First things first. The winner of the drawing for Sharp Teeth. I tried to get Dickens to pick a name first:
He sniffed and nibbled but didn’t pull one out of the bowl. So I had to track down Waldo. I didn’t get a picture of him selecting a name because I was too busy trying to keep him from eating it! From his maw I removed the spit covered slip that said: Litlove! Email me your address and I will post the book to you.
I took the day off from work today and my Bookman and I with books to sell and a 15% off purchase Half Price Books coupon from their calendar in hand had some fun. I thought a photo of my share of the loot would be nice but Dickens decided he had to check them out first:
Then Waldo had to get into the act:
Then Dickens left and Waldo settled in for the long haul.
I kept nudging him suggesting that maybe he needed to go see what his brother was up to because I was certain it was something he wouldn’t want to miss. But Waldo wasn’t buying it. I had to resort to picking him up and placing him elsewhere. He was none too happy about it especially since I had already taken away is crinkly paper snack. It is not a large pile, but here they are sans cat obstacle:
- The Book of Promethea by Helene Cixous. The back says things like “destined to be a classic” and that Cixous “set for herself the task of bridging the immeasurable distance between love and language.” And the price sticker on the front said $1. Hard to say no to that.
- The Echo of Greece by Edith Hamilton. This book used to belong to Don who lived in St Paul. I know because he has his name and address written inside the book. I hope Don liked the book. It looks old and loved. It is a sequel of sorts to The Greek Way which I would also like. This one focuses on Athens and the Greeks of the fourth century, just a little after Herodotus’ time.
- Arthur and George by Julian Barnes. Since I enjoyed Flaubert’s Parrot I thought I’d give this one a go. There was lots of Barnes on the shelf to choose from but the pretty hardcover screamed the loudest.
- Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf. As much as I love Woolf I am sadly short on her fiction so I thought I’d start trying to make up for it.
- Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. The story looks very–Dickensian–and the daughter saves the day.
- East Lynne by Ellen Wood. An aristocratic Victorian Lady abandons her husband and children for her “wicked seducer.” It was apparently quite a sensation in its time and read by the likes of the Prince of Wales and Joseph Conrad.
- Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Why is this so familiar? Is one of you reading it or read it recently? This is another sensational Victorian novel. What fun!
There they are. There were a whole bunch of brand new Oxford Classics for about 75% off the cover price but I limited myself to the four. Don’t want to be too greedy. Or is it too late for that?
Congrats to Litlove for winning the book!
You know, reading your post makes me want to go visit HPB… I think I may just do that this weekend… Hope I find some goodies just like you guys did 🙂
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What fun. Nothing better than coming home with a big stack of books. The Victorian sensation sounds like fun. 🙂
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I am far away from home, but your reference to HPB makes me homesick….not that I cannot buy books here, but not for 1/2price! How can that be greedy, no matter how many you buy? By the way: you’ll love EAST LYNNE. It is very 19th-century lurid and delightful.
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Woo-hoo!! Thank you so much, Stefanie! Please give Waldo a special cuddle for me and tell him the cat nip is in the post. I’m just off to my mother-in-law’s for the weekend so expect to hear from me Monday – how exciting!
And I love The Book of Promethea. It has no plot and is even confused as to its characters, but it is quite unlike anything else, ever, and the writing is exquisite.
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What a nice book pile! I’ve been meaning to read Lady Audley’s Secret for forever, and East Lynne sounds great, as does the Dickens and the Woolf and the Barnes — and everything! Enjoy 🙂
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“A people’s literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as no historical reconstruction can.” ~ Edith Hamilton
I enjoyed Hamilton’s Greek Way. It’s a definitive work on capturing the heart of Greek civilization. The Echo of Greece sounds interesting.
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I wish I could have had the chance to take a class from Edith Hamilton. What I love is that she’s not only incredibly knowledgeable about her subject, but so confident about her conjecture. I thought The Greek Way was one of the absolute best books I’ve read on the subject.
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I’ll be interested to see what you think of Helene Cixous. If it’s the same lit-crit French woman that I’m thinking of, she’s startlingly bright and incredibly imaginative. And that was just her non-fiction!
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Iliana, hope you made it to HPB and found some goodies!
Daphne, there are few things as fun as new books 🙂
Pearl, I love HPB. It is a wonderful place. Glad to know East Lynne is as wonderful as it sounds.
Litlove, thank Waldo 😉 I figured you had read The Book Of Promethea. I’m glad to hear it is a good one.
Dorothy, now all I need is a lazy vacation so I can read them all!
Paul, I’m really going to have to keep my eye out for the Greek Way now!
JD, I’ve only ever read her Mythology, but I think it was you who mentioned the Greek Way not long ago in a comment here maybe? Anyway, that is why I even noticed the Echo of Greece at all. So thanks!
maggie, she is one and the same lit-crit French woman. Her fiction should be interesting.
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Score!
Hmmm. I read Lady Audley’s Secret……last summer I think. Not as awful as I’d been expecting. East Lynne sounds somewhat similar. (Possibly why I immediately tossed that onto my Acquire List.)
I had to laugh at the trials you went through picking out a winner for your contest. Cats just hate to cooperate.
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Quite a lovely bookpile! I look forward to your thoughts on Cixous, I’ve wanted to read her for awhile.
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Please do let us know when you’re reading “Jacob’s Room,” Stef. I am a huge Woolf fan, but must admit that this book was challenging even for me. She really experimented in ways no one else had done before. It’s not ideal bedtime reading, but you may find it rewarding for the mental exercises, all the same.
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Congrats Litlove on scoring Sharp Teeth! I read this last month and loved it. I hope Bookman enjoys it as well. =) Have fun with your own bookpile!
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Ooo, Lady Audley’s Secret is a weird one. Have fun with that story of slippery scandal!
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Carrie, Lady Audley not as awful as you were expecting. Hmm, not an inspiring plug for the book 😉 When I don’t want the cats to help they are so there, when I want them, they refuse. Typical.
Verbivore, thanks. I am expecting Cixous to be a challenge is her fiction is anything like her literary criticism!
Peg, thanks for the fyi on Jacob’s Room. I will have to be sure to be in the right frame of mind and not think I can just fluff through it.
JS, glad to know you liked Sharp Teeth. I plan to read it either after my husband does, or after I have given him a suitable amount of time to read it before I can without guilt, since I gave to him as a birthday gift, read it before he does.
Anna, weird, I like weird 🙂
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I loved your name selection method.
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