So different

Same place, more books . . . but oh so different!

This morning I had to return to the Eye Hospital in Kendal for a follow up to my cataract operation. (My local optometrist thought from the scans that there was a slight swelling and wanted it checked out.) On the way out I remembered that there would be a lot of waiting around and my current book was too big to carry about, so I picked up the copy of ‘Slightly Foxed’ which arrived a few days ago and slipped that into my bag.

‘Slightly Foxed’ is a quarterly magazine made up of articles by writers and others talking about books from the past. I don’t always have a subscription, but was given this year’s as a Christmas gift. It was just right - I could happily dip into it between tests and scans etc. (There doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about, but I’m on more eye drops and will go back again in a few weeks).

So my perusal took me back in time to ‘Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’ both of which I remembered reading with great enjoyment a long time ago. I found old copies on my shelves and plan to read them.

This reminded me of ‘Backlisted’ which Blipper Veronica mentioned a while back and which a few people have talked about recently. It’s a series of delightful podcasts where a few people discuss books from the past that they really enjoy and want to share with others - ‘Old Books for New Readers’. I recommend this website - it’s brilliant. This got me thinking of Anita Brookner, remembering how I used to read her books many years ago. To my surprise I found a shelf full of them. Those are now on my reading list.

https://www.backlisted.fm