Wednesday 22 April 2009

Brain Food. Week 3



OK, week 3 and a good selection of old favourites and excitement that arrived today.


"The Other Queen" by Phillippa Gregory, although I have a rather snobbish approach to books with "gold on the cover", this is very good. Romps along and even though it is set in a period I still read around since doing Tudor History A'level, there is a lot of stuff that I didn't know. If only all text books could be this entertaining


"Brat Farrer" by Josephine Tey, a recommendation from LucyFishwife as a follow on, in style and period, to "Dora Damage" (06/04)


"The Rossetti Letters" by Christi Phillips. Venice, libraries, mystery, Cambridge, courtesans. Don't really need to say any more do I ?


"Molly Fox's Birthday" by Deirdre Malden. The only Orange short list book that Waterstones had in today. You're a book shop for heavens sake !


"Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet" If you don't know about this, you should. Appears to be held in high esteem by most of the inhabitants of my side bar because....it works. May have to buy a second copy as the pages are beginning to peel off the spine it has been consulted so regularly.


"A Sensible Life" Mary Wesley, a wonderful, witty writer with a unique style and the ability to make ageing seem something to look forward to - provided you are prepared to be disreputable. A modern Nancy Mitford, with an eye for relationships and social mores that make re-reading her novels compulsory.


"Lizzie Siddal" by Lucinda Hawksley. Spurred on by my post about the Pre Raphaelites a couple of weeks ago, I have gone back to my shelves to re-read books bought since I was 16. This, from 2004 is a lovely book, clear and academic yet never frosty or obscure and gives a fascinating view of how important women were to these artists. (Cassandra, I will flag up the others asap)


In the background, my windowbox. Who'd have thought ? - if you water plants they grow, they flower and in the case of wallflowers, smell wonderful.

5 comments:

Helen Brocklebank said...

Wonderful book choices! I love the lizzie siddal book; I'm a mad fan of the prb. Believe there's some kind of programme coming on the BBC about them. Quite an interesting cast list. Can't wait to go back through your blog to find your pre-raph post; sorry to have missed it first time

Anonymous said...

Loved "The Other Queen". In fact, I've thoroughly enjoyed all the Philippa Gregory novels about the Tudors. As you say, very entertaining - and so informative about the period.

Cassandra said...

Ooooooh smashing list, thank you TR! I devoured mary Wesley in the sixth form - love her but her plots got totally bonkers as she got older! Crazily posh names too - fab. Really love the sound of the Venetian courtesans one xxx

Katherine said...

Still trying to finish The Other Queen; started last year whilst pregnant with #3, one bout of ante natal depression later and the book got abandoned, so it's on my re-visit list (I actually wrote a post about my ability to only half read books, as I am the master!) Just finished Mary Wesley's Part of the Furniture, after a re-read of her Camomile Lawn...I'm into all things Wesley at the moment. Trying to get into Doris Lessing but might find it a bit much for my poor, sleep deprived brain. Liking the sound of the Lizzie Siddal....

Katherine said...

Hi, just tagged you..would love to hear you're answers. Look over at mine for rules (think this is the procedure, never done tagging before!)