The Great Book Sale Haul

photograph by me

"Book buying ban? What book buying ban?" Those were my infamous last words as I walked away from not just one but two book sales this month. So what tempted me away from my oh so determined book ban? Well, since you asked (and I conducted a poll on Twitter) here are my latest findings.

Chimneysmoke by Christopher Morley
This small book of poetry captured my interest because of its author. I read and adored Morley's Parnassus On Wheels and followed it up with its sequel The Haunted Bookshop.

Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Havilland
I almost bought the reprint edition of this book earlier this year and was delighted to find a vintage edition for only two dollars. The classic film lover in me is excited to read Ms. de Havilland's account of moving to France in the 1950s.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Yes, I already own a copy of this Dickens classic but this one is a beautiful vintage edition by Oxford University Press with original illustrations.

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
I have never seen the film they made out of this novel that Humphrey Bogart won his Best Actor Oscar for or read anything by Wouk, but I have an interest in seeing both the film and exploring Wouk's writings. His name keeps cropping up in WORLD magazine articles. Which would you recommend first, the book or film?

Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
I first heard of Charles Lamb when I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and then this particular title kept popping up here and there. And the cover on this one is particularly pleasing. So I bought it.

The Tiger of Mysore by G. A. Henty
Is there any homeschooler from the conservative Christian community of the 2000s who did not voraciously read Henty when they were young? If not, I am sincerely sorry. You missed out on a slew of wonderfully fun adventure stories, but there is still time to remedy it. And if any of you also greatly enjoyed reading Henty as a youth, let me direct you to this post which contains a particularly brilliant summary of every Henty story ever written.

Downton Abbey Rules For Household Staff
This little book I picked up goes over the different roles that the staff had in a Downton Abbey era household. As a history buff, historical fiction writer, and someone who enjoyed the show this was half for fun and half for research.

The Brandons by Angela Thirkell
Book seven(?) of the Angela Thirkell Barsetshire series. I first heard about this series from Elisabeth Grace Foley and have been keeping an eye out for the series ever since. I previously located a copy of Wild Strawberries (book 2). Now, I just need to find the first book High Rising.

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
I am excited to read my first of Shute's novels set in Australia. I loved Pied Piper and Pastoral, so I have my fingers crossed for this one as well.

Gather Ye Rosebuds and This Same Flower by Jeannette Covert Nolan
I know nothing about these two books except that, according to their dusk jackets, they take place in the American mid-west during the early 1900s. I found them in an out of the way corner of the book sale which turned out to be a gathering place for a bunch of Nolan's books.

Hobnailed Boots by Jeannette Covert Nolan
A Revolutionary war story. The title on this one sounds familiar and I half believe that maybe years ago we read it in a family read aloud, but I honestly do not know for sure. I may be mistaking it for another book with boots in the title.

O. Henry: The Story of William Sydney Porter by Jeannette Covert Nolan
A fictional biography of O. Henry. This type of book is how I am most familiar with Nolan's work. Also, I found old newspaper clippings inside and the inside of the cover is brilliant. (See top left corner of photograph.)

Miss Pinkerton by Mary Roberts Rinehart
I have never actually read anything by Rinehart but I have been intending to remedy that. The subtitle on this sold me— "Adventures of a Nurse Detective". A mystery + a nurse = a book I will most likely love. My childhood dream was to be like Florence Nightingale. Let's just say I had a romanticized notion of what the nursing profession was like. I probably would have horrified Miss Nightingale. Not to mention, blood and I do not have a good history. But I digress ...

Introducing Charles Dickens by May Lamberton Becker
A biography of Dickens that I read and enjoyed in school years ago, I was delighted to stumble across a copy to add to my own library.

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War In 1914 by Christopher Clark
I feel like the title is fairly self explanatory on this one. It is yet another nice thick non-fiction book on a time of history that fascinates me.

Have you been to any good book sales recently? Have you read any of these books? 

Top Thirteen Reads of 2015

 2015 has been an interesting year. This blog sprung into a full fledged life and for long time I actually consistently kept putting out posts every week. And I loved it and I'm determined to get back into the swing of things. I shall not desert this small piece of the blogosphere. In short, I got a job in late September and I've been crazy busy ever since. My reading has suffered, my blogging has suffered, and my writing has suffered. Actually, I've being slogging through a wretched case of writer's depression (think writer's block multiplied by ten but worse).

Anyhow, I'm straying from the intention of this post. 2015 has been quite the year for books. I read numerous books that I felt were mediocre and an equal amount that took my breath away with how well written and stunning they were. Here are my top thirteen reads of 2015 in no particular order.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  What can I say about this beautiful book? I loved it as dearly as I loved the film adaption. Sadly, I can only recommend it with the warning that it does contain a large amount of bad language that keeps me from letting my younger sister read it for now.

Pied Piper by Nevil Shute
  This is another one where I just sit here and scratch my head wondering how on earth I can possibly describe it? I first learned about it while going through a list of the author’s works on Wikipedia and after reading the synopsis, I knew I had to read it. Fortunately for you, I actually managed to pull myself together and write a coherent review here.

The Prince of Fishes by Suzannah Rowntree
  I had the opportunity to review this book on its release and fell in love with Miss Rowntree’s writing. Solid historical fiction with a fantasy/clockpunk twist, this one has me excited for the future of Christian fiction. And gave me a desire to acquaint myself more with the Byzantium empire. My review.

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
 Dickens, you brilliant, brilliant writer. I love your quirky characters, your complicated and intricate plots, and this your last completed novel.

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
  WWI, sinking ships, and promises to dying men catapult nurse Bess Crawford into a world of mystery involving the family of one of her deceased patients. A splendid piece of historical mystery, though not for those who might be disturbed at verbal references and descriptions of a violent death.

Greenmantle by John Buchan
  The second book in Buchan’s Richard Hannay series, I loved it even more than I enjoyed the first book The 39 Steps. There’s a flavor and sense of honor to these that is unusual in others of the genre. It makes them stand out.

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
  I read this lovely piece of historical fiction in a read along with this dear lass. Sutcliff knew how to transport her readers back in time. You could feel the crisp wind blowing across your face as you journeyed through Roman occupied Britain with her characters.

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
  The most tightly written mystery I’ve ever read. The list of suspects is only four and all of them were playing cards together when the murder occurred. Which one of them committed the crime? And how did the innocent three not see it happen? Highly recommended. My favorite of Christie’s Poirot novels.

Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse
  Wodehousian comedy as only he could write. Psmith is mistaken for a Canadian poet and taken to Blandings Castle where chaos ensues with imposters, burglars, and ever efficient secretaries.

Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories by Elisabeth Grace Foley
  It is no secret that I devour everything that Elisabeth writes. I’ve followed her blog for ages and have read everything she’s published. Released in March, I bought it and read as soon as it was released. I wrote a review here.

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
  I had heard much praise for this book and bought it when I placed my great Amazon order when Wanderlust Creek released. This brilliant piece of creative advice is a must read. I highly recommend it to you all.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
  On a fateful March day I borrowed The Fellowship of the Ring from a friend on impulse. And am I glad I did. Tolkien's epic style of storytelling in this battle of good vs. evil, his meticulous world building, and the craftsmanship with which he wrote this trilogy won me over.

Flight From the Reich: Refugee Jews, 1933 - 1946 by Deborah Dwork and Robert Jan Van Pelt

  The Jewish refugees of WWII and formation of the modern state of Israel has become an interest of mine ever since I read Bodie and Brock Thoene's Zion Covenant series in 2014. This book is a fantastic starting point for anyone even slightly interested in the topic.

 What are some of your favorite reads from 2015?

The End of Summer

photograph by me

 The leaves are tinged crimson and gold. The evenings are becoming crisp and autumnal. Everywhere the wind is whispering of apple cider, scarves, cinnamon & nutmeg, and football. This is the first week of autumn. I’m a bit reluctant to say goodbye to summer. But, hey— God created four seasons for a reason and Vivaldi didn’t do so shabby as a result.

 Before I admit how many books I managed to read this summer, I’d like to quickly explain why I fell off the face of blogosphere last week. Last Monday (the 14th) after I finished working, I came down with a bug and spent the next couple days in unpleasant misery until I settled into a cold. I still have the cold but I am definitely much more clear in my thoughts.

 Now, my fellow bibliophiles, to business.

 I started out my summer of with a list of thirty-one books/series I wanted to read. Needless to say, I didn’t stick to that list. One look at my Goodreads shelves would prove that. I ended up reading twenty-five books. Roughly, about eleven of them were actually on my list when I put it together in May.

 Instead of listing off the titles of all the books I read, I would like to focus in and mention several of the ones that really jumped out at me.

 Pied Piper by Nevil Shute. I love this book. Dearly. The characters, the setting, and the story are incredible. I wrote a review here.

 Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. Oh, Dickens how I love you! I snagged an audiobook of this off Audible for my free trial and it was a masterpiece. Narrated by David Timson, this story came alive and I quickly found myself deeply invested in the characters and the story. It was a fantastic reminder as to why I love Dickens so much and I highly recommend it. By the way, his commentary on London society is brilliant.

 Cards On the Table by Agatha Christie. My favorite Hercule Poirot mystery to date, this one is very much worth reading. I would elaborate more but I'm afraid of giving out spoilers. I should hate to spoil it for you.

 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. I read this in August during a read along with Annie Hawthorne of Curious Wren. An excellent piece of historical fiction, Sutcliff's rich writing and historical detail in this is matchless. Britain during the Roman Empire truly comes alive under her pen.

 The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. I set forth on a great hunt to find a copy of this book after Annie lauded its praises on Goodreads. It was hilarious, my dear fellow bibliophiles. Never has a cow creamer had so many intrigues and attempted robberies surrounding it.

 The Prince of Fishes by Suzannah Rowntree. I had the grand opportunity of reading this and writing a review of it for its release. People, buy it. It is gold. You can read my review here.

 Some Christmas Camouflage by Elisabeth Grace Foley. I picked up this gem while on a Kindle book shopping spree. It was utterly delightful and even topped O.Henry's famous Gift of the Magi in my personal rankings. And it's only 99 cents! You should definitely pick up a copy of this to read during the Christmas season.

What were your favorite reads of the summer?

Book Review: "Pied Piper"

 I stumbled upon Pied Piper while going through a list of Nevil Shute’s works. The synopsis of the book piqued my interest and I almost bought it soon after while making an Amazon purchase (I opted out to buy Steal Like An Artist instead). Several weeks back, I received Pied Piper as a birthday gift from my parents and started reading it a few days later.

 In the most simple of terms, I loved it. The idea of an old man trying to return to England as the Nazis invade France and taking refugee children with him appeals to my imagination and Nevil Shute did not disappointment. Pied Piper was everything I wanted it to be and then some.

 As with the majority of my favorite books it was the characters that captured my heart most. John Sidney Howard might be an unlikely hero at the ripe old age of seventy but he is a compelling one. Feeling useless in England during the stalemate of the winter of 1939, he journeys to Southeast France in the spring of 1940 determined to fish and enjoy himself, unaware of the Nazi invasion of France about overtake him. When his perilous position finally does rouse him into returning to England, he is entrusted to take two English children to their aunt in England as well. Their journey is difficult from the outset but Mr. Howard is completely unprepared for just how arduous and difficult it becomes. As they straggle towards the coast, he finds himself taking more children under his wing even though he hardly knows what he will do with them.

 Fans of historical fiction and WWII history buffs will find Pied Piper a treat, though be on the look out for occasional smatterings of language throughout. The bulk of foul language comes from the mouths of two RAF men Howard and the children travel with briefly.