Monday, February 21, 2011

Persephone Decisions


I'm so excited about Persephone Reading Weekend which starts this Friday!  I have a lovely stack of dove-grey books I haven't read yet, plus a couple of Persephone Classics and a few books from the library. Altogether I have ten unread Persephones on my owned-and-unread shelf but I've narrowed the week's fiction choices down to six:

  • Family Roundabout by Richmal Crompton
  • Consequences by E. M. Delafield
  • Fidelity by Susan Glaspell
  • Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski
  • Saplings by Noel Streatfeild
  • Flush by Virginia Woolf
[I also have three Dorothy Whipples on my TBR shelf, but I'm saving those; I just finished Someone at a Distance and I have to ration the Whipples out!  Plus The Winds of Heaven by Monica Dickens but I'm saving that one too. . . I loved Mariana so I'm saving her other book for a comfort read. ]

I also have three possible nonfiction choices, from various libraries: 
  • A Woman's Place: 1910-1975 by Ruth Adam
  • The Carlyles at Home by Thea Hume
  • Julian Grenfell by Nicholas Moseley
 I'm hoping to read one nonfiction plus at least one fiction, maybe two.  I'll also be posting my review of Someone at a Distance . . . and I have two giveaways planned!  I'd love some feedback on my possible reads.  And what's everyone else reading?  I look forward to reading all the blogs and adding lots to my TBR list.

16 comments:

  1. I'm kind of scared of Consequences. It's been sitting on my shelf for months now but I've been putting off reading it because I'm sure it will depress me when I do. Sometimes that is exactly what I'm looking for in a book but not right now. That said, I do hope others end up reading it this weekend so that I can hear more about it! I'm really intrigued by Fidelity, mostly because I haven't read many reviews of it by other bloggers.

    Whatever you end up reading, enjoy!

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  2. Such great choices! I'm sure whatever you choose, you'll not be disappointed. I only have one Persephone so I don't have it as tough as you do - The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

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  3. Captive Reader -- I think I bought Consequences because it was by Delafield and I loved Diary of a Provincial Lady. And because I loved the endpapers!

    Anbolyn -- Making of a Marchioness is an interesting read. Not quite what I expected, but still very good. I still want to read The Shuttle -- hopefully someone will review it next weekend.

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  4. Oh what a great selection to choose from! I haven't read any of those but I would be drawn to 'Family Roundabout' as I love Just William and would like to experience her adult novels.
    I will be starting 'Cheerful Weather for the Wedding' today, followed by 'High Wages' during the week.
    Thank you for your generous giveaways! How exciting! I look forward to reading your reviews :-)

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  5. I would read A woman's place as it puts the whole of the Persephone sequence really into context, and not many people have reviewed it! And we're looking forward to your giveaways :)

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  6. Cristina -- I'm very tempted by Family Roundabout after the rave review by Thomas at My Porch -- I bought it just because of his posting. However, the Goodreads Persephone group is reading it in May so I may wait a bit. . . it's a tough choice! And I hope you can enter my drawing. There will be a bit of a challenge so check back later. . .

    Verity -- The Goodreads Persphone group is starting a A Woman's Place so I'm going to the library to pick it up tomorrow. I did peek at The Carlyles last night and it looks really interesting so I may read that one too. And I'm very excited about my giveaways -- one of them will have a little challenge and I've already started working on it.

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  7. I would love to see a review of Saplings. I read all the Streatfeild books my library had growing up and, having never heard of her adult books until recently, am really curious to hear what they're like.

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  8. ALL of the choices you have picked are marvellous! I have read and loved all of the fiction and I've read A Woman's Place out of the non fiction, and I thought it was excellent, and like Verity says, it puts everything nicely in context.

    A book I never see read enough is Fidelity. I read it in my pre blogging days but it stays with me still; Brook Evans is also excellent. Susan Glaspell's writing is breathtaking. I encourage you to give her a try!

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  9. Motheretc -- I really want to read Saplings, I only have two unread Persephone classics left. However, it's rather long so I don't know if I can finish it in time. If not this weekend, then soon.

    Bookssnob -- I just got A Woman's Place from the university library in town and I've already started reading it. It's really interesting. I want to finish Fidelity soon too . . . darn it, so many good Persephones left to read!

    Thomas -- I bought Family Roundabout because of your review. I think it may be the winner!

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  10. Lucky you for having so many choices! I unfortunately read all of my Dorothy Whipples at once, and so I have none left to read for the first time! I recently finished A Woman's Place and loved it.

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  11. Katherine -- I have been hoarding Persephones (and I got several new ones for Christmas that I've been saving). I am trying out to ration out all the Whipples so I don't finish them too quickly. And did you know Persephone is publishing another Whipple in the fall? It's called Greenbanks and I've heard great things about it.

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  12. I too hoard my Persephones.

    Of your pool of potential reads I have read Family Roundabout, Little Boy Lost and Flush and loved them all! I read Flush during the first Persephone Reading Week, however, and I would say that I wish I had read it at another time; Little Boy Lost was the highlight of that first week for me.

    Thank you for all your enthusiasm and generosity - looking forward to your participation!

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  13. I liked Little Boy lost, but that's the only one on your list that I"ve read. It was sweet. I wish I had more time to read so I could join in!

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  14. Paperback Reader -- why did you wish you had read Flush at another time? Was it Persephone overload?

    Rebecca -- I'm a little apprehensive about Little Boy Lost because I'm really softhearted and I'm afraid it might be really sad. But since you've said it was sweet I am a little more optimistic.

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  15. I think it was overload; that first week I read a book a day and Flush was overshadowed by the rest. I'm a huge Woolf fan.

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