reading update

I thought it time for a reading update, as I haven't done one of these for a while.

Real Life by Brandon Taylor. If you've read my second December '23 post, you'll know that this is the library book that I'm reading. It lives in the library. I don't check it out. I have to go to the library to sit and read it. It's a challenge I set myself, late last year. Visit the library more often, and sit in there to actually read a book. I'm currently up to page 212 in Real Life. I'm, low key, enjoying it. Obviously spreading my reading of a book over such a long period, five months and counting, and only reading small chunks of it at a time, has affected how I consume it and retain details of the story. I'm not sure I'd do this again, unless it is with a non-fiction book. I think that would work better.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Gardens by Vita Sackville-West. I recently read this small book that I'd owned for a while and hadn't got around to. It's a short collection (96 pages) of VSW'S writings on gardening, selected from her column that she wrote for The Observer newspaper over the course of 15 years- back in the 1940s/50s. She writes her observations and advice across all 12 months of the year, in a beautifully descriptive and humorous style. I was charmed by it. I was particularly interested to see how much plants cost back then. VSW always lists a supplier, if she recommends a plant, and always tells the reader how much they can expect to pay for said plant. In June of 1949 one might expect to pay between 1s.6d and 3s.6d for the Irises she suggests for your border. In January 1951, a dozen Crocus speciosus would set you back 2s.6d for the dozen.

The Talented Mr Ripley - Patricia Highsmith. This is my current read, and I am hugely enjoying it. I haven't read a Highsmith book before now, and I really admire her writing style. Here, it is fast paced, descriptive, immersive. I haven't seen the very recent Netflix Ripley series, starring Andrew Scott as Ripley, but I have seen the 1999 Ripley movie, of this same title, and with Matt Damon as the eponymous (anti)hero. I love that movie. It's lush visuals and starry cast are seared into my brain, so it's been impossible to read this without picturing not only Damon, but Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf, and Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge. I'm especially enjoying Highsmith leading me by the hand to various beaches and coves along the Italian coastline, and then into Rome, Paris, and Palermo (so far). I'm halfway through the book, and the fact that I know what's going to happen (unless the film differs hugely from the book) has not spoiled my enjoyment one bit. I have already bought the next book in the series; Ripley Under Ground.

Read What You Own (RWYO) challenge. Also, in my first December post last year, I talked about reading more of the books that I already own before buying any more. This challenge has been going pretty well...apart from the bit where I don't buy any more books; see last sentence in the paragraph above. Since, late November, when I began this challenge, I have read 23 physical books, Ripley, is my 24th, and a range of short stories from collections that I already owned. I have also read 15 titles on my Kindle. Some of these were novels but the majority were comics/graphic novels. I am very happy with my progress, and have cleared some space on my shelves by un-hauling the novels that I've read. It won't take long to re-plug those gaps though.