Monday, February 1, 2016

January: a book-buying binge

January was bad for my bookish resolutions. It started off slowly, and then between Margery Sharp and Willa Cather, I just gave into temptation. Because of the Triple Dog Dare, I won't be reading any of these straight off. So I thought I'd write about a few - not all of them, so I don't have to confess the "demn'd total," as John Brooke and Mr. Mantalini say - just the highlights.

Patricia Wentworth has become one of my favorite comfort reads, and I've nearly worked my way through that section of the TBR shelves. Fortunately it is pretty easy to find decent used copies on-line, at reasonable prices. I'm still looking for some of the earlier books, to fill in the gaps. From the title and the back-cover blurb, this one is at the top of my reading list.

Wentworth does however lose points for a heroine named Thomasina. That is a cat's name! (Isn't there a cat in the Anne of Green Gables series with that name? I thought it was in Anne of Island, but those cats are Rusty, the Sarah-cat and Joseph.)

Jane's Margery Sharp celebration introduced me to several new books of hers, and reminded me of others that I've been wanting to read. This has been at the top of the list:


The only copies I could find on-line were out of my price range. But ABE led me to a different search engine, which led me to Ebay - and there was a copy available. A first American edition, lacking a dust-jacket, and just outside my price range. I splurged. It arrived today, a little faded and battered, but a good clean copy, as the booksellers say. It is a Little, Brown edition, which clearly says "First Edition." But the U.S. edition must have come out after 1948, because the list of Margery Sharp's books includes The Foolish Gentlewoman. A nice little puzzle to investigate when I have time. And meanwhile I have others of her books already on the TBR stacks and eligible for the Dare.

Having cleared Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop off the TBR shelves after who knows how many years, naturally my next step was to go out and acquire more of Willa Cather's books. I made a list of those people recommended, but these two that weren't on the list also caught my eye:


As you can guess from the cover, One of Ours is about a young American in the Great War. I'm interested to compare Cather's writing on this with Dorothy Canfield's. Shadows on the Rock is another work of historical fiction, about Quebec in the 1690s. (I didn't neglect "the Prairie trilogy," which was unanimously recommended.)

Moving into the 21st century, I've been meaning to read more of N.K. Jemisin's books, and this one looks most exciting:


Finally, two books that I came across just browsing and immediately grabbed:



I left a copy of Mrs. Miniver on the shelves at Half Price Books years ago, and I've regretted it ever since. I didn't actually find the edition above, with Greer Garson on the cover. But I can't complain about a first U.S. edition for $5, even if the dust jacket is missing. The second book I really waffled over. I found it at Half Price Books, but I thought the $35 price was a little high, even for a hardback with a good dust jacket. Realistically, though, I was probably sold from the time I took it off the shelf, telling myself I'd just carry it around while I thought about it. ("I can put it back anytime" - famous last words.) When the clerk was ringing my books up, he told me this was originally priced at $150, so now I can feel I got a bargain. I've seen it in the lists of Margery Allingham's books, but I've never come across a copy. It includes "Seven important episodes from the case book of ALBERT CAMPION," with a note that they "have been set down by his private secretary, Miss Margery Allingham." The first is "The Case of the Late Pig," but I have that as a separate book.

Maybe I will give up buying books for Lent. (Which doesn't start for another week, now that I think about it.)

28 comments:

  1. I loved One of Ours, it was one of my Top 10 books in 2014. I've also been frugal with book buying since October but I did buy myself a birthday present which arrived today. Dorothy Canfield's Selected Letters & a volume of her stories, The Bedquilt. Have you read Willa Cather's letters? They're wonderful &, of course, she was friends with DCF so she's mentioned quite a bit. The Allingham sounds like a real bargain!

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    1. The book of Canfield letters is a wonderful present - I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! The Cather letters were still embargoed when that book was published, so the editor couldn't even quote from them! I remember your saying that the Cather letters were very good, and I'm glad to hear One of Ours is too.

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  2. That all looks like wise investment in your personal library to me; and those of us who value older books rather that the latest thing have to grab books when they're there because we might never see them again. Well, that's my justification.

    I'd guess that you have a first American edition of The Flowering Thorn, and that it wasn't published on your side of the Atlantic until the film adaptations of later books had made her name. I loved that book, and I am so pleased that you have a copy.

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    1. I fully agree with your reasoning, Jane! And with older books disappearing out of libraries at a distressing rate, I think it's also important to find copies while we still can.

      I was so very pleased to find The Flowering Thorn :) (I'd never thought to look on Ebay.)

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  3. I don't think I have ever heard of that Mr Campion book and I thought I had read them all. I will have to do a little searching. And yes, you are absolutely sunk as soon as you start walking around holding a book. You might as well buy it immediately.

    I like Mrs Miniver too.

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    1. I'm not crazy about the film version of Mrs. Miniver, though Greer Garson and Teresa Wright are wonderful (I have a low tolerance for Walter Pidgeon). I am expecting the book to be better :)

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  4. What torture to have all of those wonderful new books and be able to read them until April! I want to try both Margery Sharp and Patricia Wentworth. Thought I was familiar with most of Willa Cather's novels, but Shadows on the Rock is new to me. I know you'll enjoy all of this spring reading :)

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    1. I know - here I am torturing myself :) But (knock wood) the TBR Dare is going well so far, and I do still have tempting reads on the pre-2016 shelves.

      The Wentworth books really vary in quality, I find, but some of them are just delightful, and I do dote on Miss Silver, even if she sometimes sounds like Dolores Umbridge ("Hem, hem").

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  5. Great cache of books. Those will keep you busy for awhile.
    Reading your post makes me want to go buy some new books, too! :) There's nothing like getting a box of books in the mail. Happy Reading!

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    1. And the anticipation! What will I find in the mailbox today? :)

      But then I leave them to languish too long. That's the part I need to work on. That, and taller bookshelves!

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    2. I don't need taller bookshelves...I just need more of them! :)

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    3. I don't have room to squeeze any more bookcases into my apartment, but I could replace the short cases I have with taller ones...

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  6. No judgment from me! I'm not giving up anything for Lent, just telling myself that my food diary calorie counting system is for Lent (untrue; I started it in January), so that I can feel virtuous for the next six weeks and then eat lots of Mexican food without shame come Easter. :p

    (I can never give up book buying for Lent. My library's enormous massive book sale happens right smack in the middle of Lent most years, and it just would be untenable for me not to go and buy 1000 books.)

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    1. I love library book sales! My branch's sale isn't huge, but I always find something I want/need. And I like to see how many of the books I've donated are on the sale tables :) Actually, their regular sale shelves & carts are more dangerous, on a weekly basis.

      I don't think I could go six weeks without Mexican food :)

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  7. I am drooling with envy of the Allingham book. $35 was definitely a bargain.

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    1. If you lived closer, I would loan it to you :)

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  8. I really enjoyed One of Ours. You got a great haul and there are worse addictions to have! Thomasina isn't unusual here, nor is Andrewina, Hectorina and Jamesina. Some west of Scotland parents were determined to call a daughter after a father or grandfather I suppose.

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    1. All the Cather books I have found look so good. I will be spoiled for choice when it comes time to read.

      We have lots of Andreas, but I don't think I've come across those versions of girls' names

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  9. You always write about such interesting books and authors--I learn something everytime I visit your blog, and it makes me rush out and acquire the books you write about!

    I think Thomasina was a character in one of the Chronicles of Avonlea books--maybe a crotchety aunt...now I'll have to go find out if I'm right. I think Anne thought that the name helped sour the disposition, but it's been awhile since I read an Anne book.

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    1. That's a lovely compliment, Jane, thank you! I think we share our enthusiasm as readers - that's certainly how I ended up with Tolkien's Christmas letters :)

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  10. You got yourself some real goodies. Several bloggers are recommending Margery Sharp and Margery Allingham's series is on my wish list. I confess that like you I bought a rather large number of books this week, 9 in fact.

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    1. I think Jane's birthday reading celebration of Margery Sharp has introduced a lot of people to her books this year. I think I found Margery Allingham through the TV series of the Campion books - which was on ages ago!

      I hope you enjoy your new books :)

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  11. I'd like to read Patricia Wentworth and the flowering thorn. They sound attractive and I really like their cover :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! The Hodder editions of the Wentworth books have the best covers. I have some older editions with really hideous covers :)

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  12. I read One of Ours last year and it's one of my favorites by Cather. What surprised me was how long it take for the main character to go off to war -- he's home in Nebraska for more than half the book! It's really a character study, though of course Cather writes about places so beautifully, both hear and abroad.

    And I will always remember Thomasina as being a cat in a rather heart-wrenching Disney movie I saw on TV as a child.

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    1. That one and The Professor's House are on the top of my Cather reading list - for when the TBR dare is over. I think I remember you wrote a post about Sapphira and the Slave Girl? I've had that one in mind as well.

      I knew I associated Thomasina with cats! Maybe I saw the same movie.

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  13. This was like reading a list of books off my wishlist/TBR. There are definitely some names better for cats than humans -- I think of Faustina in Pym's An Unsuitable Attachment, e.g.

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    1. We do share a lot of reading tastes :)

      Thomasina is still nagging me - I can't remember where else I've come across that name!

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Thank you for taking the time to read, and to comment. I always enjoy hearing different points of view about the books I am reading, even if we disagree!