Last trip of the summer (though we're wondering if we can fit in an Autumn night away as our Christmas skiing holiday seems so far away) this weekend.
And it's The Great North Swim. I've been preparing for this challenge since March, when we entered, mainly by swimming half a mile before work almost every day since then. But I have also done some longer swims, and have swum the distance (a mile) twice with the Oxford triathletes. I'm still really nervous as the water will be a lot colder than I am used to (even with my wetsuit). And it is quite a big deal to me as I'm doing the swim in memory of a friend who committed suicide in 2005, so there are a lot of emotions attached. We've raised quite a lot of money too for Mind, so I can't let all of the sponsors down.
Have some Lake District themed reading packed; we're taking Christina Hardyment's Captain Flint's Trunk which is about the places which inspired the Swallows and Amazons books. My boyfriend has a book about Fell Running, and I still need to get hold of a biography about Beatrix Potter as we're hoping to visit her house on the way home. Haven't managed to find any watery reading though.
I'll let you know how I get on and whether or not I've drowned next week...
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Friday, 11 September 2009
Pictures from Cambridge
Just got back and before I go and repack my suitcase with wetsuit rather than work clothes, I thought I'd share a few pictures from my trip to Cambridge. I can't wait to go back sometime with my boyfriend and see the place properly without a conference to get in the way!
I stayed at Clare college...
...which is right next to the river, and I had to walk over this bridge several times a day to go between the meeting room and my room...
My room was amazing, nothing like my student days (and I did rather well if I'm honest)
Edwina, my teddy bear agreed with me.
I did some library tourism, following signs...
...to find the Trinity Wren Library...
...and to go on a tour of the library at Gonville and Caius...
I had a yummy meal out in the Rainbow cafe:
And I bought some books...
Which I've just unpacked and am now once more feeling a LITTLE (ok, a LOT) overwhelmed by TBRs...
I stayed at Clare college...
...which is right next to the river, and I had to walk over this bridge several times a day to go between the meeting room and my room...
My room was amazing, nothing like my student days (and I did rather well if I'm honest)
Edwina, my teddy bear agreed with me.
I did some library tourism, following signs...
...to find the Trinity Wren Library...
...and to go on a tour of the library at Gonville and Caius...
I had a yummy meal out in the Rainbow cafe:
And I bought some books...
Which I've just unpacked and am now once more feeling a LITTLE (ok, a LOT) overwhelmed by TBRs...
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Cambridge Day 2
It's been another action packed and book buying packed day here!
This morning's papers fell into two halves; the first discussed how funds might be raised by libraries wanting to acquire rare items and the second half discussed theft from libraries and how books might be recovered and how libraries and the book trade can work together to prevent this.
I then missed lunch in order to bookshop, although I did squeeze in a toasted teacake in M and S. I found their Oxfam bookshop which was rather good, although also rather expensive.
I picked up three items in there:
A lovely green VMC of A compass error which looks wonderful and which I will be reading very soon for my VVV blog.
Path to the silent country by Lynne Reid Banks - this is the sequel to her book Dark Quartet which I own, about the Brontes. I think I've had it from the library but now my set is complete.
Let the Hurricane Roar by Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder). Again, I've read this.
Next door but one was a shop called Galloway and Porter, and we had been given a 10% off voucher. It seemed mostly to be a remainder shop but I picked up three more books there:
Mother country by Elisabeth Russell Taylor, another VMC, in a new edition.
Cat Sanctuary by Patrick Gale, one of his I haven't read and set in my beloved Cornwall.
These two were £2.99, new, before discount, and on the way out I spotted a copy of
Hard work by Polly Toynbee which I've read before but is an interesting journalistic investigation into the world of low paid work. The man in the shop let me have it for 50p!
This afternoon was library visits time and I had a wonderful outing to the libraries of Gonville and Caius, and Trinity colleges. The latter has a particularly famous library designed by Wren which I was recommended to see. All fascinating, but lots of walking around Cambridge - I feel I am getting to grips with the place now (which is good as I have lost my map!) and have really enjoyed the chance to see the city.
It's a beautiful evening and I am now off for another reception, this time in the beautiful Fellows Garden of the college in which I am staying. I am however footsore, and exhausted, and homesickness is beginning to bite. Today is the first day in over a year that I haven't seen my boyfriend and I really miss him. :(
This morning's papers fell into two halves; the first discussed how funds might be raised by libraries wanting to acquire rare items and the second half discussed theft from libraries and how books might be recovered and how libraries and the book trade can work together to prevent this.
I then missed lunch in order to bookshop, although I did squeeze in a toasted teacake in M and S. I found their Oxfam bookshop which was rather good, although also rather expensive.
I picked up three items in there:
A lovely green VMC of A compass error which looks wonderful and which I will be reading very soon for my VVV blog.
Path to the silent country by Lynne Reid Banks - this is the sequel to her book Dark Quartet which I own, about the Brontes. I think I've had it from the library but now my set is complete.
Let the Hurricane Roar by Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder). Again, I've read this.
Next door but one was a shop called Galloway and Porter, and we had been given a 10% off voucher. It seemed mostly to be a remainder shop but I picked up three more books there:
Mother country by Elisabeth Russell Taylor, another VMC, in a new edition.
Cat Sanctuary by Patrick Gale, one of his I haven't read and set in my beloved Cornwall.
These two were £2.99, new, before discount, and on the way out I spotted a copy of
Hard work by Polly Toynbee which I've read before but is an interesting journalistic investigation into the world of low paid work. The man in the shop let me have it for 50p!
This afternoon was library visits time and I had a wonderful outing to the libraries of Gonville and Caius, and Trinity colleges. The latter has a particularly famous library designed by Wren which I was recommended to see. All fascinating, but lots of walking around Cambridge - I feel I am getting to grips with the place now (which is good as I have lost my map!) and have really enjoyed the chance to see the city.
It's a beautiful evening and I am now off for another reception, this time in the beautiful Fellows Garden of the college in which I am staying. I am however footsore, and exhausted, and homesickness is beginning to bite. Today is the first day in over a year that I haven't seen my boyfriend and I really miss him. :(
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
From Cambridge!
My boyfriend managed to get my laptop going enough for me to take it away, and happily there is an internet connection in my room (along with the tv...I don't remember tvs being provided when I was at "the other place" 4 years ago!), so I can blog LIVE from Cambridge! Unfortunately my laptop won't run my photo software, and the cable is in the other place, but I promise some pictures of the amazing place where I am spending 48 hours next week.
It's been an exhausting day (bear with me, there are some bookish bits!). I felt really uncertain about coming away and made Ken late for work as I couldn't bear to let him go, and then had to dash to the pool to fit in a quick swim. It was very quick! Then back home to tidy up, hide lots of little notes and magazines around the flat and put out those cakes before packing the car and heading off to Cambridge. You can tell that Oxford and Cambridge types are not designed to mix - it is a very long journey, down the M40, round the M25, up the A1... Unfortunately, I then got lost as I came into Cambridge as there was a road closure which my directions didn't take account of. Poor Ken was rung up and asked where I was; eventually I turned the map up the right way and found where I was supposed to be going.
Luckily, although I missed getting given my information pack and badge I was in time for the talks. They've been interesting and provoked quite a lot of discussion (e.g. if a book comes onto the market which several people have claims to, who should the booksellers offer it too). One of the most interesting points is about the way in which the nature of rare books collecting is changing; previously it was extremely important to enable people to have access to the text, now this is often available online and collecting becomes more important about the individual volume - its binding, its owners and provenance and annotations.
One of the speakers showed a slide of a librarian at Cambridge called JEB Mayor, who was around at the beginning of the last century; I know FM Mayor (a VMC writer) lived in Cambridge, I wonder if they were related.
The highlight of the day was definitely the reception at Heffer's bookshop, the main bookshop in Cambridge. It was very similar to Blackwells in Oxford, but had a much better (smaller but cheaper) second hand section. As they were offering us 10% off for the evening (how wonderful it is to be in a bookshop when it is closed and they are offering 10% off) it was difficult to resist and I bought the following 5 books for £9.90:
* 29 Inman Road (Ena Chamberlain) - an autobiographuy of 1920s London "in the classic tradition of Cider with Rosie and Lark Rise"
* Love is Blue (Joan Wyndam) -(I wrote about her earlier VMC auobio on my other blog) and although I've read this, it's nice to have a copy.
* Odd girl out (Elizabeth Jane Howard) - looked like an interesting story.
* The realms of gold (Drabble) - not one I've read and looked interesting.
* Cobwebs and Cream teas (Mackie) - I read thsi years ago and am pleased to finally have my own copy - it's an autobiographical book about a couple who work for the National Trust.
I've come back to my room as I am really exhausted and need to wind down; it is nice having the TV though so I may not read at all (I feel I overdid the reading material, especially since I went shopping).
It's been an exhausting day (bear with me, there are some bookish bits!). I felt really uncertain about coming away and made Ken late for work as I couldn't bear to let him go, and then had to dash to the pool to fit in a quick swim. It was very quick! Then back home to tidy up, hide lots of little notes and magazines around the flat and put out those cakes before packing the car and heading off to Cambridge. You can tell that Oxford and Cambridge types are not designed to mix - it is a very long journey, down the M40, round the M25, up the A1... Unfortunately, I then got lost as I came into Cambridge as there was a road closure which my directions didn't take account of. Poor Ken was rung up and asked where I was; eventually I turned the map up the right way and found where I was supposed to be going.
Luckily, although I missed getting given my information pack and badge I was in time for the talks. They've been interesting and provoked quite a lot of discussion (e.g. if a book comes onto the market which several people have claims to, who should the booksellers offer it too). One of the most interesting points is about the way in which the nature of rare books collecting is changing; previously it was extremely important to enable people to have access to the text, now this is often available online and collecting becomes more important about the individual volume - its binding, its owners and provenance and annotations.
One of the speakers showed a slide of a librarian at Cambridge called JEB Mayor, who was around at the beginning of the last century; I know FM Mayor (a VMC writer) lived in Cambridge, I wonder if they were related.
The highlight of the day was definitely the reception at Heffer's bookshop, the main bookshop in Cambridge. It was very similar to Blackwells in Oxford, but had a much better (smaller but cheaper) second hand section. As they were offering us 10% off for the evening (how wonderful it is to be in a bookshop when it is closed and they are offering 10% off) it was difficult to resist and I bought the following 5 books for £9.90:
* 29 Inman Road (Ena Chamberlain) - an autobiographuy of 1920s London "in the classic tradition of Cider with Rosie and Lark Rise"
* Love is Blue (Joan Wyndam) -(I wrote about her earlier VMC auobio on my other blog) and although I've read this, it's nice to have a copy.
* Odd girl out (Elizabeth Jane Howard) - looked like an interesting story.
* The realms of gold (Drabble) - not one I've read and looked interesting.
* Cobwebs and Cream teas (Mackie) - I read thsi years ago and am pleased to finally have my own copy - it's an autobiographical book about a couple who work for the National Trust.
I've come back to my room as I am really exhausted and need to wind down; it is nice having the TV though so I may not read at all (I feel I overdid the reading material, especially since I went shopping).
Away again
Yes, it was time to pack my suitcase again yesterday as I'm off to Cambridge for a Rare Books conference. I'm quite nervous about going since I received a bursary to attend, and will have to write a report on it afterwards. I don't know many of the other delegates and I've never been to a conference or even Cambridge before. Some of the programme looks really fun- such as a reception in Cambridge's main bookshop, Heffers, hehe, as well as the visits to various libraries, and it will be interesting to hear the speakers.
Anyway, I am lucky enough to be able to drive to the conference and have packed my suitcase full of books. Just. In. Case. (I went to a summer school last year and had to travel by train, so couldn't take my laptop and only packed 4 books. There wasn't anything to do in the evening and without PC or TV I had finished my books by the end of day 2. I resorted to the newspaper and then my Mum visited and kindly lent me enough books to see me through the last night and the train journey home).
It's a motley selection and includes some quite light reads. I'm most likely to read Ladies of Lending (whose title reminds me of working in the public library as a teenager, since the main department was called "Lending"and most of the staff were Ladies), and the Katherine Rowntree. I've also got a pile of the rest of last weekend's newspapers and some magazines, including Cosmo and Library and Information Update.
I digress. I must go and pack the car. Hope you all have a good rest of week.
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Bake of the week
I didn't think I'd have time to do a bake of the week this week, but you're in luck! I picked up these gorgeous cupcake cases earlier today and had to use them. As I'm off away to my conference in Cambridge and this is the first time I've been away from my boyfriend since he moved in a year ago, I thought I'd make him a little surprise for when he gets back from work tomorrow. I'm also filling the fridge with packed lunches, fruit and vegetables, and feeling faintly ridiculous about being so pathetic when I'm only going for two nights!
These are cherry cupcakes - the usual cupcake recipe with a couple of tablespoons of black cherry jam stirred in.
Monday, 7 September 2009
Fidra books
As regular readers will know I am interested in publishers who are taking the time to reprint "forgotten" books, and I also love old fashioned children's stories. So I was very excited when in Foyles a fortnight ago with Paperback Reader to find a section in the children's department which is devoted to re-published children's books. There were a couple of publishers featured, but the ones that caught my eye were Fidra books, who I'd seen on Amazon, but not in the flesh, and I came away with two books. Fidra specialise in "rescuing neglected children’s fiction and making it available to a new generation of readers...[Their] books range from 1940s adventure stories to iconic 1960s fantasy novels, and from pony books by Carnegie medal winning authors to rare boarding school stories from the 1990s."
The two books that I came away with were both by Mabel Esther Allen, an author I'd encountered before, but didn't realise how prolific she was until I saw the list of titles at the front of the volumes.
I bought Chiltern Adventure, and The School on Cloud Ridge, and read them in that order, which proved to be the right way around as some of the characters from the former appeared in the latter. The first was an enjoyable story about some children who spend the summer alone at a cottage in the Chilterns, and essentially about what they get up to. The second I found more interesting as it was about the foundation of a progressive school, with a school council and where methods are not along traditional lines, and how everyone adapts to the school (we have the usual characters - the homesick girl, the girl more interested in fashion and boys). I really enjoyed the chance to read these stories which I might not have otherwise been able to get hold of, and they were a nice light element to my holiday reading.
I see that Fidra have published one more MAE book, The school on North Barrule, and I am likely to treat myself to that for my next holiday.
The two books that I came away with were both by Mabel Esther Allen, an author I'd encountered before, but didn't realise how prolific she was until I saw the list of titles at the front of the volumes.
I bought Chiltern Adventure, and The School on Cloud Ridge, and read them in that order, which proved to be the right way around as some of the characters from the former appeared in the latter. The first was an enjoyable story about some children who spend the summer alone at a cottage in the Chilterns, and essentially about what they get up to. The second I found more interesting as it was about the foundation of a progressive school, with a school council and where methods are not along traditional lines, and how everyone adapts to the school (we have the usual characters - the homesick girl, the girl more interested in fashion and boys). I really enjoyed the chance to read these stories which I might not have otherwise been able to get hold of, and they were a nice light element to my holiday reading.
I see that Fidra have published one more MAE book, The school on North Barrule, and I am likely to treat myself to that for my next holiday.
The well and the mine (Phillips)
Virago books recently contacted me via Twitter and asked me if I'd be interested in receiving a review copy of The well and the mine, a book by Gin Phillips which is being published at the start of November. Of course the answer was "yes", and the book duly arrived. Finding myself all packed up but with nowhere to go until the next day, I decided to get my holiday reading underway early, and treat myself to this.
The book tells the story of 9 year old Tess Moore, who lives in a small town in Alabama during the 1930s depression. It starts with her hearing the splash of a baby falling into a well, and follows her as she tries to find out who would do such a thing. The story is told from the persepective of both Tess and the rest of her family members, father, mother, sister and brother, and builds up a picture of their life, the circumstances of the mining community within which they live, and her parents lives before they settled down. An impressive number of issues are covered by the story - having children and responsibility, growing up, poverty and working in the mines, and I found it an absorbing read where I learnt a lot about the period as well as being gripped by the story.
The writing itself is also extremely powerful, such as this passage where Albert the father reflects on his role as a miner: "Half my life was spent taking things out of the ground, the other half laying them in. Trying to dig my way into the dirt from up here, then praying I could get to the surface from down here"
I also loved this extract where Tess is describing tomatoes: " "They're happy vegetables aren't they Papa" asked Tess, chomping great chunks out of hers. "Cheerful and excited. Like lemons are pouty and peaches are flirts".
I thought this book was absolutely wonderful, and the story stayed with me right into my holiday. I'd really recommend getting your hands on this when it comes out, and I would not be at all surprised to see it on the Orange longlist next year.
The book tells the story of 9 year old Tess Moore, who lives in a small town in Alabama during the 1930s depression. It starts with her hearing the splash of a baby falling into a well, and follows her as she tries to find out who would do such a thing. The story is told from the persepective of both Tess and the rest of her family members, father, mother, sister and brother, and builds up a picture of their life, the circumstances of the mining community within which they live, and her parents lives before they settled down. An impressive number of issues are covered by the story - having children and responsibility, growing up, poverty and working in the mines, and I found it an absorbing read where I learnt a lot about the period as well as being gripped by the story.
The writing itself is also extremely powerful, such as this passage where Albert the father reflects on his role as a miner: "Half my life was spent taking things out of the ground, the other half laying them in. Trying to dig my way into the dirt from up here, then praying I could get to the surface from down here"
I also loved this extract where Tess is describing tomatoes: " "They're happy vegetables aren't they Papa" asked Tess, chomping great chunks out of hers. "Cheerful and excited. Like lemons are pouty and peaches are flirts".
I thought this book was absolutely wonderful, and the story stayed with me right into my holiday. I'd really recommend getting your hands on this when it comes out, and I would not be at all surprised to see it on the Orange longlist next year.
Persephone Reading Week: Final prize award
I do want to say thank you all once again for participating in Persephone week, I'm only sad that I missed the end of it by going on holiday! I was especially excited however to return to an invitation to the bookshop for cake; Nicola has been hugely supportive of our challenge, and Claire and I have done a comprehensive round up of posts and finally, after much deliberation chosen our favourite.
We loved Booksnob's Latecomer post, because of the way it summed up so much of what we feel about Persephone books and mirrored the love of the books which had led us to hold the week.
Rachel, if you email your details to Claire, she will get the book out to you!
We would also like to give a special mention to the following posts, which you must have a look at if you missed them earlier.
Fleurfisher's What is a Persephone book and her very generous giveaway.
Stuck in a book's post featuring baking from one of the books
Book Psmith's bookmarks
and Darlene's reading corner.
Review wise we loved:
Nymeth's review of Saplings
Claire's Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary
Swati's Round about a pound a week
and Tracey on The wise virgins
I could mention so many more posts, but I have lots of washing to get on with! Can't wait for another Persephone reading week :)
We loved Booksnob's Latecomer post, because of the way it summed up so much of what we feel about Persephone books and mirrored the love of the books which had led us to hold the week.
Rachel, if you email your details to Claire, she will get the book out to you!
We would also like to give a special mention to the following posts, which you must have a look at if you missed them earlier.
Fleurfisher's What is a Persephone book and her very generous giveaway.
Stuck in a book's post featuring baking from one of the books
Book Psmith's bookmarks
and Darlene's reading corner.
Review wise we loved:
Nymeth's review of Saplings
Claire's Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary
Swati's Round about a pound a week
and Tracey on The wise virgins
I could mention so many more posts, but I have lots of washing to get on with! Can't wait for another Persephone reading week :)
Sunday, 6 September 2009
I'm back!
Back from Cornwall and back to blogging (ish) - I did pop in a couple of times and loved seeing the rest of the posts from Persephone week. Claire and I have been in consultation about our favourite posts and I'll be announcing the winner sometime tomorrow. Thank you all again for your enthusiasm and participation.
Just before I left, I thought that perhaps I should have run some competitions in my absence where you could place bets on a) how many books I read while I was away, b) how many books I bought while I was away and c) how many books arrived at my house while I was away. The answers are 18.5 (I've got a half read book to finish tonight), 0 (unless you count the map I bought of the Bude area so we could do a walk at Boscastle without getting lost), and 2 (1 expected, and 1 a surprise from Canongate).
Of the books I took with me (here they are piled up in the holiday home, next to my boyfriend's reading pile)...
...I read....
I hope to write about some of these in due course...
I also read a wonderful book called The well and the mine, which Virago sent me to review the night before I left, and I will DEFINITELY be writing about that this week.
The b files will continue to be a little sporadic - I'm off to a Rare Books conference in Cambridge Weds-Fri and then off to the Lake District for my Great North Swim which I'm quite nervous about as I haven't had a chance to have a proper swim all week, although I have been battling with my wetsuit and acquiring a warming layer of fat by consuming plenty of clotted cream. But I shall post when I can and look forward to doing some more baking soon!
Just before I left, I thought that perhaps I should have run some competitions in my absence where you could place bets on a) how many books I read while I was away, b) how many books I bought while I was away and c) how many books arrived at my house while I was away. The answers are 18.5 (I've got a half read book to finish tonight), 0 (unless you count the map I bought of the Bude area so we could do a walk at Boscastle without getting lost), and 2 (1 expected, and 1 a surprise from Canongate).
Of the books I took with me (here they are piled up in the holiday home, next to my boyfriend's reading pile)...
...I read....
- Fortnight in September (Sheriff) - last Persephone week read.
- Head girl's difficulties (Brent-Dyer)
- Zennor in Darkness (Dunmore)
- Fixing Kate (Murphy)
- Excellent women (Pym)
- Maiden's trip (Smith)
- Well tempered clavier (Coles)
- The tent, the bucket and me (Kennedy)
- Surf Nation (Wade) - from my boyfriend's pile
- A chiltern adventure (Allen)
- A cast of smiles (Brookfield)
- The great lover (Dawson)
- Flight of the maidens (Gardam)
- The sea lady (Drabble)
- Tales from an island (Atkins)
- Guppies for tea (Cobbold)
- School on cloud ridge (Allen)
- Guernsey literary and potato peel society (Shaffer)
- Summer's Day
I hope to write about some of these in due course...
I also read a wonderful book called The well and the mine, which Virago sent me to review the night before I left, and I will DEFINITELY be writing about that this week.
The b files will continue to be a little sporadic - I'm off to a Rare Books conference in Cambridge Weds-Fri and then off to the Lake District for my Great North Swim which I'm quite nervous about as I haven't had a chance to have a proper swim all week, although I have been battling with my wetsuit and acquiring a warming layer of fat by consuming plenty of clotted cream. But I shall post when I can and look forward to doing some more baking soon!
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