Weekend Miscellany

It’s that time of year when I don’t really have a clue what day of the week it is… but my phone reliably assures me that it’s Saturday today. I’m back in Oxfordshire, after a nice long time at home, but not back to work until 2nd January – so plenty of time to dedicate to even more reading. And finishing my final A Century of Books title! Before that – the usual miscellany.

1.) The link – for UK readers only, I think, I’m afraid. I’ve just watched The Bishop’s Wife on iPlayer (you can too at this link for the next three weeks) – hopefully the film is accessible elsewhere if you’re out of the UK. It’s adapted from a 1928 novel by Robert Nathan (a writer I love), and was made in 1947 with Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven – all about an angel who comes to solve some problems (though not the problems the bishop expects).

2.) The blog post – I love the end of the year in the book blogging world, because I love reading Best of The Year lists (mine to come soon), and I love seeing what reading resolutions people have. I don’t think I have any for 2019, at least not yet, but enjoy Thomas’s.

3.) The book – I don’t think I’ve mentioned that the latest Furrowed Middlebrow books are coming out soon – including all three sequels to Mrs Tim of the Regiment by D.E. Stevenson! They’re coming out in January, I think, and I have review copies I’m excited about diving into soon. More here.

I’ll be winding down for Christmas soon, but it seems to be full-speed ahead for the next week or so – including heading off on two fun jaunts today and tomorrow. Today’s involves a train journey, at least, so I can put some time towards finishing off A Century of Books. (I thought I’d be sauntering towards the finish line, but it might be a bit tighter than I’d anticipated…) Anyway, here’s a book, a blog post, and a link to entertain you this weekend…

1.) The link – is a vlogger, Kazen at Always Doing, who talks about some of her favourite book podcasters. I was delighted that Rachel and I are included with ‘Tea or Books?’ – but it’s also great for some other bookish recommendations I hadn’t come across before.

2.) The book – Claire Harman has written several interesting books before, including some about Jane Austen, and I’m intrigued by her latest – Murder By the Book. It seems to be in the line of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and others that look at historic murders. Plus, the cover is beautiful. Find out more over at Penguin.

3.) The blog post – Hayley is doing another advent of pairing books with drinks – the first in this year’s series is here. Tbh I pair pretty much every book with a cup of tea, but for the more adventurously minded, go and enjoy!

I’ve got a jam-packed weekend, with a wedding, theatre trip, church, etc. Probably not much curling up with a book and relaxing, but lots of fun. Hope you’re having a good one, and here’s a book, a blog post, and a link to take you through it…

1.) The link – is the first in a series called ‘Books By My Bed‘, in Boundless (from Unbound). Dan Kieran talks through the books on his bedside table, and it’s generally a nice piece about the joy of books.

2.) The blog post – is over at Shiny New Books: which books should you buy for Christmas gifts? My recommendation is there, along with those from many other bloggers and reviewers.

3.) The book – Browse, edited by Henry Hitchings, came through my letterbox recently and I can’t wait to start dipping into it. The subtitle, ‘love letters to bookshops around the world’, tells you what you need to know. (To find out a bit more, enjoy Susan’s review at A Life in Books.)

Happy weekend, and my, aren’t the nights drawing in? My little flat doesn’t have central heating, so expect to find me under a pile of duvets and blankets and an artfully placed cat. Still, it’s a good excuse to do very little but read and drink tea. Which is my usual practice, but now with added legitimacy.

Before I go onto the book, blog post, and link – Karen and I wanted to announce the year that we chose for the next club. We were delighted to get really thoughtful suggestions from people, and may well store these up for next October’s club – but for next April, we’re going with a year suggested by Paula: 1965! You’ve got months and months to prepare :)

1.) The link – this is an interesting discussion about working with the elusive Elena Ferrante, for the HBO version of her novel.

2.) The book – another book about reading that I am coveting! This one is by Anne Bogel, called I’d Rather Be Reading. Isn’t that cover lovely?

3.) The blog post – Resh has written a characteristically interesting about Instagram trends in book photography and how people have reacted to it… featured lots of lovely book photography, of course.

Guess who has a cold? It’s ME. Doh. But I’m hoping that it’ll be out of the way before I see SHANIA TWAIN next Tuesday. I’m very excited about that. First in line for tickets, gotta see that show for sure. (Full marks if you know that Shania reference.) Anyway, I hope you’re having a great weekend – and here’s a book, a link, and a blog post to help you along.

1.) The book – Stuart Turton’s The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is now out in paperback, so I thought I’d let you know if you were waiting for a less heavy edition to read! (And you can check out the ‘Tea or Books?’ episode where Rachel and I discussed it alongside Agatha Christie.)

2.) The link – is sneakily also a blog, but it’s a piece in the Guardian about Sophie Baggott’s blog, reading 200 books by women from different countries across the world. Presumably not all different countries, since I don’t think there are 200 countries.

3.) The blog post – check out JacquiWine’s excellent review of Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple. If you’ve not read it yet – please do!

I’ve got another pretty busy weekend, though hopefully also enough time to finish off some of the books I’ve been reading. I’m reading so many at the moment, including some really good ones – it feels like 2018 has been a great reading year. I hope you also have a fun weekend planned – and here’s a book, a blog post, and a link to accompany you on it…

1.) The book – people keep writing books about reading, and I keep lapping them up. The latest I’ve spotted is Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson, which I think looks at a love of reading from a specifically Christian perspective. Um, hi book that puts together my two favourite things!

2.) The blog post – the Persephone Readathon has kicked off over at Dwelling in Possibility! Do go and check it out, and join in. I’m planning on reading Tory Heaven by Marghanita Laski.

3.) The link – you might well know Kate Beaton for her hilarious Hark, A Vagrant! cartoon. If you follow her on Twitter, you probably know that she recently lost her sister after a protracted and hideous experience of cancer. She has written movingly about it at The Cut.

Guys. I’m SO excited. I’m spending my Saturday at Astley Book Farm! I will report back in due course – why is it called that? do they farm books there? – but just think of me madly shoving books into my bag and living my very best life.

I can’t promise that a weekend miscellany will be quite as good, but it’s better than nothing, right? Here’s a book, a blog post, and a link to help you out if you’re spending your weekend is less of a biblio-heaven.

1.) The book – is one I heard about during an episode of the Chat 10 Looks 3 podcast (essentially two Australian journalists talking about culture, food, books, everything in a very funny way). It’s called The Devil’s Candy by Julie Salamon, and is a non-fiction look at the making of a movie of Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities. Which was a massive flop and a terrible production. It sounds fascinating. (It’s also super long, which is why I haven’t quite bought it yet.) It’s from 1991 – has anybody read it?

2.) The link – Waterstones has been bought by Foyles. Eep. Apparently in a battle against Amazon? Sad to see an independent go to the wall.

3.) The blog post – I enjoyed this review of Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, over at 746 Books. Yay Muriel!

A very happy weekend to you all – I will be enjoying it by running a stall at the village fete. I’m fully immersed in village life now, donchaknow. If you can’t make it along to my stand (bowling, at the time of writing) then perhaps this book, blog post, and link(s!) will do instead…

1.) The book – I loved Edward Carey’s strange and fascinating novel Alva & Irva, and also enjoyed Observatory Mansions, so I’m pleased to see he has another novel out soon – Little, about the life of Madame Tussaud. Find out more…

2.) The link – there are two this week, because they’re both interesting in different ways. The first – has Instagram changed how book covers are designed? And the second – oddly mesmeric photographs of abandoned mansions across Europe.

3.) The blog post – fans of D.E. Stevenson, you’ll be pleased to hear about the new reprints coming from Furrowed Middlebrow and Dean Street Press. Discover which titles in Scott’s announcement post.

This feels like the first day in ages where I’ve had nothing to do, and I fully intend to spend it sleeping, reading, and lying about. I’ve seldom been more excited about a weekend’s activity. And, before I go, here’s a book, a link, and a blog post…

1.) The book – was sent as a review copy by Michael Walmer. You might know the novelist F Tennyson Jesse, but did you know her sister Stella wrote Eve in Egypt? I’m hoping to read it before too long – but find out more here.

2.) The blog post – thinking about Michael Walmer made me wish more of his Stella Benson reprints were available. I’m sure they’ll be coming, but in the meantime reading more about Stella Benson led me to this amazing and thorough (ten-year-old) blog post about Benson. The blogger compares her to Robin Hyde, whom I haven’t read but who has been republished by Persephone.

3.) The link – I used to link to my OxfordWords article quite regularly. What I write for Oxford Policy Management might be of more niche interest – but, anyway, here’s a piece I wrote on the status of development in Malawi.

Another very busy weekend for me, off to Bristol and then playing the organ in our local church again on Sunday (despite, yes, not really knowing how to play the organ properly) – but I can leave you with a book, a link, and a blog post.

1.) The link – is not an easy read, but as the first anniversary of the fascist rally and murder in Charlottesville comes around, this oral history from the BBC is worth reading.

2.) The blog post – Darlene has written about the letters of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West so winningly that I *really* hope I have them somewhere, as I suspect I do. I would hardly be me if I did not.

3.) The book – did you know that a novelisation of Shirley Jackson’s life existed? Or, rather, a made-up event using her real life as the surrounding, I think… It’s soon to be turned into a film, but the original 2014 book is Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell and I’m very intrigued… anybody read it?