I'm a bit worried about this one because when it arrived I realised that it is more about his work than his life. There is a companion volume about his life.
How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton
I've never read any Proust but I have read some de Botton and I think he has the lovely knack of making an unfamiliar subject approachable.
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
This was reviewed by Simon at stuck in a book and I really liked the sound of it. The blurb says:
Set against a China on the brink of change, The Good Earth is a riveting family saga and story of female sacrifice; a classic of twentieth-century literature.
The Red House Mystery by AA Milne
Really looking forward to this one, it's ages since I read a proper old between-the-wars mystery.
In World Book Day news, Billy's classroom is decorated to the theme of the Percy the Park Keeper children's books. The door is made to look like the entrance to a garden shed, there are paper leaves on the floor, a pond (complete with cuddly frogs) and cardboard trees. The teachers must have spent ages on it. Today the children are taking in books for a book swap. We'll see what he comes home with.
Watched last night's My Life in Books. Elizabeth McGovern and the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire - what a perfect pairing. They are both so elegant. And I enjoyed their book choices.
I read the Alain de Botton book about Proust on the long and claustrophobic flight from London back to Perth one year, and so I think of that book as I would a souvenir, trapping the memory of that journey. I think it was perfect travel reading; not too taxing, but engaging enough to help me forget where I was. And I have The Good Earth amongst my unread Penguins. I see it recommended frequently, so I may have to consider it soon. I'll be interested to read your impressions of it.
ReplyDeleteOh, do enjoy the Buck and the Milne! The Red House Mystery came before the Golden Age of mysteries, so the plot may seem a bit flimsy in comparison - but for characters and style, it's great fun.
ReplyDeleteKaryn - I'm looking forward to the Proust book, after your comment perhaps I'll save it to take away on holiday this year.
ReplyDeleteSimon - the book I'm reading at the moment My Name is Legion by A.N.Wilson is enjoyable but gruelling, so The Red House Mystery may be the perfect antidote.
I keep thinking about reading the Pearl S Buck, too. Love anything about or set in China.
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