Latest Reading

My latest reading has been a little eclectic, but then that seems to be par for the course.  Before Christmas I started on a couple of Miss Marple books on my Kindle - Nemesis and Sleeping Murder - partly because the Joan Hickson adaptations were being shown, so I wanted to read the originals and because those are my favourites so far. Joan Hickson was perfect casting for Miss Marple, right down to her twinkling eyes!  Since Christmas, I have continued with The Murder at the Vicarage, The Thirteen Problems, The Body in the Library, The Moving Finger and A Murder is Announced.  Although I had some inklings about who the murderer might be each time, (I was usually wrong) Mrs Christie managed to bamboozle me and I missed lots of clues. On my Kindle at the moment is Pride and Prejudice.
However, I have also got 'real' books which I have either started or am going to.  I usually have a few on the go at any one time.
So, in the photo, there is Nella Last's War (the Mass Observation Exercise diary kept by Nella Last and which Victoria Wood dramatised in 'Housewife, 49').  This brings home the way life had to go on during the Second World War, with rationing and managing on very little.
There is also The Invisible Woman which I was inspired to read following a film of the same name which I watched last year.  This is the story of Ellen Ternan and her family; she was involved with Charles Dickens but was 'invisible' to society.  So far, it is fascinating and presents an interesting picture of the lives of Victorian actresses and how they were thought of/treated.

('To Walk Invisible' photo from http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/)

The Brontes is a very good biography of the whole family which I bought back in 1995 and have read several times.  I watched 'To Walk Invisible' over Christmas which I really enjoyed and this made me want to read the biography again. (It is still available on iplayer for the next thirteen days to watch if you are in the UK).  'To Walk Invisible' was a dramatisation of the adult lives of the Brontes, following Branwell's downfall and the sisters' fame beginning to spread.  It was beautifully acted and set and Haworth looked just as I imagined it should.
Finally for now, there is The Mitford Girls which Mum bought me for Christmas.  I haven't started it yet but have looked at the photos.  With their connections, it should prove to be a fascinating story.