I have a problem. Okay, perhaps not the worst problem, but it’s going to develop into a severe issue if I don’t get my act together.
In January, I set myself the task of downsizing my book collection at home to 50 by August. Currently, it’s continuously expanded despite getting rid of every book that I’ve read (except for Jaws; I love the cover too much).
I suppose we might as well dive into my latest additions…
I’ve reintroduced myself to the art of borrowing books. It’s definitely hindering my progress in downsizing because I have not yet learned the art of only taking out what I have time to read.
Where Am I Now?, Mara Wilson
I started reading the Sunday after my library visit and I read about 80% of it in one sitting. It reads as though Mara’s having a conversation with you. I can’t say that I’ve kept up with her since seeing her in Matilda, but it was a good read – although it feels strange to say that about someones life.
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, Steve Brusatte
I started reading this as soon as I got home, but I fell asleep around ten pages in. It definitely wasn’t boring, I’d just had a long day. I haven’t had a chance to pick it up again, but I’m excited to get back to it. It was written recently, and includes research from the past decade. It’s going to provide a wealth of new knowledge, consider me stoked!
Mary Queen of Scots, Antonia Fraser
Mary has always been a fascinating historical figure, but I’ve never really delved into her side of history; I’ve been consumed with Elizabeth. I had my eye on this book during my first visit, but I couldn’t justify bringing home the 700 page tome (okay, maybe it’s not a tome but I’ve been reading a lot of shorter books recently) when I already had a decent stack. I began reading it two days ago and I’m already almost 200 pages in – also the Medici family are wild I need to find some history books on them as they’ve been on my research list since I first encountered them.
Queens of the Conquest, Alison Weir
I picked this up on a whim. It was tucked away on a bottom shelf and effectively calling out to me by offering me the women who altered the course of English history between 1066 and 1167.
Having seen the alternative cover, I definitely think my library was cheated. It also shows this to be a series, which if this is good I’ll definitely be diving into.
We have a British Heart Foundation store in the centre of Kingston and it is a treasure trove for me. Every time I go in there I spend around £20 and come out with an armful of books on the Middle Ages, women throughout history, as well as literary criticisms and harder to find classics. I love it. Recently, I picked up the following:
- The Amorous Antics of Old England, Nigel Cawthorne
- A History of Women Vol I, Ed. Georges Duby, Michelle Perrot, Pauline Schmitt Pantel, Trans. Arthur Goldhammer
- Leonardo DaVinci, Jean Paul Richter
- The Marble Wilderness, Carolyn Springer
- A Year in the Life of a Medieval Woman, Ann Baer
- The Poems of Catullus, Catullus
- Tacitus, Rhiannon Ash
I’ve already read the Amorous Antics of Old England, and whilst it was not what I expected it to be (Old England to me is definitely not as recent as the 19th century!) it was enjoyable and gave me a few points to research further. I’m not sold on the format of presentation, or the lack of referenced sources though.
Holy shit! Leonardo DaVinci was an exciting find! It was a short and sweet overview of his life as an artist. It didn’t have a publishing date or any information really. I’m gonna try and do some research to find out more about it as I can’t find any record of it online so far.
The copy of Catullus was a sweet sweet folio edition from the 1980s so there’s no HQ shots. You can find a similar copy here.
I could probably cut further purchases out by avoiding the temptation of going in, but I always seem to justify it as the money is going to charity and the books are getting a new lease of life.
Book Swaps are the best and London has a ton! Even if I’m not looking to pick anything up I’ll have a little browse to see if there’s anything that I might want to read in the future. Sometimes though, I can’t help myself.
I haven’t taken many routes with a shelf recently, but yesterday I was forced to take a detour due to heavy delays and stopped at Raynes Park. On a whim I picked up Witch Light by Susan Fletcher. It’s set in Scotland in 1692 and the premise is that a young girl has been imprisoned as a witch, but she is offered the chance to tell her story.
Last week I found Graham Greene’s Travels With My Aunt, and I also picked up two books on politics last week for Matt, when we flicked through one there was a £50 price in the front cover. I felt like a thief!
On a more positive downsizing note, I went back to my parent’s house last weekend and managed to gather up 90 books to donate to charity which is around a third of the amount that I had there. It was also a vast improvement as during my last declutter where I couldn’t part with them.
Now all my remaining books are housed in a giant box with a few neat stacks on top, and the space under the bunks is completely empty! It’s absolutely wild when just a year ago there was around 500 books under there with more in that massive box and on my shelves. Hopefully over the next year or two my collections can finally join up, but definitely not until after I’ve moved again.
Have you picked up anything exciting this week, or are you desperately trying to downsize your collection and have discovered a long forgotten gem?
queerying literature 