Well I’ve got a lot to tell you about today, having not blogged since the weekend, so here’s some Shiny Linkiness, a sweet book that wasn’t my Iris Murdoch and some purchases!
First of all, as we know, I read Malala Yousafzai’s wonderful autobiography fairly recently, and that was because I’d won a copy of her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai’s book, “Let Her Fly” from NetGalley (thank you to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read it). I loved “Let Her Fly” and here’s an excerpt from my review:
Now, we can argue about nature and nurture, can’t we, but what is clear is that the extraordinary Malala would not have got as far as she has without this background and this amazing man pushing her onwards and opening the gates of education for her. They form a great team, and still work together on the Malala Foundation. But he doesn’t idolise her and put her on a pedestal, and he’s very honest on the family dynamic and especially his relationship with his own sons.
(read the whole review here)
Paul Gallico – “Mrs Harris Goes to New York”
(31 January 2018 – The Newlyn Bookshop)
I bought this on a trip to Penzance from the lovely second-hand bookshop on Chapel Street, a dear old Penguin from 1960.
A charming sequel to “Mrs ‘Arris Goes to Paris” in which Mrs H, South London daily, plus her doomy friend Violet, ends up in New York and also in possession of a small boy she has liberated from next door. While the introduction of some trendy late-50s culture misses the boat a bit, the return of an old friend and the addition of some super new ones is lovely, and the whole, if slight, is warm and a joy. Partly told in letters, which makes for a very sweet read.
Naughties
So do we remember when I bought some books cheap at The Works because they were Christmas books and it was January? Well of course they were all in series, weren’t they, and not the first in each, and they were about Cornwall and I found second-hand copies cheap and although I left one alone, I now have this.
And then on the Prosopagnosia group (read about proso or face-blindness and me on my business blog here), there was mention of a YA novel with a whole prosopagnosic hero and so that had to be got, didn’t it?
So there we go. Currently reading Janet McNeill’s “The Maiden Dinosaur” which is brilliant, then it’s on with the Murdoch, I promise. It’s not as wonderful as I remembered it being, but one’s bound to dip down after all the promotions up the favourites list.
Have you been naughty recently? What do you do if you accidentally buy the middle book in a series? They don’t count, right?
BookerTalk
Mar 14, 2019 @ 07:32:03
I’ve never read Paul Gallico. Would Mrs Arris be a good one to begin – is the title a reference to the character in Martin Chuzzlewit?
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Liz Dexter
Mar 14, 2019 @ 07:46:36
Oh, I don’t know that reference, maybe! His books are very varied. The Mrs Harris books are sweet and charming and great if you can find them (I see the old Penguins quite often).
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BookerTalk
Mar 15, 2019 @ 04:18:16
Mrs ‘Arris doesn’t actually exist as a character – she is referred to by one of the other characters who has a liking for gin….
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Liz Dexter
Mar 21, 2019 @ 08:55:10
I’m a bit confused, as the central character in this book is Ada Harris (Ada ‘Arris in the Paris one).
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BookerTalk
Mar 21, 2019 @ 14:48:14
sorry if I confused you by my obscure reference to an obscure element of Martin Chuzzlewit…
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Liz Dexter
Mar 21, 2019 @ 14:53:16
Oh, I’m sorry, it makes sense now. I saw your comment on my phone and it didn’t show me the whole thread so I was mightily confused! All understood now, although I have no idea if it is or not.
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kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 14, 2019 @ 17:45:33
Lol! Book naughtiness is good! I have calmed down a little recently (only one charity shop find last week, a hardback Virago Simone Weil anthology) but I’m sure it won’t last. I read a couple of Mrs. Harris books and they’re quite fun though as you say a little slight – and perhaps a tad cliched, but then they *are* comedy! 😀
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Liz Dexter
Mar 14, 2019 @ 21:25:33
Certainly hit the spot when I was oh-so-tired and I can imagine all these Cornwall ones will be good for when I’m recovering from my long races this summer!
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