Saturday 17 November 2007

A meme and bits and pieces

I nabbed this meme from Tara and Nan and my quote is from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.

Open up the book you’re currently reading to page 161 and read the sixth sentence on the page, then think of 5 bloggers to tag.

"If only she could reach there before this labouring anguish burst from her breast to her lips - if only she could feel the hold of Gerty's arms while she shook in the ague-fit of fear that was coming upon her!"

No idea what that's about as I'm only on page 95. I'm really enjoying this excursion into the novels of Edith Wharton though. I've read quite a few of her ghost stories and liked them a lot, but no novels. People seem to hold her in such high regard that I thought it was time I tried something a bit longer. There are others I know but The House of Mirth was what the library had so The House of Mirth it was. No tagging, btw, if you would like to do this meme then please do.

By and large my reading of classic American authors is really poor and, along with all my other 2008 reading plans, I really ought to do something about that. Are there any particular authors I should read? But please don't say 'Fennimore Cooper'. I will never forget trying to read The Deerslayer...

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I had my first item of spam in the comments to my last post. It's never happened before and it may never happen again but I'll watch the situation and if it does I'll start using the word moderation thing. I didn't plan to but needs must. I do wish these people would find something better to do. Like READ!

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By and large I've been pretty good at not buying any new books for a while. I have so much on my tbr pile that it seemed wasteful to be continually buying new ones. Well, not wasteful, buying books is an investment in education and enjoyment, imo, so wasteful is the wrong word. Whatever, I thought I would try to ease off for a few weeks and concentrate on the books I have and the library pile. Amelia Peabody threw me though. I loved the first book about her Egyptian adventures so much that I couldn't resist getting some more. I already owned three, #1, #4 and #9 so I filled in a few gaps and bought #2, 3 and 5. so those should keep me going for a while. I adore the covers on these books so much. They remind me of the ones for the UK editions of Alexander McCall Smith's Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series but I've no idea if they're by the same artist. 'Vibrant' is the word I would use to describe them:



Hmm. I was hoping if was clever they'd come out in a horizontal line rather than a vertical one. I don't think computer technology is ever going to be my 'thing'. LOL.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I'm away to light the fire and sit by it with The House of Mirth.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cath, I would participate in the meme but the p.161, sentence 6 in both the books I'm reading is beyond dull. So, I won't participate.

Glad you have like Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. Isn't Crocodile on a Sandbank a gem? I have read it so many times. It is a complete comfort read for me. Just wonderful. I think I loved the movie The Mummy because it reminded me of Peabody and Emerson.

Nan said...

I love the covers! I'm thrilled you are embarking on this adventure with Peabody and Mr. "saturnine eyes." Quite the love those two have! And wait till the son arrives!

The American classics I would suggest are 1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the most perfect books I've ever read. I have read it several times and each time it is fresh to me. 2. Also, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is wonderful. 3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a little older and always terrific whether the reader is a child or adult. 4.Any Faulkner, though not everyone is a fan. I actually don't like Edith W. though I know a lot of bloggers do.

Cath said...

Kay: Crocodile on a Sandbank (and I love the little Egyptian poem that the title comes from at the beginning of the book) is a real gem. I've read it twice, with 25 years in between, and loved it both times. Really looking forward to reading the rest now. It's funny you should mention The Mummy because I wondered if it was loosely based on these books. There are a few similarities, particularly that Brendon Fraser is not your average sex symbol of a hero.

Nan: Aren't the covers of these wonderful? Yes, I'm eager to read about Ramses and to see what other adventures they all have.

A couple of other people have suggested I read The Great Gatsby. It isn't something I would automatically think of picking up so there is clearly something special about this book. I must try it. Little Women I read many years ago but want to read again, perhaps next year. I have one Hemingway on my tbr pile and that's To have and Have Not. He's an author I've never read at all so far. I've made a note of your recommendations and thank you so much for them. It's interesting that you don't care for Edith W. I'm sure that if we all liked the same things life would be really dull. :-)

Tara said...

These covers are fabulous! What beautiful artwork.

Cath said...

Tara: The books are still sitting on the coffee table so that I can pick them up and admire them every now and then. The artwork is so pretty!