What I Read in March
Waiting for spring with some old favorites and cozy British books
Earlier this month, about halfway through March, there were a few days that could finally be called warm, and I was excited to see the daffodils, tulips and hyacinth that I planted back in the fall poke their green heads above the ground.
I started to put away my heavy sweaters and coats…but then spring decided to hide beneath the covers again. 😩 These last few weeks have gone back to snow squalls and chilly temperatures - I’m so ready for spring to arrive!
At least the colder weather makes it all the more cozy to curl up beneath a blanket with a cup of tea and a good book. I’m still in the middle of my Lenten break from YouTube uploads - I’ll be back with a proper spring reading vlog after Easter - but in the meantime, I thought I would give some month-end reviews and catch you all up on what I’ve been reading throughout March here on the blog….
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I resisted rereading Northanger Abbey during Febregency last month because I had so many other titles on my TBR, but I did spend some time with Jane Austen in March! It was fun to pick up on lots of little Mysteries of Udolpho nods that I had missed on past readings, and there was even a reference to Camilla from John Thorpe. Hearing his synopsis of the story made me laugh; he clearly did not get very far into the book!
Camilla by Fanny Burney
My progress through the audiobook has been slow and sporadic this month. Camilla is written in ten books across five volumes - about 700 pages - which gave Fanny Burney plenty of room to include curious little sketches of different characters and situations, but the narrative does tend to drag in places. I have enjoyed the way Mr. Tyrold tries to teach, guide and comfort his daughters. It’s so sweet to see, and there’s lots of good advice in his sermons. There is also lots of great vocabulary throughout Camilla; one of the chapters is called “Various Confabulations.” I think we need to bring the word “confabulation” back into regular usage. 👍
The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse
It’s been too long since I spent some time with Bertie and Jeeves! One of the most delightful things about P.G. Wodehouse is the way he weaves in erudite quotations and references - in this novel, they ranged from Marus Aurelius to Childe Roland (often only half-remembered by Wooster of course), right alongside the craziest slang. You have to admire his commitment to finding le mot juste…
In dishing up this narrative for family consumption, it has been my constant aim throughout to get the right word in the right place and to avoid fobbing the customers off with something weak and inexpressive when they have a right to expect the telling phrase. It means a bit of extra work, but one has one’s code.
We will therefore expunge that “came” at the conclusion of the previous spasm and substitute it for “curvetted.” There was a flash of pink, and Esmond Haddock curvetted in. I don’t know if you have ever seen a fellow curvet, but war-horses used to do it rather freely in the old days, and Esmond Haddock was doing it now. His booted feet spurned the carpet in a sort of rhythmic dance something on the lines of that of the recent Poppy Kegley-Bassington.
To hear more about the Kegley-Bassingtons you will need to read the book and hear Bertie’s narrative of the village concert. P.G. must have attended and perhaps performed at some memorable village concerts himself; the stage setting of the village concert certainly proved very fruitful and hilarious for his writing!
A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie
As you can tell from the titles and authors on my list, I was obviously in the mood for some cozy British reading this month. Somehow Agatha Christie’s mysteries manage to be cozy and comfortable while also being suspenseful! Generally I go for Poirot, but this was a Miss Marple. I really enjoyed it and ended up finishing it all in one day! At first it was fun just to get to know the characters and enjoy the Britishness of the set-up (that cup of tea on the cover is not random, and you find out how it ties in pretty early on in the story), but then the mystery really pulled me in, and I couldn’t put it down until I found out who had done it - I was kept guessing until the very end!
Dancer’s Luck by Lorna Hill
This is the second book in the charming Dancing Peel series - I loved these growing up, and it’s been so fun to reread them lately! The first book takes place in Northumberland at the beautiful but crumbling old border fortress where aspiring dancer Annette has grown up. We hear a little bit about the Isle of Skye in Scotland in the first book from the character Angus; he comes from Skye and is clearly very proud of his home. It’s delightful to travel with Annette to Skye in Dancer’s Luck!
There are such vivid descriptions of the wild landscape as well as the continuation of Anette’s journey to become a dancer. In one of the scenes, when the characters are about to go out climbing, they start the day with porridge, and there’s an argument about the best way to eat it. Apparently there are no frills like cream and sugar for true Scottish porridge! I was inspired to make myself a little oatmeal for breakfast - I did add salt as Angus advised, but I also had some honey and blueberries on hand. 😉
The Beauties of a Cottage Garden by Gertrude Jekyll
I’ve been making plans for my spring garden, and since it’s still a little too early and too chilly to think about planting, I thought it’d be fun to pick up a gardening book. This was part of the English Journeys series box set, and I must confess, it feels a bit like a gardening book that might have been written by Lady Catherine or the Dowager Countess of Grantham. 😂 The title makes you think you’re going to read about a cottage garden, but one of the first chapters is a very specific and thorough description of how Gertrude Jekyll feels the expansive grounds and gardens of the ideal British estate ought to be laid out. She also spends an entire chapter ranting about how people are so abominably imprecise in how they refer to different colors.
In spite of that, or perhaps even in part because of it, the book has been quite enjoyable, and the authoress (calling her “Gertrude” would be an impertinence) clearly knows what she’s talking about when it comes to gardens. I think I’m a long way off from her feats with primroses and borders, but I can sympathize with the beautiful descriptions of the joy of gardening. I loved how she describes the fulfillment of seeing what you planted grow: “like the offering of a constant hymn of praise.” I also loved what she wrote about beginning to learn about gardening…
For the first steps are steps into a delightful Unknown, the first successes are victories all the happier for being scarcely expected, and with the growing knowledge comes the widening outlook, the comforting sense of an ever-increasing gain of critical appreciation. Each new step becomes a little surer, and each new grasp a little firmer, till, little by little, comes the power of intelligent combination, the nearest thing we can know to the mighty force of creation.
That last sentence in particular struck me. Video makers on YouTube are often called “creators,” but I often remind myself, as I’m getting out my camera to film a sunrise or a beautiful cloudscape out the window, that I’m not the one who painted that sky. The results of the “the power of intelligent combination” can be quite astonishing and startling, but they’re not the same as the power of our Creator.
All She Had: Lenten Journal from Blessed Is She
I used a Lenten journal from Blessed Is She a few years ago, and I made a last-minute Ash Wednesday decision to order one for 2022. I was able to access the digital version right away, and the print version arrived within just a few days. The title is based on the poor widow Christ saw making an offering at the temple. One of the things I like about the journal is that it prompts you to stop and think about different Bible readings more deeply, and it makes the people in them, like the poor widow, come to life a bit more, like watching The Chosen. Different prayers and Bible readings are assigned to certain days, and then there are blank pages to write your own reflections and just talk to God. It’s been a great Lenten exercise!
The Fair Miss Fortune by D.E. Stevenson
Another favorite author I haven’t picked up in awhile - and this was actually a D.E. Stevenson book I had never read before! My mom warned me not to read the introduction or any of the preface material because it spoils the story, and I’m so glad she did. It was fun to let the twist emerge on its own! The story takes place in a small British village (obviously my reading theme this month, lol) where a new arrival, Miss Fortune, is setting up a tea shop. It’s just an absolute delight.
The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge
The Dameroshay trilogy has been on my list to revisit - these were some of the first Elizabeth Goudge books I ever read, and now she’s one of my favorite authors! Her characters and settings are so warm and well drawn, and she writes beautifully about the interior life, the hidden trials and triumphs of faith. I’ve only just started The Bird in the Tree, but I’m excited to continue it in April.
I hope you’ve all had a great reading month and a blessed and fruitful Lent. Just like nature at this time of year, even if everything still seems grey, lifeless and leafless on the outside, there’s growth happening on the inside that will soon be coming to light!
Great suggestions. You are such a breath of fresh air during these difficult times. Your lists are always packed with studies of human nature with all of our foibles and struggles as well as with our hopes and dreams. There is always a bit of fun sprinkled in. Always stay as golden as you are!
This is such a delightful list! The Mating Season is one of my favorite PGW’s. There is a line about one of village concert performers—how the woman was dancing like snake with hips—that makes me laugh uproariously every time I listen to it. I have The Fair Miss Fortune on my list to read soon. I hope you’re having a blessed Lent, too.