A Little New Year's Book Haul

Oh those Boxing Day sales.  So tempting.  It's hard not to just have an eensy weensy peek to see if there's anything on offer that I cannot live without.  A little look won't hurt anything, right?  When that website is BookOutlet, it can hurt my wallet a bit.  However, not enough for me not to check it out.  Having found a few goodies, I couldn't resist placing a little order - getting some books for myself that I didn't receive during the holidays.  Here's the glorious haul (cue the angelic choir) -

•  A Manual for Cleaning Women, by Lucia Berlin
• Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman
• The Blazing World, by Siri Hustvedt
• The Summer Without Men, by Siri Hustvedt
• Living Thinking Looking, by Siri Hustvedt
• The Shaking Woman or a History of My Nerves, by Siri Hustvedt
• Dance to the Piper, by Agnes De Mille

Also exciting were the January Book of the Month selections, which were available bright and early on the first of the month.  Of the five available choices, I picked the short story collection Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh.  I have yet to read her novel Eileen, but I am interested to see what she does in the short story medium.  I had an extra book credit to use, as part of their Black Friday promotion that got me to join in the first place, so used it on one of last month's picks - Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller.  This will be my first time reading any Fuller, and I'm intrigued!  There was an extra-special surprise in there as well, an exclusive BOTM edition of Gillian Flynn's novella The Grownup.  I suspect that this was included because the company has only just made available a special reprint edition of Flynn's 2009 book Dark Places.  I had no idea this little book was being added to my order, and I'm interested to see what kind of story it has to tell!

Gillian Flynn's book is hidden behind that little jacket-wrapper.

• Swimming Lessons, by Claire Fuller
• Homesick for Another World, by Ottessa Moshfegh
• The Grownup, by Gillian Flynn

Lastly, I couldn't help making a small order from The Strand in NYC.  I only get up to the city once or twice a year, so I do most of my book buying online.  I'm especially excited by their signed new editions and huge selection of used books.  When I'm feeling the urge for more beautiful Persephone Books, but not flush enough to make a purchase directly from them, I turn to The Strand.  They don't always have Persephones in stock, but they do from time to time, and I stalk their site and usually make a purchase when they have some in stock that I want to add to my burgeoning library.  Here's what I found this time around -

• Paris I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down, by Rosencrantz Baldwin
• They Can't Ration These, by Vicomte de Mauduit
•  Plats du Jour, by Patience Gray and Primrose Boyd

I'm excited to get to reading these - maybe even this weekend!




Librorum annis

A Bookish Unboxing (un-enveloping) - The Persephone Diary for 2017

September is rounding the bend toward October, which means that soon there will be only three months left in the year.  While some people are drawn toward all things pumpkin spice, my thoughts move toward...stationery.  There's something about the crispness in the air, the renewal of the academic year, and the wearing of cosy duds that gets me into a reflective mood.  Autumn is the time of year that I write letters to people, instead of emails or social media posts.  It's also when I start looking for the next year's planner.

When Persephone Books announced that they would have a 2017 Diary available, I knew immediately that it would be the one for me.  As a burgeoning lover of their aesthetic, as well as their re-published literature, it was an easy decision to make!  Another tick in the Pros column was the discounted price, which was only available through the end of September.  I decided not to dilly-dally, and placed my order straight away.  Including shipping charges, the diary cost right around $25; I ordered mine straightaway.  One week later, I came home to this -

 

Ooooh look at the pristine, luxurious, dove grey cover!

Pulling out the diary, it looks exactly like one of Persephone's traditionally-published books.   The one obvious difference is that, here, a sewn-in, ribbon bookmark is included instead of a paper one that you would receive with the grey editions.  I expect to tote this planner around with me a great deal in 2017, so it's nice not to have to worry about losing the bookmark.

I do wonder why Persephone chose blue ribbon.  With the grey cover, white title card, and black/grey colophon, the blue seems terribly out of place.  A very small gripe, but there it is.  Now back to the positives!

The contents include the same high quality paper, the same thoughtfulness in the details, and the gorgeous endpapers from all 120 books that will be published by the end of 2016. Here are a few particular examples...

Someone at a Distance.  I do wish we had Bank Holidays like they do in the UK.  Le sigh.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.  A lovely bouquet is so fitting for Valentine's Day week.

In the final pages, you'll find endpapers for the three Persephone books that will be published later in 2016 - Every Good Deed and Other Stories, Long Live Great Bardfield, and Madame Solario.  I won't spoil them here, but rest assured that they on equal loveliness footing as the other 117 selections.  There are also a few pages set aside for notes and other scribblings.

The 2017 diary endpapers from the forthcoming Madame Solario

Whilst the Persephone Books 2017 diary is a bit weightier than other, more conventional options, I will absolutely carry it with me.  It is a gift to myself that I shall treasure throughout the year, even during those times when stationery isn't at the forefront of my thoughts.



Librorum annis