Looking forward to ...

    ... a new BBC series, The Secret Life of Books. I haven't seen a transmission date for this, but it's to be on BBC Four and will be "examining original texts, manuscripts, letters and diaries to uncover the story behind the creation of six classic books". Presenters include Simon Russell Beale on Shakespeare's First Folio, and the excellent Dr. Alexandra Harris (see this post) on Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.

    ... The Golden Age of Murder (to be published in May, 2015) in which Martin Edwards looks at how Agatha Christie and her contemporaries revolutionised crime writing: "This ground-breaking study of detective fiction from between the wars captures how the social and political turbulence of the times impacted on authors and the appetites of their readers. Martin’s revelations about many of these colourful and turbulent writers, whose risky private lives inspired their more daring novels, provide a whole new insight into the generation of authors who created the prototypes for books we all still love today."

    ... discovering some of the books you've mentioned in the book bag post. Among them,  Madeleine L'Engle's journals, Edith Pearlman's short stories and William Trevor's (the only book of his I've read so far is The Story of Lucy Gault, which I loved), and Charles Palliser's The Quincunx (which happens to be here on the shelf). Many thanks for a wealth of suggestions for future reading, whether at home or away.

Comments

[Ravingreader.wordpress.com]

If you're not sure where to pick up in William Trevor's books, I've just finished "Felicia's Journey" -- fast read, great story, unpredictable ending. I loved it, and it's been made into a 1999 film with Bob Hoskins.

[Terra]

I read the 4 Madeleine L'Engle journals and still have them, thinking to read them again. I treasure two notes she sent me.

[Cornflower]

How lovely!

[Cornflower]

Many thanks, Ravingreader.

[Mary]

I'm sure you'd love William Trevor's Reading Turgenev. Now I think of it, I really must re-ead it myself.
I saw the Mrs Dalloway programme the other day, highly recommended.

[Claire]

Thank you for the heads up on that, I'll look out for these programmes. Mrs Dalloway a favourite of mine, recently re-read for third time. I would second the recommendation of Felicia's Journey - my only William Trevor read. Lucy Gault has been on my list for a long time.

[Cornflower]

Glad to hear that. Thanks, Mary.

[Cornflower]

Can't think why I haven't yet read more of WT as Lucy Gault was so good.