I'm in England now, having jaunted across last night in order to visit my best friend Katy at Oxford, celebrate the completion of her doctoral dissertation ("Felix Fabri and His Audiences: the Pilgrimage Writings of a Dominican Preacher in Late-Medieval Germany"), and meet her charming anarchist fiance Josh. Last night at the airport I realized I hadn't packed properly for the trip -- by which I mean that of the four books I brought with me, I hadn't brought one I was really eager to read, something that would help me survive the many traveling hours ahead; nor could I come up with an appropriate title that might fit the bill. Then I thought "Oh! The Sea of Monsters!" and virtually ran to the airport bookstore to see if I could secure it (the sequel to The Lightning Thief). No such luck, but I did spy Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I knew Katy hadn't read; so I bought the paperback, reread it myself on the plane (practically purring with pure prose pleasure -- glory, I love Susanna Clarke's writing*), and gave it to Katy with her congratulations-on-finishing-your-thesis gifts this afternoon. And now I'm here and I can raid her bookshelves* for the next five days. Hurrah!
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* And per the ad in the back, she has a short-story collection coming out this fall! The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, Sept. 2006.
** This likely includes a reread of Gaudy Night at some point, given that Oxford always puts me in the mood for it and I got to visit a real SCR this afternoon.
Friday, September 15, 2006
A Book Emergency Averted
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Have a great time in England,
ReplyDeleteand travel safely home
:)
It should be beautiful over there right now!
Margaret :)
Ooh, Gaudy Night is SUCH a lovely book. Enjoy Oxford!
ReplyDeleteOooh - my homeland. What a fantastic and magical place. Enjoy it and soak up the atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteK :)
Ow - I just got back from two weeks in England and I'm homesick for it already. I was born in the wrong country. Have a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteReading Gaudy Night in Oxford - what could be more perfect? I just got back from England this week and found myself quoting Lord Peter when I was there. And we ate at Fortnum & Mason's, because every English mystery seemed to have someone bringing a hamper from Fortnum & Mason's to a picnic.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was there, I started reading Anna Quindlen's "Imagined London," and I highly recommend it for all lovers of London and books.
I've never been to England. One day.
ReplyDeleteColl
Don't just drop hints of touring a SCR without elaborating! What was it like? Noisy? Beautiful? Full of old oak paneling and musty smells?
ReplyDeleteOnce on a trip to England I went to Cambridge just to rent a punt. It is a lot harder than it looks! The poles are really long and heavy and wet!
Here's hoping that you have an amazing time and meet a nice grad student who speaks piffle,
Best,
Marilyn
Wow, Thursday night... we were traveling to London at the exact same time (only I from Providence, not NY). Small world :)
ReplyDeleteJoan
Zero. Sympathy. None whatsoever. So there.
ReplyDelete