Wednesday's Book

Before I start on my new project, let me welcome Polly's Path a new follower of my blog. And I'm thrilled to have found yet another animal caregiver, who works hard to save a newborn goat's life and also finds a new puppy while hubby is away. Or maybe, the puppy found her, as puppies will do. Check out her blog, it's delightful.

I have no idea how this will work, but I've decided to set aside Wednesdays to write about books I've read recently. I have always been a reader. I remember my dad taking me to the library when I was a kid and how I just loved everything about it, the smell, the feel of a book, the anticipation of what would be inside that red cover. Yes, all the books in the Stockholm library system were red back then. And I still feel that same excitement today when I enter a bookstore or go to the library. I'm not going to say that a Kindle wouldn't be for me, just that I love to hold and read a "real" book.

This will be a challenge for me and a bit of a scary project. I'll probably only write about the books I liked. Because the ones I don't like I won't read. Some of those I may put away for later and I may change my mind, as I give them a second chance. That's what happened with Christine Falls, the book I'm reading now.

I will begin this journey with the books I've read since my accident. That will give me a few to get started with.

The first book is an autobiography by a very special author:

Time To Be In Earnest

a fragment of an autobiography

by P. D. James

One of my favorite writers of detective novels, or as I learned from her, mysteries here in the US, P. D. James is the only author I read with a dictionary close by. There I am, reading about a murder in East Anglia, and I know from experience that I will encounter a word I'll need to look up. I love that about her -- she truly makes you see the beauty of the English language, a second language for me, but one that I love.

P. D. James began this book in 1997, on her 77th birthday, and kept it as a diary of her 77th year. She used the diary format to look back on her life, while writing about her current life during that year. An unusual approach to writing an autobiography, but one that I found to be an enjoyable and satisfying read. She writes so well about an interesting life and a very full year: Completing a book, promoting the book, traveling, attending events, spending time with many friends, often traveling with them, and so on. I love to see how she manages all that at 77. I used to read her books years ago. When I found many at our local library, I started to read them again and also read some new ones. I enjoy books that bring England and especially London back to me.

This book was a gift from my friend, Jane. (We pass books back and forth, but recently she's been sending me many, something I'm so grateful for.)