Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Archived Chit Chat & All That
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What Book(s) have you just Bought, Ordered or Taken Delivery Of?
This week I was offered the opportunity to peruse and help myself to anything I wanted from the private library of the late William G. Contento. A computer programmer by day, Mr. Contento spent his spare time cataloging sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and horror stories and compiling such works as Index To Science Fiction Anthologies And Collections and Index To Crime And Mystery Anthologies. His library has over ten thousand books, mostly story collections. I loaded down a box with all that I could carry from his house to mine. I felt like someone visiting an animal shelter, feeling the eyes of all the dogs begging me to 'Pick me. Please pick me.'
Received a Kurt Vonnegut set from Easton Press today:
Cat's Crade, Breakfast of Champions, Mother Night, The Sirens of Titan, Slaughterhouse Five. One of them will be my classic satire/humor for Bingo.
I looked at the American Library set, but I didn't like the thinness of the pages. They would never survive a reading or two by me. lol
Just got home and found this waiting for me: Three Complete Mysteries: Death in Kenya, Death in Zanzibar, Death in Cyprus by M.M. Kaye. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow - now I have something fun to do!
Teri-K wrote: "Just got home and found this waiting for me: Three Complete Mysteries: Death in Kenya, Death in Zanzibar, Death in Cyprus by M.M. Kaye. It's supposed to rain all day ..."I love M.M. Kay, Teri-K! I have read Death in the Andamans, Death in Kashmir, and Death in Berlin, along with The Far Pavilions, and Shadow of the Moon.
You have a lot of good reading ahead of you! Enjoy :)
I ordered Last Day on Earth: Stories and expected it in the mail today, then got a message it wouldn't be here till Monday -- Darn! I'm reading way too many books right not, so I couldn't have started it yet anyway. But I was still so disappointed! :/
Terris wrote: "I love M.M. Kay, Teri-K! I have read Death in the Andamans, Death in Kashmir, and Death in Berlin, along with The Far Pavilions, and Shadow of the Moon.You have a lot of good reading ahead of you! Enjoy :)."
Thanks! The local library had Death in Kashmir and I really enjoyed it. So when I looked around and found I could get this collection of 3 mysteries for $5, I couldn't resist! I started it last night and I'm having so much fun already.
Teri-K wrote: "Terris wrote: "I love M.M. Kay, Teri-K! I have read Death in the Andamans, Death in Kashmir, and Death in Berlin, along with The Far Pavilions, and Shadow of the Moon.You have a lot of good readin..."
$5?? That's wonderful!! Glad you're having fun reading already :)
I just received a book I ordered in the mail. It is Death of a Gossip by M.C. Beaton. We watched the Haimish MacBeth BBC TV series a couple of years back, and I have always wanted to try one of the books. This is the first in the series. I hope it will be fun. One of my goals for this year is more fun, light reading.
Just showed up - a lovely used copy of The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. It's one of my top three favorite Heyer books. I have the other two, and wanted to reread this soon, so I thought I should order it and have it ready. I love her funny books, and this one has the most hilarious final scene I've probably ever read. 
Terris wrote: "I ordered Last Day on Earth: Stories and expected it in the mail today, then got a message it wouldn't be here till Monday -- Darn! I'm reading way too many books right not, so I co..."It came today! I thought it wasn't coming till Monday! Yay! I'm excited to read this one! :)
Teri-K wrote: "Just showed up - a lovely used copy of The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. It's one of my top three favorite Heyer books. I have the other two, and wanted to reread ..."Oh, that looks like a good one! For some reason I never thought I wanted to read Georgette Heyer. But once, for a challenge, I read The Grand Sophy and absolutely loved it! Since The Unknown Ajax is one of your top three, I'll have to add it to my list :)
What are your other top two of hers?
Terris wrote: "Teri-K wrote: "Just showed up - a lovely used copy of The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. It's one of my top three favorite Heyer books. I have the other two, and wa..."My top three are The Grand Sophy, lol, The Unknown Ajax and Frederica. If you enjoy her funny stories you might also like The Talisman Ring, which will be the March read in the Georgette Heyer Fans GR group. It's very silly, like a French farce, I think. Should be lots of fun. I really enjoy her amusing, light stories. Some of the others, not so much.
(Don't let the dialect one of the characters uses in Ajax put you off reading it. His accent goes away - for a reason you'll learn in the story.)
Teri-K wrote: "Terris wrote: "Teri-K wrote: "Just showed up - a lovely used copy of The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer. It's one of my top three favorite Heyer books. I have the ot..."OK! I will add those two to my TBR. Not sure when I'll get to them, but when I'm tired of some of the heavy classics I'll be reading, I'll look to Georgette for some levity ;)
Thanks!!
As part of my subscription to the Mysterious Bookshop's American Mystery Classics series (reprints of GA mystery books from American authors, perhaps a cousin to the Bristish Library Crime Classics series), I just received the latest release The Red Widow Murders by Carter Dickson aka John Dickson Carr. I've discovered so many authors I've enjoyed from this series, I would highly recommend checking it out. With regard to Carr, he is famous for locked room mysteries. I don't feel particularly strongly about this subgenre one way or another, but Carr is quite adept at creating great atmosphere, strongly Gothic and spooky.
with gift money from xmas/birthday continuing to burn a luvverly hole in my pocket, latest two acquisitions:
1954 paperback edition of E. Phillips Oppenheim's 1934 The Strange Boarders of Palace Crescent
1956 (first published year of English translation!) 3rd impression hardback (with dustcover!) of Alejo Carpentier's The Lost Steps
Kimberly wrote: "I recently ordered a used copy of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle from Amazon. Prior to that I picked up a copy of The Quiet American at my library's ongoing used-book sale for ..."I'm a Murakami fan. Some disturbing scenes in that one, but overall one of my favorites.
I always have several different types of books going, and one favorite lighter read is older romantic suspense. I got tired of long waits at the library and just received three favorite Mary Stewart books for my own - My Brother Michael, The Gabriel Hounds and The Moon-Spinners. I love her writing style and the way she conveys a strong sense of place.
,
on kindle, and not kidding when it says volumes - maybe roughly 200 - 300 works (could be more). The file is under 60mb and works better on Android. I got it more for reference, but will read some parts in full.
It covers subjects on: History , Poetry , Natural Science , Philosophy , Biography , Prose Fiction , Criticism and the Essay, Education, Political Science, Drama, Voyages, Travel and Religion
And authors - it's a really, really long list.
Inkspill wrote: " on kindle, and not kidding when it says volumes - maybe roughly 200 - 300 works (could be more). The file is under 60mb and wo..."
I also downloaded that on kindle a couple of years ago and I am ashamed to say I haven't really read from it I have read a couple of the selections, but it is so big and unweildy, plus the books are usually free, I end up downloading another copy that is smaller and listed individually.
I actually listed all the contents on a spreadsheet, but that didn't help me use it.
I made the mistake of dropping by my local used bookstore yesterday. I haven't been there in a couple of months - seems they have a new owner who is turning things around. They have completely rearranged, which the old store seriously needed, put all available books on the floor and changed their pricing. MMPB are $2. Trade PB are $3, hardbacks $5. I came out with 11 books I'm eager to read. Two of them were tattered hardbacks they gave away for free - Kenilworth by Walter Scott and Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart. I probably won't keep the second book, but I am looking forward to reading it again, it's been decades.
I picked up 6 Fairacre books by Miss Read, since my collection was in a shipment of books that were lost some years ago. It makes me happy to have them back on my shelf again - I've been reading and collecting her since the 1970s.
I also picked up a lovely copy of Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers to replace worn out mmpb, Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert, Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan and a pristine Folgers edition of Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
I need to stay out of that store for a while now!
Even though I don't need any more books! My local library had a book sale last weekend, and I thought I should help and purchase some books. :)A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The Air You Breathe by Frances De Pontes Pebbles
Public Library and Other Stories by Ali Smith
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way by Jesse Thistle
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The Years Before Anne: The Early Career of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Author of Anne of Green Gables by Francis W.P. Bolger *The edition I have was published in 1974. I met Father Bolger at UPEI in the late 80s.
Janice wrote: "Even though I don't need any more books! My local library had a book sale last weekend, and I thought I should help and purchase some books. :)A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
[b..."
Interesting list Janice. Last year I starting reading ebook collections of L. M. Montgomery short stories. She published many short stories before she started her Anne series. In particular, I was reading the Christmas stories. I liked them.
These lovely used books came in the mail yesterday, just in time for a nice weekend of reading - The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay by John Buchan,
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, I want to reread this and realized I don't have a copy. How did that happen?
The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley. A reread, this book can be hard to find but is really fun to read.
Two more for my Cabell shelf The High Place despite being a slightly less enjoyable because of how dark it is, i still felt it worth buying a copy and since i was paying more for the postage than the boos i added a second from the same seller. The Silver Stallion. The copies are from 1970 and 1969 respectively.
The silver stallion is actually the first cabell i've bought without actually reading it first but he hasn't let me down yet so i'm sure it'll be fine :) .
Neither book has ever been read if the uncracked spines are any indication.
Lynn wrote: "Janice wrote: "Even though I don't need any more books! My local library had a book sale last weekend, and I thought I should help and purchase some books. :)A Passage to India by E..."
I have the Christmas book on my too-long TBR list. Maybe this Christmas, I will read these stories. :)
CirceDracula
The Secret Garden
Murder on the orient express
Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Ramchandra trilogy
Samsara
Gallant
House of Cards
Janice wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Janice wrote: "Even though I don't need any more books! My local library had a book sale last weekend, and I thought I should help and purchase some books. :)[book: A Passage to Indi..."
About the L., M. Montgomery Christmas stories, I have just decided that I will read a few stories each year and even if it takes several years to finish the collection, that is ok. And well done helping out your library like that, lol.
Lynn wrote: "Janice wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Janice wrote: "Even though I don't need any more books! My local library had a book sale last weekend, and I thought I should help and purchase some books. :)[book: A ..."
That's a great idea to spread out the stories over the years; a long time to savor each story. And yes, us book readers, do a public service by helping out our libraries at their books sales! ;)
I just got Doctor Thorne, the next book in the Barsetshire series. This is my first time reading Trollope and I'm enjoying him a lot so far. I hope I love this one as well!
Also putting in a plug for libraries! My local one is small and not super well stocked, but I can request anything for $1 and so far they've found every obscure book I've ever requested. And I can keep them for six weeks, so that's wonderful. Plus, I, my kids and grandkids would never have been able to read so much without them!
XAIPE will be here soon. I never buy books online but this one is so obscure I had to. I'm reading it for my alphabet challenge. So hard to find an X.I will gladly send it to anyone who wants it for their own challenge, let me know!
Teri-K wrote: "I just got Doctor Thorne, the next book in the Barsetshire series. This is my first time reading Trollope and I'm enjoying him a lot so far. I hope I love this one as well
I have just purchased two books"The Book of Imaginary Beings" by Jorges Luis Borges and "Living to Tell The Tale" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
beautiful brand new copy of Alexander Theroux's second volume of short stories: Fables
411 pages of 21 stories dating back to 1975 including such as :
Master Snickup's Cloak
The Schinocephalic Waif
The Great Wheadle Tragedy
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar allan Poe
Darren, I am so excited about what I see about Alexander Theroux's writing. I have bought too many books this month, so next month, I am wanting to buy The Primary Colors: Three Essays as I am a colorist.
This month I have orderedDancing Girls and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood
Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from Around the World by Kathleen Ragan
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 2: The Romantic Period edited by M.H. Abrams
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John McWhorter
Yesterday I went and got:Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
*****
Today these will be arriving:
Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill - I'll be getting the paperback version. I have it in hc, but I've been wanting to get the pb for a while.
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture - I've tried reading this before, but it's so long that I never finish. I was recently diagnosed with PTSD though so I'm hoping that with a fresh perspective, I'll finally be able to get through it.
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole - I've read this 3 times already, but the paperback was finally released this week so it calls for a re-read.
You know Benjamín Labatut (When We Cease to Understand the World about Fritz Haber)?He has a new book coming out The Maniac about John von Neumann in October 2023.
Wow! Easily the book I am most eagerly awaiting now.
Recently I've started getting into the Library of America books, which usually collect several novels by one author. I ordered Novels and Social Writings by Jack London and The House of Mirth / The Reef / The Custom of the Country / The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. I wanted to get Novels 1955–1962: Lolita / Pnin / Pale Fire / Lolita: A Screenplay by Vladimir Nabokov but I can't find a reasonably priced used copy (in very good condition or better) and I'm too cheap to pay full price.
Today is the local library book sale. I picked up a few classics:The Mother
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Something Light
The Green Years
Shannon's Way
The Royal Box
I watched one of my fave films recently ("La Belle Noiseuse") and spotted in the credits that it was inspired by Balzac's The Unknown Masterpiece which I quickly bought once I saw the luvverly NYRB edition:
Well that was quite the impulse buy... just spent like €270 or so on 11 books to complete my James Branch Cabell, Biography of Manuel collection.Cabell has mostly never been reprinted since the 1920’s and the few reprints were only during the fantasy boom of the 60’s/70’s so even those are rare enough. And since I’m in ireland and he’s a rather obscure american writer, everything had to be bought from overseas.
I also really hate boring hardbacks, and didn’t want any unless they had the original dustcovers which make them much more expensive.
Anyway, i’ve ordered, 1 hardback with dustcover, 2 paperback reprints from the 60’s, 1 new paperback print from a small publisher (probably be worse than the PoD stuff) and 7 print-on-demand.
Since PoD paperbacks are crap, i opted for hardbacks with leather spines and corners. 2 from a place with free delivery in a style I’ve already bought a sample from.
Its pretty good, a bit diary-ish on the thin books but still the best format IMO for print-on-demand.
Then there was another similar printer who didn’t have free delivery but does have a variety of coloured leathers, couldn’t resist so bought the last 5 from there one in each color.
Based on past experience it’ll be months before they all arrive. Which is good as that was a lot of cash for me and I’m feeling quite guilty, so I’m already shaving bits off my budget here and there until i feel better :P . The guilt should have dissipated long before they get here, leaving an unpacking of only joy ;) .
Sidenote: Much of cabell's mythos is set in the fictional medieval french land of Poictesme, which i only just found out how to pronounce. Apparently its just Pwa-Tem , which i like to say with a terrible attempt at a french accent :P .
Anyway, no way was i ever figuring out how to pronounce that without googling it.
Just yesterday, I found Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth-Century to by Lucy Lethbridge, and Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls by Lauren Graham from a wonderful Little Free Library. These books look like they have never been read. :)
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Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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Collected Stories by Roald Dahl"
I can visit five LFLs in a three-mile walk around my neighborhood and many more in adjacent neighborhoods. I have picked up some excellent finds in them, including a brand new copy of Wuthering Heights this past summer.