WWW Wednesday 2/10/19

IMG_1384-0WWW Wednesday is currently hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.  Each week there are three questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

This seems to be working well for me.  Even if I’ve not been able to post anything else, having one weekly post to produce has been manageable.

A month of disappointing September weather has departed, making way for some disappointing October weather (so far) and  leaving me with a streaming and debilitating cold.  Not what I would choose as an ideal start to autumn!  But there are always books.

What are you currently reading? As the new month began it seemed prudent to begin some reading for the 1930 club.  There are so many great choices from 1930; I blame the head cold for making it impossible to decide what to read.  I finally decided on The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West and then felt so rotten that it seemed beyond my abilites to begin, so I turned to E M Delafield’s delightful Diary of a Provincial Lady for comfort – also published in 1930.  And now I’m reading both of them!  The Diary is the perfect tonic while I’m feeling so below par and seems surprisingly current considering it was written almost 90 years ago.  Many of the Provincial Lady’s witty observations still hold good and I’m loving the references to the best sellers of the day.  The Edwardians may have been written in 1930 but opens in 1905 and is loosely based on Vita’s experiences of life at Knowle, her family’s ancestral home, and the changes in society over the early decades of the last century.  Sadly, this book hasn’t yet been mentioned by the Provincial Lady; it will be very peculiar if it is!  Both these books were highly popular in their own right on publication and are probably the best known works by Delafield and Sackville-West.  I’m enjoying them both though it’s still early days.

What did you recently finish reading? I recently finished Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.  This is the first in a quartet of children’s fantasy classics known as The Dark is Rising.  I knew it was based in Cornwall but was particularly pleased to find that it is set in my corner of the Duchy, a little distance along the coast in Mevagissey, renamed Trewissick in the book.  The story wasn’t quite what I expected: more of a children’s mystery-adventure story than a fantasy.  But it has set the scene for what is to come and I immediately picked up the second in the series from which the full quartet gets its name.  A glance at the contents page and confirmation from Helen at She Reads Novels has meant I’ve put it down again because The Dark is Rising takes place at Christmas, so I shall save it until December.  Plenty more to read in the meantime!

What do you think you’ll read next? Although I haven’t officially signed up for RIP XIV, I’m reading various suitably spooky, gothic and crime books which will come under its brief and no doubt I’ll be reading more in that vein as the month progresses.  I also have the first in another series of classic children’s fantasy novels – Cart and Cwidder by Diana Wynne Jones which is the collective read for Witch Week beginning on October 31st and can be found here co-hosted by Chris at Calmgrove and Lizzie Ross at Lizzie Ross Writer.  Another that I shall pick up soon will be R L Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde which is my spin book for the Classics Club.  Another of those occasions when the story is so well-known that I feel I must have read the book itself despite knowing that I haven’t.  I’m looking forward to finally reading the original – a book which is as deeply ingrained in the psyche as Dicken’s Christmas Carol – which will also be on the menu for December.

48 thoughts on “WWW Wednesday 2/10/19”

  2. I loved The Provincial Lady and there are a few other books in that series that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. I hope you feel better soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Haha, I feel the same way regarding Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I am (almost) certain I read it as a child, but can’t rule out completely, that it just feels familiar. Doing WWW is a great way to get some structure on the posting and I find it easier to find the time and energy to do WWW compared to a review.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. So do I. The only problem with WWW is you actually have to read books!! 😲😉. I can’t do this post every week, then it would be the same books circulating over and over again…

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. Ha ha, yes, I can see the problem! I am trying (though not this week) to include just one book in each answer although I have many books on the go at once. The theory being that I won’t run out of books that way! I think you’ve solved it by using the top 10 meme which is an excellent idea. I was very tempted to join in with that this week but managed to resist! (And now I’ve realised that it’s 6 degrees tomorrow! 😱 😂)

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. I know! I am going to miss out on 6 degrees, since I already did Top Ten Tuesday this week. But now I am starting to see all the 6 degrees posts in the wordpress reader, and it feels kind of strange not to participate. I will be back next month!

            Liked by 1 person

  6. Your reading choices sound like the perfect tonic for a horrid cold – I hope you start to feel much better very soon. And I am intrigued by ‘RIP XIV’ – do tell more!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. That looks like a lot of fun. I have been meaning to read Frankenstein before looking at Jeanette Winterson’s recent retelling, so will see if I can fit it in this month. 😀

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        1. It’s a community event with no pressure! I read Frankenstein last year at this time but never managed a post about it. I’d still like to produce something as I know several people plan to read it and it’s good to share reading experiences. (Plus I’ll learn something from the more learned and erudite reviewers!) Although I’m a fan of Winterson, I’m not drawn to reading her retelling. If/when you do read it, I’ll be interested in your thoughts 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

          1. It will be interesting to see whether either of us manage to post about it lol! And yes I agree about the Winterson – I’m not optimistic for it but want at least to read the first few pages just to see….

            Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m reading Sackville-West right now -All Passion Spent and its so good that I know I will want to read more by her in the future. Will keep an eye open for your reaction to The Edwardians

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I loved All Passion Spent and have always intended to read more. The 1930 club has finally got me started again. So far, I’m not disappointed 🙂

      Like

      Reply

        1. There are so many challenges at the moment that it’s impossible to do them all anyway. You’ll be able to filter the reviews from those who do join in, and have your pick of the crop later! If the library obliges!

          Like

          Reply

  9. It’s decades since I read The Dark Is Rising Sequence, but if my memory serves me right, it gets weirder and more steeped in mythology as the series progresses. I think that’s probably why it’s known after the name of the second book rather than the first – I think the first was considered a bit weaker than the middle ones. Looking forward to hearing what you think of Jekyll and Hyde!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I think you’re right about Dark is Rising, FF. The first one was fine but clearly no more than a stage setting exercise. I think I read that it was written as a competition entry (which it may have won). Then there was a long gap before any more books appeared. But I may be wrong! As for J & H, I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve read pieces from people who liked it and from those who didn’t. It’s going to be interesting….

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. This is a great challenge which I shall definitely join one day soon. In fact, my three current past/present/future books are so very different from one another that perhaps I ought to get on with it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh, I do hope that you do, Margaret! It’s a great ‘conversation starter’ and a nice little record of what’s going on in one’s reading world. (I am slowly sorting out my Goodreads account but I’ve never settled there when it comes to writing thoughts on what I’m reading. For me it’s a useful record-keeping exercise and not much more.)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Ha ha, quite often I don’t get anything else accomplished, Kerry! Health issues are ongoing anyway and energy is often in short supply which is so frustrating when I see all that needs to be done. But that’s the way of things and it could be much worse so I’m not complaining. (Well, not much anyway 😉) And I’ll never run out of books!

      Like

      Reply

  15. Ooooo…wow. You make me want to go read or reread so many things. I’m having my oldest read Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde for part of her literature. It’s such a deep book that raises so many questions about the human condition. I’m reading Frankenstein and Bleak House this month, hopefully. I will need perseverance with Bleak House but I’m in an online club with it, so spur me on. Both have a dark, sober mood good for our rainy, cool autumn so far.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I read about your reading and feel the same, Amy 🙂 I read Frankenstein last autumn, having avoided it for years. I was glad that I finally read it. I’m looking forward to Jekyll & Hyde. It’s only recently that I learned how much more lies within it than just the outward gothic tale. And Bleak House is one I shall get to eventually. I’m reading all of Dickens in order of publication and next will be Dombey & Son. Bleak House isn’t too far away! I hope both you and your daughter enjoy your autumnal reads 🙂 ❤️️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  17. Pingback: Three Books. Three Good Reads – From Pyrenees to Pennines

  18. Such a fascinating mix. I have read Jekyll and Hyde, but only a year or so ago. As you say, it’s one of those books I half convinced myself I must have read, until I actually started it. I don’t know whether the word I would use is ‘enjoyed’, but it was fascinating, and I loved the ‘introduction notes’ that I read afterwards. I hope you’ll be posting about your feelings on it…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.