This Year's Stack

When I'd finished opening my presents on Christmas Day I had about 95% books, 4% chocolate and 1% hand cream.  I'd easily have traded the chocolate for more books, but on the whole I was quite satisfied. Bill remarked it would take me about a week to get through the books. That is a slight exaggeration, but only just. I have in fact polished off several already and am knee-deep in several others. 

I have in the past few years picked up the habit of reading several books at once, something I never thought I would do. I tend to make myself finish books I start, unless they are truly an awful waste of time. Some books are obviously easier to zip through than others, so I tend these days to read something fiction and something non-fiction (or several of each). Anyhow, here is this year's stack, nearly all of which I requested:

 1 The Glass of Fashion, Cecil Beaton

 2 Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Susan Cane

 3-5 The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and The Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins

 6 Empty Mansions, Bill Dedman &Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

 7 The Great British Sewing Bee Sew Your Own Wardrobe, Tessa Evelegh

 8 50 Fabric Animals, Marie Claire Idees

 9 Pretty Patchwork Gifts, Helen Philipps

10 Cooked, Michael Pollan

11 The Lost Art of Dress, Linda Przybyszewski

12 Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things, Readers Digest

13 Waste and Want, Susan Strasser

14 Tips for Meanies, Jane Thynne

There is one other small book you can't see at the top of the pile, but I'll tell you about that in my next post.

I can already tell you that Cecil Beaton's book is a disappointment. He writes (wrote) well enough but given that he is known for his photography it is a blow that there are no photos in there. It will be to do with copyright or something so it probably couldn't be helped. I'd recommend you save your money, or spend it instead on The Power of Style, by Tappert and Edkins. Interesting stories and loads of photos. I've not yet finished Beaton's book, so I might change my mind. On the other hand, I can see I'll be re-reading and referring to The Lost Art of Dress often. 

The crazy thing is, I've already bought myself three more books off my impossibly long Amazon wish list...crackers, I know!