Top Five Tuesday: Mysterious Houses

  Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Meeghan Reads 

I'm a day late, but yesterday's prompt of "mysterious houses" was too fun to pass up.  Here are five books that I have enjoyed where the houses are mysterious in a variety of ways. 

1. and 2.  Howl's Moving Castle (not pictured) and House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

In Howl, the house has legs and moves about and is a character in it's own right.  In one of the sequels, House of Many Ways, the house has doors that are portals, and is also a most important part of the story.

3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

In this book, the house, Manderley, is full of unsettling secrets and people, an uneasy place that the new Mrs. de Winter learns to dread.

4. Dracula by Bram Stoker

Count Dracula's castle is terrifying place, menacing and deadly.

 

5. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Poor Catherine Morland!  She goes to Northanger Abbey expecting a gothic thrill but the mysterious oud house doesn't give exactly what she was wanting.

Have you read any of these?  Dracula and Rebecca are among my top favorite books of all times, but I recommend any of these five.

Top Ten Tuesday: Topography

 Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is "book covers featuring cool/pretty/unique/etcetera typography".  My focus, as always, is on books that I own so that I can share my original photos and I have some in my collection that are just perfect for this prompt.

1. This first one is a Barnes & Noble collectable edition, and the font is just perfect for the cover.

2. & 3.These next two photos show Canterbury Classics Word Cloud editions, which I love just entirely for the typography! 

  

4. This is a reprinted journal full of drawings, and the font on the front is meant to look like the handwriting in the book.

5.  The sweeping letters of this vintage edition give the feel of flying, to my mind.

6. The title's font is just perfect for this one!  (my review here)

  

7. There is not much that is lovelier than antique covers with gorgeous fonts!

8. This is one of my childhood favorites, and the font style and placement suits it wonderfully.

9. Another childhood favorite with a full-of-character font.

10.  This oversized vintage edition has perfect typography!

What about you?  Do you love fonts and typography, too?  Have you seen any of these editions?  Do you have any favorites of your own?

Shelf Control: The Last Duel by Eric Jager

 Shelf Control is a weekly feature hosted by Literary Potpourri to discuss unread books sitting in our to-be-read piles.

The Last Duel by Eric Jager

I was gifted this book by my good friend Deb years and years ago. Subtitled "A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France", it is so exactly my kind of book.  And yet, it's been sitting there unread for an embarrassing amount of time!  I need to bump it up on my nonfiction tbr, without a doubt!  (Have you read it?)

Top Five Wednesday: Short Books

This week's Top Five Wednesday challenge is to recommend five books that are short, quick reads.  Here are five that I absolutely loved.

1. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey (1932) 119 pages

This novella blew me away when I read it in 2017.  My review can be found here.

2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953) 194 pages 

This book is simply astounding.  If you've not read it, I can't urge you strongly enough to give it a try.

3. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby, translated by Jeremy Leggatt (1997)  132 pages

This memoir was written by a man with locked-in syndrome, who dictated it, letter by letter, by blinking his one eye when his helper reached the correct letter.  It's a quick, deeply emotional read that I recommend wholeheartedly. I loved it enough that I gave copies to everyone for Christmas the year I first read it

4.  A Room with a View by E. M. Forster (1908)  119 pages

This is one of my favorite classics and I reread it often.  It's an unforgettable coming-of-age story, novel of manners, character study, and romance that is well worth reading.

5. The Householder by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1960)  192 pages

This is another coming of age story, exquisitely written, insightful and perceptive, and simply fantastic.  My 2018 review can be found here. 

Shelf Control: Trains and Buttered Toast

Shelf Control is a weekly feature hosted by Literary Potpourri to discuss unread books sitting in our to-be-read piles.

I saw this one someone's Bookstagram account (my account is here) back in 2019 and fell for the title. I had never read anything by Betjeman (Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death in 1984), so wasn't sure what to expect.   Turns out, he was also an influential broadcaster, and this is a collection of broadcasts that he made from the 1930s to the 1950s. 

I've yet to read it, but do intend to. With my Anglophilia and my love of that time period, I think it would be right down my alley!

Top Five Wednesday: Wild Animals

This week's Top Five Wednesday challenge is to list five books either about wild animals, or with them on the cover.  When I went looking for five from my shelves that at least somewhat fit the challenge, all I could find were children's books with anthropomorphic animals.  I don't feel that this is exactly what the challenge creator intended, but. . . It fits me. 

The Bat Poet by Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

This came from the library used book sale when I was a preteen and started my love of bats.  It's beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated.

Aesop's Fables

I read Mom's copy over and over again as a preteen, and when I saw this lovely edition at a book warehouse about twenty years ago, I had to snag it.

The Whispering Rabbit and Other Stories by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Garth Williams and Lillian Obligado

This is another treasure from the library used book sale.  I was still an elementary school student when I got this, and I've read it to pieces over the years.  There are two delightful stories (The Egg Book is my favorite) and some charming poems.  I've even used it with one of my students with autism years ago and he loved the poetry.  If you ever come across this gem, snap it up!

Mystery in the Night Wood by John Lawrence Peterson, illustrated Cyndy Szekeres 

Oh what a fun book!  As you can tell, it's another library used book sale find when I was a kid.  This was one of the first mysteries I ever read and I loved it so much.  (And what wonderful illustrations!)

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne, illustrated by E. H. Shepard

This is a classic that needs no explanation.  I became a fan in college and this gorgeous edition was gifted to me by best friend at the time.  It's full of such precious stories.

So, how about you?  Do you have any books the would fit the challenge?  Or some treasures like these?

Top Ten Tuesday: Animals

 Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

 

Today's Top Ten Tuesday challenge is to post ten books with animals on the cover or in the titles.  I narrowed this down to books in my personal library, so that I could post my own photos, and came up with five on the cover and five in the title.

Aesop's Fables by Aesop (6th Century BC)

This was a obvious choice, especially since I have such a gorgeous edition!  

Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe (published between 1827 and 1849)

How could a collected edition of Poe's stories NOT have a raven on the cover? 

The Loved One: An Anglo-American Tragedy (1948) by Evelyn Waugh

Waugh is a master of the satire, and this short novel about pet morticians is a prime example.  His black humor won't be for everyone, but I find him fantastic. (It's hard to see from this photo, but there are statues of both a cat and dog on the cover.)

Unexpected Magic (2004) by Diana Wynne Jones

Jones wrote delightful fantasy for children and adults.  I prefer her novel-length tales, but her short stories are still well worth reading.

The Water of the Wonderous Isles (1897) by William Morris

More famous for his textile designs, Morris was also an author of poetry, novels, and essays, whose fantasy influenced the modern genre.  I've not read this one, though I have read and enjoyed The Well at the World's End (1896).

The Tiger in the Smoke (1952) and Cargo of Eagles (1968) by Margery Allingham

The Tiger in the Smoke is my favorite of Allingham's mystery/adventure novels.  It was moving, tense, and well-written.  I can't remember anything about Cargo of Eagles, and though I thought I'd read all her Campion stories, I'm not certain that I did read this one.  (Don't you just love these Penguin editions?!)

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950), The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951), and Cat Among the Pigeons (1959) by Agatha Christie

Dame Christie wraps up the list with three of her later mysteries.  I don't remember much about the two collections, but found Cat Among the Pigeons to be a five-star read.

Six for Sunday: Delicious

This week's  Six for Sunday * topic is "delicious books" in honor of Easter treats.  Isn't that a fun topic?!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1964)
This was the first that came to mind.  I read it many times as a child, fascinated by all the candy descriptions.  I reread it in 2005, prior to watching the Johnny Depp version (which, while good, was no match for Gene Wilder's).  I remember that I enjoyed the book, but didn't find it as magical as I had as a kid.  Regardless, when thinking of delicious books, this is a must! 

Charlie, by Joseph Schindelman, from the first U.S. edition.

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky (2002)

Kurlansky's premise, according to the blurb, is to show the ways that salt has shaped civilization.  This has been on my to-be-read shelf for a few years now, so I can't say if it's a good read or not, but to me, it sounds fascinating. 

The Taste of Conquest: The Rise and Fall of the Three Great Cities of Spice by Michael Krondl (2007)

In this book, Krondl focuses on Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam and their place in the exotic spice trade.  I've not read this one either, but have some background knowledge of the importance of Eastern spices to the Western world, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

Stalking the Wild Asparagus (1962) and Stalking the Healthful Herbs (1966) by Euell Gibbons

Gibbons, a favorite of my Mom, was an outdoorsman who promoted foraging for wild foods, with recipes and how-to information.  Most of what I know about these books was learned second-hand in childhood as tidbits from Mom.  When I saw these two at the used bookstore, I got super excited to be able to have my own copies!  

The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (published 1954 and 1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien 

How can I one discuss food in books without thinking of all the yummy meals eaten by Hobbits?

*Six for Sunday is a feature by Steph at A Little But A Lot

Top Five Wednesdays: Friendship

This week's Top Five Wednesday challenge is to celebrate some great literary friendships!  Here are the ones that first sprang to my mind.

The Bob-Whites of the Glen
The Trixie Belden series: originally authored by Julie Campbell, later by the Western Publishing in-house writers under the pseudonym of Kathryn Kenny.  (published between 1948 and 1986)

I didn't have a large circle of friends when I was young, so I was always so jealous of Trixie and hers.  I still think it would have been incredibly fun to belong to a "club" and do things as a group.

Holmes and Watson

The Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle (published between 1887 and 1927)

If you've visited this blog much, you'll know my love of Holmes.  This friendship is important for the misanthropic Holmes, as he doesn't exactly make friends easily.  While he often dismisses Watson's intelligence and input, he needs Watson's companionship.  

Anne and Diana

Anne of Green Gables (1908) and Anne of Avonlea (1909), by Lucy Maude Montgomery 

This is such a sweet friendship, and though they realistically grow apart as they mature, they always have a special place in the other's heart.  I love the entire series, but especially the first books.

Bilbo and Gandalf 

The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (published 1954 and 1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien

Gandalf is an excellent friend to Bilbo.  He knows what the Hobbit needs, be it an adventure or saving from the power of the One Ring.  In return, he has a true and devoted friend in Bilbo.

Lorelei and Dorothy

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925) by Anita Loos

I don't know that either lady is particularly good for the other, but my, don't they have quite the adventures?!  If you've seen the movie, you really should read the book; if you haven't, but like the 1920s, it's a definite must-read. I laughed out-loud just reading my review.