Morning everyone! I usually try and write my Weekend Miscellanies in advance, so that they appear on the dot of midnight, but I was at a friend's house yesterday evening and too zonked to write anything when I got back. And, prepare yourself, today's post is quite self-indulgent... I was going to be bashful and modest, but... no, I'll try that next year instead.
1.) Spangle very kindly asked me to participate in a series on her blog called Chapters In My Life. As with the My Life in Books series I ran in March/April, we were both inspired by the My Life in Books TV programme. I chose five books which were important during my life, and which have led to my current reading tastes. I also tried to steer clear of my normal answers to such things, so there is nary a mention of Miss Hargreaves! You can read it here, and see the others in Spangle's series here. As a sneak peak, my first choice is Enid Blyton's Five Get Into Trouble, but I now have a suspicion that I chose the wrong book... Our Vicar? Our Vicar's Wife?2.) A teensy bit of trumpet-blowing, but trumpet-blowing occasioned by surprise and delight - according to Wikio, I am now top of their ranking of UK literary blogs! I know these things are only a bit of fun, and I'll probably have dropped to no.93 by next month, but I couldn't help being rather pleased.
3.) A now a bit of fun - a great quiz I happened upon called Shakespeare or Batman? Not as easy as it sounds... I got 20/30, which is the worst score of anybody I know. Great.4.) Slightly Foxed's beautiful little limited edition hardbacks have proved so popular that they're going to reprint their bestselling titles in paperback form. More info here; the first will be Mr. Tibbits's Catholic School by Ysenda Maxtone Graham. Anybody read it?
5.) To most of us, Elizabeth von Arnim is far from being a neglected author (she appears on my 50 Books list, for goodness' sake - what greater acclaim IS there??) but a mention in Downton Abbey a few weeks ago has apparently created something of a resurgence of interest. A lovely little article here. And a confession from me that I'm three episodes behind with Downton...
