Saturday 7 January 2023

Not-Reviews: Week 1

Something new for you, Dear Reader, the Not-Reviews. Viz., some pics of the books Your Correspondent has in play at the close of the new year's first week:

Doing double-duty as book for the bus and book beside the bed, the complete collection of Katherine Mansfield's short stories. This 2009 Vintage edition (the cover of which got smudged in the rain - boo), purchased in Wellington in New Zealand more than a decade ago, was finally pulled down from the bookshelves on impulse as a nostalgic post-NZ-holiday wave washed over me. How prescient, however, for Katherine Mansfield has been In The News this past couple of days owing to a new biography just released. It's also the centenary of her death.

The book for the sofa and the park when it's not raining is Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. Shamefully, this has been on the go for absolutely ages, despite its eminent readability and general allure, however I'm still on the Ancients! I know blogger Rachel knocked this off in double-quick time last year. This has Priority written all over it.


Leslie Charteris's 1939 Omnibus is masquerading as a sort of 21st century audiobook. Mr P is, ahem, reading this one to me, so we're both enjoying it. AbeBooks provided this 1950 fourth impression with the creamy page and print size so soothing for my Reader.


Now up to book 11 of the Aubrey-Maturin nautical novels, audiobooks (albeit abridged, read by actor Robert Hardy) that swap in and out with historical podcasts as a bit of entertainment whilst ironing.


The Lazy Person's Library a.k.a. Internet Archive is supplying this borrowed omnibus of E. F. Benson's Dodo books. It sits open on the laptop but I keep forgetting it's there so it's slow going and I keep needing to backtrack to figure out what's going on. I'm not loving reading books on a laptop but there are thousands of fabulous hard-to-find books to choose from and it's free!

Hopefully, declaring my reading hand up front might prompt some brisk action toward finishing the occasional book review and break the cycle of cluttering up the Draft Department with endless quotable quotes which, ahem, languish without jollying up with some proper bookish treatment. 
[Ed: A new leaf? Ha! Let us see ...]


Image credits: 1-3: Flying With Hands; 4: via Kobo Rakuten; 5: via Internet Archive

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for the Not-Reviews.
    I would definitely choose Leslie Charteris' 1939 Omnibus to Not-Read :) The Saint was so important in the 1960s.... I wonder if _I_ have changed in all those decades, or if the author did. Even the stick symbol of a saint on the front cover still looks cool :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Hels, we did watch an episode of the Roger Moore 60s Saint the other day - set in Italy - which from this long remove was rather silly but I'm preferring to stick with the 30s written characterisation. Can't sully the mental imagery :) I expect this tv-series really made him a household name, plus the perennial appeal of the Robin Hood archetype. Speaking of RM, I'd not seen him at this young age before nor realised how good-looking he was! You can see he just revived the Saint rôle in his older packaging when he played Bond in the 80s.

      Delete
  2. A fine collection not reviewed, Lady Pipistrello. Just checked which year my KM-shortstories got published: 1981. As for Russell: In case you have not watched it before, here's the link to a fine interview on BBC. Every minute worth watching and listening. Or just start at 26:38.
    And now a lovely weekend to you. Happy reading and listening to Mr. P..


    aa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, and for the link, dear Sean. I think I have seen this interview before - his suited fluffy form in the chair I instantly recognised - but I've flagged it now for rewatching. Where have the Bertrand Russells of the world gone?

      I went through a KM phase in the 80s - maybe we "did" one of her short stories at school? - and was in possession of rather tatty copies of "Garden Party" & "Bliss" but consigned them to the condominio book exchange when my new and comprehensive compendium arrived looking for shelf space. Bon weekend to you, too!

      Delete
  3. I really dig the cover of Omnibus (glad that the book's interior is treating you right, btw). Roger Moore's The Saint comes a bit to mind when looking at the cover art.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Bea, isn't it great? So simple and so iconic.

      Delete
  4. My Bertrand Russell has now reached the bookshelf as can be seen from the photo on my blog coincidentally. I am glad to read you have seen the Russell interview, I have recommended it frequently on my blog as compulsory viewing. I liked the intro to the saint on tv best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I rather fancy the interview came across my radar courtesy of your good self, dear Rachel! He is a dear.

      Delete
  5. Russell is well worth reading, and should be read more often. I'm sure I had that exact same Saint book, I probably still do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We've another of his books, "Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy", patiently sitting in one of the many to-be-read piles about the casa, dear Cro, which looks to be once a rather more well-known work in the first half of the century but is of a more unfashionable flavour these days. Whereas Saint aficionados seem to be more easy to still trip over these days!

      Delete
    2. The best of Russell is his 3 volume autobiography. Not to be missed.

      Delete
    3. On the list, thanks Rachel!

      Delete
  6. Happy new year. First time I'm hearing of Not-reviews but I liked what I read. Hope to keep in touch better this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy New Year to you, too, dear Loree! I'm hoping Not-reviews don't prove to be a cheat as I'm filled with zeal to actually do the real deal this year :)

      Delete
  7. Dear Pip, a Happy New Year to you and your family!

    I am stunned by the huge selection of books you have in front of you.
    Being also a person who does not like to read on a computer or kindle, I have the Dodo in paper (felt obliged - as member of the E.F.Benson Society :-).

    Katherine Mansfield - well, well, well. I am not a great fan of short stories in general - and I sometimes tackle (?) hers. I read her diary and thought: Oh no - diaries always paint a very melancholy picture of persons - my diaries too :-) - and one should publish also our "books of gratitude" - there you will find a completely different person.

    (I write in a hurry, the triplets will arrive every minute - hope that one can understand what I mean).

    Betrand Russell: Yes! "The Saint" I love in every version. Patrick O´Brian: new territory for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Britta, juggling books sometimes can't be helped! It is very much an uneven race to the finish line and some books do linger longer in the state of partial enjoyment. I'm not sure it's necessarily the optimal way to read :)

      I love that you are a member of the E.F. Benson Society, maybe I should think to join? Although, being a mostly unsociable creature, clubs and I have awkward times together, hahah! Isn't it interesting how the Venn Diagram of reading material can have so much overlapping betwixt us? KM, yes, a bit dark and I dare say her German characterisations in her early stories are possibly not in good taste these days but she's a jolly good writer. PO'B is a bit of something quite different altogether, rather Boy's Own-ish. I don't know what in the heck is going on with all the sailing chatter but they're so exciting!

      Have fun in triplicate!

      Delete
  8. Ms. Mansfield wrote some of my favorite short stories, and Mr. Benson composed some TGRs. (thumping good reads).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aren't they great, dear Urspo? I also recently read "Paying Guests", starring the proto-Major Benjy. So delicious!

      Delete

Thank you for commenting, it is greatly appreciated.

It can be a challenge to persist in the matching up of street signs and other exciting pastimes this comment feature may send your way, so if it gets too annoying, feel free to email your comment to me at pipistrello (at) flyingwithhands (dot) com and I'll post it for you.

Bats In The Belfry