Midweek Musings …

Dear Readers, I am smitten!  No, not a new man in my life, but a book.

Finally, inspired by Simon’s Guest post on Vulpes Libris, I dug out my copy of The Diary of a Provincial Lady, by E.M. Delafield.  By page two, I was lapping it up, and I shall be dipping into this book and its sequels over the next few weeks.

Why was I previously intimidated by this 1930 classic? Maybe I worried that I wouldn’t like it, and that might offend everyone else in the blogosphere who adores it. I needn’t have worried for I can join the gang now! Here’s a very short extract from pages 2/3:

November 11th. – Bournemouth. Find that history, as usual, repeats itself. Same hotel, same frenzied scurry round the school to find Robin, same collection of parents, most of them also staying at the hotel. Discover strong tendency to exchange with fellow-parents exactly the same remarks as last year and the year before that. Speak of this to Robert, who returns no answer. Perhaps he is afraid of repeating himself? This suggests Query: Does Robert, perhaps, take in what I say even when he makes no reply? …
… Robert comes up very late and says he must have dropped asleep over the Times. (Query: Why come to Bournemouth to do this?)
November 12th. – Home yesterday and am struck, as so often before, by immense accumulation of domestic disasters that always await one after any absence…
… Robert reads the Times after dinner, and goes to sleep.

* * * * *
Back last summer, I went to hear Anne Cleeves talk about her two series of crime novels – featuring detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, both of which have been adapted for TV. ‘Shetland‘, a two-parter based on her Jimmy Perez books finally comes to our screens this weekend on the BBC. I shall be watching to see how they match up.

* * * * *

Alex in Leeds has come up with a wonderful way of tackling her TBR – the Book Jar – filled with slips of paper with book titles on.  Alex has even colour-coded the slips for different types of book.  I commented that I may shamelessly nick that idea for myself, and she said feel free.

So, once I’ve found a suitable container, I shall likewise fill it with titles of books from my TBR – including difficult ones, non-fiction ones, classic ones, 1001 books ones etc (I may not colour code though for a truly random result). I will aim to commit to reading one monthly.

We’ll see how I do, but I am known as a great starter and a bad finisher of projects! (Memo to self: Time to actually start reading the 2nd book of the Lymond Chronicles!)

* * * * *

And finally today, I finished reading a really good book the other day, but it’s not published until the end of the month.

Is it too early to tell you about it?
What are your feelings about advance reviews?

10 thoughts on “Midweek Musings …

  1. Alex says:

    I remember really loving ‘The Diary of a Provincial Lady’ and the good news is that it’s so long since I read it it might just be time to go back and give it another go. Vera Stanhope, however, I can’t take to. I don’t believe in her as a police officer. But, everyone keeps telling me how good Cleeves is, so I’ve just got her first Shetland book out of the library to see if I get on any better with that series.

  2. Teresa says:

    Ha! I’m planning to start Queen’s Play today myself. It’s sitting on my coffee table staring at me.

    I didn’t get a chance to comment on Alex’s post, but I also really liked her book jar idea and was pondering doing the same.

  3. winstonsdad says:

    I not keen on reviews to early my self ,if mine on the day the publisher is lucky I have that many awaiting I tend review as I feel on whole ,all the best stu

  4. FleurFisher says:

    So I may be the last person left who hasn’t met The Provincial Lady. I have a copy, but I have that same fear that I’m not going to feel the love that everyone else does.

    As to early reviews, I think it’s fine once in a while, it’s a book you really want to enthuse about, but it shouldn’t become a pattern. It’s one thing I don’t like about book blogging, feeling that I’m being left behind if I don’t have a book as soon as it’s out, or even before that. I miss that days when I waited patientlt for books to appear in the library or in paperback!

  5. victoriacorby says:

    The Provincial Lady is one of my all time favourite books, it’s one of those rare books where you can pick it up, open a page at random and be captivated. Sadly I don”t have my copy any longer – my puppy liked a good book too…

  6. Simon T says:

    I’m so delighted that you love the Provincial Lady! I can understand the nerves – so many bloggers and blog-readers love it, that it came with a bit of pressure. But of course, the book is so wonderful that you couldn’t help loving it! I agree with Victoria – dipping into it will bring a delight on any page. And the sequels are also great – I think The PL Goes Further is even better than the original. (I also love you discovering Our Vicar’s Wife’s nickname origin! Obviously I stole it from EMD, but now when I read the PL I find it curious to see my Mum’s ‘name’ there!)

  7. Ellie Potten (@Bookshop_Girl) says:

    I think Alex has started something with this book jar concept! It’s such a great idea, and it’d be so much fun to make, and look so pretty on the shelf, and… Yeah, can you tell I’m totally going to end up making one at some point? Maybe after we’ve moved and my book babies are settled into their new home! 🙂

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