I love giving books away. I don't hold with the idea that if you have too many books, you need a new shelf. But on the other hand, I do think that there are books for keeps, comfort reads want to go back to and sob over.Eva Ibbotson's Magic Flutes is one of those. I read it in 2018 and loved it (even though it didn't make it to my top ten list), but rereading always brings a different kind of joy. Often, it's only when I reread that I look at the book as a writer. What draws me in? What captures my heart? Over and over again, I realise that it's setting and character. They go together, and they're far more important to me than plot.Set in Vienna just after the first World War, Magic Flutes tells the story of young Tessa, a princess who is a determined Republican. She believes that art and music are universal equalisers. They are what will help abolish titles and aristocracy, … [Read more...]
On Rereading
As a child, I thought rereading books was a H*U*G*E waste of time. I devoured books, especially Enid Blytons, and later, Roald Dahls. I read the odd Richmal Crompton, went on to the classics - loved Five Children and It, pushed myself through others, left still others incomplete.But one thing I rarely did was reread. I did not have the time. Too many books, too little time, I kept telling myself.Then, at some stage, I realised that reading was not really a race. It was okay if I did not read every single good book in the world. At times, the comfort of a well-loved book was preferable to a foray into unknown territory, so I reread my Malory Towers and my Roald Dahls. I was growing older, so I read and reread Georgette Heyer and Mary Stewart and Dick Francis and Madeleine Brent. And eventually, I made my peace with "wasting" time rereading books I loved.Now, rereading a … [Read more...]