Catching up

 

- Thankyou to everyone who took part in our informal poll the other day - your comments were very much as I expected. According to your answers, blogs have a great influence on your book buying (or borrowing), far moreso than do print reviews, so let no-one say we don't sell books!

 

- Howard Jacobson was interviewed about his Booker win: "It’s not a prize for effort. It’s not a prize for youth, it’s not a consolation prize for me”, he says vehemently. “It’s a prize for bloody writing. We desperately need it because fewer and fewer people know what writing is. They are not taught it any more. They are not taught to read."

I agree.

 - There were so many lovely comments on cross-generational reading, and my thanks to all and especially to Diane Meier for her contribution. If you read Diane's novel The Season of Second Chances you'll meet the Henry James she refers to in her comment (poor chap!), what she says reminds me that I do like the American way of referring to a dog by both given name and surname; that gets the paw-print of approval from Mollie Howlett, too.

Comments

[Jo]

I have been catching up on your posts all week - but have not had time to comment! So I thought I would comment on the catch up post!

I love the cross generational post - it is something my mum and I have always done. Now my dad is reading a lot more, which is good (as he is very dyslexic) and we can all talk about books!

[Desperate Reader]

My comments don't seem to be appearing but I wanted to say yes and yes to your poll! Yet more evidence:)

[Cornflower]

Thanks, Hayley. Your comment on the poll post is there, it's just on the second page (click the "show more comments" link when you get to the end of the first lot).

[Julie Fredericksen]

See my reply to Diane in your post under cross-generational reading.

[Mary]

A little poking around reveals that about 2/3rds of my reading is now coming from blogs. It might be more but some of my favorite blogs are British and I can't get my hands on the books or at least not at a reasonable price - I'm still waiting for Their Finest Hour and a Half, Penelope Fitzgerald's So I Have Thought of You on Kindle, Tapestry of Love, and others.

I've had people thank me for books I've recommended. That's very gratifying, isn't it. I just put Season of Second Chances on my Kindle. Thanks for mentioning it.