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I’ve been a member of the Folio Society for a few years now, and despite my best intentions I often end up buying beautiful editions of books I already own and love. The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies is no exception. I have a thing for Canadian authors (and bands although that’s another matter) and came across Davies when I was a student and The Rebel Angels came out. I have to say though that The Deptford trilogy has always been my favourite and I’ll look forward to reacquainting myself with the story of Boy Staunton and how he came to meet his end. If you haven’t read anything by Davies then you should really give him a try, he is definitely worth the investment .
A bumper crop of interesting books found their way into the Bride’s home this month.
I was very keen to get a hold of Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, especially once I saw the ringing endorsement from Neil Gaiman, always an attraction for me. Most people now know that Joe is the son of Stephen King, whose work I’ve been following since picking up a paperback of Carrie when I was a teenager. I’ve resisted the temptation to dip into this straight away, but I’m sure it will quickly find its way to the top of the reading pile.
The next two books are the result of information on other blogs. Come Closer by Sarah Gran is ” a scary novel about possession and insanity” so couldn’t be missed. The Green Man is edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, and I always enjoy their anthologies – it has the added bonus of Charles Vess illustrations as well.
On my way to the IMAX in London to pick up tickets for the Book God and I to see 300 (more of that anon), I finally managed to get to Crockatt & Powell’s bookshop in Lower Marsh, having seen it mentioned in so many other places. I could have spent a fortune, but managed to limit myself to three books. I already have the first volume of the Transylvanian trilogy by Miklos Banffy, and was thrilled to see volumes 2 and 3, which I snapped up as I’ve never seen any of them in bookshops before. Perhaps I just go to the wrong shops. I also picked up The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee as I’ve never been able to resist books about books.
The Terror by Dan Simmons is about two ships which formed part of Sir John Franklin’s 1845 expedition in search of the North-West Passage. The ships are trapped in the ice, but there is something out there…….
Finally I succumbed to the recommendations of many others, including the Book Panel on Simon Mayo’s radio programme and bought What Was Lost. I’m looking forward to finding out whether it meets expectations.
It’s a bit of a horror and fantasy month as you can see, but a little variety as well. Now I just have to find the time to read them all!
As I mentioned before, the Book God was very generous on the birthday present front, especially considering that Christmas wasn’t that long ago. From the list thoughtfully provided by me he chose:
Beware of Pity – I have a couple of Stefan Zweig books already, including one on Mary, Queen of Scots (or MQS for short), but rather fancied this because of an article in (I think) Slightly Foxed – and it has a lovely Klimt cover;
Whale – I have been fascinated by whales of all sorts since I was small, and have adopted an orca through the Whale & Dolpin Conservation Society for almost 10 years, so I’m really looking forward to exploring their place in world culture. This looks like a really interesting series, though I think I’ll avoid the book on cockroaches!
David Rizzio & MQS – murder at Holyrood! Kind of speaks for itself and just irresistible to me – no books on 16th century for Christmas this year;
The Thistle & the Rose – given that it’s 300 years since the Union and that I’m a Scot married to an Englishman, I suspect that this topic will loom large in purchases during the coming year. Plus I really like Allan Massie – I enjoyed his contributions to the excellent programme on John Buchan which BBC Four showed over the holiday season.
My esteemed friend the Hon. Mrs W. was also kind enough to buy me a small token to add to my ever-growing Bloomsbury pile – Hyde Park Gate News – which has miraculously survived being unwrapped in a central London watering hole on the eve of my birthday, surrounded by the remains of very sticky cocktails.
Bride of the Book God 