that for 10p the other day…

I came away from the orange Penguins entirely empty-handed. Fantastic Fiction? For each title I either had it, didn’t want it, or could get it (in a different cover) for next to nothing in a charity shop. Hmph. So I bought The House at Riverton instead. Great idea, Penguin, but a little more thought in the fiction department, perhaps.

I have a (free) account with StatCounter.com, and they tell me interesting things like the countries in which I’m being read; the keyword searches which lead to SiaB; the length of time people spend here before getting bored and going away (a startling number stay for ‘0 seconds’). The other day I noticed a lot had come from normblog… curious, thought I, and pootled off there to find out whys and wherefores.

Well, thank you Elaine! The lovely lady of Random Jottings has entered the blogging hall of fame, in the form of a normblog profile. Have a look at it here. There are all sorts of questions about blogging, reading, politics, personality and so forth – bits and pieces which you might pick up from her blog, but which are usually in the background. Anyhow, in the course of this interview Elaine mentioned my blog as one of her favourites, hence what we in the business call increased traffic. Shucks, and thanks!

And this got me thinking… Before my blogging days, as you probably know by now, I was (indeed, still am) a member of a Yahoo group dovegreybooks@yahoogroups.co.uk – it began as a group devoted to those nice grey books I talk about quite a lot, but chatter is often about a whole range of books, which we call ‘doveish’ for want of a better word. There are only three of us from the day I joined (January 2004) but many past and present are very dear… whats?

That’s the point of today’s post. What are these people? Well, they’re friends of course. I’d count many of you as that, too, of course. Most of you know more about me than colleagues I see everyday, and we certainly have more in common than many people I socialise with – the main reason I blog and am in the Yahoo group is because I love ‘meeting’ other people who love books like I do. But – or is just me? – do you ever feel embarrassed talking about FRIENDS when you’ve never met them? The whole thing can sound like people who hold online conventions about cartoon characters, or participate in online dating. Nothing wrong with those things, I daresay, but they’re not what we’re doing right here. Plus, let’s face it, for the most part those things are a little geekier than we’re willing to admit to. So… what do I say? At the moment I tend to say “e-friend” in an ironic, very postmodern sort of way. There just isn’t the right language yet, or the right social knowledge of this sort of very real friendship.

Language aside, my question for you today is – which e-friend (for want of a better word) have you known the longest? How did you e-meet, and have you met in the Real World? What was it like?

My longest e-friends are mostly in the blogosphere now – Elaine at Random Jottings, Lisa at BlueStalking, and Lynne at Dovegreyreader. The other dovegreybooks Yahoo group member whom I’ve know since January 2004 is Lyn, who introduced me to it, and thus to a whole different life of reading, and this blog. Ruth, at Crafty People, joined around the same time, I think. I haven’t met any of these people, but have met Karen at Cornflower, and Barbara and Jane from dovegreybooks. The former event was lovely, though I’d only been blogging for a fortnight or so, and had only just ‘met’ Karen online. The latter – met both of them at a book event, by design – was really, really nice. I thought it might be a bit awkward, but we had good fun and, though brief, it was a delight to put a face to a typeface. I don’t seek out these meetings, but am not adverse to them if they occur – and think it would be great fun if they happen by coincidence. Doesn’t blogging open up a lot of possibilities?!

p.s. for those who read this yesterday – Blogger is now letting me put up sketches again!

Boking Thrugh Thurssday thsi weke iz abowt speling orr grammer erorrs.

“You may or may not have seen my post at Punctuality Rules Tuesday, about a book I recently bought that had the actual TITLE misspelled on the spine of the book. A glaring typographical error that really (really!) should have been caught. So, using that as a springboard, today’s question: What’s the worst typographical error you’ve ever found in (or on) a book?”

Beeing inn an libary, i seee alot off thiss, thogh its allmost allways acidental. Misslabelling teh syde off volyumes, taht sortov fing. Cant thinc off eny blatent erors inn tituls oar eeven conntents off buks themselfs… all so ca’nt kepe tihs upp four mutch longerer, sew shal tern teh qestion ovver two ewe…?!