Like most readers I have a ton of books on my shelves or, these days, on Kindle or Kindle app on Android, that are unread. Here are ten I should read soon. Continue reading “Top Ten Tuesday: Unread Books on My Shelves I Want to Read Soon”
I had two reasons for picking this book: 1) I loved the author’s classic book Cold Comfort Farm and, 2) I have taken to seasonal reading and “The Snow-Woman” and the cover made me think it was a winter book. (Spoiler: it isn’t). Continue reading “Review: The Snow-Woman by Stella Gibbons”
Thank you to Liz at Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working From Home, for hosting this wonderful month-long reading event. I LOVE Dean Street Press! I haven’t had a DNF yet! Wonderful books from another era, all telling marvelous stories. None use the phrase “through the lens of” or say “narrative,” “helmed,” or “tasked,” either–a huge bonus these days! Continue reading “Dean Street December”
I never say no to a Dean Street Press Furrowed Middlebrow title! And, it was published in 1940 making it perfect for The 1940 Book Club hosted earlier this month by Simon at Stuck in a Book and Karen at Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings.
“‘My mother wants me to marry as soon as possible, so that she can play Bridge and try on clothes all day in comfort….and my father spends his evenings drinking, mostly.'”
Mary, aka “Button” is a single woman beset by that most annoying of conditions: Genteel poverty. They family manor home has been sold, but she still lives in the village surrounded by her family’s former grandeur. What will become known as The Second World War is heating up. Button has committees, rotas and rosters, gas masks, wool to knit, and potential evacuees wanting a wartime safe billet, you name it–she is involved in it.
Meanwhile, he friend Catha, home from hubby’s terribly important position in India is in need of help sorting suitably grand housing and the debut of her daughter at Court. Of course, it is dear Button to the rescue. Catha’s trials don’t end there. Her Bolsie son and her perfect other son are added to the mix, as is her dearly loved husband. Button is fond of them all and has played Auntie to them while Mummy and Papa were off serving the King in the Jewel of his Crown. Other friends and neighbors rely on this well connected”able spinster” to sort out their little lives as well.
Is “useful spinster” all people see in Button? Does anyone see “Mary?” Possibly…….
“You love Munich and he loves Moscow. I mean, they both have masses of spies and concentration camps and no religion. I never can see why they can’t kiss and be friends.”
There is one comment that will unsettle today’s readers–about a servant: “He’s an Austrian ….the wife–much younger–is distressed for her father, who is in a concentration camp.” Ouch. It is important to remember that the Illustrated London News was once duped by the Nazis and showed the UK a wonderful camp set up for Jewish people relocating to the new areas of the Reich [or similar lies].
Now, with that out of the way, let me tell you this book, that comment aside, (not minimizing it at all) was a delight from start to finish. I loved Button and Catha and her family. In fact, I loved them all.
Nothing to Report by Carola Oman (UK Publisher’s link)
Nothing to Report by Carola Oman (Amazon USA link)
After messing up #DeanStreetDecember, I had to redeem myself for #readindies! This one was on my Kindle and sounded fun, so…..Not only redeeming myself, but “rescuing” an impulse Kindle buy and actually reading it. Once again though, I am struggling with print reading. Never mind! #DeanStreetPress gets most of my indie money and they never disappoint. Continue reading “Review: Charlotte Fairlie by D.E. Stevenson”
Thanks to blogger Liz Dexter at Adventures in Reading for hosting this fun new event.
Here’s what she says about how it all works:
So, here’s how it will work. On 1 December I [Liz] will publish a start-off post where I [Liz] invite other readers to share links to the books they read during the month. Read your book(s) and comment on the post with a link to your blog post, Goodreads review or other place where you’ve written about your read. I [Liz] will also read and review books during the month and add my own links; please also feel free to chat about those books and visit other people’s links during the month and afterwards.
These are ALL on my Kindle begging to be read! If I had to make a guess, I ‘d say Mrs Tim Carries On will get my attention. Any that are on Audible will likely get moved to the top of the list–I don’t have my 1.25 hour (each way) commute but I do get to listen 1/2 hour each way and an hour at lunch most days. I’d go for anything on audio–two Audible credits burning a hole in my pocket! The stress of any new job means you need to unwind. Dean Street Press’s Furrowed Middlebrow books are perfect for unwinding.
My Reviews:
DSP Reviews from other years:
Are you participating in #DeanStreetDecember? Do you have a favorite Dean Street Press book or author? Leave me a comment or a link to your own post
Read all about the fun of Dean Street December here at Liz’s blog.
Now this is a fun reading challenge! I’ve been enjoying this sort of book for a few years now. I only discovered them due to blogging and reading blogs. It’s been so much fun. The books are old. No one is having Game of Thrones type sex or violence. They are ordinary life books. I love them!
First, thank you to Scott at Furrowed Middlebrow blog for putting this together. (Sorry I somehow missed it when I’ve been on your wonderful blog!) Now that I see your lists, I’ll grade myself on them all eventually.
Second, thank you to blogger Mrs K Investigates for bringing this challenge to my attention. And, for typing the list–I hope it is ok to copy/paste? Please?
Below is my “progress” to date. Click on the linked title of a book I’ve read to read my review. I’ll check in next December to see what I may have added. I think I will be throwing a few into Classic Club Spins this year.
Linked titles lead to my reviews, if available. If not, to Amazon from whom I make nothing.
1) MARGHANITA LASKI, The Village (1952)
2) SYLVIA TOWNSEND WARNER, Lolly Willowes (1926)
3) BARBARA PYM, Excellent Women (1952)
4) E. M. DELAFIELD, Diary of a Provincial Lady (1930)
5) F. M. MAYOR, The Rector’s Daughter (1924)
6) ELIZABETH TAYLOR, A Game of Hide and Seek (1951)
7) D. E. STEVENSON, Miss Buncle’s Book (1934)
8) ELIZABETH BOWEN, The Heat of the Day (1948)
9) E. H. YOUNG, Miss Mole (1930)
10) DODIE SMITH, I Capture the Castle (1948)
11) DOROTHY L. SAYERS, Gaudy Night (1935)
12) MARGARET KENNEDY, The Feast (1950)
13) PAMELA FRANKAU, A Wreath for the Enemy (1954)
14) RUMER GODDEN, China Court (1960)
15) MOLLIE PANTER-DOWNES, One Fine Day (1947)
16) JOSEPHINE TEY, Miss Pym Disposes (1946)
17) LETTICE COOPER, The New House (1936)
18) NANCY MITFORD, The Pursuit of Love (1945)
19) ELIZABETH VON ARNIM, The Enchanted April (1922) I’ve been reading this on & off for more than a year–review eventually
20) WINIFRED WATSON, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938)
21) ANNA BUCHAN (as O. Douglas), The Proper Place (1926)
22) AGATHA CHRISTIE, The Hollow (1946) I’m trying to read ALL of Agatha so….
23) EVADNE PRICE (as Helen Zenna Smith), Not So Quiet… (1930, aka Stepdaughters of War)
24) JAN STRUTHER, Mrs Miniver (1939)
25) ELIZABETH ELIOT, Alice (1950)
26) ENID BAGNOLD, The Squire (1938)
27) ANGELA THIRKELL, Cheerfulness Breaks In (1940)
28) MARY CHOLMONDELEY, Red Pottage (1899)
29) STELLA GIBBONS, Cold Comfort Farm (1932)
30) WINIFRED HOLTBY, South Riding (1936)
31) DOROTHY WHIPPLE, Someone at a Distance (1953)
32) ROSE MACAULAY, The Towers of Trebizond (1956)
33) IVY COMPTON-BURNETT, A House and Its Head (1935)
34) NOEL STREATFEILD, The Winter Is Past (1940)
35) ANTONIA WHITE, Frost in May (1933)
36) BARBARA COMYNS, Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead (1955)
37) CICELY HAMILTON, William—An Englishman (1919) I own this one.
38) VITA SACKVILLE-WEST, All Passion Spent (1931)
39) RUBY FERGUSON, Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary (1937)
40) MARGERY SHARP, The Nutmeg Tree (1937)
41) DIANA TUTTON, Guard Your Daughters (1953)
42) A. M. CHAMPNEYS, Miss Tiverton Goes Out (1925)
43) NGAIO MARSH, Surfeit of Lampreys (1940, aka Death of a Peer)
44) ROSAMOND LEHMANN, Invitation to the Waltz (1932)
45) EDITH NESBIT, The Lark (1922)
46) KATE O’BRIEN, The Land of Spices (1941)
47) SYBILLE BEDFORD, A Favourite of the Gods (1963)
48) NORAH LOFTS, The Town House (1959)
49) WINIFRED PECK, Bewildering Cares (1940)
50) MARGERY ALLINGHAM, The Tiger in the Smoke (1952)
51) MARY RENAULT, The Friendly Young Ladies (1943)
52) DAPHNE DU MAURIER, Rebecca (1938)
53) EDITH OLIVIER, The Love-Child (1927)
54) MURIEL SPARK, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961)
55) BRYHER, Beowulf (1956)
56) JANE & MARY FINDLATER, Crossriggs (1908)
57) REBECCA WEST, The Return of the Soldier (1918)
58) DORA SAINT (as Miss Read), Thrush Green (1959)
59) JOSEPHINE ELDER, The Encircled Heart (1951)
60) SHEILA KAYE-SMITH, Joanna Godden (1921)
61) F. TENNYSON JESSE, The Lacquer Lady (1929)
62) OLIVIA MANNING, The Great Fortune (1960)
63) SUSAN TWEEDSMUIR, Cousin Harriet (1957)
64) JEAN RHYS, Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)
65) RICHMAL CROMPTON, Family Roundabout (1948)
66) DAISY ASHFORD, The Young Visiters (1919)
67) ANN BRIDGE, Peking Picnic (1932)
68) ADA LEVERSON, Love’s Shadow (1908)
69) GEORGETTE HEYER, The Grand Sophy (1950)
70) RACHEL FERGUSON, Evenfield (1942)
71) STELLA BENSON, Living Alone (1919)
72) ROSE ALLATINI (as A. T. Fitzroy), Despised and Rejected (1918)
73) AMBER REEVES, A Lady and Her Husband (1914)
74) JANE DUNCAN, My Friend Muriel (1959)
75) MARY BELL, Summer’s Day (1951)
76) NAOMI MITCHISON, The Bull Calves (1947)
77) GLADYS MITCHELL, When Last I Died (1941)
78) SUSAN ERTZ, Madame Claire (1923)
79) JOANNA CANNAN, Princes in the Land (1938) I own this
80) G. B. STERN, The Matriarch (1924, aka Tents of Israel)
81) DOROTHY EVELYN SMITH, Miss Plum and Miss Penny (1959)
82) BETTY MILLER, On the Side of the Angels (1945)
83) MONICA DICKENS, Mariana (1940) I own this–possible for the 1940 Club in April
84) LEONORA CARRINGTON, The Hearing Trumpet (1974)
85) STORM JAMESON, Company Parade (1934)
86) ELIZABETH CADELL, The Lark Shall Sing (1955)
87) E. ARNOT ROBERTSON, Ordinary Families (1933)
88) HELEN ASHTON, Bricks and Mortar (1932)
89) ELIZABETH GOUDGE, The Bird in the Tree (1940)
90) RADCLYFFE HALL, The Well of Loneliness (1928)
91) ELIZABETH JENKINS, The Tortoise and the Hare (1954)
92) NORAH HOULT, There Were No Windows (1944)
93) MARY STEWART, Nine Coaches Waiting (1958)
94) MOLLY KEANE (as M. J. Farrell), Full House (1935)
95) MARY WEBB, Precious Bane (1924)
96) CLEMENCE DANE, Regiment of Women (1917)
97) VIOLET TREFUSIS, Hunt the Slipper (1937)
98) RUTH ADAM, I’m Not Complaining (1938)
99) CELIA BUCKMASTER, Village Story (1951)
100) ELINOR MORDAUNT, The Family (1915)
Are you working on this challenge? Leave me a comment or a link to your post.
I’m still going on with some seasonal reading. This one, with “Spring” in the title fit the bill nicely. Add to it that it is yet another Dean Street Press/Furrowed Middle Brow, title and you have my interested zeroed in.
Frances Field has led a life almost unimaginable today. Raised in the home of her aunt and uncle in London, she was taught exclusively at home by a governess and had almost no contact with anyone outside her household. She became the household drudge cum servant–not much of a life. Now in her mid-20s, Frances has never “lived.” When the family doctor mentions a holiday and the Blitz sends her aunt and uncle scurrying to the relative safety the country home of other relatives, Frances remembering a lovely picture, decides to visit Cairn in Scotland for a holiday. This is where an blurb writer would insert, “the rest, as they say, is history….”
For in Cairn an Army regiment has just arrived for training. The quiet hotel where Frances is staying is invaded by a group of Army wives who prefer to follow their husbands around the country rather than sit home waiting for the posting to be over. Among these are the wife of an officer and her brother who serves in the same regiment. Another wife, besotted with her husband and desiring to have him all to herself for once takes a house lacking in what those in the UK today call “mod cons” (a phrase not used in the US)—including a bathroom. Nonetheless, she is thrilled with the place which Frances has found for her.
Frances begins to live, to decide things for herself, to come into her own at last.
This may be my very favorite Dean Street Press/Furrowed Middle Brow book! I adored this story. Frances’ life takes turns unimaginable the year before the War and all are for the good. There is nothing saccharine or precious here, just believable everyday life. That is what makes these books such a joy to read. I would love to learn there is a sequel, but I doubt there is.
Spring Magic by D.E. Stevenson
By now you probably don’t want to hear the phrases “Dean Street Press” or :Furrowed Middlebrow” again, but I must use them! These books are soothing, calm, and nice. Nothing really bad happens. In fact, nothing much really happens–they are stories of very normal, everyday life. I love that. In addition, the title suggested it would be perfect for seasonal reading.
“Oh I don’t believe in fiddle-faddilling.”
“If he’d been brought up by mad Methodists like my grandfather you’d expect him to gad about, instead of settling down in a library.”
“Relatives were necessary, without them he wouldn’t be head of a family, but they were better kept at a distance.”
“I used to believe in rescuing people … but I’ve come to the conclusions it’s generally a mistake. Too often one only unsettles them; and they suffer.”
The once fine manor house, Glaine, is now a bit run down as are many such in post WWII Britain. “Old M,” the untitled Lord of the Manor, is in need of secretary. His staff is down to Hat and Mrs. Hat–“foreigners”! The last secretary didn’t make the cut.
Meanwhile the residents of Combe Cottage on his estate have unexpectedly provided a solution. Young Maud has come to stay with her (parents’ age) Cousin Alice and her cousin’s “companion,” Miss Conway, aka “Con.” Maud is escaping her step-mother and trying country life. Now it’s discovered that she fits the bill for Old M’s new secretary perfectly. She’s also just the thing to catch the eye of his nephew, Charles, and son, Oliver!
Not far away is a young woman known as “Ensie” who is martyr to her widowed father’s beck-and-call, and who makes a home for him in “Pixie Cottage.” Her father being a clergyman, she is just the thing to catch the eye of young curate, Don.
But why is Old M so cheap? Why is he so grumbly about his relatives? What’s in store for the former nursery wing at Glaine? Maud is privy to much of Old M’s business, but does she read him right?
This was a wonderful book into which to escape! The troubles include how to have something but eggs for once and how to escape Cousin Alice’s “companion” who is terribly jealous of the young, vibrant Maud.
Today we might want to read more into Cousin Alice and Con’s relationship–it would certainly explain her jealousy, wouldn’t it? But don’t jump to conclusions. Nice women rarely lived alone even in the 1950s–especially in small towns anywhere in the world. And there’s a tiny secret in the story relating to Con. Plus, why not think the best of two people who call the same dog by two totally different names!
Once again, Dean Street’s Furrowed Middlebrow has republished a delightful little book.
Author Elizabeth Fair
You can read all about author Elizabeth Fair’s books HERE.
I’m sure by now even its fans are tired of me going on and on about how great Dean Street Press’ Furrowed Middlebrow series is, but honestly? It’s that good. That is where I discovered the following authors: (And, no they do not pay me anything!)
My reviews are linked at the end of the post.
My lazy attention span and my need for light entertainment to take my mind off unemployment led me to some fun new women’s fiction writers
And, a few others cropped up this year as well.
Dear Hugo by Molly Clavering
A Chelsea Concerto by Frances Faviell
Miss Plum and Miss Penny by Dorothy Evelyn Smith
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
Flora’s Traveling Christmas Shop by Rebecca Raisin
The Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett
We’ll Have a Wonderful Cornish Christmas by C.P. Ward
A Mackenzie Yuletide by Jennifer Ashley
The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica Fellowes
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
Check out the rules at That Artsy Reader Girl and join in next week!
Hopewell's Public Library of Life 