Hello, fellow readers!
There are never enough reading events, right? At the Librarything Virago Readers Group, August is a month dedicated to reading through our beloved green spines: yes, it’s time for
I have some Viragos on my 20 Books of Summer list, so I’ll try to tackle these:
- Marriage, by Susan Ferrier (1818)
- Vera, by Elizabeth von Arnim (1921)
- Wild Strawberries, by Angela Thirkell (1934) – Thirkell is the group’s monthly read!
- Poor Caroline, by Winifred Holtby (1931)
- A View of the Harbour, by Elizabeth Taylor (1947)
- Treasure Hunt, by Molly Keane (1952)
Tom over at Wuthering Expectations is hosting a Literary Criticism Readalong during the second half of this year. Here is his reading schedule:
- October: The Sense of an Ending, Frank Kermode
- December: Illuminations, Walter Benjamin
- February: Fables of Identity, Northrop Frye
- Thereafter: Mimesis, Erich Auerbach
and, finally, it’s time for another
This is a week long readathon hosted by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It begins 12:01am Monday, August 20th and runs through Sunday, August 26th in whatever time zone you are in. For all Bout of Books 23 information and updates, visit their blog.
My goal is simple: I will try to read as much of my August TBR books as possible! 🙂
That’s all, folks. What are you reading? Do you have any new projects?
Yours ever so truly,
J.
the [blank] garden 
Vera, Poor Caroline A View of the Harbour and Treasure Hunt are all great choices. Treasure Hunt not my favourite Molly Keane but she is a good writer. Wild Strawberries I found a little silly, but it could provide good escapism. Happy reading.
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Thank you, Ali! I am reading & loving the book by Taylor now. I’ve never read any Thirkell, I will try not to expect too much…
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Thanks for mentioning that literary criticism business. They are all books easy enough to pick through. How easy to finish, we’ll see. I’ll note that those months are when I plan to write, not read.
I’ve read the Susan Ferrier from you Virago list. Some funny, funny stuff in that book.
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Thank you, Tom! I am looking forward to tackling those books along with the group. I’ve heard good things about Ferrier, she will not disappoint 🙂
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Well, I’d like to do all of these but I’ll be lucky if I get a Virago done! I *have* managed to get into WIT month and am just about to emnbark on the letters of Catherine the Great!
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I have my eyes on that collection of letters, so I am looking forward to your review, Karen 🙂
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I’ve recently acquired a more recent VMC edition of Vera, and the Thirkell is on the tbr pile. Tom’s criticism list interests me, too – have read 2 of them, so hope to join in at some point
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Please, do join in! I think it will be a great discussion 🙂
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Oh, a literary criticism read-along! How wonderful! I’ve read Kermode’s Sense of an Ending and parts of the Benjamin, but not the others. I’m definitely going to check-in on the discussions.
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Great, Adam! It will be fun 🙂
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Wow! I admire how you’re able to keep up with all these reading challenges. You must read an incredible amount and yet your reviews always show real insight and depth of understanding of the work. I’m impressed! My own reading challenge is pretty simple: less, slower, fewer! Right now I’m reading The Story of the Stone, a 5 volume Chinese epic which it turns out isn’t quite as daunting as it first sounds (though I’m only on page 200 of volume 1, so I might change my mind further on). If I was still reading as extensively as I was, say, 2 years back there’s no way I’d be able to stick to such a huge work; I’d be too busy itching to get on to the next book.
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I enjoy so much taking part in the events of the reading community – I think that’s why I have such big plans… But you are right, Belinda: sometimes we need to step back and concentrate on longer or more complex books. I am now curious about the epic you are reading, hope you write a review about it. I read The Scholars in January, and since then I’ve been meaning to read other Chinese classic books…
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Nice set of books! I’m doing AV/AA (except I include Persephones, too) and 20BooksOfSummer too and combining them. I’ve read an Ellen Glasgow and an Angela Thirkell already. I fear you’re a more “serious” reader than me so Thirkell may annoy you, whereas I love her silliness! I couldn’t do the lit crit thing, my English degree and then doing my Iris Murdoch research put me off that! I’m just continuing with a Murdoch a month and 20Books until 03 Sept (I will need those 3 days!). Happy reading!
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Thank you for dropping by, Liz! I’ve read your review of Glasgow’s Barren Ground – the book is on my radar now! 🙂 I am so late with the Murdoch books, but I will try to catch up in September!
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That’s fine, I’m just happy when people are reading her and you’ve got the project page to help you find the relevant reviews to link yours to.
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