As anyone who follows book events on LibraryThing or in the book blogosphere probably knows, today is the centenary of Barbara Pym’s birthday. The Virago Modern Classics group on LT have been having a monthly readalong of all her novels, and this month we will be reading two – “No Fond Return of Love” and “Quartet in Autumn”. The thread is here if anyone is interested.
Also, Barbara Pym Reading Week has commenced, hosted by Thomas at My Porch and Amanda at Fig and Thistle – please pop over and check out their posts and also links to others of interest.
I am currently about to embark on a chunkster so my June reading of Pym will probably not take place this week. However, I have decided to celebrate today by listening to the author pick her Desert Island Discs from 1978 – available on the BBC here, so do have a listen!
Happy birthday, Barbara!
Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings 
Jun 02, 2013 @ 12:25:35
I listened to the Desert Island Discs programme while driving around in my car. I was surprised she didn’t consider herself a music-lover, for some reason I expected her to be one. Her choices weren’t all to my taste but it was still interesting to hear her voice and her her talking about her work.
Jun 02, 2013 @ 12:41:25
That’s what I’m looking forward to – hearing her talk will make her more alive as a writer for me!
Jun 02, 2013 @ 18:35:04
Thank you for the link to the Desert Island Discs programme, I will have a listen to that as it will be interesting to actually hear her speak and get to know her better, which, as you say, will make her seem more alive as a writer!
Jun 02, 2013 @ 18:57:48
Yes, I must listen to this before the end of the day!