It was frosty this morning: a crisp, sharp frost. The water in the bird bath was a solid bowl of ice. This morning’s walk up the hill was invigorating, with smoky breath trailing in my wake.
Now the day is closing. The blackbird offers his warning cry; the sky is grey: we are unlikely to see the moon tonight.
But B will be back from his own walk shortly, and soon after that the stove will be aglow. There is mincemeat slowly warming in the oven. The house feels like it’s hunkering down, corrie-ing doon as Katrina, from Pining for the West, would say.
It’s a little early in the day – and indeed, a little early in the season, but here I sit, nursing a glass of gently steaming mulled wine. Appropriate, I think, as the light fades and the mincemeat warms.
And I think other warming thoughts… Which means books.
~~~~~~~~~~
Setting myself a reading list for September/October worked well for me. As October closed, only one book remained unread, with only one other not yet finished.
So as November dawned, I piled together some more books for the next two months.
The pile was compiled at the start of the month, even if I’m only now getting around to posting it. I knew as I grouped the books together that I was missing one …
Ah yes, this one!
A book that Liz from Leaping Life and I have both been avoiding for a long while. But I’m deep into it now – particularly poignant at this season of remembrance.
Of course, December must be devoted to Christmas reading. I should probably have made two piles.
One pile or two – this list is ambitious in the run-up to Christmas. I’ll probably find myself unable to resist a re-read of A Christmas Carol and A Child’s Christmas in Wales, so I’ve added them for good measure.
And I’ve just indulged in a first edition of a short Christmas story by Daphne so that simply must be on the list.
I don’t expect to do as well with this list as I did with the last one. But I’ll have fun trying!
~~~~~~~~
Planned reading November/December 2016
November:
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1848) (Kindle) – Classics Club spin
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1947)
Rough Music by Patrick Gale (2000) – A Cornish Cornucopia
November/December:
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens (1840) (Daily Lit) – Classics Club
Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy M Montgomery (1921) (Kindle) – Classics Club
A Writer’s Diary by Virginia Woolf (1953) – Classics Club (To finish)
Timekeepers by Simon Garfield (2016)
December:
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (1843)
Winter Holiday by Arthur Ransome (1933) – Classics Club
Christmas Holiday by W Somerset Maugham (1939) – Classics Club
Happy Christmas by Daphne du Maurier (1942)
A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas (1952)
A Snow Garden and Other Stories by Rachel Joyce (2016)
Happy reading on these chilly autumnal evenings!
A Corner of Cornwall 
Blow reading! You are now the voice of my conscience, as my mincemeat remains unmade, and my Christmas cake and pudding too. Reading will be for the wee small hours, as usual.
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Ha ha, that made me laugh, Margaret! There is still no sign of a cake here – and I never trouble myself to make a pudding. But for a few more weeks at least, I’ll make sure there’s time for books!
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So glad you are getting on so well with Anne. I have only read a small amount so far but am so very pleased to be doing so – as you say, it is the perfect time of year to be reading it. Your two piles look absolutely delicious and I may well join you with some of these too! I very much enjoyed Patrick Gale’s novel A Place Called Winter and look forward to reading more of his work. 🙂
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Comparing Anne notes will be such a fillip to this reading experience, Liz. (I’m just over halfway now and find Anne is in my thoughts almost constantly.
Rough Music is my first Patrick Gale – chosen because my old book group are reading it this month. It’s encouraging to hear that you enjoyed A Place Called Winter; it’s one I’ve been thinking about for the new year. Rough Music is set around summer holidays in Cornwall. The location suits me nicely of course, but a summer setting jars in November!
🙂
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Lol! I know what you mean – it can feel much cosier to read wintry books this time of year. But still a joy to be reminded of summer sun 🙂
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Thanks for the mention. You are so organised, and those books should really help you get into the mood for Christmas, although I think you’re half-way there with the mincemeat and mulled wine!
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[J] You make very brave/risky declarations of intent! Still, no-one here is going to chastise you for falling short! I have quite a pile building up, and I keep buying more – mostly from the thrift shops. It’s lovely to learn what others want to read, actually read – their experience of reading. D and I do occasionally post about books, but perhaps we’ll do so more often.
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Jonathan, I don’t plan to force myself through the reading pile for the sake of saying I’ve done so; quality over quantity will win out. But I quite like having the planned titles to look forward to. Where I fall down is in penning and publishing the reviews. (Part of a commitment to a reading challenge which is here: https://acornerofcornwall.com/reading/the-classics-club-challenge/ ) I hope you both post more about your own reading: other people’s reading experiences are always interesting 🙂
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That’s quite an ambitious goal but the setting you describe–with the fire, the warmth, the wine–will inspire you! It all sounds lovely.
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Very ambitious indeed – but I’m glad to hear that quality wins out over quantity in the end. And you describe such a lovely domestic scene…
Winter Holiday is possibly one of my favourite Arthur Ransome books – clearly, I was always a child of ice and snow and skiing.
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I loved Arthur Ransome as a child, but I don’t believe I ever read this one so I’m very much looking forward to it. I too, am drawn to wintry climes – though not necessarily for the skiing 😉
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You must be far more determined than I am about what you’re going to read. If I made a list of what I plan to read I can guarantee that I wouldn’t read any of them!
BTW – one I came to your site my web advisor told me that it has blocked content that comes from potentially dangerous or suspicious sites!
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Oh gosh, Margaret – I hate messages like that. All seems fine at this end but I’m wondering why that message has come up for you. I’ll check my protection and virus checkers 🙂
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You’ve got some excellent choices. I’m impressed.
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