A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore...

Pages: 342 Original date of publication: 1949 My edition: 1996 (Virago) Why I decided to read: discovered this browsing in a bookstore many years ago How I acquired my copy: Ebay, May 2010 I’ll be honest. When I first came across this book in Barnes and Noble a number of years ago, I dismissed it as something I wouldn’t like (literally, I judged a book by its cover, shame on me). I re-discovered this book a few months ago, and now I’m wondering why, oh why, didn’t I read this book earlier. I Capture the Castle is the diary, kept over a six-month period, of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, who lives with her unconventional family in a decrepit, crumbling castle. She keeps the diary in order to strengthen her skills as an author. The novel is written not so much as a diary; rather Cassandra writes it very much as a story is written (aside from mentioning the month, she doesn’t date her entries). Cassandra’s strength lies in her recreation of her family mem...

Pages: 361 Original date of publication: 1922 My edition: 1993 (Virago) Why I decided to read: I participated in All Viragos All August How I acquired my copy: Ebay, May 2010 In The Enchanted April , three Englishwomen—strangers to one another—impulsively decide to rent a medieval house in Italy after seeing an ad in a newspaper addressed to “those who appreciate wistaria and sunshine.” There are Mrs. Wilkins, a housewife wanting a break from the rainy monotony of London; Mrs. Arbuthnot; Lady Caroline Dester, young and fickle; and Mrs. Fisher, older than the rest but also in need of a break. Elizabeth Von Arnim’s descriptions of Italy, and the castle’s gardens, are superb; you actually feel as though you’re in Italy with the women as they enjoy their holiday. But the women never seem to lave San Salvatore, and so the action of the novel seems a bit stagnant at times; I felt while reading this that the characters were running around in circles. You get lots of descri...

It’s been a very busy week for me! I’d spent the previous week looking at condos in Philadelphia—and then on Tuesday I made a bid on a place I really liked. The offer was ridiculously low, so I never thought I’d get the place. On Wednesday, I discovered that my bid had been accepted. Then, on Thursday, I made a down payment on the place! I’ll be paying it off until I’m about forty, but I think it’s going to be worth it. The closing date is October 1 st ; and since I’ll be making some alterations to the apartment, I’ll be able to move in sometime at the end of October or the beginning of November. I’m so excited about all of this, I can’t tell you! I’ve been living with my parents for the past two years and I’ve saved up my money gradually; I can’t believe I’m actually taking this step! It’s exciting, but I was so nervous writing that check on Thursday night… Although I’ve had all of that going on in the past couple of weeks, I still managed to get a bit of reading done. I’ve conti...

Pages: 320 Original date of publication: 1937 My edition: 1990 (Virago Modern Classics) Why I decided to read: came across this on Ebay How I acquired my copy: Ebay, May 2010 The Rising Tide is my first foray into reading Molly Keane’s novels. It’s the story of a family, the French-McGraths, who live in a crumbling, Gothic house in Ireland at the beginning of the 20 th century. Garonlea is the home to Ambrose and lady Charlotte French-McGrath and their five children. When their son, Desmond, marries Cynthia, the French-McGraths’ lives are changed—sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. I’ve never read anything by Molly Keane before, and I wonder why I’ve never heard of her before randomly buying this off of ebay a couple of months ago (strange how chance works). I loved the atmosphere of this book and the almost sinister atmosphere of the house (I have to love any book with a house like Garonlea in it). What I love about the characters of this no...

Pages: 361 (with Appendices and Index) Original date of publication: 2007 My edition: 2010 (FSG) Why I decided to read: infernal Amazon rec How I acquired my copy: Amazon third-party seller, March 2010 Bright Young People is the story of a particular group of young people who lived in London in the 1920s and ‘30s. Born at around the turn of the century, they were well connected and, for the most part, wealthy. They were known for the outrageous lifestyles they led, holding themed parties until dawn and performing tricks upon each other. The Bright Young People relied largely on the press to publicize their activities, and they included, among others, Nancy and Diana Mitford, Bryan Guinness, Evelyn Waugh, Brian Howard, Brenda Dean Paul, Cecil Beaton, and Elizabeth Ponsonby. The book is divided into thirteen chapters, with little interludes focusing on specific people or things (on is on all the books Brian Howard never wrote). The book is a bit disorganized; the cha...

Pages: 540 Original date of publication: 2010 My edition: 2010 (Sphere) Why I decided to read: I’ve had this on my TBR list since hearing it was going to come out How I acquired my copy: Bookdepository, April 2010 To Defy a King is the story of Mahelt Marshal, eldest daughter of the famous William Marshal—who appears as the main character in two of Chadwick’s previous novels, and a minor character in a handful of others. As the oldest daughter of one of the most famous men in England, Mahelt married Hugh Bigod. The novel covers a period of about ten years, from Mahelt’s marriage to Hugh up through the Magna Carta. I do love Elizabeth Chadwick’s novels; her writing really takes her reader back in time. But for some reason, I just didn’t love this one quite as much. Maybe because there’s so much less known about Mahelt than about her father, her character seems a lot sketchier here. Still, I thought Chadwick did a wonderful job of trying to ring her and Hugh to life....

I really can’t control myself, can I? Just when I told myself I’d cut back on the book buying, I acquired, within the past two weeks (and prepare to be shocked and horrified at my profligacy): Taking Chances, Mad Puppetstown, Full House, Loving Without Tears (all by molly Keane); Land of Green Ginger, by Winifred Holtby; and Crossriggs, by Jane and Mary Findlater. From my Persephone subscription, I received Making Conversation, by Christine Longford in the mail. On Friday evening, when I was down in Center City condo hunting with my parents, I went to the Book Trader in Old City and walked away with: Death of the Heart, by Elizabeth Bowen (an original Penguin edition), Bobbin Up, by Dorothy Hewett, and Crompton Hodnet, A Glass of Blessings, Less than Angels, The Sweet Dove Died, Quartet in Autumn, and Jane and Prudence, all by Barbara Pym. I’m especially excited about finding the Pyms considering her books are out of print and therefore hard to find. I can’t understand why anyon...