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Poppyshake's Reading Year 2015


poppyshake

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Hahahaha! The food one would make me ill, that's for sure - I have apples that went off on January 14th. (Don't ask why I haven't dumped them, they still LOOK fine, and I keep forgetting they're not fresh!)

 

The outfits idea might not be too bad for me, I'd say even a malicious fashion jar would come up with something nicer than I usually do :lol:

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The outfits idea might not be too bad for me, I'd say even a malicious fashion jar would come up with something nicer than I usually do :lol:

:rolol:  Hahahaha!

 

I'm feeling jealous of all these jars!  :blush:

 

ETA: Although I'm sure that's not true, Noll!  :hug:

Edited by Janet
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:rolol:  Hahahaha!

 

I'm feeling jealous of all these jars!  :blush:

 

ETA: Although I'm sure that's not true, Noll!  :hug:

 

I don't know, sometimes I think something is gonna look good and then I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror when I'm out and I think 'Jaysus did I really?' :lol:

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Oh, Poppyshake, you poor thing! You'll be positively relieved when you eventually pick out Carter Beats the Devil! Maybe the jar is preparing you for just such an eventuality?

 

But on the positive side, at least it's doing its job by making you read books that would have otherwise stayed unread for perhaps a long time.

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Hahahaha! The food one would make me ill, that's for sure - I have apples that went off on January 14th. (Don't ask why I haven't dumped them, they still LOOK fine, and I keep forgetting they're not fresh!)

 

The outfits idea might not be too bad for me, I'd say even a malicious fashion jar would come up with something nicer than I usually do :lol:

:D Hmm ..  it's possible that my jar might come up with a better look than my usual 'wizard dressed as a muggle' look .. however I believe it's quite malicious so I'm not going to give it the opportunity :blush2:  

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Oh, Poppyshake, you poor thing! You'll be positively relieved when you eventually pick out Carter Beats the Devil! Maybe the jar is preparing you for just such an eventuality?

 

But on the positive side, at least it's doing its job by making you read books that would have otherwise stayed unread for perhaps a long time.

I would have been happy with CBTD I think .. or happ-i-er anyway. Still the letters are going well, Violet is an absolute basket case so that's always entertaining (that is .. she's mad for love and as such writes the most outlandish stuff.) I'm liking it so far  :smile: 

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A Strange Eventful History by Michael Holroyd
 
Synopsis: Ellen Terry was a natural actress who filled the theatre with a magical radiance. The Times called her the 'uncrowned queen of England' but behind her public success lay a darker story. The child-bride of G. F. Watts, she eloped with a friend of Oscar Wilde at 21 and gave birth to 2 illegitimate children. But her greatest partnership was on-stage, with legendary actor-manager and tragedian Henry Irving. At the Lyceum Theatre in London, the two of them created a grand Cathedral of the Arts.Their intimately-involved lives exceeded in plot the Shakespearean dramas they performed on stage - and indeed were curiously affected by them. They also influenced the life and work of their remarkable children, Ellen's children in particular. Edy Craig, who founded a feminist theatre group, The Pioneer Players, established a lesbian community whose complex love-affairs make those of the Bloomsbury Group appear quite conventional. Her brother, Edward Gordon Craig, the revolutionary stage designer who collaborated with Stanislavski on a spectacular production of Hamlet in Moscow, is revealed by this book to be the forgotten man of modernism. He had 13 children by 8 women (including the famous American dancer Isadora Duncan) - perhaps the most extraordinary man Michael Holroyd has ever written about.

 

Review: A little bit too involved and detailed for me. I didn't really have any idea about Henry Irving or Ellen Terry and had only heard little snippets about them previously. I'm not that interested in Victorian theatre either. I think the truth of it is I was drawn to it by the cover and by the number of amazing endorsements written on it by various celebs and literary reviewers. At 300 pages long it might have kept my interest .. at 564 large format paperback pages I was definitely struggling and wandering off and hoping for it all to end :blush2: I found that once it got to the point where Henry and Ellen met and were working together things got interesting and I enjoyed reading all about the Lyceum Theatre and their performances in (mostly) Shakespeare plays etc. The book didn't only focus on them though it focused quite heavily on their children and in particular Edward Gordon Craig (Ellen's son) .. himself very influential in the theatre .. and this bored me to tears and also angered me quite a bit as I didn't really like any of them and EGC in particular was an absolute  :censored: in matters of the heart. Having said that, his romance with Isadora Duncan was fascinating.

I'd only really recommend this to people who are interested in Victorian theatre and even then .. hard going! 

Liked it ... some of the time  :D 

Edited by poppyshake
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Lucia Rising : Queen Lucia, Miss Mapp and Lucia in London by E.F. Benson
 
Synopsis:
This title contains three of Benson's Lucia stories. "Queen Lucia" was published in 1920, "Miss Mapp" in 1922 and "Lucia in London" in 1927. They are much-loved novels of provincial snobbery and became a successful television series.

 

Review: In complete contrast to the previous book .. the 700 pages in this book sailed past. There could've been 300 more .. I wouldn't have noticed. Too busy laughing and being deliciously entertained. It did take me a little while to get into the stories .. just to familiarise myself with the characters and the setting etc (and this you have to do twice as Miss Mapp is about a whole different set of characters in another location) but after that I was up and running and enjoying myself immensely. Nancy Mitford loved these books and so did Noel Coward and it's easy to see why. Just their sort of observational humour and mine.

Miss Mapp is resident Queen Bee (or likes to think of herself as) at Tilling and Lucia is the same at Riseholme. They don't meet during these particular stories though E.F. Benson did put them together in his book Mapp and Lucia .. which I can't wait to read. They live for scandal, intrigue and gossip. Lucia is a most shameful social climber and Miss Mapp an alarming busy body who distrusts everybody. There are a number of characters that you get to know well in both Riseholme and Tilling .. none of them very likeable though some you champion more than others as they battle valiantly on with their one upmanship. It's small town snobbery at its best. Loved all the stories but especially Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp.

Thank you very much Claire for lending it to me :hug: I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it but I never know what's good for me :blush2: The BBC gave me a nudge with their adaptation and that did help enormously with the visuals etc  :)

Loved It!  

Edited by poppyshake
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Now don't forget, Lucia Rising is an omnibus of three books, so it definitely counts as three on your list! :lol:  I know we chatted about it last week, but I'm so pleased you enjoyed them … they've become some of my favourite books of all time in the few years since I first read them, and I've read them a few times since then too!  I'm still listening to Queen Lucia in the car and it's a lovely start to the day before I get into work. :D

 

OH has moved the books around the house … I hate it when he does this, as I can't find anything :irked: and typically, I was sure I knew exactly where the second volume of the Lucia books was until the week after Christmas, and now it's bloomin' disappeared!!!  I'll have a proper hunt around for it at the weekend, and bring it with me next time we meet up.

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Bless you thanks Claire :hug: don't worry though .. only if it comes to hand. 

Having said that my books are haphazardly organised .. which they are. I'm very proud to say that I found all three jar books immediately .. and knew where they were so that pleased me. Alan had better not move any of them though ... I'd smifflicate (word my Dad always uses :D) him. He did take all of my books out of a little cabinet I have on the landing today because he's got to pull the carpet up .. but I made him photograph them first. Not only have they got to go back but they must go back in the same order :blush2: 

 

Yes .. Lucia Rising is definitely being counted as three books in my books read list :D Goodreads is actually telling me I am nine books ahead of my target (but then my target is only 80 books  :blush2:  :D) ... hope things continue that way. January has been an excellent reading month for me but I need to sustain it. 

 

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luciarising.jpg

Lucia Rising : Queen Lucia, Miss Mapp and Lucia in London by E.F. Benson

 

Synopsis: This title contains three of Benson's Lucia stories. "Queen Lucia" was published in 1920, "Miss Mapp" in 1922 and "Lucia in London" in 1927. They are much-loved novels of provincial snobbery and became a successful television series.

 

Review: In complete contrast to the previous book .. the 700 pages in this book sailed past. There could've been 300 more .. I wouldn't have noticed. Too busy laughing and being deliciously entertained. It did take me a little while to get into the stories .. just to familiarise myself with the characters and the setting etc (and this you have to do twice as Miss Mapp is about a whole different set of characters in another location) but after that I was up and running and enjoying myself immensely. Nancy Mitford loved these books and so did Noel Coward and it's easy to see why. Just their sort of observational humour and mine.

Miss Mapp is resident Queen Bee (or likes to think of herself as) at Tilling and Lucia is the same at Riseholme. They don't meet during these particular stories though E.F. Benson did put them together in his book Mapp and Lucia .. which I can't wait to read. They live for scandal, intrigue and gossip. Lucia is a most shameful social climber and Miss Mapp an alarming busy body who distrusts everybody. There are a number of characters that you get to know well in both Riseholme and Tilling .. none of them very likeable though some you champion more than others as they battle valiantly on with their one upmanship. It's small town snobbery at its best. Loved all the stories but especially Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp.

Thank you very much Claire for lending it to me :hug: I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it but I never know what's good for me :blush2: The BBC gave me a nudge with their adaptation and that did help enormously with the visuals etc  :)

I Loved It!  

Good review poppyshake,  :smile: . I've only read Lucia in London (loved that one), and I loved the recent BBC adaptation too (Miss Mapp and those gnashers! :D  Miranda Richardson was wonderful as Mapp.

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Good review poppyshake,  :smile: . I've only read Lucia in London (loved that one), and I loved the recent BBC adaptation too (Miss Mapp and those gnashers! :D  Miranda Richardson was wonderful as Mapp.

Thanks Marie :) Yes the adaptations were great .. I've been repeat watching them on iPlayer. I think I might have seen the original ones but only snatches. Claire tells me that Miranda was very much channelling Prunella Scales's Miss Mapp. The teeth were hilarious :D

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Thanks Marie :) Yes the adaptations were great .. I've been repeat watching them on iPlayer. I think I might have seen the original ones but only snatches. Claire tells me that Miranda was very much channelling Prunella Scales's Miss Mapp. The teeth were hilarious :D

I vaguely remember the ITV 80's series, and Prunella Scales and Geraldine McEwan were very sharp, but at that time I couldn't understand the provincial snobbery and social one-upmanship. But I get it now!  :D  

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I vaguely remember the ITV 80's series, and Prunella Scales and Geraldine McEwan were very sharp, but at that time I couldn't understand the provincial snobbery and social one-upmanship. But I get it now!  :D  

Yes .. think that was the same for me .. I was slightly baffled :blush2:  

There are actually a couple of episodes of the old ITV series of Mapp and Lucia on YouTube if you're interested. :)

Ooh .. definitely will check that out .. thanks Claire :)

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Finished Violet's letters to Vita .. exhausting .. I feel as drained as she must have done by their love affair. I was hoping the jar would be kind and give me something for cosying up with on a winter's day .. and yay!! .. it came up trumps.

Very happy indeed! Whoever said my jar was malicious? .. what nonsense  :giggle:  :D 

 

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie smiley-happy110.gif

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Agatha in January .. it just seems right :) Alan looked a bit twitchy though .. I think CBTD might be written on blue paper :D

 

Have you been watching his reactions when you choose a book, you sly thing? Sounds like Alan needs to practice his poker face. :D

 

Unless it's a double-bluff on Alan's part!  :giggle2:

 

Ooh, I like the way you think!

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