Classic Fiction

I've not read a book in ages.  In need of some healthy escapism between book pages, I took myself off to the library to seek out a book by Charles Dickens.  I was looking for 'A Christmas Carol' for although I know the story and have seen the film versions, I have never read the book.

Better than finding 'A Christmas Carol', I found a book called Dickens at Christmas which not only contained A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Battle of life, The Cricket on the Hearth and The Haunted Man but also stories that he wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals.

I was going to start to read the book on December 1st on the lead up to Christmas, but knowing how slow I read and the fact that I only have it loaned for 3 weeks (it has been reserved) I am going to start to read it tonight.

Increasing Knowledge

I am not an academic or an intellectual and yet I am always striving to be better informed.  I love knowledge for knowledge's sake and seek out information where I have a gap in knowledge about things that I am interested in.  I love to seek out classical fiction by great writers such as Hardy and am about to embark on reading Far from the Madding Crowd (which is currently on at cinemas in the UK).  I am also looking forward to reading A Brief Guide to Philosophical Classics  - which according to the front cover is - 'philosophy without the boring bits'. 

From time to time I dip into a book called Sort Your Brain Out by Dr Jack Lewis and Adrian Webster.  It is about boosting your performance, managing stress and achieving more by adapting, training and exercising your brain on a daily basis.  It is full of stuff you need to know and stuff that one never needs to know such as;

 ' if your skull was used as a drinking vessel it could hold about 3 pints.' 

 I am not likely to forget that trivial piece of information now!

Talking of triviality,  I made some mini coat hangers out paper clips after seeing a tutorial on pinterest.  I have absolutely no purpose for them and yet they make me feel happy just looking at them and I have no idea why.  Yes, the brain does work in some strange and fascinating ways.

On the Verge

These wildflowers line the verge around Forty Hall Country Park.  Purposefully sown by volunteers, they look like they have been there for centuries.  Talking of being 'on the verge'  I feel as though I am on the verge of something right now.  I am not sure what it is or where I am going but life has just got interesting again.

I have recently discovered historical fiction.  I never thought I would enjoy this genre (apart from Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'urberville's, oh and The Grape's of Wrath by John Steinbeck), until I read 'the Apothecary's Daughter' by Charlotte Betts.  Set in London in the 17th Century,  I was transported to the time of the plague and the Great Fire of London.  I could almost smell the stench of the plague pit and of London burning.  A wonderful page turner of a book that I didn't want to end.  The author read Samuel Pepys diary which allowed her a peep into restoration London and an understanding of life at that time.  I must now seek out Pepys diary to read myself.

As of 1st July I am going to be extra busy so I may not get around to commenting on blogs so much but I will still be reading them as and when I can.  In the meantime, can you recommend some good historical fiction for me to 'get my teeth' into?