Anika

That's a really good idea! Hope it comes back with a good mark on it!!

Very true! I think you've got to have an open mind and give things a chance or you could really be missing out.

Hello! I've only been here a short time, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it! It's a very friendly place!

Hope you enjoy it here! I'm sure you will, it's a very friendly place!

Hello and !! You'll enjoy it here. It's a very friendly site!

Hello~and Welcome! You'll really enjoy it here.

I get scared when I calculate only the expense of books I still haven't read-- (but just had to have! ) Some are years old. My heart just isn't strong enough to know the total amount--even if most were used or remainders.

I believe it!! And, there's many great books of all eras (some bestsellers, even) that were turned down again and again before getting a break. 'Gone with the Wind' is one of them. Just think of all the writers out there we might love who never learned the principle of the 'thick skin' and gave up after only one rejection. Kind of sad, really.

My favorite book is Whuthering Heights. I've recently read some of Emily's poems, but they seemed to be all about death. A bit depressing. I'm sure all of her poetry doesn't focus primarily on this theme--(it was a slim volume featuring poems by all the Brontes) but I only had a few to go by in this particular book. I've been reading about the 'pathetic fallacy' lately, and this interests me. One of the reasons I enjoyed Whuthering Heights so much is because of the descriptions of the violence of nature mirroring the passions (both positive and negative) of the characters. Books I like reading are about: The Victorian era, Mythology, King Arthur, the Supernatural, & Mysteries. Drawing a blank, or I'd list more..... (I'll get to you on this.) Of Keats, Byron or Shelley, which do you prefer?

Not at all! I'm always grateful to be informed, if someone has information I don't know about. Education comes in many forms. Thanks for such a thorough reply, too! I'm going to try to locate that book. Just out of curiosity--how was your dissertation received? I mean, how did you relate Wilde to Shakespeare, because I could sit down and think my head off all day and not come up with a correlation. (Ha ha.) Was it to do with the errors in the biography?

Narratives about life in 20th-century England or Scotland? Okay, I'm sure this is going to sound like a dumb request, but please bear with me. I love reading about England & Scotland, and would like to know more about what it's like growing up there. When I search the internet, they assume I mean Travel Guides. I've tried to find narratives, but I'm probably not wording my request properly, because unrelated titles come up. (....sometimes, very unrelated!) The closest thing I've found lately is 'Larkrise to Candleford' by Flora Thompson, but it's a bit old, and they were very impoverished too, so it was a little depressing. Still, really close to what I have in mind! I ordered two of Mary Mackie's books recently and was very dissapointed. The idea was good; caretakers of a National Trust property, but her writing style?-- in a word: atrocious! Memoirs of gardeners/household-staff of stately homes would be ideal! Not the 'tell-all' sort, I mean--just about funny experiences, etc. Those of you living over there probably see these kind of books all the time, and wonder, 'who would want to read that?!' Now, you know. for any suggestions you can give me!!

Thanks! I needed a good laugh! I tried to read Toast because I'm really curious about English 'comfort foods', which is what I thought this book would be about, but he makes some pretty distastful remarks at times! He turned me off, too!!

Wow! I didn't know he knew the meaning of the word 'humble'. I used to watch his shows and start 'shaking in my boots' as if he were yelling at me! But, then I saw him on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares when one of the female cooks was crying. Though she was doing a good job, she was upset about losing it, if the restaurant closed. He just turned into a puddle of mush!! I knew he had a heart in there somewhere. I'm definitely going to read this.

No problem! I'm glad for the clarification! Do you remember the name of the 'chunky' book? I'd really like to read it! Like I said, it was years ago when I read this BIO, so I'm wondering if it has been up-dated/corrected--? (Or yanked off the shelves, as it should be, if it's not accurate.) Did many people in the academic world complain about it? Gosh, you'd think the editors would have verified the text before printing it. I'm ignorant about publishing, but do they usually just take someone's word for the facts? I know they have to cite references and such, but does anyone follow up on these? Thanks for drawing this to my attention! That'll teach me not to assume someone is 100% right just because they've managed to publish something.

Yup. That's me. I don't usually read poetry, but I do like it! Trouble is, I don't know where to start--? There's centuries of it, and I've never immersed myself enough to know 'who' I would like. I will shamelessy blame all my high-school teachers who spent endless weeks on books by Hemingway or Hawthorne just because they found them fascinating, but which bored me. I could not become enthused about the constant discussions on symbolism, etc., which could easily have been covered in a few classes! But, no!! We had to re-hash these for what seemed like eons. Sadly I don't remember my teachers covering poetry of any kind! I just bought a biography about Wordsworth, so hopefully my poetic-appreciation will increase after reading it. I'm also planning to read some of Byron's work, because I've been reading a lot of references to him in other biographies. (Notice a theme, here? I tend to work my way into things with the 'life-story' first.) Who would suggest I read, apart from these?

I love classics! I have been reading them for years, and they are still my preferred genre. I very much enjoy the convoluted verbiage! Most of the posts here do seem to be about English classics, (and by the way, Ovid, Aeneid and Homer are considered Classical) but those have always been my favorite. I've read a lot of French authors too, some of whom write in the 'realism/naturalism' style (Zola, for example) which is probably why people find these more modern, since they have a grittier element to them. But, I agree with those who say there are many others out there: Russian, German, Swedish, Italian, Spanish, etc., and not all of them are a struggle. The archaic language takes some getting used to certainly, but with the deterioration of language in general today, especially with e-mail and texting so prevalent, I think it's refreshing to read books with some artistry to them.

John Connolly is good if you like the macabre. Also, most books stores have lots of anthologies of short stories based on different themes.

How many do you have by now? I say the exact same thing every year, myself. It never works. Even with the 'crunch' still as bad as ever. I just buy less food. Books are more important. This January, just resolve to buy twice as many books as last year! That's my tactic from now on. I mean, that's what I'm going to do anyway....

I love P. G. Wodehouse! I've got several of his books and re-read them often. Two of my favorites, not mentioned so far, are James Thurber and E. B. White. Both are exceptionally hilarious!

You're a very thorough reader. You should give yourself 'permission' to not read the parts you don't like. It might be tough at first, but think of how many more books you can read (and enjoy) if you omit the annoying stuff!

I read 4-5 books at a time. A biography, a history book of some kind, a light novel and a serious one (usually, a classic), and I always keep a really dull book on my night table so I don't stay awake all night reading. 'Time in History' by G. J. Whitrow is an unfailing sleep-inducer!

I'm a ghost who haunts the manor house of Viscount Halifax.