Sunday, October 10, 2010

Sunday Salon: Fall Fair, Books and How Much I Love Everyman's Library



So how is your weekend going? Did you participate in yesterday's ReadaThon? I didn't this time, but it's a great event and I hope those of you who did have a great day. It's really hard for me to sit still for long, especially this time of year when the weather is sunny and crisp and there's so much to do outside and around town.

Yesterday my husband and I went to the annual Topsfield Fair, a farming and agricultural fair I've been going to since I was a baby. We petted animals, ooo-ed and ah-ed over baby bunnies and chickens, won cheap toys at the midway and wandered the stalls and vendors. It was a great day.

Today, though, will likely be a reading day! I finished the first hardcover in my pile for my personal challenge, Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (review coming this week) and started Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English, by Natasha Solomons. I've also been reading Penelope Fitzgerald's Offshore, her Booker Prize winner. I've been reading Offshore in the Everyman's Library edition and I have to say, if you like nice-quality books but worry that they are impractical to actually read, Everyman's Library is for you. They have beautiful cloth bindings and come in a smallish size, with lovely smooth, ivory paper and bindings that lay open easily. They are very comfortable to hold and live with- quality editions that aren't just for display but for reading. The first Everyman's Library edition I got came as a gift and now I think I want all my books in Everyman's editions. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, Oh Random House, is there anything you can't do?

Well, Offshore is a short novel and I'm almost done so I think I'll get back to it now. What are you reading today? Or are you taking the day off after the Readathon? Whatever you're doing, have a great day.

More Sunday Salon here.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I also love the Everyman's Library editions. I have a number of them and I actually read them.

JoAnn said...

I have quite a few Everyman's Library editions, too - love them! Enjoy your Sunday.

caite said...

A fair like that is the perfect way to spend a fall day.
personally, I went to a Lima Bean Festival! there was soup! lol

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you have had a great weekend so far. Enjoy your reading!

Booksnyc said...

Mr. Rosenblum dreams in English is a book I would like to read - looking forward to your review!

Enjoy this lovely fall day!

Harvee said...

I didn't take part in the read-athon either. Too hectic for me right now! Glad you enjoyed the fair and the books, of course. My reads: My Sunday Salon.

Zibilee said...

Ooh! I am looking forward to your review of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake! I think I bought the book the same week you did, and haven't had time to read it yet, so I am excited to hear what you think and may have to move it up in the stack! Also, these Everyman's Library Editions sound wonderful and I am going to have to check them out. Have a great Sunday, Marie!

Audrey said...

I brought my Everyman's library edition of Emma with me on my trip (I collected all the JA's in EL editions as a treat a few years ago and retired my dog-eared paperbacks)-- leaving the dust jacket at home to keep it nice (backwards I know) -- and three people commented on how impressed they were that I was reading it in hardcover! I hate to be not with it but it wouldn't have been the same with a Kindle...

Your day sounds wonderful!

Anonymous said...

I ended up going to a wedding the day after the Readathon, so today is my day off instead! Ahh, sleep...

I'm looking forward to your upcoming reviews -- there are several books in there I've been thinking about picking up, and I always like to hear what other people have to say!

Kathleen said...

I didn't participate in the read-a-thon this year either. The weather was just too glorious out here in California. I went to Carmel and enjoyed a beautiful sunny day. Now I'm looking forward to getting some reading done this week.

Memory said...

I love Everyman's Libary. I collect them, in a small way; I have Everymans (Everymen?) from back in the early 1900s, as well as modern editions.