Friday 27 August 2010
Stuck-in-a-Book's Weekend Miscellany
Hello there, hope you're all set to enjoy a Bank Holiday Weekend if you're in Britain - and hasn't the weather really made an effort? Ahem. Great answers on yesterday's post, keep 'em coming. And so many reviews and things to come next week - so many great books waiting for me to squeak about them! And Tara Books - I absolutely must talk about them this week. Watch this space...
1.) The blog post - is my very favouritest brother's. He's been reading Orlando by Virginia Woolf (as part of a deal - I have to read one of the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan. Each one in the series is the size of a hill.) We both set off enthusiastically in March. I read 550 pages (HOW can that not be the whole of a book?) but have 200+ left - Col is staggering towards the end of Orlando, and I thought I'd share his review of it - which is here (entry for August 25th). I wholeheartedly disagree with it - but it serves as nice proof that twins do not have the same tastes. Oh, and I should say that Colin's blog is nearly seven years old, so twice as old as mine...
2.) The book - I like Gallic Books - because they're so friendly, because they link to Big Green Bookshop on their website, and (of course) because of their range of books. So I was pleased to see further innovation on their part - their book The Baker Street Phantom by Fabrice Bourland (translated by Morag Young) is being offered as a complimentary copy to anyone who books into the Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes Hotel, on Baker Street in London, during September. The novel is set in 1930s London, and I love the ingenuity of the whole thing.
3.) The link - is staying with Gallic Press, and throwing another Stuck-in-a-Book favourite into the mix - Peirene Press. I do so love it when publishers cooperate with each other, and realise that the world should be a friendly, book-fuelled place... and Gallic Press have got on board with that idea, as exemplified by their series of posts called 'Publisher Spotlight'. This one interviews Meike, the doyenne of Peirene Press.
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Thank you so much for the many links. Intend going into them all - glad that twins can disagree!!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting miscellany! I also think highly of Peirene and have just reviewed Portrait of The Mother as a Young Woman. I've just borrowed Howards End is on the Landing from the library
ReplyDeleteTwo of my favourite publishers! I read a lot of fantasy but haven't finished any by Robert Jordan. I think I tried to read the first in the Wheel of Time series many years ago but don't remember finishing it... I'll wait for your review!
ReplyDeleteI read Colin's review of Orlando - & saw there would be a great difference with you over that. While there, I scrolled back, skimming other entries and found a very interesting one in which he commented that in 2004 you made top grades in _his_ subject while he got a B. :-)
ReplyDeleteI would've left a comment on Colin's blog, but didn't figure out how. No offense, Simon, but Colin's Orlando post had me lol! I haven't had a chance to try Virginia Woolf yet, but he definitely has me gun shy about Orlando. I can't stand any of Pink Floyd's music, so that comment also made me chuckle. Thanks for sharing his "differing" opinion with us.
ReplyDeleteMy son, who was a 'student of literature' had to read Orlando for one of his courses and absolutely LOATHED it. He has no intention of ever reading Virginia Woolf ever again! I'm going to show him your brother's blog entry!
ReplyDeleteBTW, it's not a bank holiday in Scotland! (Just thought I'd mention that... :o) )
did enjoy your brothers take on Orlando, which has always been one of my favourite books, and probably Woolfe's easiest book - are you really going to make him read another one? I think you should!
ReplyDeleteMystica - you're welcome!
ReplyDeleteTom C. - hope you enjoy HEiotL as much as I did.
Sakura - you might be waiting a while! I will finish it one day, but it never exactly appeals...
Nancy - haha, yes true. Dad is very keen that I point out that Col is better than me at maths... so there we go, I've done it. ;)
Susan - I think Colin's might be the more popular opinion if we did a straw poll! You should be able to comment by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking 'Post a Comment', I think.
Penny - poor Virginia! So misuderstood ;) I didn't realise Scotland didn't share our Bank Holidays - sorry for teasing inadvertently!
Hayley - I did say I'd let him off, as it could only go downhill for him! Having said that, he might prefer The Voyage Out.