The Bookshop
The Bookshop
“In 1959 Florence Green, a kindhearted widow with a small inheritance, risks everything to open a bookshop – the only bookshop – in the seaside town of Hardborough. By making a success of a business so impractical, she invites the hostility of the town’s less prosperous shopkeepers. By daring to enlarge her neighbors’ lives, she crosses Mrs. Gamart, the local arts doyenne. Florence’s warehouse leaks, her cellar seeps, and the shop is apparently haunted. Only too late does she begin to suspect the truth: a town that lacks a bookshop isn’t always a town that wants one.”
The blurb above was provided by shelfari.com. The quote below is from the book itself:
“A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life, and as such it must surely be a necessary commodity.” – P. Fitzgerald’s The Bookshop
Fitzgerald’s work is cozy, depressing, beautiful, and romantic – if you’re a booklover. I became so infatuated with the growth and decline of this little shop, I had to read every book mentioned by its characters. Of course, Lolita by Nabakov is the work up for the most debate in this little village, and until my encounter with Florence Green, Lolita had never been high on my list of must read books. I thank Fitzgerald for introducing me, it has been quite an experience.
Banvard’s Folly A Must Read
Paul Collins is a genius and I love him. If I have children, they will learn history from this book (as I will home school)… these people will all be included in their lessons from when we’re studying Nathaniel Hawthorne and Emily Dickinson to Thoreau and the Concord Grape. John Banvard will be discussed when learning about art and art history as well as financial wisdom. We will discuss Delia Bacon in relation to the people she corresponded with as well as when we study Shakespeare… along with her, Coates’ adventures as Romeo will be a humorous anecdote to read between plays and the discussion of various acting techniques. This is a fantastic piece of history that I find amazing the world has forgotten. Let’s bring these stories back for the future generations! Thank you Paul Collins for bringing them all back to life in the pages of your book.
A Red Halloween
I had a great scheme planned. I was going to have a commi party for Halloween. Everyone wear red, drink Russian vodka, and read aloud from The Communist Manifesto until the night ended. Well, it didn’t quite happen like that. Instead, I spent the afternoon alone in my red pajamas and drank french pressed coffee wrapped in comfy blankets and read the manifesto in the quiet. I have a cute little blue Penguin Great Ideas edition. Despite the unexciting manner in which I finally read this little piece of history, I enjoyed the experience quite a bit. And no, I am not a communist.
My Official Review:
“The Communist Manifesto changed the face of the twentieth century beyond recognition, inspiring millions to revolution, forming the basis of political systems that still dominate countless lives and continuing to ignite violent debate about class and capitalism today.” For that reason, I think everyone should read this book and grasp a greater understanding of the world around them. At the risk of ‘igniting violent debate’ I’ll let it be known that I disagree with the concept. I am especially opposed to the idea of the abolotion of a right to inheritance, as I would love to pass my library down to the future generations of my family. Perhaps some things should be a little more equal, but I like the individuality we have in being able to select what we purchase and accummulate. I enjoy the right to educate our own children, having the priveledge to opt out of public education in order to give our children more – more knowledge, more quality time, more love.
Anakalian Whims 