[ Dreary, snowy day off... }

...so I have decided to sit and read today! My most favorite books in my collection are my vintage books. I collect Victoria Holt, Phillipa Car, Norah Lofts, Phyllis A. Whitney..among countless others. Recently I finished Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart.

From Amazon.com : Mary Stewart launched a world full of romance readers, and she invented romantic suspense. In this beautifully written gothic, Kate Herrick, a young widow in war-torn London, returns to her family home of Rose Cottage to retrieve family mementos for her Gran. When Kate arrives, she finds that the mementos have mysteriously disappeared. While looking for answers to age-old family mysteries (her single mother supposedly ran off with gypsies) Kate rekindles friendships with neighbors, kinsman, and old childhood companions. The bittersweet memories that Kate examines help her to redefine herself as a widow and as a young woman with a great need for family ties.

I enjoyed Rose Cottage very much, so I decided I'd give another of her books a go. I have decided on Thornyhold.

Also from Amazon.com: This old-fashioned gothic romance is as good as they get. When Gilly's witch aunt leaves Thornyhold to her, a house in the middle of the woods, Gilly finds that she has inherited far more than she realized. Along with the house comes a cat, a still room filled with herbs (and a missing recipe book), an attic chamber with carrier pigeons (who have secret messages), and an attractive neighbor whose young son offers the sacred and unique blessing of friendship. But Thornyhold possesses far more than even these simple offerings. The place itself seems to convoke otherworldly gifts as well: Gilly cultivates the abilities to heal and to foresee the future once she makes Thornyhold her home.

Sounds like the perfect book for a dreary, snowy day :-) What are you reading these days???

{ Crass Commercial Announcement }

I love pretty china. Just like most of you. I have collected a LOT of it, and now I need a new cabinet for it. BUT..in order to fit a new cabinet, I have to get rid of a bookcase. You see, I collect books, too. I have more books than I will ever ever have time to read, and more still keep sneaking their way in. So, I got brutal. I just finished loading a BOATLOAD of books on Ebay. Take them off my hands please. ~grin~. They're really cheap, and if you want to bid on some let me know that you're a bloggy friend and I'll discount them even more for you!!!

Here's my Ebay page.

{Beatrix Potter}

It has always been my dream to live in the British countryside, preferably Wales, but the article on Beatrix Potter in the current issue of Victoria, has me longing to visit the Lake District of Northern England. I have never seen anything so lush and green. It is a beautiful article..one to not be missed.

Beatrix Potter has always been a favorite of mine...sweet and timeless. Who doesn't love Peter Rabbit, Miss Tabitha Twitchet and the myriad of other sweet creatures she wrote about?

And I so loved the movie Miss Potter with Renee Zellweger!
A sweet portrayal!

I recently discovered that Susan Albert Wittig, who wrote the China Bayles herbal-based mysteries, also has written a series called The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. Gads! Where have I been??!! I recently purchased the first one.......

...and with the first few pages, I was smitten :-) Today is my day off from work...the dishes need done, the bedsheets need changing...and all I want to do is sit and read this lovely little book!!!

More anon,

Score!

Goodwill finds...

a PERFECT little Pyrex Snowflake casserole to match the bowls I found yesterday!



a soft-as-a-baby's-behind cotton sheet to make, um, maybe a housecoat? nightie or pajama pants? a skirt? all of the above?? It's a queen size so there's a LOT of fabric there!


a couple of books.. always on the look out for authors that I'm not familiar with. Sometimes it's a nice surprise, sometimes a let down.



speaking of books, did I mention that I am addicted??

My non-fiction bookcase, mostly Medieval Studies and reference works.

Contemporary fiction, Medieval fiction, more reference books and my binders of, oh, 'stuff'.

Fantasy fiction, vintage poetry, and my vast collection authors such as Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart. Phyllis A. Whitney, Norah Lofts, just to name a few. Yea, it's a sickness. More books than I can probably read in my lifetime!

and here's where I do all of that reading, not to mention the 3 or 4 crossword puzzles that I do on a daily basis. Like my new lamp? I LOVE it! Got it today at Fred Meyer. I have had my eye on it for awhile, and today it was ON SALE!! My favorite words, considering I rarely buy ANYTHING at retail.

Finished a great book today

Click to read about this novel!

This was one of the best books I have read in a long time, although it went too fast and I didn't want it to end. Not very often that I enjoy books written by men, because I never feel they can get inside a woman's head and make the character's believable. I was wrong with this author. He's great!

This is his other book, and although it has a male voice, I want to read it as well. I like this author that much!

Click to read about it!

What I'm reading..

DELIGHTFUL!

What I'm reading..

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

While I enjoyed the movie immensely, the book is somewhat burdensome to read. I know it was nominated for a Pulitzer, and the author DID win a Pulitzer for another novel, but I find the writing a little flowery, and I find myself having to re-read passages to try to understand what she's trying to say. Once understood, the imagery is quite good, but I just don't want to have to work that hard. I do love words, but the fewer the better. You don't have to take a whole paragraph to convey what could be said in one sentence. I WILL see it through to the end..don't like things left undone..so I can get to this one...





I love Anna Quindlen and I've been wanting to read this for a long time!