Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for April, 2018…

Behind the Lines, by A. A. Milne – I have only ever read Milne’s children’s work – Winnie-the-Pooh and progeny – but have been wanting to read some of his writing for adults for a very long time.  When I saw (on a book blog, and I can never remember which) this book of poems about Milne’s experience on the home front during the first nine months of World War II, I snapped it up.  All the quintessential Milne whimsy is present, but the themes are all grown up.  (For a sample, look no further than one of my poetry Friday posts – here.)

Consider the Years, by Virginia Graham – Looks like I started April on a WWII poetry kick.  Consider the Years arrived, wrapped in brown paper, straight from Persephone Books in London and just in time for National Poetry Month.  I loved Graham’s lyrical writing and evocative choice of subjects – so much that I chose one of the poems in the collection, Evening, to feature as part of my tribute to National Poetry Month (read it here).  Graham herself was a fascinating woman, as described in the introduction, and her poetry was a delight; I ripped through the collection whilst berating myself to slow down and savor.

84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff – People have been telling me to read this book for literally years, and I am so very glad that I finally picked it up.  I had a pretty red edition from Slightly Foxed, which enhanced the reading experience – but really, no enhancement is needed, because the book is enchanting.  Hanff’s decades-long correspondence with all the staff of a London used bookshop is just a delight to read (and inspired me to get out my pen and writing paper – Katie, a letter is coming your way).

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, by Helene Hanff – 84, Charing Cross Road is a touch bittersweet, because a recurring theme is Hanff’s desire to travel to London (she lives in New York) to meet her friends, but her continuing financial straits make her unable to do so before Frank, her primary correspondent, passes away.  The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is Hanff’s journal from her decades-in-the-making trip to London (for the launch of 84) and it’s delightful, naturally, but with an undercurrent of sadness as she never was able to meet Frank in person.

It’s Hard to be Hip Over Thirty, and Other Tragedies of Married Life, by Judith Viorst – Another Persephone poetry pick for April!  I liked this, although not as much as Consider the Years.  Viorst is funny, punchy, and a bit sour – and while many of her poems about marriage are a bit rooted in the 1950s and ’60s, they’re still plenty of fun.  There’s an element of discontent that runs though the collection, though, and at the end I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it.  Still enjoyed the reading experience, and I’m sure I’ll come back to it – but yes, a bit sour from time to time.

Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente – I’d been looking forward to this one for months; pre-ordered it and was delighted to find it on my doorstep on release day.  “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Eurovision” was the tagline and – do you really need to know any more than that?  If so, know this – it was glam, glittery, weird, hilarious, kooky, heartfelt, sad, sweet, absurd, and there is lipstick and a dirt bar and a “sexy C-3PO costume,” so you’ll probably just want to go read this one.  Also, if you do, let me know, because WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CHAPTER 29.

My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, by Pamela Paul – First off, if you’re less astute than I am and you’re wondering who Bob is, Bob is literally the author’s “Book of Books.”  Get it?  So, I heard about this on the Tea Reads podcast episode about bibliomemoirs and the title alone was enough for me to reserve a copy at the library.  The title is, however, just the beginning of the charm.  Paul is a delightful and funny “flawed heroine” and while our reading tastes do occasionally diverge, she’s a charming writer who has had several people’s share of adventure – always with a book in her bag.

Slightly Foxed No. 57: A Crowning Achievement, ed. Gail Pirkis – It’s always a cause for great glee and rejoicing when the current issue of Slightly Foxed arrives in my mailbox.  I’m also slowly reading my way through the back issues, but this was the spring 2018 issue and it was a good ‘un.  Highlights were Laura Freeman on A. A. Milne’s memoir It’s Too Late Now (which sounds both charming and heartbreaking) and Roger Hudson on the letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (sadly out of print, but I’m hunting for a reasonably priced secondhand copy – so far, no joy).  No matter what, a new Slightly Foxed is always a treat.

Life in the Garden, by Penelope Lively – I have Slightly Foxed to thank for this one, too – I’d seen the book pop up here and there on Instagram but thought it looked like a novelty book and didn’t give it much attention until the Foxes profiled it alongside A Late Beginner (which I own and for which Lively contributed the introduction).  That was enough to induce me to research and I discovered that it was a literary and historical exploration of gardens in culture, with the author’s memories of the gardens she has known woven in.  Sold.  Plus – just look how gorgeous.  Clearly, I needed this on my shelf, and it was a lovely and ruminative spring read.

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen – I read this for my book club; it was my choice and I’m a little nervous about how it will be received (but I’ll find out when we meet tonight).  But for me at least, Northanger Abbey will always be a favorite – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it; it’s my second most-beloved of Austen’s novels (nothing can touch Pride and Prejudice, but Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney hold a cherished place in my heart).  I love the story of Catherine’s overactive imagination and her fighting off frenemies and toxic males to find real sympathy in the Tilney siblings.

Clearly, my goal to read fewer books continues to go just swimmingly – ha.  It’s fine, though.  I’m delighted with everything I read this month – there was poetry, there was an issue of Slightly Foxed, there was gardening and classic lit and electric guitars in space.  I can’t really see that anything is missing, can you?  I have some fun spring reads planned for May, so check back in with me.