What I’m reading

Normally I would post this on my Book Blog but I thought it might be of general interest as well so I put it here.

I’m never just reading one book at a time.  I usually have half a dozen on the go – partly so that there is a different one for each mood and partly because each time I get a new book I can’t resist dipping into it.  At the moment I have a lot more than half a dozen - I blame the Kindle for that!  Here is what I am exploring at the moment.

Firstly there are some on the Kindle:-

The Bed-Book of Happiness, Being a Colligation or Assemblage of Cheerful Writings brought together from many quarters into this one compass for the diversion, distraction, and delight of those who lie abed, - a friend to the invalid, a companion to the sleepless, an excuse to the tired, by Harold Begbie, 1914.

“It is worth,” said Dr Johnson, “ a thousand pounds a year to have the habit of looking on the bright side of things.” And Harold Begbie explores English literature to provide diverting little stories and extracts.  It’s a real ‘dip-into’ book and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

Death by Darjeeling (A Tea Mystery) by Laura Childs.  I always have to have at least one cosy crime on the go!

The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth.  I came across this when I heard an extract on Radio 4.  It’s a hilarious look at etymology of a wide variety of words.  An essential read for anyone who loves the English language.

Blandings Castle and Elsewhere by P G Wodehouse. My easy-reading when I can’t get to sleep and need something that doesn’t need any great thought to enjoy.  The usual Wodehouse humour.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.  I am only just starting this.  I recently read ‘The Moonstone’ and ‘No Name’.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  Another that I’m only just beginning.

‘Real’ Books (i.e., paperbacks and hardbacks)

Eldest by, Christopher Paolini.  I’m thoroughly enjoying this fantasy novel – the follow up to Eragon in The Inheritance Cycle which I’ve just finished..

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain.  I started this months ago and lost interest but I’m sure I’ll get around to finishing it one day.  What I read I did enjoy so I’m not sure why I put it down.  It’s a sort of 19^th century version of a Bill Bryson travel book.  Very funny but, needless to say, not politically correct by modern day standards.

Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong.  Another one that I started but put down and my bookmark is stuck in page 154.  It’s a great story of a Chinese girl being brought up in a Chinese household in the USA and her attempts to reconcile the two very different cultures.

The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon.  Written a thousand years ago by a lady at the Japanese court it’s a fun book to dip into on sleepless nights.

The Victorians by Jeremy Paxman.  Britain through the paintings of the age. 

Green men and White Swans by Jacqueline Simpson.  The folklore of British Pub names.

Engleby by Sebastian Faulks.  I had just started this when Eragon came along so it got put to one side.

The Oxford Concise Companion to English Literature by Margaret Drabble and Jenny Stringer.  See my blog entry from Wednesday.

Victorian London Street Life in Historic Photos by John Thomson, 1877.  Thid better than most similar books as it delves quite deeply into the background of each of the photos, describing London street life as it was in the 1870s. 

Lost for Words by John Humphreys.  A look at the English language and how it has been mangled in recent times.  I picked up this book by the famous BBC presenter in a charity shop the other day.  A real gem.

Do you read a load of books at the same time?  And what are you reading now (yes, Monica, listening to audio-books counts!).