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BarbaraJean
Knock, Murderer, Knock! | Harriet Rutland
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It‘s the last #BookSpin day of 2024! Thank you, Sarah, for running this challenge—I look forward to it every month! My last two spins of the year are: a mystery from my Kindle TBR (I‘d love to use it for the #christmascrimechallenge if I can make it fit a prompt), and one from my library list that I‘ve been meaning to read forever (and it fits a year I need for #192025). Looking forward to squeezing these into my already-full December!

TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Enjoy!! I liked The Dean's Watch, although like the other Goudge books I've read it isn't exactly full of action 😂 But she can write such real people - I don't know, her books seem like ones I would find boring and uninteresting, but she completely pulls me in. 2w
BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks I‘ve only read Elizabeth Goudge‘s children‘s books before! This one has been on my list because I‘ve seen glowing reviews, but also because it‘s set in a fictional version of Ely, the English town I lived in as a child. This version of the cover features the Octagon tower of Ely Cathedral, which gives me so much joy!! 2w
TheAromaofBooks Oh wow, that is amazingly cool! A lot of the book is describing the town, almost as its own character, so being able to match that with real-life experiences would be amazing. I've also read and LOVED The Scent of Water, and read and quite liked The Rosemary Tree.

Do you still live in England??
2w
See All 7 Comments
BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Oooh, now I‘m really looking forward to the town descriptions!! I don‘t still live in England—I just wish I did! My dad was a civilian contractor for the USAF at the time and we were there for 6 years, but moved back to California when I was 9 (which is where I ended up). I‘ve been back to Ely several times to visit and dream of moving back someday! 2w
TheAromaofBooks Oh that makes sense!! I was thinking that you were in the US all this time, so you threw me off by having a childhood English village 😂 2w
BarbaraJean @TheAromaofBooks Hahaha... you are correct in thinking that I have been in the US all this time! I just have a sneaky international past 😂 2w
TheAromaofBooks Very international spy of you 😆 2w
28 likes7 comments
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RowReads1
Love Object: Selected Stories | Edna O'Brien, John Banville
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Blue Road: The Edna O‘Brien story https://youtu.be/bEErqpfb3HM?si=ljhV1jnb8PZ1VXcX

kspenmoll Thsnk you! So excited to see this! 3w
27 likes1 comment
review
andrew61
Winter Garden | Beryl Bainbridge
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Pickpick

A farcical story about a middle age man Douglas who tells his wife he is going to Scotland fishing but sets of on an artistic groups visit to Moscow with his lover the flamboyant actress Nina, who then appears to be permanently avoiding him. His journey around 1980s Russia with the other members and the authoritive olga makes for a strange tale of misadventures. Enjoyable, strange ending, as ever Bainbridge is a great storyteller but not my fave

review
Centique
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Pickpick

This was published in 2002 when Fay Weldon was 70. And its like sitting down with an older lady who has lived quite a life and having her describe that life to you over tea and cake. Its written in an easy style but Fay never kept diaries so its not always detailed - although her childhood in NZ is very well remembered. Her mother was a solo mum in the 30s and Fay was a solo mum in the late 50‘s ⬇️

Centique - both very much on the breadline, but also w artistic bohemian friends and interests. The need to earn a living and survive in a man‘s world inform‘s Fay‘s early feminism but a few things she says are naiive of other issues, racism etc An interesting read if you like Fay Weldon‘s novels but it can feel repetitive at times and the editors missed a few repetitions and misspellings in my edition. 4mo
Jeg I love her writing. I‘ve kept a few of her books. Have not read this one. 4mo
MrsMalaprop My mum was a huge Fay Weldon fan. ❤️ 4mo
caffeinated Added to my TBR list. I‘m a big Fay Weldon fan. 4mo
57 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Jess_Read_This
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💚Some news from Virago. I adore the original green spines though. My heart goes pitter pat when I spot a green spine at a used bookstore. They are becoming fewer and fewer though for me in the wild!

willaful Same! 5mo
38 likes1 comment
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ManyWordsLater
Salome of the Tenements | Anzia Yezierska
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Ah yes. 1923 NYC. Talking about Jews as foreign and overly sexual.
On the next page the author refers to the same character as “oriental.”

Classic racism.
There is nothing new in the world.

Texreader ☹️😠 6mo
34 likes1 stack add1 comment
quote
ManyWordsLater
Salome of the Tenements | Anzia Yezierska
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“Even downtown we got differences. Let me and the landlords wife go to the butcher store for meat. For who will the butcher pick out the fattest piece of meat? For me, who bargains herself every penny, or the landlords wife that pays him over any price he asks?”
Unintended bias is everywhere. Even in 1923.

Texreader Probably especially in 1923. We know what to call it now 6mo
25 likes1 comment
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ManyWordsLater
Salome of the Tenements | Anzia Yezierska
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Honestly, what were the freaking odds of finding this book.

It has no reviews on Litsy. It isn‘t mentioned in any of the other “also by this author.”

But there it was on a to be shelved used books trolley.

I‘m so excited. Talk about beshert!

review
Tamra
A Helping Hand | Celia Dale
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Pickpick

A twisty little tale of avarice. 🖤

This was “fun”, but didn‘t have the humor of Fremlin. Fremlin can be downright funny & sharp witted. I need more Fremlin in my life!

LeahBergen I found this, too; she‘s Fremlin-esque but not quite Fremlin enough. 🤣 8mo
Tamra @LeahBergen 😂 indeed! 8mo
49 likes2 comments