Top Ten Tuesday: The 10 Books I Want to Buy Most Right Now

I’ve got a “buying freeze” on at the moment. In addition to “retiring” (no job, over 60), my landlord gave me notice that after 15 years she’s selling. I bought a year’s extension by offering market-value rent. She really WAS being ridiculously under-payed. I’m grateful, but it means I’m now scrambling trying to find yet another job. Just when I thought I could try writing full-time I’m interviewing to do customer service at home for some national company. And waiting to hear on a librarian job that I’m afraid to hope for. So! No buying! #justcallmeEeyore

Netgalley is a great source if you are broke–if you have an account somewhere to post a review you can get brand new books free for a fair review. Check them out if you are in the same “buying freeze.” My other source is the library. Be sure to check if your library is in a network of libraries or can do free/very cheap interlibrary loans. It expands your borrowing power. I live very rural, yet my library can get me much of what I read very easily. Ohio libraries are great!

 

My 10 Ten Want to Buy Books

These are not in any ranked order.

1

Those of you who read here often know that I collect books on the Royals, the Roosevelts, the Churchills, and aristocratic families in general. If you recall the Diana years of the British Royal family, you will recall the phrase “Acid Raine.” Yes, with an “e” for Raine Spencer. Princess Diana’s “evil” step-mother. Had she lived Diana would likely have ended up with step-children in some marriage or other, so it’s good she gave it up and came to like her before she died. Did you know Raine might possibly be the biological daughter not of her mother’s then husband, but of Prince Charles’ late great-uncle, Prince George, Duke of Kent. The man got around. Three Times a Countess: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Raine Countess of Spencer by Tina Goudin.

2

Ever since I read Narrowboat Summer (Three Women and A Boat) by Anne Youngson, I’ve been interested in the British canal boats. Recently I’ve been watching Great Canal Journeys on Amazon Prime. Husband and wife, Timothy West(aka King Edward VII) and Prunella Scales (Mrs Fawlty Towers), are the oldies traveling by narrowboat all over the UK and a few other countries. I learned of this book from the show. The show is so wonderful–slow, meandry, but wonderful.  Lots of wine. Americans may not know them outside those roles, but their son, Samuel West. is currently playing Sigfried Farnon in the new version of All Creatures Great and Small.

3

Another TV show I’ve watched online that sparked my interest was The Durrells of Cofu and the book that inspired it caught my interest, too. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell has set me on a Durrell kick.  Whatever Happened to Margot, is the daughter’s story–after the My Family book.  I recently reviewed another book related to the family–Looking for the Durrells by Melanie Hewitt.

4

I’m prone to going down rabbit trails–it’s what librarians do! When I read Dervla Murphy’s earlier book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India With A Bicycle and got looking at what else she’d written. It turns out she was through Malawi at the same time I lived there and this book is the result. I haven’t even checked to see if my library can get it for me yet–I think I’d like to have it. The Ukimwi Road: Kenya to Zimbabwe by Dervla Murphy

5

No explanation needed. I’m a librarian who once typed card catalog cards! Ha! I’m that old! The graduate library at my university had a card catalog that took up more than 1/4 of a library floor! I loved it, but also love the great searchability of today’s version of the card catalog. Much easier to find accurate research results, but you do miss out on a lot of fun rabbit trails. The Card Catalog

For More Books I Want to Own see these posts:

1. Coffee Table Books I Want to Own
2. Some Cookbooks I Want to Own 

That’s it for this week!

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