My Finds at a July Book Sale

At a recent library book sale I wen to I found a whole bundle of books that I'm very excited about! I devoured their tables labeled "Antique" and "Literature". I'm so pleased to add to my small collection of classics!

Take a closer look at my finds:

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I've really been wanting to try reading one of Wilkie Collins' mystery novels so I was excited when I found this like new Oxford World's Classics edition of The Moonstone. It's 522 pages long and much less thick than the volume of The Woman In White that I had considered purchasing at a local bookstore recently. This fact is good because I tend to get discouraged in the first few chapters if the book is too long. This I'm going to enjoy reading!

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

I've really been wanting to acquire my own C.S. Lewis books lately. I have all of The Chronicles of Narnia books but wanted my own copy of Mere Christianity and Surprised By Joy. My father has an audiobook of C.S. Lewis reading excerpts from 'The Four Loves' which I enjoyed listening to as part of my high school curriculum. So I was delighted when I found this Harvest Books paperback edition of The Four Loves and knew I had to take it home! In this book C.S. Lewis explains the four basic kinds of love and the Greek words for love used in the Bible. A must read for any Christian!

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

I really enjoyed watching The Barchester Chronicles TV series based on Anthony Trollope's books The Warden and Barchester Towers. So I've been wanting to try reading some Trollope and I think reading a story of Barchester is the best way to start! Even though this is the second book it will help that I have seen the TV series and know the basic story. This volume is older but the spine looks like it's barely been cracked! 

There was also a lovely set of Anthony Trollope's The Pallisers series. Unfortunately I didn't have enough money to buy all of them, also I don't know the story at all. 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Dickens' novels is something else I've really been wanting to add to my collection. I really don't know the story of A Tale of Two Cities and film adaptations are difficult to put one's hands on so I'll be glad to read the book for myself. 

At the sale there were about 20 copies of A Christmas Carol which I've read and one day I want to own my own copy, preferably illustrated. Also I found a paperback version of Bleak House and a large hardcover illustrated edition of Martin Chuzzlewit all of which I wish I'd had money to buy as well. But I decided that I might not read them because they are very long.

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

This is another book that I've been wanting to try reading. I found several copies of Ivanhoe at the sale but this Signet Classics edition looks brand new! 

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

I enjoy the story of The Scarlet Pimpernel so when I found this interesting volume on the "Youth" table I was delighted! It says it's complete and unabridged but I can't remember if the story was originally written in another language or not. 

Now, this last book was my find of the day and my newest prized possession! I found this beauty on the "Antique" books table among similar books that aren't so weren't so well taken care of. 

This is what I saw first and it piqued my interest "Tennyson's Poetical Works". I immediately snapped it up and examined it closely!

The Poetical Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson

Just wow! This book had ALL of Tennyson's poetical works printed in order from his Juvenalia to his latter works. It also includes a lovely face page with a pencil drawing of the author, an introduction that tells about Tennyson's life, and in the back historical notes about several of the poems! 

As my brother said, this volume also has a lovely feel to it. It has a hard fabric cover, little wear and tear to the edges and yellowing of pages but no rips and the pages open so nicely to the spot you want. All of this and it only cost me three dollars! 

I was particularly delighted because I've been very interested in the older poets lately and collected volumes of their works are expensive and difficult to come by. What a blessing to have this volume of my very own and how delightful to read his poems for myself (and not just on a computer screen)! 

Tennyson's poem Lady Clare has always been a favorite of mine. Such a sweet story of true love!

And of course The Lady of Shallott is another favorite. I definitely feel like Anne of Green Gables when I'm reading my book of Tennyson! 

I've also found a few new favorites! I hope to share some of my favorites on Rather Bookish from time to time. Do you have any favorites of him poems?

I dearly love book sales like this and am so blessed my all my wonderful finds! Thank you for taking a look at these newest editions to my shelf of classic literature. I hope you've enjoyed it!

God Bless,

Miss Laurie :)

Writing Advice

I'm getting myself re-introduced to the characters of my projected NaNoWriMo novel.
So far I've found myself among a sweet young heroine, a silly aunt, a couple of giggling girls, a vicar with strong faith and a brother who is humorous but wise.

Today I opened a fortune cookie and the little slip of paper inside rather fit my novel writing frenzy:

"Write your life's events in a journal"

Well, while I won't be taking that advice literally I shall be adding many of my own life experiences to the stories to come.

I am enjoying getting to know my characters more and learning where their lives may take them. I tremble at the idea that November 1st is just a few days away and I must start writing more than I've written in months!

November is National Novel Writing Month

Since the first time I heard NaNoWriMo mentioned I thought it was a lovely idea to try and write a novel in a month. I knew at first that November would be a very busy month for me to begin such a project so had quite put it out of mind. But after a few other blogging friends mentioned having joined NaNoWriMo I decided I might as well take the plunge. (Here's my profile if anyone wants to add me as a writing buddy)



So I literally have a box of story scriblings under my bed that hold story ideas, plots, and character sketches. This past week I opened that box and took out one forgotten young miss I've been longing to write about.





So lovely Miss Cassandra has been awakened and her friends and adventures are being turned over and over in my mind. Above is a poster/book cover I have designed being very pleased to find a face that rather suits my idea of Cassie. Yes, it will be a piece of Historical Fiction of the Jane Austen type. The title is not official I have another title in mind.

Writing begins November 1st and the goal is 50,000 words by the end of the month. I doubt very much that I will meet that goal but perhaps I may be able to get a head start on Cassie's story and see what happens.

A Heedless Young Housekeeper - part 3

After Catherine had sent Dorcas to ready her dress, she turned her attention to the kitchen where their cook was already bustling about filling the entire place with tantalizing aromas. She was determined to shine in the table’s abundance, there would surely be no reason for General Tilney to find fault with their eating habits as he had on his previous visits. Mrs. Robinson, Catherine privately thought, exceeded even his cook in quality but Henry’s father too often seemed content with mere quantity, this evening he would not be disappointed.



“Dinner will be served at seven o’clock precisely.” She said more for her own remembrance than for Cook’s.
“Don’t you fret ma'am; we’ll be ready for them.” Mrs. Robinson said confidently in a tone that seemed to advise the enemy to beware.
On this note of confidence young Mrs. Tilney made her way to the drawing room, in her opinion the prettiest room in the world. She so enjoyed sitting here with its view of the apple trees and the small cottage in the meadow. It was the first room at the vicarage to feel the effect of its young mistress having been newly papered and furnished in the first year of her marriage. There Catherine straightened a candlestick and found one of Kitty’s dolls behind a cushion that had gone astray.



Later that afternoon as Catherine retired to dress before the Northanger party arrived, her husband came from his dressing room tying his cravat. “Cathy, my dear, I have been remiss in congratulating on our fifth wedding anniversary.”
“I had nearly forgotten it myself, in the busyness of the day.” She confessed and motioned for Henry to tie her sash.
“It seems like only yesterday we were engaged. I can still remember what your mother said when I asked for your hand.”
“Really, and what was that?” Catherine sat at her dressing table and slipped a pair of emerald earrings through her earlobes.
“She told me that you would make a heedless young housekeeper.” He said, smiling at his wife in the mirror.
Catherine chuckled. “I dare say she was right!”
“She also said that there was nothing like practice, and I believe in that statement she had great wisdom. I am daily filled with amazement at the way you care for our children and manage the household. I’m so proud of my little wife.”
Tears stung her eyes as she turned to look at him. “Things haven’t turned out too terrible.” She whispered.
“No indeed.” Softly Henry bent to kiss his wife the “heedless young housekeeper”.

A Heedless Young Houskeeper - part 2

After all had breakfasted, Catherine set about preparations for the Tilney’s dinner party as Henry had retired to his own untidy study to prepare for Sunday sermon before the meetings and business of the day.

She and the housemaid had completed most of the necessary housework in the past week. Henry’s own dear housekeeper had passed away only the year before, but young Dorcas had already proved herself an invaluable help to her mistress.

Catherine had many things to do; that evening the Tilneys would be hosting a dinner party including the Bevises and the Walshams, two Woodston couples, and Henry’s curate, Mr. James Paterson. Henry’s father General Tilney, together with Lord and Lady Whistledown, were to bring the table up to ten. These last three were to make their way from Northanger Abbey early in the afternoon, to visit and fulfill their promise of bringing the new baby to Woodston.



Little Edward Ainsworth was the first child of Henry’s sister Eleanor who had married Edward Ainsworth, Viscount of Whistledown a few months before Catherine’s own wedding. The couple had recently been spending a few weeks at Northanger Abbey before traveling on to Bath. The two ladies longed to see each other after an absence of almost a year since “wee Neddy”, as his uncle nicknamed him, had been born. Catherine’s own little Harry was only a few months older than his cousin and her Kitty almost two years older.



Named for their parents, little Kitty and Harry were the first, she hoped, of many children that would grace their home. Her husband had once suggested that they should try to exceed previous records of their parents by having twenty children. Catherine spoke of overtaking countries with such a brood and Henry joked of putting the old gossips of Bath into a flurry or at least filling the ancestral pile of Northanger Abbey with more noise than it ever had before. She wasn’t sure she could manage a brood of ten as her mother had, but she was used to have children around - five or six might be her maximum. Catherine had already imparted to Henry her premonition that she was expectant and secretly wished for a daughter to name Eleanor.



With Jemima caring for her young ones in the nursery Catherine walked the length of the hall to the guest rooms and with Dorcas’ assistance aired, dusted and stocked them with fresh linen, ready for their Northanger guest’s convenience. She then descended to the dining parlor to oversee table settings, seating must be perfect, but she was confident that this evening there would be no lack of conversation.

A Heedless Young Housekeeper - part 1

This short story I wrote for a short story contest on the C19 boards. The object was to write a short continuation of either Northanger Abbey or Persuasion - either continuing from the book or from the recent TV adaptations. Although I didn't place at all I had a lot of fun writing this and making the deadline.

Northanger Abbey is my favorite Jane Austen novel and what happens to the characters in my short story are really what I imagine would have happened to them.

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Catherine felt the first rays of bright sun on her pretty face, blinked sleepily and lazily stretched under her downy coverlet. From her bedroom Catherine could hear the mantle piece clock in the drawing room chime seven o’clock.
‘Only seven?’ she thought. ‘But baby will be up soon and demanding breakfast. And there’s so much to do today!’
Next to her, Catherine felt Henry’s warm breath on her neck and she turned her head to view her husband. How handsome he looked even now, lying on his stomach with his brown hair rumbled, mouth slightly opened as he snored away merrily.



Five years to the day since their wedding. Catherine smiled as she remembered that blessed day, how her emotions were mingled giddiness and timidity. Questions and apprehensions had raced through her mind as she readied for the church. Then like a soothing balm, a letter from her bridegroom had come, comforted every qualm, and settled every nerve. His letters had been such a comfort over the months of their engagement, especially when it seemed that General Tilney would not give his consent to their marrying. That day he told her he loved her, he would always love her; he had chosen her above all others to be his own. Catherine remembered warmly the vows spoken that day as they stood up with her father officiating. How near forever the words “as long as you both shall live” had sounded to them then. These last few years living in Woodston had been sweet; her husband knew how to keep humor alive and lighten her mood when she seemed besieged by housework.



As if feeling his wife’s gaze upon him, Henry Tilney stirred and warily opened his eyes against the sunshine that fell full upon his face.
“Is it morning already?” he asked and yawned deeply.
“It’s just now seven,” Catherine answered smiling sweetly.
“Seven o’clock? You know this and yet you’re still smiling?” There was a touch of morning grumpiness in his voice. “How long have you been awake?”
“Only a few minutes; I’ve been laying here staring at my handsome husband and praying that Jemima won’t call until after breakfast.” She spoke of the nursemaid; Miss Jemima Hughes was well experienced much like a mother, coaching Catherine through everything.
It was his turn to smile now: “Little chance of that when her charge is so demanding.”
“There’s no need to wonder where he gets that quality from, he is your son!” she said playfully.
“A hearty appetite is one thing we Tilney men are known for, consider the General and Frederick.”
“On that head I worry about our table’s proficiency for tonight’s dinner. But as far as the children, if they all have hearty appetites we might have to plant a larger garden!”
“Perhaps we should,” Henry smiled. “But the Tilneys are also known for two other qualities that may be useful in aiding to supply their meals.”
“And what are those?” Catherine asked curiously.
“Two very important thinks: good looks and charm.”
“Very true, you see their effect on me! But I do hope each of our children grow up to be good, if only our daughters are as elegant as your sister and our sons as clever as their father I shall be happy.”
“That doesn’t matter so much. As long as our daughters have your ears, my love, they shall want for nothing!” He joked and tried to nibble one of Catherine’s, but she was too quick for him and she giggled at his mocked pout as she bounced out of bed.
“Come - let’s see if we can eat our breakfast before little Harry wants his. There’s so much to do anyway before our guests arrive!”