Thursday, May 14, 2015

May Update





Any thoughts I may have had that May would be a quiet month I soon discovered was mere wishful thinking and so far the month has been very busy with a mix of both sad and happy times

At the beginning of last week Hubby's sister-in-law passed away after a long illness . 

We returned home from that sad farewell as our daughter and family arrived for a four day visit ending on Sunday with a lovely Mother's Day lunch outing. 

Then the computer which I've known for some time was failing fast chose the weekend for its swan song (disaster!) and for the sake of my sanity buying a new one was top priority. Fortunately the service from the store was fantastic and they came and installed it immediately.

More sad stuff yesterday as we had to say goodbye to our lovely old cat - so many times we've been through this but it never gets any easier. 

Today the newly widowed brother-in-law arrives to stay with us for a while and I'm hoping the brothers will entertain themselves and I can get back to some semblance of normality. The last ten days have been an emotional roller coaster and I'm feeling just a bit frazzled.

Virginia Woolf by Vanessa Bell
Blogging there has been none but reading when I can. Before chaos descended I finished Vanessa and her Sister by Priya Parmar which I loved. It is the story of the Stephen sisters, Vanessa and Virginia, told from Vanessa's perspective and being set in the early 1900's gives a very interesting glimpse of the young Bloomsbury set before any of them became famous.
Read Jane's review. 

Also finished The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife, and the Missing Corpse by Piu Marie Eatwell, a non-fiction account of the Druce-Portland affair ' one of the most notorious, tangled and bizarre legal cases of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.' Perfect non-fiction - as easy and entertaining to read as fiction while still being aware of the meticulous research the author has done. Enjoyed it immensely.

Keeping up with reading Beowulf for Cleo's readalong
- loving it and the challenge of actually having to think about what I'm reading.  

Currently reading:


The Kill by Emile Zola 
The Long Fall by Julia Crouch - bedtime psychological thriller

On the Horizon:


 
I am so behind in everything I'd planned for May but don't want the pressure of trying to play catch-up so will read what takes my fancy and not worry about any of it!


10 comments:

  1. I recently finished Dr Thorne and enjoyed it. And I just got an advance copy of The Dead Duke, can't wait to read it (after I finish my multiple May/June obligations)! Glad you can ignore the pressure and just have fun.

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    1. Poor Dr Thorne has been waiting so long for my return and I think I may have to start at the beginning agaiin - next week, hopefully.

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  2. Oh Cat, I'm so sorry to hear about all your troubles. I hope things settle down soon and that there are bright skies ahead!

    There are quite a few books on your list which we have in common. If you hurry up with The Kill, you could move on to the next one, Money, which I'm reading at the moment. I read Summer last summer (how appropriate!) and I finished Dr. Thorne and am ready to start Framley Parsonage.

    I'm so glad you're enjoying the Beowulf read-along. I've had so many wonderful comments that have really made me think and therefore, get so much more out of the read!

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    1. Thanks Cleo - sometimes everything does happen all at once. I should finish The Kill very soon but I think Money will have to wait until I've caught up with other reading.

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  3. I'm sorry you've had such a difficult month, but I hope that your books have been as therapeutic as these things can be. I loved The Dead Duke too and I hear great things about Doctor Thorne, though I plan to read a few more standalone Trollopes before I visit Barsetshire.

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    1. Books are always there fortunately - definitely therapeutic. I really want to finish the Barsetshire series this year and am determined to finish Dr Thorne this month. Then I will feel I'm making progress.

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  4. It does sound like May has been a challenging month, already. I hope the rest of the month will be more peaceful. I cannot wait to get my hands on the Eatwell book!

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    1. I am hoping for peace and quiet with lots of reading and blogging.

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  5. I'm sorry for the heartache this month has brought and certainly hope the last couple of weeks will be easier. Doctor Thorne may be just the thing for you now... it is delightful!

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    1. Thanks, JoAnn - hard when too much happens at once. As soon as I finish with Zola I'll be back with Dr Thorne - I'm sure Trollope will be just the thing.

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