Well, the standard TBR has actually gone down, although not as much as I would have wished. An actual gap, right? “Motherland” is still at the end of the front row.
I completed 13 books in October, even though I had a week off at the beginning of the month, which was a little disappointing, especially as only four of them were from this physical standard TBR (the rest being made up of Kindle, usually NetGalley, books and review books that came in, plus two off the pile of Books Where I Have Another One In The Series). I did also DNF two books from this shelf, which is why the gap is so substantial. Anyway, 13 books is not nothing and I read some great ones of course!
New in!
I’ve been very lucky in terms of review books coming in this week (mostly on one day, actually!). British Library Publishing have kindly sent me two more of their beautifully patterned and tactile Women Writers series. Mary Essex’ “Tea is So Intoxicating” has a village divided when a man suddenly decides to open up a tea-garden, and in “O, The Brave Music” by Dorothy Evelyn Smith, we have a coming of age story set just before World War One. Both of these have the usual marvellous introductions and afterwords as well as being lovely objects in themselves.
I was also offered a look through the British Library’s publishing catalogue and chose Polly Russell and Margaretta Jolly (eds.) “Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights” which is a truly glorious book published to accompany the exhibition but a marvellous object and record in its own right:
From personal diaries, banners and protest fashion to subversive literature, film, music and art, no topic is too taboo: Unfinished Business presents how women and their allies have fought for equality with passion, imagination, humour and tenacity.
The exhibition is on at the British Library until 21 Feb if you can possibly get there (info here, lockdown will alter this of course).
Thank you so much to British Library Publishing for sending me these – “Unfinished Business” is destined for a Shiny New Books review and I will share about it here, too.
The lovely folks at Dean Street Press are publishing a lovely new tranche of books in their Furrowed Middlebrow imprint in January, concentrating on the works of Margery Sharp and Stella Gibbons, and while I was busy adding them all to my wishlist, I’ve received e-book copies of Gibbons’ “A Pink Front Door”, about a woman who can’t say no to a series of misfits who need her help, and Sharp’s first novel, eye-wateringly rare to get hold of before this publication, with a highbrow family dealing with a decidedly middlebrow sister. You can read about all the new novels on the Furrowed Middlebrow blog here and I cannot WAIT to read these!
Currently reading and coming up
When I got to the end of my last NetGalley book and got into a sort of state of being totally unable to make a decision (review book from the physical pile? NetGalley book? Angela Thirkell, oldes book, newest book?), I decide to pick off two lovely Dean Street Press books, “Mrs Tim Gets a Job and Mrs Tim Flies Home” – I finished the first earlier today and the second is the current read, along with the very interesting “Work” from Bloomsbury, which is a lovely hardback and not suitable for lounging over a pizza with. Watch this space for notification of my Shiny review of that one.
Coming up, I am taking part in two challenges this month. Australia Reading Month, run by Brona, is what it says, and I’ve been saving up Ada Cambridge’s “The Three Miss Kings”, published by Virago, for AGES so I could join in.
I doubt that’s the only novel I’ll be reading this month (see above!) but I will also be concentrating on nonfiction for NonFiction November, which I so enjoyed doing last year. I have prepared my initial post for tomorrow and laid out some books I will definitely be reading – “The Good Immigrant” UK and US editions, edited by Nikesh Shukla, with Chimene Suley for the US one, which are collected essays on the immigrant experience in the two countries, continuing my reading of direct lived immigrant experiences; “The Secret Teacher” which opens the lid of a school and a young teacher; “On the Marsh” by Simon Barnes, which follows his owning and care for some marshland with an element of rewilding; and “Homesick” by Catrina Davies, which mixes sociology and nature, exploring why she ended up living in a shed on her parents’ land in Cornwall. Some good themes there, I thought, and there will be more nonfiction, too.
All of Anne Tyler in 2021
I’ve been talking about this for ages, but I’ve finally got round to setting out a project page to support my re-reading (and some new reading) of all of Anne Tyler’s novels in order next year. Exciting! I’m going to read two per month and people are totally free to join in with as few or as many as they want to do. I need to wait for “Redhead by the Side of the Road” to come out in paperback then I’ll do a new picture. Meanwhile, see the page here for the schedule and do let me know if you’re joining in / my instructions are clear.
Whew, a busy post and a busy upcoming month. What are you getting up to in November reading-wise? Any more challenges?
Nov 01, 2020 @ 17:45:14
I really enjoyed Tea is So Intoxicating and I think you will too. I am trying to track down the copy of O Brave Music I pre-ordered. I have already finished Rhododendron Pie which I couldn’t wait to read, I really enjoyed it.
Really love your Anne Tyler schedule, though I won’t manage them all I will definitely join in for some. I have only read about thirteen, and none at all in the last ten years which has shocked me. A lovely reading project for the new year.
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 17:50:18
I can’t wait to read all of these! And it will be lovely to have you join me for some of the Anne Tylers – hooray! I have only read new ones as they’ve come out and haven’t gone back to the earlier ones for years – and I certainly bought them out of order, picking them up where I could. My pile is a funny mix of old US copies and modern Vintage ones.
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 18:03:35
Love your state of the TBR posts and especially appreciate how you’re honoring yourself for reading 13 books! When I read this I practiced that self-love for myself as well – not that I read 13 books, just honoring the amount of books I’ve read, perhaps not the number itself, more so even the act of reading and loving myself for doing that. I hope the books you read this month feel fulfilling and looking forward to your reviews. (:
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 18:05:45
Thank you. It’s so important for me to make time for reading in my life and I’m glad when the totals show I have done that. I am really looking forward to the pictured books and others!
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 18:23:46
I just got the new John Grisham book so that will be next up for me!
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 18:30:47
Always good to get a new one by an author you enjoy – hope it’s a good one!
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 19:24:03
Some lovely arrivals Liz – aren’t the BL books beautiful? There are *so* many challenges this month, and I think the Australian one is the one I may not get to sadly. But well done on getting the TBR down – most impressed!
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 07:04:03
Thank you! And yes, so tactile, too. I am skipping the novellas as I just don’t have any!
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Nov 01, 2020 @ 21:46:55
I look forward to your thoughts on The Three Miss Kings. I’m very keen to read more Ada Cambridge myself.
Also very excited about your Tyler readalong. I have The Ladder of Years and Noah’s Compass unread on my TBR pile, so will definitely join in for those. May also try to reread my copies of Accidental Tourist and Homesick Restaurant. I thought I had a couple more tucked away somewhere too, so this will give me the incentive to have another tidy-up of the piles.
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 07:04:32
Oh brilliant, it will be lovely to have you along for some of them! Hooray! Happy rummaging …
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 00:50:34
Amazing how much of an impact the lockdowns are having on these exhibits 😦
Yay non fiction November. I’ve started on Tomboyland, but running between spectating spots doesn’t leave much for spectating. I’m OK with that trade off though
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 07:07:05
There has been good work done with virtual exhibitions, hasn’t there, but it’s not the real thing still.
And I’ve just remembered we are going to do Because Internet this month, aren’t we? Let me know when you’re ready to start that. And yes, a good trade-off when it comes down to it!
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 11:50:35
I always love to see what you’re reading–so different from my TBR pile! Anne Tyler is always one of my favorites–how fun to re-read all her books. I haven’t read her new one tho. I’ll be sharing my month of reads on Friday’s coffee talk post.
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 15:37:53
I’ve not read her last two and I haven’t got Redhead yet. I am really looking forward to going back over all of them, although some of them I have already read more than once.
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 18:38:28
I still haven’t started DSP or this BL series and they all look so good – sorry Liz what is DNF?!
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Nov 02, 2020 @ 18:45:29
Sorry – Did Not Finish. Five of them this year, two last month!
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