Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
Dear Octopus by Dodie Smith – 1938 is one of the last years I have left in A Century of Books and I have been looking forward to this since reading Simon’s review.
Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce – one of those classic children’s books that completely passed me by when I was small.
The Last Romantic: A Biography of Queen Marie of Roumania by Hannah Pakula – Reading Robert K. Massie’s wonderful biography of Catherine the Great has got me in the mood for more royal biographies.
English Decoration by Ben Pentreath and My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss – I read and reviewed both of these wonderful books over the weekend. I had been looking forward to them both and loved them even more than I had expected to. Now, I am loathe to return them to the library before I buy (or am gifted) copies of my very own.
Salt Sugar Smoke by Diana Henry – Hayley has been raving about this for the past few months and so when I first saw it at the library a few weeks ago, I knew I had to at least glance through it. I did and within a few pages I could see why she was so enthusiastic – every recipe sounds fantastic! Sadly, the copy available at that time was a fast read and I was just heading off on holidays so couldn’t check it out. But I have it now and am already planning to make the pink grapefruit marmalade this weekend (my parents having conveniently returned home from California yesterday with a dozen pink grapefruits off of our tree).
What did you pick up this week?
The Captive Reader 
I LOVE Tom’s Midnight Garden!! Enjoy!
I look forward to your thoughts on Dear Octopus!
As for Tom’s Midnight Garden – although I only really read Blyton as a child, I am very familiar with this from the TV series which we used to watch whenever we were ill. I finally read it in 2008, and ended up crying over it in the staff canteen…
I’m glsd you liked Catherine the Great – I knew nothing about her (not even her timeframe., ignorant me) when I read it, and I found it completely engrossing. Hannah Pakula is my college friend’s mother – I never met her, but I remember being impressed that his mother was a biographer. (My idea of a celebrity!)
Tom’s Midnight Garden is a favorite at our house – hope you enjoy it! You caused me to put the English Decoration book in my Amazon wishlist. 🙂
Salt Sugar Smoke looks good. Enjoy!
I have always meant to read “Tom’s Midnight Garden” and don’t know how it has eluded me all these years.
A Circle of Quiet by L’Engle just came home from the library yesterday along with a book on prairie cooking.
Massie’s “Catherine the Great” is superb, isn’t it? “The Last Romantic” will have to go on the TBR list.
Oooo I’m going to have to look for Salt Sugar Smoke! I think that one’s right up my alley! Enjoy your loot.
So nice to see that you are going to be reading Dear Octopus… can’t wait to hear your opinion. I found it a few years back on the library shelves and gave it a try — I thought it had some wonderful moments. Those beautiful design/food books look glorious as well!