So happy to get your note. Just finished Collinses' book & really liked it. He has a way of describing places that makes you see them easily . He leaves enough to the imagination with his characters to allow for filling in the blanks yourself. I really enjoy that. The whole read made me want to hear more and I was disappointed when the famiy left "Hay" to return to the US. I got onto the McSweeney's mail list.
I came upon your Black Magic Cake recipe & can't wait to try it-sounds scrumptious! Cheers! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 6:07 pm (EST) Apr 15, 2008

Thanks for the tip about Hay-on-Wye. I already googled it to check out the inns. Sounds wonderful, but the dollar is so weak against the pound, I'll wait for a while. Have always wanted to visit Wales, for no other reason than to hear the welshmen sing! Have you been there? There is mention of "I Capture, etc." in "Sixpence House". Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 8:24 pm (EST) Apr 14, 2008

My copy of "Sixpence House" arrived today & I am deep into it. To say I am mesmerized is an understatement. I've put so many flags on the pages already. The absolute best for me so far is his comparison of ideas to rivers. I can surely relate to that one. Oh, is such a treasure of a book, thank you , thank you, thank you! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 6:13 pm (EST) Apr 14, 2008

Oh my, I can identify with the recession thing. I'm trying to get back to NYC, but the rents are horrific. Re London, it's cheaper to go almost anywhere but there-the Int'l Herald Tribune said the average meal is $80! Am waiting for the pound to drop or the dollar to rise. I go to Paris at least every 2 yrs & before I leave, I always think I'll take the chunnel to London. I end up having such a good time in Paris, I never go! Guess I have to go directly to London. Cheers! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 4:15 pm (EST) Apr 8, 2008

Just read your review of "Sixpence House" & immediately ordered it! Thanks! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 7:30 pm (EST) Apr 7, 2008

Re the "Memoir of Pepys", there is a similar one on Amazon. It looks wonderful! Hope yours is real. So glad you're trying "I Capture the Castle", I don't think you'll be disapppointed. Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 7:11 pm (EST) Apr 7, 2008

After replying to you on the "lost generation" board, I figured I should read your page. I also love to cook, collect cookbooks & am an Agatha Christie fan as well as a fan of almost any British mystery writer. I tend not to keep those books & I did read all of Christie one summer. Dorothy Sayers is a favorite of mine. Since you are an anglophile, I wonder if you've read or seen "84 Charing Cross Road" by Helene Hanff? I think you'd enjoy it & many of her books. I've started a group for her & another member is trying to put up her library here. Also, what about Pepys? Cheers! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 8:14 am (EST) Apr 7, 2008

Hi mst... I've reciprocated the 'interesting library' add - always happy to meet another Christie / Carroll fan :) I agree with your review of Tey's Daughter of Time, by the way; her book got me into older, classic non-Christie crime fiction and out of my comfort zone!

trishtrash

Lähettänyt: trishtrash 12:03 pm (EST) Apr 6, 2008

Ack! I'm so embarrassed. The whole time I was typing Brian Moore, I was thinking Alan Moore. No, Brian Moore hasn't written any graphic novels, as far as I'm aware. Sorry about the confusion! I agree that Brian Moore is very underrated and not generally known, as far as I can tell. I have had trouble finding his books; I wonder if they are out of print? I first read "The Great Victorian Collection" when I was about 13, and it is still one of the most bizarre, wonderful things I can think of. He was very prolific, and I have only read about 5 of his books, so I'm always on the lookout for used paperbacks.

Howard Pyle is the same who was known for pirate illustrations (I see that's an interest of yours). A friend and colleague of N.C. Wyeth who did some famous illustrations for Treasure Island. H.P. wrote and illustrated several "fairy tale" or adventure books, including the one I recommended (really, it is just fabulous!), a version of "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood," and a version of the King Arthur/Knights of the Round Table story, and probably more that I'm not familiar with.

anyway, happy reading!
bookie

Lähettänyt: bookiemonster81 11:47 pm (EST) Mar 30, 2008

Hi, thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries list!

I'm also a Brian Moore fan (but I think there are quite a lot of us around here!). For some reason I've never really gotten into other graphic novels, but I have been reading him since I was probably 12 or 13 and just love everything he does.

You can check out my library to find more about what I read, but I see we share some favorite authors (Austen, Wodehouse, Rowling, Christie, and Grimm's fairy tales) and some interests (art and Anglophilia, or Anglomania, as my husband diagnoses it). I'll look forward to seeing what you add to your library!

If you like fairy tales, I'm sure you're familiar with Andrew Lang's fairy tale collections? Another favorite of mine is Howard Pyle's 'The Wonder Clock,' which has his wonderful turn-of-the-century illustrations as a bonus.

best,
bookie

Lähettänyt: bookiemonster81 8:48 pm (EST) Mar 29, 2008

Hi MST
Nice to get your note this evening and glad you're on board here with LT. I just looked through your listed books and saw a few others we share (wonder why Ethan Frome, for instance, isn't in our "books you share" list). I really enjoyed that novel. Like you, I'm also quite keen on English literature and love theatre as well. Just saw two Pinter plays in fact (the Lover and Ashes to Ashes - both very well staged here locally in Cambridge MA).
Interesting to see you 've read "The Loved One". What a great story! Did you ever see the movie? It has quite a cast of stars. Jonathan Winter and others...So funny.
I see from your profile that you like books about seafaring. Have you read "The Voyage of the Narwal" or "Ships Fever" both by Andrea Barrett? I really enjoy her writing and the way she interweaves so much about science into her stories.
Ok What else.....I too like cooking magazines. I used to prefer Gourmet to BonApp, but now I prefer the latter to the former. I enjoy cooking and have put a couple of my favorite cookbooks up on my library list. I tend to use the same ones over and over again (for instance the Bittman and Hazan).
I will look forward to reading more of your reviews and checking out your library as you add to it.
RMT

Lähettänyt: RoxanneMcT 8:23 pm (EST) Mar 27, 2008