This is where I nod off to sleep each night – a corner of the little haven of my bedroom. (See the laptop at the side of my bed? That’s where I’m writing this blog post, right now)
But because this is a very old cottage – and because the top floor was originally just a hayloft space, the walls are only just over a metre high before the roof slopes in. So no bookcases in here (no wardrobes either – instead I have a walk-in wardrobe elsewhere) – and only a few books on my bedside table – the rest of my reading matter that I dip into before I settle down to sleep resides on the ‘landing’ at the top of the stairs. I have a little ‘reading nook’ there as well, the chair immediately surrounded by my collection of poetry books, where I can hunker down and ignore the world if I want to.
And here is the stack of books which had built up on my bed, which I have been reading through lockdown – all engrossing and several still only half-way through.
This is my (eclectic) taste in books; I’m not going to describe each one right now – instead, take a ‘book tour’ walk through any that catch your fancy at Amazon to read the descriptions – then come back and we can talk about them. (Do you have any of the same books on your book shelves?)
Journal Prompt
List in your journal (and here) the books that are on your bedside table, or in a favourite reading place right now – a snapshot of your interests on 16 August 2020. Take a picture - share it here - give us all a Magical Mystery tour to follow.
Write a review of one, two or more that you particularly enjoyed and would recommend.
Take a picture and/or write a description of where you love to sit and disappear (into a book!)
Do you think that you CAN have too many books? (I’ve changed my opinion on this – I’ll tell you what I now think tomorrow!)
If you would like to join the ‘Month in the Country 2020’ Facebook group to share and discuss your own responses to each day’s blog, just click here
I have been a happy reader for so many years. Currently I have been spending time listening to audio books. I loved the Maisie Dobbs stories by Jacqueline Winspear, the stories of a sleuth in London after WWI. In addition to the mysteries, I learned a great deal of history from the point of view of the regular people who gave their lives for their country.
Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams, one of my favorite environmental advocates, has released a compelling look at the erosion of the west and the destruction of the environment by the government for the past 20 years. It parallels the erosion of her family after the death of her mother, who succumbed to breast cancer, as a result of being exposed to the radiation from the atomic bomb tests in Southern Utah, a population deemed 'expendable' by the government. She is one of the most beautiful writers I have ever read. The love of all nature is so evocative.
Now I am ready to tackle Oprah's latest pick, "Caste" by Isabelle Wilkinson. Will report on it later.
Also I finished Mary Trump's book about her uncle, which casts a chilling feeling on anyone who cares about the US.
Posted by: Anne L Cloward | Monday, August 17, 2020 at 01:56
I am almost convinced I have too many books, since I have just finished sorting and boxing all of mine in preparation for a move. Even culling out the ones I could part with has not made much of a dent in the collection. II have 7 full sized book cases, with six shelves in each, and they are still bursting out of their spots.
Posted by: Anne L Cloward | Monday, August 17, 2020 at 01:58
I am a reader who loves having a stack of books to dip into.
Heres my current stack of four print books in my writing corner:
The Circle of Ceriowen, OctVia Randolph
The Fabulous Flying Mrs Milker, Carol Baxter
Fairvale Ladies Book Club, Sophie Green
Writing and Publishing Gripping Family histories, Carol Baxter
And my two ebooks on Kindle:
Breakthrough: Surviving Alzheimers, Peter Dredge
How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History, Annette Gendler
Posted by: Carole | Monday, August 17, 2020 at 23:27