Today I was feeling a little bit worn out, and lo, what should appear on the Pratchett book case?… These appeared… I had no idea, and then there they were, wrapped up, and standing in line with all the other books.
Top: Limited Edition. Bottom: Normal Edition
Yes, not only had he bought me the normal edition, he had got his mitts on a limited edition one too. So I now own No. 401*.
Limited Edition front plate
They are both utterly beautiful. The standard edition has a suede cover with stunning artwork on the slip case. The limited edition feels as though it has come straight out of DEATH’s library, with a leather cover and gold edged pages, just as it is described in the novel.
Normal Edition Slipcase and Cover
Both books have equally fantastic artwork, and I particularly like this one of DEATH in a bar.
DEATH has cocktail
You all know how much I love books, but these two made me go slightly weak at the knees. I had to have a sit down (and a read).
* The Delightful Mr F’s delightfulness knows no bounds. He’s a keeper, that’s for sure.
… for this month. After my post last week about the new Fox, Finch and Tepper books, and my failure to buy a winter coat at the weekend, we now have the Folio Society Christmas Collection. I love Folio Books. They are the kinds of books I dreamt of owning when I was little and would imagine what my very own library would look like when I was all grown up.
I have a little collection of Folio Society books which is slowly growing, and yes dear readers, I weakened and have ordered some from this new collection. To be fair, I didn’t really put up much resistance, just enough for The Delightful Mr F to encourage me to order them, so I didn’t feel too guilty at the massive book binge I have been on over the last seven days. But, as The Delightful Mr F says, there are far worse things I could be spending my money on, so why on earth not order a book or two?*
The first book to catch my eye was The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. This would make a wonderful gift for a child (or a grown-up for that matter). Go to the link and look at the illustrations. Aren’t they wonderful? Talking of illustrations, the ones in the new edition of Casino Royale by Ian Fleming are stunning. It looks as though this might be the first in a series of Bond books to be published. Finally I was sorely tempted by A Wizard of Earths by Ursula K Le Guin.
A Wizard if Earths by Ursula K Le GuinCasino Royale by Ian Fleming
When my order arrives I will reveal what I bought, but in the meantime, head over to the Folio Society website and have a look around. The books are beautiful, the selection fantastic and would make a change from the standard Jamie Oliver as Christmas presents for your nearest and dearest (or hard to buy for) this Yuletide.
* I may yet regret not having a winter coat in due course, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I do like this time of year. Spring is established, summer is in the air, and there are lots of bank holidays, meaning lots of long weekends*. With any luck the weather will be nice on Monday for the May Day Bank Holiday. After you have had a good dance around the local maypole, why not have a nice sit down, a cup of tea and settle into a good book? I have a few on the list which are going to be on the pile for this weekend.
I always feel that Bank Holidays should be indulgent affairs with the treats and relaxation, and my reading tends to follow that theme.
The Wind in The Willows by Kenneth Graham is fantastic for sitting outside with and spending time with Rat, Mole, Badger and Toad. What would be even better would be to replicate Rat’s picnic with Mole. I love the answer Rat gives when Mole asks what is inside a picnic basket:
‘What’s inside it?’ asked the Mole, wriggling with curiosity.
‘There’s cold chicken inside it,’ replied the Rat briefly;
‘O stop, stop,’ cried the Mole in ecstasies: ‘This is too much!'”
I have an edition from The Folio Society which I love as it has the most beautiful illustrations.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter looks like a good Bank Holiday bet too. Set in 1962 on a glamorous stretch of Italian coastline we meet an American starlet and a hotel keeper. It is, as far as I understand it, a fictional account of the filming of Cleopatra with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. I have read We Live In Water by the same author (review on the way) which is a collection of short stories, some of which are outstanding.
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
If you want to pass the time quickly, you can’t beat a good thriller can you? I have all of Eric Ambler’s books on my shelves, but his most famous is The Mask of Demitrios. I haven’t read this one yet, but Demitrios is a master criminal and the police have been chasing him all over the place to try and catch him. Eventually they do, in that they fish his body out of a river in Istanbul. Privy to all of this is a writer who decides to research this famous criminal and gets in a little too deep. Ambler’s writing has a really claustrophobic feel to it, and that sense of foreboding as we know now that war was on the horizon.
The Mask Of Demitrios by Eric Ambler
Finally, if only to avoid bumping off any visiting relatives, why not vent your murderous thoughts with a good whodunnit? There are lots to choose from, Crispin, Sayers, Rankin to name but a few. Personally, I will be picking up a Christie. My favourite is A Murder is Announced. It has that English village feel which is just right for a bank holiday in the sunshine as you follow Miss Marple and the other suspects from tea shop to church to murder scene. Ignore the terrible cover on this one.
Feed Your Book Addiction 