Retro Reads discussion

So true, dearest! ;)

#12
Book #4
The Tamarind Seed / Evelyn Anthony
Finished 06/16/2023
Rated 4 stars
This was a very good read and reminded me how much I enjoyed Evelyn Anthony's writing and story telling. Reading this also made me realise how used to the break neck speed at which authors today write the 'exciting' bits compared to days gone by when the urgency was conveyed without the 'breathless narrative.'
I just might have to fish out a few more of her books, and make time to watch the movie on YouTube.

Added to your count Lesley. I didn't like this title as much as the other two Anthony books I've read - but it was still a really good book!

#9 with book number 7 finished on 17/6
Business as Usual 5*s.

I absolutely loved this one. An epistolary novel set in a department store (based on Selfridges). Finished with a big smile on my face. Highly recommend this book.

Tania wrote: "#9 with book number 7 finished on 17/6
Business as Usual 5*s.

I absolutely loved this one. An epistolary novel set in a department store (based on Selfridges). Finished with a big ..."

Added to your tally, Tania!

Thanks Carol.

#3 with book #7 finished 25 June. I'm going to give it 3.5 stars for now.
Penny Plain

I read the Kindle edition, which has the most boring cover, so I used the original cover for this post. Isn't it charming?

Barb in Maryland wrote: "#3 with book #7 finished 25 June. I'm going to give it 3.5 stars for now.
Penny Plain

I read the Kindle edition, which has the most boring cover, so I..."

That is indeed a charming cover (I just used the boring one)

& updated your tally, Barb!

I'm on a streak here.
#3 with book #8 finished June 27. 4.5 stars, maybe 5.
Business as Usual

What an absolute delight! Thank you, Tania, for suggesting this.

My read did hit one major snag. Some barbarian cut out three different groups of pages (with a razor, I suspect). I have no idea when, because I was reading the 1934 US edition. One set of pages seemed to be about an unwed pregnant shop girl. The other two sets were towards the end. Argh!
However, all is not lost. I loved it so much I decided to buy my own paper copy, which should arrive in a day or two. So I will be able to see what I missed.

Barb in Maryland wrote: "I'm on a streak here.
#3 with book #8 finished June 28. 4.5 stars, maybe 5.
Business as Usual

What an absolute delight! Thank you, Tania, for ..."

Yay, Barb! I want to read this one, as well - if you and Tania both like it, that’s a good sign.

Barb in Maryland wrote: "I'm on a streak here.
#3 with book #8 finished June 27. 4.5 stars, maybe 5.
Business as Usual

What an absolute delight! Thank you, Tania, for ..."

So glad you loved it, I thought it was absolutely delightful. How annoying to have those pages cut out. Handheld Press are re-publishing another book by Ann Stafford, Army Without Banners which I'm eagerly awaiting now.

Tania--thanks for the notice about Army Without Banners. It sounds very interesting. I'm glad to see that she illustrated it. Her sketches in Business as Usual were wonderful!

has anyone found a free online version of Business as Usual? my policy is not to pay for books (or music, or TV shows, more movies) when there is so much free out there (and I could be doing better financially)
so far I have looked at open library and pagebypagebooks.com.

Internet archive has one.

https://archive.org/details/bwb_KS-00...

Jackie wrote: "has anyone found a free online version of Business as Usual? my policy is not to pay for books (or music, or TV shows, more movies) when there is so much free out there (and I could be doing better..."

Did you feel something missing around (view spoiler)[Hilary writing to Basil regarding the girl's pregnancy, then jumping to M.G. Grant's response to Miss Lamb's leaving, then Hilary's reply to Basil's obviously negative reply to Hilary's letter asking for his help? (hide spoiler)]
Because if so, I'm reading the Internet Archive copy and there are no pages actually missing - all numbering in sequence - just that there seems to be a letter from Basil not been included in it, but not pages removed. Early censorship perhaps! :(

Barb in Maryland wrote: "I'm on a streak here.
#3 with book #8 finished June 27. 4.5 stars, maybe 5.
Business as Usual

What an absolute delight! Thank you, Tania, for ..."
Added this for you, Barb!

Leslie, I'll have a look in the book when I get home.

thank you, Tania, I'd forgotten about that site. luckily my computer remembers how to log in!

Lesley wrote: "Did you feel something missing around (view spoiler)
Because if so, I'm reading the Internet Archive copy and there are no pages actually missing - all numbering in sequence - just that there seems to be a letter from Basil not been included in it, but not pages removed. Early censorship perhaps! :("

Ha! your spoiler story point was one series of pages (8 pages) that was actually razor cut from the 1934 US edition that I was reading. (see my original post up at message 360).

Barb in Maryland wrote: "Lesley wrote: "Did you feel something missing around (view spoiler)
Because if so, I'm reading the Internet Archive copy and there are no pages actually missing - all numbering in sequence - just t..."

:) Sorry, got the wrong person!!
I was reading the 1934 edition from the Internet Archive which seemed to be all intact. Just 4 pages covered the spoiler (pages 234-237 inclusive).

Thanks for sharing the information about a "new" Ann Stafford! I hadn't heard about it and am rather excited about it now, as I adored Business when I read it.

At last I had time in my reading schedule for another Retro read, and it was delightful!

#2, reporting July 1 with book #6, A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair. I rated it 5 stars as being perfect of its type, reviewed here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Thanks for a delightful review, never read this author, but this one’s on my Pool TBR!

Thanks, Susan! I think you’d enjoy it.

Thank you, dearest!

Jackie wrote: "has anyone found a free online version of Business as Usual? my policy is not to pay for books (or music, or TV shows, more movies) when there is so much free out there (and I could be doing better..."

I’m not sure where you’re located, but if your library has Hoopla, it’s there, along with quite a few other Handheld Press and Dean Street Press/Furrowed Middlebrow titles.

no Hoopla, sadly. we do have kanopy for movies/tv shows but I'd rather have Hoopla!

Abigail wrote: "At last I had time in my reading schedule for another Retro read, and it was delightful!

#2, reporting July 1 with book #6, A Winter Away by Elizabeth Fair. I rated it 5 stars as ..."

Added for you Abigail!

Thank you, Carol! Right now I’m reading a book so horrendous (for two different book groups so I have to continue) that it’s making me want to give up all other reading for the rest of the year and just read my way through the book pool.

Abigail wrote: "Thank you, Carol! Right now I’m reading a book so horrendous (for two different book groups so I have to continue) that it’s making me want to give up all other reading for the rest of the year and..."

Oh dear! I'll look for your review! That wouldn't be (view spoiler)[ Precious Bane (hide spoiler)] would it? That is my next fiction read.

No, I loved Precious Bane except for the last scene. The offending volume is Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, which I was all eager to read because I’m fascinated by Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter, but now I’m crushed. Oh, the review will be a corker!

Abigail wrote: "No, I loved Precious Bane except for the last scene. The offending volume is Her Lost Words: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, which I was all eager to ..."

Phew! I'm pretty confident that one would never appeal to me!

A wiser woman than I.

Mela #17

5th book: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies - 3 stars (I am a bit disappointed, I hoped for fascinating historical fiction or/and a better humans study.) Here a link to my review.

PS I am considering reading 5-6 more books from the list, but I am not sure how it go ;-)

#12
Book #5 The Mallen Streak / Catherine Cookson (1973)
Finished 06/23/2023
Rated 4 stars
I enjoyed the story even after all these years. It's got me interested enough to continue a re-read of the trilogy, and to read some of her later books that I don't recall reading back in the 80s. She wrote really well.

#12
Book #6: Business as Usual / Jane Oliver
Finished 06/29/2023
Rated 4 stars
With all the good comments about this book in the Pool, I got curious so found a copy to read. I was not disappointed. I really loved this happy, quick read.
Thank you!

"happy, quick"?! I need to read this one, thank you.

Same here! “Happy and quick” are two of my favorite book descriptors!

Jackie, Susan (NC)--
Yes! Yes! y'all need to hop on the Business as Usual love train.The sketches alone are worth opening the book. And Hilary's letters and the various store memos are a joy to read.

Thanks, Barb!

I loved it. So much fun. I'd been meaning to read it for so long. It sounds like the Handheld Press copy is worth getting your hands on, as the US copy seems to have been cut, ( literally, in some cases).

Added your books, Mela & Lesley!

Business as Usual does sound good!

& Mela, glad you have found so many books you want to read here!

Tania wrote: "I loved it. So much fun. I'd been meaning to read it for so long. It sounds like the Handheld Press copy is worth getting your hands on, as the US copy seems to have been cut, ( literally, in some ..."
The US 1934 copy does not have the final two memos! (view spoiler)[The ones that solidify the HEA. It ends with Hilary's ' let's give it 6 months letter' (hide spoiler)]
So glad I bought the Handheld Press edition!

You guys can convince ;-) "Business as Usual" sounds lovely.

Mela #17

6th book: Business as Usual by Jane Oliver - 4-4.5 stars. A lovely surprise! Here a link to my short review.

I must get another look at the list. I have just started "The Blessing" by Nancy Mitford and it also looks promising.

Added your book Mela. :)

I'm going away for a couple of days, so I will do any further updates when I get back!

Mela #17

7th book: The Blessing by Nancy Mitford - 5 stars. I absolutely loved it!

Here is a link to my short review.

#2 checking in with my 7th book, Jill the Reckless by P. G. Wodehouse. It’s not a typical Wodehouse drawing-room comedy but once I got past my expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a lot of his usual comic elements but goes rather deeper into the characters, and the setting (Broadway theater in New York City in the ’teens of the 20th century) is interesting. And I adored the hero!!

I gave it 4 stars and my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Added your latest reads, Abigail & Mela.

@ Mela - it turned out I preferred The Blessing to Mitford's better known fiction.

@ Abigail. I'm hoping to get to one of the Wodehouse titles nominated!

I'm reading The Black Moon by Winston Graham atm. It's not a bad book, but not in the same class as the first three Poldark novels. I'm glad I didn't put it in the Pool.