Birthday Books

February 20, 2012 by Claire (The Captive Reader)

Thank you everyone for the lovely birthday wishes yesterday. I had an absolutely wonderful day, including a delicious lunch out with family to celebrate both my birthday and my brother’s (he turned 24 on the 14th). The day got off to a wonderful start with bookish presents over breakfast – and not just any books! My parents presented me with three books that I have been lusting after for ages and I’m now almost giddy to be able to claim as my own. They are: Jennifer Kloester’s Georgette Heyer and Angela Thirkell’s Before Lunch and Cheerfulness Breaks In. You know how happy I always am to grow my Thirkell collection and I’m especially thrilled to have Before Lunch, since neither the public nor university libraries have copies and so I haven’t yet read it. I read Cheerfulness Breaks In twice last year and am very grateful that I’ll no longer have to track down the library copy next time I feel the need to reread it! But most of all, I’m excited about the Heyer biography. It was on my Christmas wishlist but, since it hasn’t been released in North America, proved difficult to obtain, especially since the Book Depository was out of stock for several months. The wait has made me that much more appreciative of it and I can’t wait to start reading!

24 Responses

on February 20, 2012 at 01:13 | Reply Margaret Powling

Lovely presents! I can’t get over how like the original covers for Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles (especially Casting Off) the Anglea Thirkell cover of Before Lunch is (pardon my appalling grammar!) Do you know, many years ago I bought a set of Anglea Thirkell’s in the orange Penguin editions, six of them, almost mint condition and then they just sat on the shelf and in the end I parted with them! And now I’d like to read them!
- on February 20, 2012 at 19:53 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  These Penguin editions of Thirkell were published in the 1990s (like the Cazalet Chronicles) so clearly there was a trend in cover design at the time! Lucky you to have once had the pristine orange Penguin editions but how sad that you let them go! I do seem to be hearing that from a lot of readers who either picked up the books at sales or were handed them down from family membes and then gave them away without ever reading one.
on February 20, 2012 at 03:13 | Reply Patty

happy belated Birthday! excellent and very thoughtful gifts !
- on February 20, 2012 at 19:53 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Thank you for the birthday wishes, Patty!
on February 20, 2012 at 04:11 | Reply Lisa

I have never seen Penguin editions of Thirkell – those are gorgeous! I have Jennifer Kloester’s book on my wish-list as well. I read her first book, Georgette Heyer’s Regency World, last year & thought it was wonderful.
- on February 20, 2012 at 19:57 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  I love these editions, though sadly only they and The Brandons were reissued in this style. I hope to have only good things to report back on the Kloester!
on February 20, 2012 at 04:52 | Reply Darlene

Happy belated birthday wishes, Claire! Books are the best present ever and I am so happy that you don’t have to share a much-loved publication with the entire community anymore. Enjoy!
- on February 20, 2012 at 19:58 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Thank you, Darlene! As devoted as I am to the library, there are some books I just need to own since I love to reread them and anything by Thirkell falls into that category!
on February 20, 2012 at 06:11 | Reply lifeonthecutoff

I am always the happiest when books are my gifts, Claire, and I would be happy, indeed, for this wonderful trio, and look how artfully you arranged them with your tulips. It sounds like you had the happiest of birthdays and can continue to celebrate as you read your new books.
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:00 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Books are always the best, aren’t they? And I’m very pleased you liked my little tulips-and-books arrangement!
on February 20, 2012 at 06:49 | Reply Petya

Happy belated birthday! Mine is today! And, like you, I am hoping to spend much of it with my book!
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:01 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Happy Birthday to you, Petya! I wish you many books and lots of reading time!
on February 20, 2012 at 08:37 | Reply Margaret W.

Happy belated birthday — beautiful editions of the Thirkell books. I have mostly Moyer-Bell editions (not nearly as nice). I also have a few Hamish Hamilton editions. I didn’t know — until I looked it up just now — that Hamish Hamilton is in the Penguin Group. From the picture, your gifts look like they are in excellent condition. Have fun reading Before Lunch!
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:03 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  The Moyer Bell editions are the only ones I refuse to buy (or accept as gift – my family has strict instructions). They are tempting since they’re readily available but the typos are too much for me! These books are both in great condition, which I’m very excited about.
on February 20, 2012 at 12:50 | Reply Susan in TX

Wonderful presents! I’ll look forward to your thoughts on the Heyer biography.
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:04 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  I’m planning to work through some of my library books before I start reading the Heyer but it’s already calling to me, tempting me away from all my other books!
on February 20, 2012 at 13:31 | Reply Jennie

Happy Belated Birthday! Great book haul.
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:05 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Thank you, Jennie!
on February 20, 2012 at 14:34 | Reply Lucy

Happy Birthday Claire! 🙂 Enjoy the beautiful books, hooray!
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:05 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Thanks, Lucy!
on February 20, 2012 at 17:19 | Reply Jenny

Happy belated birthday! I must have missed it yesterday but I’m glad you had a good day with lovely books in it!
- on February 20, 2012 at 20:05 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Thank you, Jenny! Any day with books in it is a good one but yesterday was particularly nice.
on February 21, 2012 at 20:14 | Reply Carolyn

Happy belated birthday! You might be glad to know that I’ve somehow been tempted back into book blogging… and I got your letter last week and loved reading it, but it’s midterms for me right now, so I’ll write back to you next week when I’ve got time off. (It’s weird not emailing you anymore, but holding a physical letter in my hand gave me a Jane Austen moment, of how they all discuss and reread everyone’s letters!)
- on February 21, 2012 at 20:40 | Reply Claire (The Captive Reader)
  
  Such exciting news! I’ve loved our emails (and now letters) but I did miss your thoughtful, excellent blog posts, which make for such lovely reading. Good luck with mid-terms and I’ll look forward to your next letter! (And I’m so happy to have provided you with a Jane Austen moment!)