Saturday 7 May 2011

One Book, Two Book, Three Book, Four... and Five...

Simon over at Stuck in a Book has come up with a fun little game surrounding the status of five books that have come into your life recently.  My response is as follows:

1 - The book I'm currently reading:
Miss Buncle Married by D. E. Stevenson - I'm nearing the middle and certainly enjoying it so far.  It is a little different from the first book but Miss Buncle is exactly the same (except better dressed, a little more confident and happily married).  It's been fun to meet her and her husband again and it makes a snuggy read in the chillier Autumn nights over here... especially when I'm nursing a hot cup of tea and a biscuit.


2 - The last book I finished:
The Eliza Stories (a.k.a. Eliza) by Barry Pain - I came across a free e-book copy of this collection of short stories on Project Gutenberg and thought it might be a delightful read as it had glowing reviews spanning a number of decades.  It is a short book published in 1904 with stories narrated by Eliza's husband - a self-satisfied, pompous man whose observations about life and marriage can be quite funny, especially as he is usually unaware of his wife's sarcasm and wit.  I found it quite a pleasant read - humourous in places - although not laugh-out-loud funny as you can forsee some of the outcomes (which I guess are familiar to us now as modern comedy may have borrowed from it).  It was still enjoyable and a light, urbane read - and heartily recommended.


3 - The next book I want to read:
Aunts aren't Gentlemen by P. G. Wodehouse - Lyn at I Prefer Reading wrote an excellent post about this book recently and it got me hankering after some more Wodehouse.  I think this later Jeeves and Wooster novel will be perfect and it will be my first J&W read.  I'm really looking forward to it!


4 - The last book I bought:
Angel with Two Faces by Nicola Upson - I purchased this today!  It is the second instalment in the Josephine Tey murder mysteries (where she is the main character) and I hope that it will live up to the first.  I quite like the cover and the different shades of blue.


5 - The last book I was given:
Bones in High Places - Suzette A. Hill - My dear friend T. treated me to this book very recently and I can't wait to read it.  This series is a real gem of a find... it always puts a smile on my face.


Thank you Simon for coming up with such a great game!  I had fun putting my responses together and it makes you think about where your book tastes (or moods) are at the moment.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a fun little game! Simon I hope you are paying attention to what you have set going!

I hope you like the Wodehouse - I keep saying to myself that I must go back and read some more.

I have read all of Nicola Upson's books so far and they are good, which in turn led me to read some Josephine Tey!

Bones in High Places looks fun - sigh, another book I need to look out for!

Audrey said...

I want to read 1, 3 and 5 (especially since I'm an aunt), have read and think you'll like 4, and never head of 2, so your list made me happy!

Darlene said...

This is a great meme for the cover art alone!

FleurFisher said...

What a lovely set of books. And Darlene is quite right, the covers are lovely. Eliza especially!

StuckInABook said...

Great selection! (you see, I am paying attention, Jo! ;-)) Eliza sounds good fun, and I love Aunts Aren't Gentlemen (one of my favourite titles too). And I miss get hold of Miss Buncle Married...

Bellezza said...

Just saw this at Audrey's place, and now it's nice to read it on yours. I think memes give a wonderful indication of who, and where, we are in life. Not to mention offering great suggestions to fellow bibliophiles!

Claire (The Captive Reader) said...

What a delightful selection! Wodehouse is always a treat and the cover for Eliza is wonderful.

lyn said...

I love that Miss Buncle cover although I never imagined Barbara looking like that! I hope you enjoy the Wodehouse as much as I did.

Old English Rose said...

I have a hat very similar to Miss Buncle's on your edition of the book, though sadly it's become far too warm to wear it already. Eliza sounds fascinating, so onto the wishlist it goes.

Anonymous said...

I love this meme--so fun! I want to read both the Miss Buncle books.

A Bookish Space said...

I love the cover arts of these books. I haven't read any of these, but I am certainly intrigued now.

Anonymous said...

Good fun! :) I agree, lovely cover art in this one. I've been hankering over some Wodehouse, myself.

Rose said...

Great list Cristina - and its so wierd to think of you settling into autumn just as it starts to get really hot-and-sticky on the tube in London.

I've done my list - looks like we really are in a different place at the mo, though the Wodehouse and Angel with Two Faces both appeal...

http://rosesyear.blogspot.com/2011/05/one-book-two-book-three-book-four-and.html

Mae said...

I'm glad to hear Miss Buncle Married is a great read. I'm looking forward to it although I'm 'saving' it. It's the last one!

And I love Wodehouse. The only problem with him is that I never remember which one i've read.

Cristina (Rochester Reader) said...

Jos: I'm hoping to try Josephine Tey too and I think I have one of her novels on my shelves.

Audrey: Your 'happy' comment made me smile! Thank you!

Darlene: Yes, so many attractive covers on people's blogs :-)

Fleur: I much prefer this old Eliza cover to the modern one, especially as it's taken from one of the illustrations in the book.

Simon: Thanks, Simon! This is a wonderful idea of yours and so much fun to put together and to check out other people's.

Bellezza: Absolutely! It's great fun to see what other bloggers are reading and buying.

Claire: I quite like the Eliza too :-)

Lyn: Yes, not quite the Buncle we know but a cheerful, sophisticated cover none-the-less. I've started with the Wodehouse and enjoying it already :-) Some funny utterances by Bertie too!

Old English Rose: Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting! That must be an exquisite hat! I hope you like Eliza :-)

Lola: Hello and welcome! I hope you'll like both the Buncles. The first is definately a gem :-)

A Bookish Space: This meme has been great for increasing our wishlists :-)

pagesofjulia: Thank you! I'm currently enjoying my first J&W novel so a perfect pick and all thanks to reading another blogger's review (Lyn's). Reading blog posts can really get you in the mood for certain authors.

Rose: I've commented on your great selection. It is strange, isn't it? I talk to my friends in the UK and imagine the weather over there whilst it's cooling down over here. At least we've had a few sunny and mild nights this week.