E is for... Endearing

Continuing on a literary theme - look what I just spotted on the Wild Olive blog. I gotta make myself one of these free printable bookmarks just as soon as I can rediscover (note word of the year usage there!) my magnetic tape in the wasteland that is my craft room.

On another note, on the train yesterday I finished re-reading Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar”. I’m wondering whether to write a review about this, part of me wants to recommend this book to everyone, but the other part knows it would be difficult to put my feelings about this book into words. I want to read it again and again, but also want to keep it all to myself. Anyway, whatever I read next will be sure to have one of these bookmarks tucked in the pages. The pencil, or maybe the plaster... ooh too many decisions! 

Em x

E is for... Reading List (part I)

Well, the end of my forth month of commuting to “the city” is quickly approaching. Strangely enough, what I thought would be the worst thing about my new job has actually turned out to be one of the best. The train journey every day started off as a real pain, but I’ve since learnt to appreciate the time to sit back and indulge in a good book, without that guilty feeling that I could be doing something more productive.

With this in mind, I thought I would put together a list of recommended books to read for the commuting city girl - or any other kind of girl really.

1) “Summer Sisters” – Judy Blume. For the commuter who as a ten year old girl would read “Tiger Eyes” under the covers.

If you are looking for sophisticated American Fiction, this probably isn’t the book for you. Blume’s writing style hasn’t really changed since the days of “Blubber” & “Tiger Eyes”. However, in the early 1990’s I would love reading something just a little bit unsuitable and remembering that thrill made me pick Blume up again when I saw her in the bookshop twenty years later. “Summer Sisters” is about a friendship spanning the years of growing up, surviving family struggles, boyfriend troubles and ultimately self discovery. Although a lot of the story follows the characters through their childhood and teenage years, it’s not a book for children. This book is like a childhood blanket, wrapping you up and taking you back to the pages of your diary hidden under your mattress all those years ago. Remembering the first kiss, first best friend and first holiday adventure is something we can all relate to. If you want something you won’t be able to put down but which doesn’t require much mental effort to read, this is the perfect book for you. For that reason, Summer Sisters would also make great beach reading.

2) “Emma” – Jane Austen. For the commuter who would gladly swap a Virgin Train for a post-chaise.

“Emma” has to be my favourite of Austen’s novels. Not only because the heroine and I share a name, but because of the comedy oozing out of every chapter. If Emma was a play by Shakespeare, it would be “A Midsummer Nights Dream”. There are love triangles, mix ups and secrets galore. To me, the novel’s characterisation is Austen’s best work. Emma does not match up in composure and virtue to Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood but has plenty of faults which, in the end, makes the reader love her all the more. Watching Emma grow and understand herself, including her faults, helps you share her happy ending with her. If you have this book in a beautiful Waterstones classic hardback edition (like me - swoon!) then you probably want to be careful not to spill coffee on this on the train. However, it’s just not the kind of story that should be made to wait until bedtime. Devour it on the train, over lunch and by the pool, but don’t put it down until you have laughed, loved and cried along with Miss Woodhouse and enjoyed every second.

3) “The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House” – Kate Summerscale. For the commuter who likes a big dollop of fact with her detective story.

OK – I admit to being the kind of person who judges a book by it’s cover. This book went in my basket without me even reading the blurb. A mystery story? A Victorian mansion? Yes please! I was probably a whole chapter in before I realised that this is not a novel, but the true story of a real Victorian murder. At first all the background info might feel a bit difficult to someone like me, who rarely reads non-fiction. But after a while I realised it added a whole fascinating level to the story, explaining the origins of detectives, both real life and fictional, and lots of other interesting titbits. The plates with pictures of the book’s main suspects helped me get a real sense of the lives portrayed effected by this murder. This is kinda like reading a 19th century “Hello” Magazine – unearthing all the gossip on a Victorian family who quickly shot to fame but for all the wrong reasons.

So they are the first 3 books in my list. I'm on the look out for some more great reads to recommmend, but for now, happy reading!

Em x

E is for... (Home) Ec

I'm home from my holiday, oh sad times!

Luckily I have something to cheer me up now I'm back. The online class Home Ec kicked off yesterday. I'm so glad I signed up to this a month ago, so I would have something happy to chase away the post holiday blues. The class teaches sewing techniques step by step, and has plenty of yummy things to make along the way using the new skills.

What's that? I need to finish my other projects off sometime? That's true. Throughout August I will be sharing the results of those too. I'm also working on some reviews of books I have enjoyed recently that I thought I'd share with you. So many plans, so little time!

Em x