Those of you who follow me on social media may have picked up that I’ve been on my travels recently. I usually do a summer round trip to visit the Aged Parent and then the Offspring, all of whom are located fairly close together in the East Midlands. As I don’t drive, I have to make several train journeys, which are usually enjoyable; as I like to settle down with a book and a coffee and let the train take the strain, as the old slogan used to say.
However, the first leg of the journey which involves going via London was horrendous. I ended up standing all the way on a train that felt like a sardine tin and I was Not Impressed. I couldn’t even read… The rest of visit and the train travel went swimmingly, however, and I had a lovely time everywhere. Middle Child put me up (she usually does) and they all looked after me beautifully. So I had several days of socialising, eating out and of course managed to sneak in a little book shopping… (well, it wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t, would it?)
As you can see, I managed to be pretty restrained! Two new books and three second-hand is good for me, and they all felt like essential purchases.
These are the newbies. I picked up the Pessoa in Hatchards at St. Pancras Station (yes, even while rushing frantically to catch a train, I made time for shopping – and only just made my connection by the skin of my teeth…) I’ve heard such good things about the Penguin translation that I wanted to try it, and this was the first Real Bookshop I’d seen it in. The Gonzalez was a sale item in Waterstones, Kettering – Β£3 is a real bargain and I had this one on a mental ‘must-read’ list so that was a find!
These are two of the second-hand books, from charity shops in Kettering and Leicester. I seem to be amassing a lot of Robertson Davies without actually reading him and I must get on with it. I also have about 5 gigantic Powys books lurking. I could spend a year just reading him…
And the third second-hand book is very, very interesting:
Finding a Green Virago I want is getting harder, as I don’t intend to try to collect them all, and so I’m quite selective nowadays. “Clash” was sitting in the Age Concern Bookshop in Leicester, and the blurb on the back intrigued me – it’s set around the General Strike of 1926, and as I was feeling the need of something to counteract the hideous right-wing stuff that’s going round at the moment I grabbed it (Β£2 – a real bargain). It was only when I got it back to the flat and looked more closely I realised that I had a nice review copy of Wilkinson’s second book at home, waiting for me to read… Serendipity or what! I’m about a third of the way into “Clash” at the moment and loving it, and so I think I might move straight on to “Division Bell” afterwards. How exciting!
So a reasonably small haul on my travels. I did, however, arrive back to find that this lovely review copy had arrived, courtesy of Michael Walmer:
I don’t know that I even knew that F. Tennyson Jesse had a sister, but this is she, and this is her only book. Sounds like fabulous fun and I’m really looking forward to it!
Reviewing has got slightly behind while I was away – I’ve finished Marina Tsvetaeva’s Moscow Diaries for #WITmonth, and also have been dipping into Catherine the Great’s Letters. So I’ve done *some* translated women, and I am well into a Virago – hey, I’m almost sticking to my plans!! π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 10:44:48
Ha, ha, I love the thought of you desperately running for your train, but still finding time to browse in the bookshop… That is so me!
Aug 16, 2018 @ 11:05:36
Yup. These things have to be done! :DD
Aug 16, 2018 @ 11:36:13
Most serendipitous- clearly you were meant to buy them!
Aug 16, 2018 @ 12:06:32
Absolutely – I do love it when I feel a book has just been waiting for me to come along!
Aug 16, 2018 @ 11:40:20
Clash looks excellent and I have added it to my own wishlist now. Funnily enough I only realised yesterday that she had also written the Division Bell Mystery when I read another review of it. I am on a coach day out today and I may have time to get a little browse in a small bookshop.
Aug 16, 2018 @ 12:06:13
I’m *really* enjoying Clash – it’s too long since I read this kind of Virago! I’m sure I shall go onto Division Bell next – perfect! Have a lovely day and good look book browsing! π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 12:13:06
Lots here that I have unread! I’m also excited about the Jesse, that came through my door, and bought the Powys ages ago. Powys and I share the claim that our father is/was the vicar of Montacute. And my friend Tom recently raved about the The Book of Disquiet on Twitter. A great haul!
Aug 16, 2018 @ 12:16:54
Oh, how interesting about your Dad! I have *so* many Powys books I want to read, but they’re all massive (you would hate that!) – so I figured this might be manageable. I’m very excited about the Jesse, and also the Pessoa. I have an old edition of the latter, but I keep hearing this particular version/translation being raved about so I thought I must give it a try.
Aug 16, 2018 @ 12:40:23
I haven’t read anything by Powys yet but he has been on my wishlist for ages…Wolf Solent, The Glastonbury Romance, the Weymouth Sounds, where should I begin ? Is he a very difficult author ?
Aug 16, 2018 @ 12:43:14
Not difficult to my knowledge, just long… π I aimed at one point ages ago to read him chronologically and started with Wolf Solent. I did get a good way in but got distracted. I think those books benefit from being read in order, if I recall correctly what I’ve read, but the problem is finding the amount of reading time for such a big commitment. I’ve owned a copy of A Glastonbury Romance since my teens so I really should get on with it, shouldn’t it???
Aug 16, 2018 @ 14:36:32
Seems like you had a thoroughly agreeable and rewarding break, Karen. You picked up some rather interesting books, too! π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 17:24:07
It was absolutely lovely, thanks Paula! And I feel I was definitely rewarded with some marvellous book finds! π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 18:18:52
I’m glad you’re enjoying your hols. I read the Gonzalez a year or so ago and liked it but just not as much as I was expecting. I’ve been meaning to read some Powys for years; I’m determined to actually read Wolf Solent this year…I will…I will….
Aug 16, 2018 @ 18:55:27
π LOL! I *would* like to get back to Wolf Solent as I got nearly halfway through last time (many moons ago). There are so many books needing to be read…. π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 18:39:13
I’ll be interested in hearing what you think of the Gonzalez as I’ve seen mixed reviews. Pessoa’s Book of Disquiet seems to be enjoying a bit of a mini revival at the moment – maybe it’s just my imagination, but it seems to have popped up quite a few times in my blog/Twitter feeds over the last few months.
Aug 16, 2018 @ 18:54:42
I don’t know much about the Gonzalez, tbh, but it’s a Pushkin and it was Β£3 so I figured I would give it a try. As for Pessoa, yes the book has turned up a lot recently. I have a very old version, and there is a new ‘complete’ version (he never finished it I believe and the order and actual content is apparently quite fluid). However, I’ve seen rave reviews about this particular version so I decided I should see what I think! π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 21:09:41
I’ve had a Powys on the shelf for more years than I can care to remember. I know I requested it one Christmas but I’m ashamed to say I never even looked at it again and its not even a thick book so I have no excuse.
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:42:23
LOL! Well, maybe Iβll get to this skinny one first and if I enjoy it will be spurred on to tackle the larger ones!
Aug 16, 2018 @ 21:27:57
With the exception of the London part, this sounds like a wonderful trip. Lovely stack of books!
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:41:37
The London train was hideous – the rest of the trip lovely, and I was *very* happy with my book finds!
Aug 16, 2018 @ 21:51:33
I always enjoy your travels and book buying. I had to look up Kettering on google maps. Funnily enough I’m going to Kettering Tasmania tomorrow for a tour through the raptor refuge. I need to get a post up. Time flies and actually I have been reading a lot. Look forward to hearing about your new acquisitions π€ π§
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:39:45
π Fancy there being a Kettering in Tasmania! I expect itβs more exciting than the one I was in…
Aug 19, 2018 @ 09:01:06
No, lol, they have a pub and the ferry crossing to Bruny Island. There is a beautiful marina though.
Aug 19, 2018 @ 13:48:44
Which is an advance on the Kettering in Northamptonshire! π
Aug 16, 2018 @ 23:22:17
I’ve had a Robertson Davies book in the house for years – unread. The Virago sounds very interesting, as does Division Bell. In a fair world you would get a refund on at least half of your train ticket for having to stand, but I don’t suppose that’s ever going to happen.
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:38:17
I think the only way you claim a refund is for lateness, but the whole network was pretty disrupted and my train was less than half an our late which I think is when compensation kicks in. I did consider a complaint but couldnβt be bothered in the end. I *was* very happy with my bookish finds, however…
Aug 16, 2018 @ 23:31:20
Sorry to hear about the train! Am glad you had a lovely time, though, and what a collection of books you found. I have never heard of Clash, nor Stella Tennyson Jesse. There’s nothing better than a good bookstore.
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:34:21
The train was just hideous but the shopping at St. Pancras and the rest of the trip made up for it! πππ
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:49:30
I think you’ll love Robertson Davies but I also predict that you’ll find you’ve got 2/3 of each of his trilogies in separate volumes … And let me know when you get onto Powys – he was one of Iris Murdoch’s favourite authors but I’ve never read him. I don’t like the look of the one you’ve got there particularly but presumably you’ve got some of his Fat Tomes at home.
Aug 17, 2018 @ 07:54:06
LOL! Well, I think with Robertson Davies I may be ok, as I have two HUGE volumes which each collect a set of 3 books! As for Powys I have four Very Very VERY big books of his – which may well be why Iβve not actually read them yet!
Aug 17, 2018 @ 18:19:14
OOh – I’m excited by the Ellen Wilkinson – that’s NOT ‘Red Ellen’ is it, that is, Ellen Wilkinson, who was MP for Jarrow in the 30’s at the time of the Hunger Marches (though Jarrow called its own march the Jarrow Crusade. She was later in Government when the Labour Party came to power after the war, and was very much a hero for later female MPs, as a role model. I only wonder because the Ellen Wilkinson of YOUR books clearly shares politics with ‘Red Ellen’ MP
Aug 17, 2018 @ 19:01:16
It is indeed Red Ellen!!!! I feel desperately ignorant in not having come across her books before, and not actually appreciating that she was in green Virago! This one is set in 1926 around the General Strike and I think drawn on her own experiences. The Division Bell Mystery comes later and is set in Parliament. I am ridiculously excited about reading both!!