O is for Orange – good, eaten in reason, P for Plum Pudding, the crown of the season. From “Father Christmas’ ABC” illustrated by Alfred J. Johnson, published by F. Warne & Co., 1894 I love the bright, cheerful warmth of this illustration – I can almost smell the tangy scent of those oranges. Is…
Category: Books
Second Day of Advent
Come to the window, little folks, And read these tiny Story-books! From ‘Snow-Flakes and the Stories they Told the Children’, by Matilda Betham-Edwards, illustrated by Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz), published ca. 1862 This is my personal favourite, it’s by Phiz, Dickens’ illustrator. I love his pictures full of charming, quirky detail. The elves in…
First Day of Advent
Tower Treasures Advent Calendar
The Babes in the Wood
What a sorry little tale this is …
Lockdown Reading recommendations this spring
Here are some book recommendations extracted from our contributors’ responses to our lockdown reading questions – just click on the title to read what they said about the book: The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim Call for the Dead by John le Carré The Dutch House by Ann Patchett The House of Mirth…
I’ve been using novels as a good way of winding down at the end of the day
Have you read more or less during lockdown, or much the same as usual?
I discovered that I can enjoy reading more than one book at a time, which was something of a revelation.
Have you read more or less during lockdown, or much the same as usual?
More. When I was a working Librarian, I only found time to read at night but that has all changed. I now have more time to read during the day.
I tend to eke out reading the works of dead authors: reading the last one and realising there won’t be any more is a dreadful feeling.
Has lockdown affected your choice of reading material?
Not especially. My reading has always been fairly broad. As a part-time PhD student much of my reading relates to my research. I’ve never read fiction in a big way, though I do have some favourite authors (including Iris Murdoch). I tend to eke out reading the works of dead authors: reading the last one and realising there won’t be any more is a dreadful feeling.
I am finding it much easier to concentrate on extremely trivial things, such as Fantasy Premier League
At first more, because of all the extra time freed up by not commuting.