A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

Why does the weekend go by so quickly? I’ve been a bit busy; I had a webinar for class yesterday afternoon. Obviously, the big news on the East Coast was the freak “snowtober” we got yesterday, as well as the cold, so I spent all of yesterday indoors (with a brief 5-minute jaunt outside to go pick up my dry cleaning). I spent most of today indoors as well, working on an assignment for class, reading, and cleaning my apartment. The days are getting much, much shorter here, so I’m going to be thankful next week when we “fall back!” That way, I won't be walking to work in practical darkness! I’ve read more than the usual this month: Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain; The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton; Company Parade, by Storm Jameson; Aspergirls, by Rudy Simone; The Way I See It, by Temple Grandin; Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons; Thinking in Pictures, by Temple Grandin; and Round About a Pound A Week, by Maud Pember Reeves. I’m currently re-reading Wuthering Heights; a perfe...

I’m really, really behind on review-writing, so I thought I’d write a few short reviews instead to get caught up... Miss Mole, by EH Young Pages: 288 Original date of publication: 1930 My edition: 1984 (Virago) Why I decided to read: it’s on the list of Virago Modern Classics How I acquired my copy: The Strand, New York, April 2011 The story of a middle-aged nanny/companion/nurse/housekeeper. Set in EH Young’s fictional city of Radstowe (based on Bristol), Miss Mole’s sharp tongue keeps getting her into trouble. A very witty novel, but not my favorite by this author, because the pace of the book is rather slow at times. 3 stars. The Group, by Mary McCarthy Pages: 437 Original date of publication: 1963 My edition: 2009 (Virago) Why I decided to read: it’s on the list of Virago Modern Classics How I acquired my copy: Waterstone’s, Piccadilly, September 2011 The Group is the story of eight roommates from Vassar living in New York City in the 1930s. Although the author is extremely candi...

If you could get a sequel for any book, what would it be? One of my all-time favorite books is Kathleen Winsor’s Forever Amber , a delightfully romance-y read set in Restoration England. When it was published in the 1940s, it was a bestseller, akin to Gone With the Wind , but although it was reprinted in 2000, Forever Amber has mostly become forgotten. It’s the story of a fictional mistress of Charles II (SPOILER ALERT BELOW, highlight to reveal): who has a relationship with a Cavalier who uses and then dumps her. But because Amber is one of the dumbest people in fiction, she falls for a story that Bruce is still in love with her, and she runs off to join him in America. Although Amber is one of the most frustrating, obtuse characters you’ll ever run into, I always wonder what happened to her after that (especially since she wasn’t exactly welcome). What was Bruce’s reaction? For that matter, what was his new wife’s? SOMEONE needs to write the sequel to this book!

It’s another Sunday! Hard to believe that the week passes by so fast. Not much to say, except I’ve spent most of the weekend working on a 15-page midterm paper (due Oct. 21), cleaning my apartment, and working out—so basically the usual. The weather finally feels like fall, so I've been enjoying the colder weather. You have no idea how much I've been fantasizing about my winter sweaters and favorite boots! I'm still plowing my way through Testament of Youth , which is fantastic but it's taking me a long time to read. I’m also trying to get up the motivation to write reviews of books I read over a month ago! How do you motivate to write reviews?