For Janice - Books Part 10

It's a beautiful, sunny day today but it's going to be our coldest of the winter. Chilly for us west coasters anyway. Down to -11℃  later on according to the weather network. A cool weekend and then it gets back to a bit warmer and wetter. This weather forecast provided courtesy of a look outside my den window and a walk with the dogs. 

What it looked like before we moved in

I've completed two more books this past week and will do another update in my next post. For today, I'll continue looking at books and book shelves. Moving into the Family room today. It is one of the first rooms we worked on after we moved in. 

Roughly what it looks like now.

The pellet stove and the plinth were removed and we had a gas fireplace installed and a chimney breast. New lighting and new carpeting. There is a new sofa now and more photos on the wall, but it's basically the same.

Here be books.

The TV is in the left  hand cabinet as you look at it and the books are stored in the right hand cabinet. I'll start with. This is an older photo but it gives you an idea. I'll limit myself to the visible books today. The majority of the books here have been read.

Mostly Jo's books

1. 2nd bottom shelf, left side. This is the group of books on the left side, closest to the fire place. You can see that there are more Jane Austen related books, Sanditon which became a TV series and the Jane Austen Book Club, which became a movie. I believe Lady Susan was a more recently discovered book by Austen. Jo does like an autobiography when she settles down to a book. I don't know who bought the Michael Caine book. You can see a couple of design books and The Small Back Room was one I quite enjoyed, about bomb defusers during WWII, a tense fiction story.

Another mix

2. 2nd bottom, middle. Two more Austen related books, Austenland and Pride and Prescience. There is an autobiography by actor / writer Charles Grodin. Bill Bryson is a favorite of ours, he writes on such diverse topics. The Shakespeare book was interesting. I had Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner at university and gave them to my daughter, I think. So when I saw this copy I added it to my collection. 

All Jo's books

3. 2nd bottom, right side. On the left are a collection of design books and on the right are Enid Blyton's St. Clare's book series. Jo had a few still when she came here and over the years, I got the remainder as prezzies.

Some favorites

4. Bottom shelf, left side. This shelf contains mostly books I've enjoyed over the years and have decided I'd like to keep them. The last book in Jo's design series. Some favorite books and authors of mine. From top to bottom - Margaret Millar was a Canadian mystery writer and I've enjoyed her work very much. The Soft Talkers was so good. Next book was turned into an excellent movie back in the 40s, starring Gene Tierney & Dana Andrews. It was based on the book Laura by Vera Caspary. Phyllis Gotlieb is an another Canadian, whose become one of my favorite Sci Fi authors (she is no longer with us but I do have a few of her books still to read). Sunburst was my first exposure. Nevil Shute is one of the great story tellers. Pied Piper is one of my favorites of his. I started reading John Wyndham back in high school. I've read The Day of the Triffids many times and enjoyed the movie and some of the TV mini series base on it. Zola's The Ladies' Paradise is a classic and was turned into a BBC series called The Paradise. Excellent series and a surprisingly enjoyable, interesting book.

Another mix

5. Bottom shelf, middle. After Jo and I got together, I finally read one of Austen's books, that being Sense and Sensibility. It was alright. Shirley Jackson is known for her horror stories, The Lottery, The Haunting. The Bird's Nest was a psychological story about multiple personalities. Last Seen Wearing was an excellent police procedural by Hillary Waugh. You have another Nevil Shute story, this set in newly developing Australia. When I was a kid I remember watching the TV soap based on Peyton Place, in fact had a bit of a crush on Barbara Parkins. Jo and I watched the movie based on the book and then I read the book itself. Quite excellent. I discovered Holly Roth only in the past few years. I love her way of telling a spy story, along the lines of another favorite, Helen MacInnes.

A few more favorites

6. Bottom shelf, right side. Mostly mysteries and fiction. Jo and I found the British Birds books in a antique store and kind of liked it. What else is there. Well, there is another excellent mystery by Margaret Millar with a tense suspense set in California. The Lady Vanishes was turned into an excellent Hitchcock thriller set on a train. The World of Suzie Wong is another book that was turned into a movie and is a romance about an Englishman who falls in love with a prostitute in Hong Kong. Both the movie and story were excellent. A Dram of Poison was by a new author for me, Charlotte Armstrong, but was written in the 1950s. I like discovering new authors. I bought I Am Curious Yellow out of curiosity. I remember reading about the Swedish movie in a Time magazine article when I was a teen. I think it was talking about nudity in movies and plays at that time. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is one of my Top Ten books and gives me the same reaction as To Kill a Mockingbird. It runs the emotional gamut for me. The movie, starring Alan Arkin always affects me. Jo refuses to watch it anymore. Jean Potts is another of those mystery writers from the 50s. Death of a Stray is an excellent murder mystery. The Man with a Cane was also excellent. Two more books; Marnie by Winston Graham. Not my favorite Hitchcock movie but still excellent in both book and movie. And finally, my favorite Nevil Shute story, On the Beach, an anti-nuclear war story that really strikes home. I've read many times. Also a great movie.

What's behind?

So those are the visible book shelves in this cabinet.

😎

How about a teaser. See you next time.