feather_ghyll

Here are a couple of links:

From Silver Petticoat Review Why you should read Mary Stewart.

This feature delves into the appeal of Stewart’s romantic suspense books from the perspective of someone who'd just found them. I started reading them as a teenager and return to them as comfort reads, so I have no objectivity, but the points made here resonated.

Wales Online* started the year an article on charity shops and the bizarre and valuable objects that have come in to be sold, and why there are far fewer bargains to be found, although there’s still always the possibility of one. I’ve been going to charity shops since I had pocket money, chiefly for the books – I have to be in the mood to look for clothes, but I have certainly brought many an item over the years. My gravy boat came from a charity shop.

And a couple of days ago, Andy Murray announced he will soon be forced to retire from tennis early due to his hip. Much has been said on the subject of his wonderful career, and I've always supported him since seeing him as a scrawny, talented teenager matching and besting good players. While I've never been a fan of the swearing, like most Welsh and Scottish people, I understood where his 'supporting whoever's playing England' comes from. We saw him work and mature and succeed. While he wasn't quite able to push the big three consistently, and what an era to play in, his achievements: the three grand slams, the Davis Cup, many tournaments and two back-to back Olympic golds are great. Dunblane must be very proud.

As for the Australian Open, I feel the women's side is more open than the men's. Will this be the year Zverev makes his breakthrough in the slams, or is it still too early?

^It's not a great website pop-up wise.

I know it's been a while, perhaps this post will explain why. Having just finished her Touch Not the Cat, I was looking forward to reading Mary Stewart’s A Walk in Wolf Wood, but it took me about a week and a half to do so – this is odd for me, as I was reminded when I devoured the nest book that I read in two sittings, interrupted only by a night’s sleep. I didn’t have the same desire to read on with Wolf Wood. I’d force myself to read a chapter and put the book down, and although I was busy and tired from being busy since I begun the book, I had little compulsion to pick it up and read it until I was on a train and had finished my other reading material (newspaper, magazine). Now, I’ve read and reread (or would lapped up be more apt?) all of Stewart’s suspense novels for adults over the years – not the Arthurian novels though. Off the top of my head The Moon-Spinners and Nine Coaches Waiting would be my favourite. So, when I saw that she’d written a book for children, I was intrigued and bought it. I decided to read it having enjoyed rereading Touch Not the Cat (and there’s a whole other enjoyment in rereading it and not wondering who ‘Ashley’ is – I was puzzled and misdirected in the first read.

But having finished Wolf Wood, I won’t be going out of my way to purchase any more Stewarts for children.

( Read more... )

I also managed to tear the dust jacket a little carting this book about when I wasn’t reading it.

In better news, after a bout of rummaging at my parents', I now have got hold of all my Dorothy L. Sayers and Annes and Emilys (so I can reread them) and found Toby of Tibbs Cross, which I knew I had bought and read, but had slipped beneath a bookcase that was itself blocked by boxes. I didn't whoop with joy, but I was grinning for quite a while.