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

Six For Sunday: Yellow

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

This week's  Six for Sunday  topic is "yellow books".  What a cheerful springy color!  I know I could have picked any yellow tomes, but I wanted to be able to share a photo, so I used books I own.

1.  The Whispering Rabbit and Other Stories: Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator (1965)
I'm reusing this book from last week's post, because it was the first one to pop into my mind.  Despite it's well-loved condition, that lovely yellow cover is still bright and cheerful!

2.  Men of Iron by Howard Pyle (1891)
This 1919 edition came from the library's used book sale back in the late 1980s.  The dust jacket is cracking a bit at the spine, but otherwise, it's still in good shape and quite yellow.

3.  The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier (1965)
The color of this original 1965 dust jacket didn't photograph well, but it's a rich goldish-yellow.  Du Maurier is one of my favorite authors.  Her unique plots, excellent writing, and talent for twists make her books fascinating, engrossing, and sometime even unsettling.

4.  Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1883)

This is the 1986 Oxford Pocket Classics edition, a nice range of yellows.  I've never read this book, nor seen a movie version, so I only know what I've picked up through reference in other works.  I don't know that I will ever be moved to read it, but I love this little edition.

5.  The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden (1977)
This lovely little volume is the posthumous printing of British artist Holden's 1906 nature journal, gorgeously illustrated with her drawings.  My 1982 copy is a softcover of a pastel shade of yellow.

6.  The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby  (1997)
Bauby's haunting memoir tells of the stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. He dictated it, letter by letter, by blinking his one responsive eye when his helper spoke the correct next letter.  I was so moved by it, that I gifted it to everyone that year I read it.

So, there are six lovely yellow books from my shelves -- do you own any or have any favorites of that shade?

Six for Sunday: Animals

This week's  Six for Sunday * topic is "books with animals". Now, here's a little fact about me: exposure to Charlotte's Web as a preschooler cured me of any tendency toward wanting to read a book about an animal, and the required reading of Old Yeller in elementary school put the seal on it.  So, if you're looking for a list of those kinds of animal books, you'll not find them here.  Instead, here are six cheerful books, all favorites from my childhood, filled with animals that don't die -- because when it comes to fauna, I do not want to cry.

1.  Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926)

Pooh Bear doesn't need any introduction or explanation.  The complete copy was a gift from a college friend, but the little boxed set was a preschool age Christmas gift from Mom.

2.  The Pig Who Saw Everything written and illustrated by Dick Gackenbach (1978)

Oh my gosh, you guys, I love this book!  I've had this same copy since I was in kindergarten, and it's quite well-loved.  The best part is when the pig sees the truck leaking oil and calls it "oozy droppings".  I'm dying laughing over here just typing it, and you are all just looking at me, eyebrows raised, heads shaking, saying "ooooooh-kay". . .  Just trust me, it's the best exploration book ever!

3.   The Whispering Rabbit and Other Stories: Margaret Wise Brown, author; Garth Williams, illustrator (1965)

I have loved this book so much for so long.  Mom got it for me from the library's used book sale when I was quite young, and I've had to work hard to keep the pages from falling out. There are several poems and two stories all of which are great, especially the one when the little duck throws a little rock, but Williams' illustrations make them even better.

4.  The Bat-Poet: Randall Jarrell, author; Maurice Sendak, illustrator (1964)

Here's another one that came from the library's used book sale when I was a child, and is quite possibly the reason I love bats so much. This is an illustrated chapter book about a bat who sees things differently from his colony, and how he learns to express himself.  Oh, it's a beautiful, beautiful book!

5.  A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond (1958)

I got this in my Easter basket one year, and wore it out reading it over and again.  (This is a second copy.)  I can't make it through the grapefruit-in-the-eye incident without guffawing, even when trying to read it out loud.  What a great book!

6.  Mystery in the Night Woods: Jon Peterson, author; Cyndy Szekeres, illustrator (1969)
Yet another from the used book sale, and one more reason for my love of bats.  This illustrated chapter book is a set of connected short stories about the anthropomorphic residents of the wood, focusing particularly on Flying Squirrel and his friend Bat.  

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

Six for Sunday: Characters With Floral Names

Six for Sunday is a feature by Steph at A Little But A Lot.  This week's actual topic is "favourite women in stories", but having done one similar rather recently, I decided to follow her suggestion and pick an older prompt.  "Characters with floral names" was the topic for this week in 2022, and seemed like a fun one.

• Daisy Dalrymple came to mind quickly.  She stars in an ongoing series of light, historical mysteries written in the cozy style by Carola Dunn.   I've read ten or so of them, and while none are particularly memorable, they are fun and quick.

• In Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide (1944), Poirot works to solve the murder of Rosemary Barton before another take place, with the next intended victim being her sister, Iris Marle.  It's an enjoyable novel (my review here), and though it is an expansion of the basic plot of her short story titled "Yellow Iris", there are enough differences that both can be enjoyed.
  
  
• Elizabeth Fair's six novels have been reintroduced to the reading public rather recently; I discovered her on bookstagram when one of the beautiful new covers caught my eye.  She wrote well, created charming but amusing stories, and had a touch of the Angela Thrikell snarky wit.  I definitely recommend all six.  Seaview House (1955), centers around Edith and Rose, sisters who run a small hotel in an English village.

• Daisy Miller is the center of the eponymously name Henry James novella written in 1878. It is a well-written character study, accessible and alive,  that follows the American Miss Miller during a trip to Switzerland and Italy, which would make a good introduction to James.
  
  
• Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) introduces the reader to Holly Golightly.  Holly has captured the imagination of many, due to Audrey Hepburn's portrayal in the movie version -- a film which is quite different from Capote's work. I genuinely did not care for the novella, and you can read my reasons here.
  
  
• Lily Briscoe features importantly in To the Lighthouse (1927), an excellent example of Virginia Woolf's talents.  I've written some thoughts on this novel here,