Books from the stocking

My tbr bookcase is full, it is very full, it has reached what I like to think of as critical mass sometime ago. Now… there is a stack of books on the floor by the tbr bookcase. There are empty shelves on other bookcases but if I start to put the tbr on there it will get confusing – so for now the pile on the floor stays. It’s not such a terrible problem, after all the pile has been caused entirely by lovely, generous Christmas gifts. There they are in all their glory. A mixture of gifts from friends, secret Santa parcels and family – who in the main took a chance on what they bought. They did very well.

From the bottom up:

Aunt Clara by Noel Streatfield – I immediately looked it up on Goodreads, the story of a woman taken for granted by the children in her life. She is thrown into turmoil by an older relative.

Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood – book two of the MaddAddam trilogy, I read Oryx and Crake a couple of months ago and can’t wait for book two.

The File on Devlin by Catherine Gaskin – another I knew nothing about, it was a risky purchase by my sister who knows I like old books. It appears to be cold war mystery style novel, and the ratings on Goodreads are very favourable.

The Journey Home and other stories by Malachi Whitaker one of the latest offerings from Persephone books.

Midsummer Night at the Workhouse by Diana Athill, another lovely Persephone collection by a writer I know I love.

Emmeline by Judith Rossner – another of those recent Persephone publications. My Persephone collection has reached 95 out of the 125 books that Persephone publish. I am beginning to think I should collect them all. I am currently reading Long Live Great Bardfield the autobiography of Tirzah Garwood.

The Singer not the Song by Audrey Erskine Lindop – another of those books my sister bought on chance – she did think the story sounded interesting and it does. Unlike Catherine Gaskin who I had at least heard of Audrey Erskine Lindop was a completely new name to me – so I of course I immediately did some basic research. This novel was made into a film in the 1960s and the novel itself has some very good reviews on Goodreads. The story concerns a Roman Catholic priest in a small Mexico town, and the battle which ensues with a local bandit who rules the town.

Slouching towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion – I saw a review of this collection of essays recently from Jacqui and it immediately got added to my Christmas book wishlist that I give family members.

Live alone and Like it by Marjorie Hillis – this one, perfect for me in every way is a duplicate – I had a review copy sent by Virago a while ago, but this one is a nicer edition, and contains an introduction missing from that other edition.

In Tearing Haste the letters of Deborah Devonshire and Patrick Leigh Fermor which I have heard are superb. I also received another book by Deborah Devonshire too which I somehow manged to leave off the pile – Eggs in One Basket. My mum remembered I like reading about the Mitford sisters.

Before Lunch by Angela Thirkell – I know I have been up and down with her – but I still think she is perfect comfort reading, so I am glad I have a chance to give her another try.

A Stranger with a Bag and other stories by Sylvia Townsend Warner one of my favourite writers and I know I adore her short stories so that is a very happy addition to my STW collection.

The Doves of Venus by Olivia Manning – I have read a few Olivia Manning novels this year and I love her writing, so very much looking forward to this.

Home Life by Alice Thomas Ellis – a collection of articles written for the Spectator magazine.

Quite a haul! I got very spoiled – I also received a gorgeous booky jigsaw, some book vouchers and lots of theatre vouchers – I adore going to the theatre here in Birmingham.

I hope you all had a good Christmas and were able to spend it the way you wanted.

So tell me how were your Christmas stockings for books?

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Juggling with books.

Well I feel I have been juggling with books today. I have been trying to sort of sort out my books. I am not doing anything really scary like shelving them in alphabetical order or anything, just sorting out my pc books. After joining BC nearly 4 years ago (gosh has it really been that long) I happily went around registering all sorts of books. Later I realised many of the books I had registered were books I didn’t really want  to release, or swap with other bcers. So I have had them listed as PC on my bookshelf. Nothing wrong with that really, but I wanted if possible, to just have books that I had ringed and therefore had a lot of journallers, or books that  had been rabcked me (or nss’d) set as PC, it seemed daft to have books that had never any sort of bc history on my bookshelf. So today I started editing those books – using the same bcid for a different book. This was a tedious process. I had got a box of unregistered from Lynn which I hadn’t got round to doing anything with, so I used them, and a few cheap charity shop ones I bought in Acocks Green. I hadn’t realised just how many books I had marked as PC – many are ones I had ringed and had come home, but there were a lot that needed editing, of course the inevitable happened – after about an hour and half of tedious editing – I ran out of books. So I will have to continue at a later date. The result is that I have loads of Mills and Boon type books (from Lynns box) with BCID’s starting with 3 or 4.  It doesn’t matter though, they will good for wild releasing – although my catch rate has ground to a halt of late.  I am now in the middle of trying to discover which PC books I have not put on Librarything –  I really must learn to do things systematically and then I wouldn’t get myself and my books into such muddles.

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I’m back…

Got home around 1.00 O clock – but couldn’t face rushing straight out ot the Birmingham meet. The house is a slight tip – or maybe it just looks a little shabby after the huge beautiful place we have stayed in all week. Anyway no food in so a trip to the supermarket is in order later too.  Anyway it was nice : ) – the house we stayed in was lovely – one of the best equipped places we have ever stayed. I took a few pics which I’ll be putting on flickr when I can be bothered, Speaking of which one of photos on flickr has apparently been nominated by schmap .  Sue had terrible fu or something all week – so I am looking out for signs of another lurgy : (

We mainly sat around in the gorgeous house – which didn’t have georgeous views this time – which was disappointing – we were stuck in the middle of a housing estate on the hill in Brixham and we could have been anywhere really. But the house was fabulous – and we were spoiled with leather sofas – two HD Digital telly’s – a huge kitchen – etc. I accompanied Mum to the local methodist church – twice!! Once last Sunday evening for the candlelight carol service and 11.30 Christmas eve for Midnight communion (which I didn’t go up for as I thought that could be taking things just a little too far) Went out with the dog eacg day too – the best was boxing day on Goodrington sands – oh my it was cold – but so bright, wide blue skies and the surf was pretty impressive. Ozzie had a wonderful time running about the beach. Mum and I had a treat one day though, we went down to Battery park – which looks right over the sea and a couple of little coves – one of which we had just walked up from – when as we looked over from the cliff path,  we saw some little heads bobbing about in the water – seals!! three of them diving down and coming back up. Of course neither of us had a camera with us.

Got masses of pressies,  a beautiful vase, jigsaw, cardigan, spode cup and saucer, beads and matching braclet,  some wonderful smellies including Sanctury (love it) and lush stuff, chocs, Dvds,  Cds, Pashmina, candles and candle holders – oh and a few books : )  see below.

Books for christmas

Disgrace – J M Coetzee (Gill)

Visitors – Anita Brookner (Mum)

The next Big thing – Anita Brookner (Mum)

Cold Harbour – Francis Brett Young (Sue)

Testimony – Anita Shreve HB (Sue)

The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga HB (Mum)

The Gathering – Anne Enright – (mum)

Innocent traitor – Alison Weir (mum)

Persephone books

The Wise Virgins – Leonard Woolf (Bridget)

Miss Buncle’s Book – DE Stevenson (Liz)

Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary – Ruby Ferguson (Gill)

Someone at a Distance – Dorothy Whipple (Audrey)

and in case I haven’t enough – a £15 book token. (Aunt)

Thank you thank you to everyone who contributed to the wonderful haul I got this Christmas –  you know who you are.

Oh and is it just me or do the Christmas cards littering every surface now just look untidy?

As I haven’t had any net access at all – I am completely out of touch with how you all are – but I hope everyone is well and happy, and had a good Christmas.

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