Book Group here in the morning - our chosen book being Stewart's choice - 'In my Mind's Eye' by the travel writer Jan Morris: her last book before she died in her ninety first year. She calls it 'a thought diary' and it consists of 188 separate entries - one per day - and each about a different topic. And such food for thought and so many topics for conversation it contains. And what is more I just can't think of any other way she could have given us such a book. Really you could take anyday in the book and extend it enough to fill the hour and a half of our meeting.
I have just been taking the day 44 and those of you who know me will immediately realise why that particular day appeals = it is about nostalgia and as I am almost the same age as she it naturally appeals to me too.
She speaks of how in this case just a song came into her head and eventually the chap who was singing it and then the whole episode. Yes nostalgia's a fine thing - all these memories sit there in our minds just waiting for something to give them a little jog and then we're away.
If you want a good read to pick up and put down at random you could do worse.
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12 comments:
( still Anne Brew in spite of name change! )
Your review has made me want to order the book Pat - it sounds really interesting. x
Anything by Jan Morris is good. She has never let me down.
That sounds just the kind of book I like to have at my bedside, just to pick up and read a little at random. The human mind is a remarkable thing; there's so much in there that we don't know how to get at! For example, if we think of a place we've visited long ago in the past, we can probably think of a handful of memories about it. But if we go there and walk around we find ourselves stopping every few yards and remarking on some thing we "remember" which we had no inkling of until that moment. Where had that memory been lurking?
Thats how i like to write in my journal Pat... I just pick random things to write about.. whatever is on my mind at the time.. Who knows after 30 some odd years of keeping a journal i may repeated myself a time or two... if i did i wonder if i had the same opinion or thoughts on the subject both times... i guess if someone ever reads them they will know.. lol Sounds like a wonderful book... Hugs! deb
JM's stories of her favorite places and travel is excellent. Her humor and delight in life is both wonderfully relatable and generally true to case. A very pleasurable book.
Thank you for the information on this book. It does sound good. Enjoy your book group in the morning!
Have fun with the book group! I am sure you will have plenty to talk about, not just related to the book.
I loved this book too
She did have a follow-up to In My Mind's Eye' published in 2020 called Thinking Again, which I'm actually reading now and it's such a lovely gentle read. Highly recommended
Your book choice sounds perfect for a book group. It gives members a chance to focus on topics that appeal to them. In my group, we have 2 members who can't always finish the book due to busy jobs, etc. This sounds like a book that doesn't require finishing. Enjoy your discussion today.
Thanks for recommending this author. I went right to my library webpage to put a hold on one of her books. Glad you enjoy your book group so much!
Thank you North Riding for the recommendation,
Thanks everyone for calling in.
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