Re-reading my Childhood

January 23, 2019February 3, 2019 / Eleanor Jane / 9 Comments

I have been a member of the Jane Austen Society for several years now and for some time I have been toying with the idea of joining another literary society. I was think of something along the lines of the societies for Anthony Trollope, Dorothy L Sayers or Margery Allingham.

In the event – and almost on the spur of the moment – I went for something less literary. The Friends of the Chalet School is something I have known about for a while but have never joined before now.

My first newsletter arrived this week and I am so looking forward to reading it. I have to admit though that part of the draw for me was their lending library of Chalet School books.

I only recently discovered that almost all of the paperback editions were heavily cut or altered – which means that although I have read a good many of the books I have almost certainly never read a complete one. Therefore, I will obviously have to go back and re-read the whole series from the beginning.

It is a prospect which fills me with great joy. I have already sourced a 1955 edition of the first book which I hope is complete. I have found a couple of differences within the first few pages so things are looking promising.

However, finding the whole series could (would) be a difficult and expensive project – hence my interest in the library! I am very much looking forward to all of the reading though.

Winning Through

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 / Eleanor Jane / Leave a comment

I’ve mentioned before that I have recently been struggling somewhat to find the motivation to read. It has been the strangest feeling for me – I have never had such a serious reading slump before. The mental energy and concentration required simply to pick up a book was beyond me and I really didn’t know what to do with myself.

Of course, it has been a bit of a vicious cycle – the less I read the more stressed and wound up I felt and so the less I was able to read.

This week however I am finally feeling a bit more rested and less stressed. On the train yesterday I was actually able to read my book – even though I couldn’t read I was still unable to go out without one! It turns out that Anthony Trollope is a wonderful balm to the soul.

Over these two days I have read more than I have managed in the past two weeks. I am even looking forward to settling down by the fire this evening with a cup of tea and my book. It is a wonderful feeling.

L M Montgomery’s Journals

November 21, 2018November 17, 2018 / Eleanor Jane / Leave a comment

For the past few years I have been working my way through L M Montgomery’s journals. I have been a fan of her fiction for such a long time and I couldn’t resist her journals when I found them.

So far I have read the first three volumes of the selected journals, plus the first volume of the complete journals – it has more pictures as well as all the diary entries and I just had to read it.

The writing is just beautiful and I have many, many quotes marked. It is just the sort of book I love to carry around with me to dip into whenever I get a chance.

Montgomery led a fascinating, if rather difficult life, and it has been wonderful to learn more about it. My dilemma now is what to read next – I have volume four of the selected journals but also the third volume of the complete version (I have so far not managed to get hold of the second). I can’t quite decide whether to go on or to go back and reread the years I have already covered but with extra diary entries.

Really I know I’ll go back to read the complete version at some point anyway – so it might as well be now!

Struggling

November 14, 2018 / Eleanor Jane / 2 Comments

This has been a bit of a slow week for me reading wise. I have plenty of books which I really want to read but the books I have actually been reading have not been holding my interest.

First I had After the Party by Cressida Connolly. This was my book club’s choice for November and for some reason I was not looking forward to it. I kept putting off starting it and eventually began it about two days before the meeting. Once I did get started I raced through it – I thought it was well written and the words flowed easily off the page. I did however seem to be constantly waiting for a momentous event that never materialised. I think it was just not the right time for me to read it – most of my book club loved it and we had a great discussion about it.

I have also been reading Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell. This one is for an Instagram readalong hosted by Shelbi over at The Nobby Life. I was really looking forward to it as I normally love Gaskell’s books but again, I am finding it a bit slow going and I still feel as if I’m waiting for something to happen.

I don’t dislike it though – it just hasn’t fully captured my imagination yet. I’m only halfway through so there is plenty of time!

As I said, it’s not really the fault of the books. I have had a busy few weeks and what I really need now is a light, fast-paced, easy read. It’s important I think not to push oneself too much to read things one doesn’t enjoy just for the sake of a discussion. Reading is meant to be fun after all.

DSCF9759

The Joy of Serendipity

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 / Eleanor Jane / Leave a comment

On Monday I was hurrying along the street towards the railway station when I came upon an Oxfam bookshop. I didn’t really have time to stop but I could see a very attractive classics section just inside the door and decided I could spare a couple of minutes to browse that at least.

There were some good books there but nothing I wanted to buy and I was just turning away when my eye fell on the poetry section – specifically a book of medieval Latin lyrics.

In a few weeks I will be going to the Cheltenham Literary Festival and I am especially excited about a talk on how to read a Latin poem. This focuses specifically on two poems – one (part of Ovid’s Amores) I have already and the other the Confession of the Archpoet which I have been struggling a bit to find. The problem is that I want an edition with both the Latin and the English translation – although I have done some Latin I am not yet good enough to read a whole poem easily but I didn’t want to just have the translation which would kind of defeat the point!

Anyway, there I was in the bookshop with the Latin lyrics in my hand and thinking that the Confession is a medieval poem – and a pretty famous one at that. Surely it might well be in this very book? A quick flick through located it and even better it was there in both Latin and English. I snatched it up. Thankfully I also managed to catch my train home.