Category Archives: funny

Eva Ibbotson, “Magic Flutes”

Posted on December 19, 2013 by carolwallace

From time to time, I like a meringue, and when that’s what you want, there’s no substitute for its insubstantial sweetness. But given the choice, I will always opt for floating island instead. You’ve had it, I hope? It’s more … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, funny | Tagged | 3 Comments

Hilary Mantel, “Fludd”

Posted on December 7, 2013 by carolwallace

Well, we knew Hilary Mantel to be brilliant, right? The research, the sweep and scope and humanity of Wolf Hall bring English history to life and makes Thomas Cromwell a fascinating character. But here’s my news for today: Mantel is … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, funny | Tagged | 4 Comments

Rose Macaulay, “The Towers of Trebizond”

Posted on November 7, 2013 by carolwallace

Some books are just really insistent. I’ve owned three copies of The Towers of Trebizond. The first was my mother’s; she was much given to quoting the famous opening line: “Take my camel, dear,” said my aunt Dot, as she … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, classic, funny, literary fiction | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Nigel Slater, “Toast”

Posted on August 13, 2013 by carolwallace

Like Pig and Pepper, Toast was a surprise present, shoved through the mail slot with a bulb catalog and a flyer from Time Warner. And like Pig and Pepper, a total hit: I love reading about food. I’m not a … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, funny, memoir | 2 Comments

David Footman, “Pig and Pepper”

Posted on August 12, 2013 by carolwallace

Pig and Pepper entered my life as a lovely surprise. A Faithful Reader who has become an actual in-person friend dug it up for me. Here’s how: she remembered reading, in an article from The Guardian, a roundup of great … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, funny | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Barbara Trapido, “Brother of the More Famous Jack”

Posted on December 8, 2012 by carolwallace

What if I Capture the Castle were adapted and updated, set in the 1970s and ’80s? What if the narrator, Katherine Browne, were another bookish and naive heroine whose horizons were broadened by a confusing tribe that included several fascinating … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, contemporary fiction, funny | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Stella Gibbons, “Cold Comfort Farm”

Posted on November 29, 2012 by carolwallace

I have never lived in a dwelling without a copy of Stella Gibbons‘ Cold Comfort Farm. It’s basic equipment, like a tea kettle. You re-read it periodically to experience, once again, the brisk pleasures of Our Heroine Flora Poste’s effect on … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, classic, funny | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Alan Bennett, “Smut”

Posted on February 6, 2012 by carolwallace

I’ll admit I got a little kick out of sitting on the subway reading a book called Smut. But the cover, with its pattern of tea-cups, its genteel blue background and upright type, goes far to undercut the title. And, … Continue reading →

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P. G. Wodehouse, “My Man Jeeves”

Posted on September 27, 2011 by carolwallace

I’ll admit I was a little desperate after finishing Emile Zola’s La Débâcle. I needed entertainment — no, I needed jollity! Hence, Wodehouse. Now, I’m pretty new to his work and gosh, there’s a lot of it. Worse, I was … Continue reading →

Posted in anglophilia, classic, funny | Tagged | 4 Comments

Fred Vargas, “Debout les morts”/”The Three Evangelists”

Posted on April 26, 2011 by carolwallace

I don’t have the temperament of a completist. Not for me the obscure early works, the unfinished manuscripts, the lesser-known short stories of the eminent novelist. But I find myself making an exception for Fred Vargas because she is just … Continue reading →

Posted in funny, mystery | Tagged | 7 Comments