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Spam Tomorrow
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
15 posts | 9 read | 1 reading | 7 to read
A memoir of the English home front in World War Two, first published in 1956
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review
kwmg40
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this memoir of the author's experiences during WWII. I appreciated that she did not hide the heartbreak, deprivation and horrors of the war but at the same time could also convey the humour and ridiculousness of some of the situations she found herself in.

52 likes3 comments
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LeahBergen
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Pickpick

I‘ve been MIA from our reading groups for a while as we‘re still travelling around in our trailer (it‘s time to head home now though as the leaves are falling!) I‘ve managed to read all three and heartily enjoyed them.

The Native Heath : a fun and frothy slice of village life
The Children Who Lived in a Barn: nice try, Mr and Mrs ‘We Forgot to Come Home to Our Children‘ 😆
Spam Tomorrow: a witty and heartfelt exploration of life on the Homefront

Tamra Happy safe travels home! 2mo
See All 26 Comments
AmyG Safe travels. Your trip sounds so fun! 2mo
Ruthiella One post-three reviews! Very efficient! 😆 Safe travels! 2mo
Suet624 Was starting to be concerned that you hadn‘t posted any reviews! 2mo
willaful Cool that you got to read them on your journey! 2mo
jlhammar Fun! Hope you have a great trip back. Love your Children Who Lived in a Barn mini-review 😂 2mo
sarahbarnes Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed your travels! 2mo
quietjenn Nice! Hope you've had a lovely trip. Get back safely and enjoy! 2mo
BarbaraBB I hope you‘ve had a wonderful time 🤍 2mo
LeahBergen @Tamra Thanks, Tamra! 😘 2mo
LeahBergen @AmyG Thanks! We‘ve been having a grand time. 😘 2mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella I had to do SOMETHING to get me posting! 😆 Thank you! 😘 2mo
LeahBergen @Suet624 Never fear … I shall return! 😆😘😘 2mo
LeahBergen @willaful I always read so much less when I‘m travelling! 🙄 2mo
LeahBergen @jlhammar 😆😆 Like, what was up with that?? “Oh, yes… I seem to be forgetting something… is it our five children?” 😆😆 2mo
LeahBergen @sarahbarnes Thank you! 😘😘 2mo
LeahBergen @quietjenn We have! Thanks so much! 😘😘 2mo
LeahBergen @BarbaraBB Thanks, Barbara! 😘😘 2mo
willaful @LeahBergen \“Home Alone\“ vibes. 😂 2mo
LeahBergen @willaful 😆😆 2mo
youneverarrived Hope you‘ve had the best time 🩷 2mo
LeahBergen @youneverarrived Thank you. We have! 😘 2mo
Cathythoughts Sounds like a lovely trip you‘ve been on 👍🏻❤️ 2mo
LeahBergen @Cathythoughts It has been, Cathy! 😘 2mo
62 likes26 comments
blurb
rubyslippersreads
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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I enjoyed this, especially Verily‘s attitude of “just getting on with it.”

I‘m including the “cosy, silvery barrage-balloons” because they reminded me of my mom telling me that she and her girlfriends walked by some every day on their way to school. They each picked one and named it after a movie star; my mom‘s was Humphrey, for Humphrey Bogart. 😄

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

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elkeOriginal ❤️ your mom & Humphrey! 2mo
Ruthiella Great story! 😃 I looked up the barrages also, to see what they looked like and how they were used. 2mo
kwmg40 I loved that story about your mom! 2mo
See All 8 Comments
quietjenn Love that story. And that you posted the original cover. 💛 2mo
LeahBergen What a great story about your Mom! 2mo
CarolynM Those little details were what made this book so evocative. Great review and I love the photo🙂 2mo
jlhammar Love that story! Great collage. 2mo
Aimeesue Humphrey! Great story 🎈 2mo
50 likes8 comments
review
CarolynM
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Pickpick

I thoroughly enjoyed that romp through one woman‘s WWII experiences and I appreciated the “jolly hockey sticks” tone. It may seem flippant to present war time like that, but I think it was representative of the way the British, particularly Londoners, maintained morale on the home front both during the war & in its aftermath. The descriptions of air raids were very evocative, I almost felt like I was there.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

Ruthiella She definitely seemed to be the kind of person who sees the humor in life, rather than dwell on the negative. 2mo
LeahBergen I enjoyed it, too! Now I just have to get around to posting about it. 😆 2mo
willaful @Ruthiella I suspect she would never have had the large family she did, if she didn\'t! 2mo
kwmg40 I\'m almost finished and I too liked the upbeat tone of the book. 2mo
75 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
jlhammar
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Pickpick

Enjoyed our latest #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub read. I was charmed by Verily and found her wartime experiences as wife and mother fascinating. A big “eek!” to the farmhouse part about mice running over their faces during the night.

This got me wanting to rewatch the pictured reality series where “one modern family takes on the challenge of domestic life on Britain‘s home front.” Thankfully my library had a copy!

rubyslippersreads It‘s also available on YouTube. https://youtu.be/Nt5O4P3_Fb0?si=yIIIAFpBBumjL4Lm With all the WWII stuff I‘ve been reading/watching lately, this looks like a good one for me. 2mo
willaful Oh, I absolutely loved 1940s house! My mom too. 2mo
LeahBergen Ooo, I must watch this! 2mo
See All 6 Comments
Tamra That show was fun! 2mo
Ruthiella That tv show is the perfect comparison for this book. 👍 I‘ve seen parts but not all of it. 2mo
quietjenn Ah, nice. I should rewatch as well. I went through a binge with all of the X Time Period House shows! Still working my way through Spam ... 2mo
75 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
Aimeesue
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed VA‘s writing style - the dry humor made me laugh out loud a few times, and her characterizations were great. She captured the tumultuous back +forth & the challenges of WW2 Britain &the Blitz so well. I particularly enjoyed Verily & Julie‘s guest house adventures with all the folks who came to stay. Few mentions of Spam, but 1 of my kids likes to make Spam onigiri, so I suppose that‘s enough recipes for me.
#furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Tamra Great pic! I love salt, but the last time I had Spam I couldn‘t eat it! 2mo
See All 8 Comments
Ruthiella Great review. I‘ve had Spam onigiri before and liked it! 😋 2mo
LeahBergen I‘ve just started it today! 2mo
Aimeesue @Tamra It is definitely better in very small doses! 2mo
Aimeesue @Ruthiella They make teriyaki Spam, which is really good in onigiri! 🍙 2mo
Aimeesue @LeahBergen I hope you enjoy it! I liked the banana ce between what was clearly terrifying and the bits of humor she was able to find. 2mo
43 likes2 stack adds8 comments
review
Ruthiella
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Pickpick

There was disappointingly only one reference to Spam on the whole book! 😂

This was fun, but not quite as fun as I anticipated. The book is Verily Anderson‘s experiences in London and in the countryside during WWII. Kicked out of the FANY, she marries and raises children in some pretty adverse and sometimes ridiculous circumstances. She seems to have been the kind of person who is able to find humor in any situation.

#FurrowedMiddlebrowClub

LeahBergen Spam! 🤣 I‘m woefully behind on my reading but hope to get to it soon. 3mo
Ruthiella @LeahBergen Just don‘t expect any depictions of Spam being consumed! 😂 3mo
jlhammar Excited to get back to it! I‘m not very far in, but enjoying it so far. 3mo
See All 6 Comments
Ruthiella @jlhammar It was overall very enjoyable! I wonder how many modern novelists have used it in research for historical novels of that period? 3mo
The_Book_Ninja If this book let you down and you want lots of saucy, hot luncheon meat content, check out my OnlySpams….link in bio👍🏼 3mo
Ruthiella @The_Book_Ninja 😂😂😂 Thanks for the tip! 3mo
77 likes6 comments
blurb
willaful
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Once I got used to the somewhat scattershot writing style, I really enjoyed World War II homefront memoir, which puts you right in the thick of a very different way of life--which was often quite thick indeed, especially several ghastly hospital visits, but at other times as cozy as wartime allowed.

I like how the author lets it all hang out--she's not always as patriotic as she might be, or as lawful.

cont.

#FurrowedMiddleBrowClub

willaful (Or as hygenic.) In one hilarious scene she runs into a policeman while looting an impossible-to-get fireguard from Blitz damage; he glumly tells her to keep it since she got there before him .

She's also intensely domestic but never in an annoying way; she just loves making clothes and playing with messy children. Wikipedia says her family was known for their “no rules“ child-rearing, which seems to have resulted in very successful adults.
(edited) 3mo
willaful I also really liked reading about a happy marriage; so often in BritLit, husbands are off doing their own thing or just asleep. It's good to see Verity marrying for love and being happy with it, and how hard they each work to take care of the other. (And despite frequent wartime separations, they did have that large Victorian family.) 3mo
Ruthiella I didn‘t realize at first that this was a memoir. It does have a sort of messy charm to it. 3mo
See All 6 Comments
willaful @Ruthiella That's a good way to put it. 3mo
CarolynM Great review! I‘m excited to get started on this when I get home next week🙂 3mo
willaful @CarolynM hope you enjoy. 3mo
26 likes2 stack adds6 comments
blurb
willaful
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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I'm in England during World War II -- twice.

review
Tamra
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Mehso-so

Read this on the treadmill, so I don‘t know if my exhaustion is from the exercise or reading about the chaos & tribulations of war?! 😅 Verily‘s experience is not to be envied, though I have the impression because of her privilege others fared much worse. Still, her memoir is a glimpse into the domestic lives of women during the war.

I applaud her marriage for love! ♥️

#Furrowedmiddlebrowclub

Ruthiella I‘m about 40% through and I don‘t think it‘s the treadmill! 😅 I know this is memoir/autobiography but it lacks structure, which for me makes it a bit of a slog to read. 3mo
Tamra @Ruthiella whew, good to know! There were some good one liners, but you are right it doesn‘t feel very structured. But that might be apropos to the war experience, the uncertainty. To be fair, I am not much of a memoir reader so I am hard to win over. 3mo
LeahBergen Oh oh! I haven‘t started it yet. 😬 3mo
Tamra @LeahBergen it‘s probably me. 😉 War is chaotic & exhausting and that comes thru. One thing for sure, I can‘t imagine having & protecting babies in the middle of it. 😳 3mo
jlhammar Hope to start soon! 3mo
45 likes5 comments
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LitsyEvents
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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blurb
Ruthiella
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Hello #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub members! Because of the holiday weekend in the US, I‘m getting a jump on announcing our September scheduled read. Looks like it‘s going to be a fun one! 🤞

Please read at your own pace and post at will. Be sure to tag everyone so we can like and comment.

All are welcome to join, so if you‘re reading this and want to be tagged in November, let me know.

Cashappagent725 Hey 👋
Can I cashapp you some $$?
3mo
Tamra It does look fun! 3mo
See All 12 Comments
Kimzey Thank you! Looking forward to it! 3mo
CarolynM Thanks Ruth. I won't get to this one until the end of the month, but I'm looking forward to reading it. 3mo
elkeOriginal On my bedside stack already because I am looking forward to it! 3mo
LeahBergen Thanks! I‘m looking forward to this one. 3mo
julieclair Looking forward to it! 3mo
quietjenn Excited about this one, as I've been meaning to read it for ages. 3mo
jlhammar Great, it‘s in my September stack! 3mo
kwmg40 I'll be joining in, though I probably won't get around to starting this until later in the month. 3mo
Jess_Read_This Thank you for the tag and reminder! 3mo
51 likes12 comments
blurb
elkeOriginal
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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First step in my posting for our September #FurrowedMiddlebrowClub read vote is to post the back cover for this title since Litsy has very few words for a description!

23 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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LeahBergen
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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Thank you so much, @BookishTrish for this perfect #LittleChristmasSwap package! 😍😍 A #FurrowedMiddlebrow book that‘s been on my wish list for ages, lovely chocolates, and Murchie‘s tea. I‘m set up for a cozy day and I love it all!

Thanks for hosting, @bookish_wookish ! This is always such a wonderful swap.

#LCS

rubyslippersreads But no actual Spam to snack on while reading? 😹 3y
Dragon That tea ☕️ looks good - it is winter storm season- will have to try it 3y
melissajayne Looks lovely; will check out the tea when I‘m in Murchies next time. 3y
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LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads No, because it‘s always Spam tomorrow 😉. Well, I‘m sure Johnny would like some Spam today! 3y
LeahBergen @Dragon It does look good! And it is SO snowy and cold here in Calgary so it‘s perfect. 😊 3y
LeahBergen @melissajayne I love Murchie‘s tea. I‘ve only been to the shop in Victoria once but I order it online quite frequently. 3y
melissajayne @LeahBergen Murchies has an outlet in Langley, BC, which isn‘t too far of a drive; that‘s a good option as well. 3y
Cathythoughts Fab presents ❤️ 3y
Mitch Oh no - spam! Ugghh! 🤣 3y
85 likes9 comments
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LeahBergen
Spam Tomorrow | VERILY. ANDERSON
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#LittleChristmasSwap unwrapping: photo outtake.

The bag crinkled and must be inspected. Immediately. 😆 #JohnnyBergen

@BookishTrish @bookish_wookish

#LCS

Soubhiville Fun photobomb! 3y
Dragon 🐶 💚🐉 3y
LeahBergen @Soubhiville He‘s a terror. 😆 3y
See All 8 Comments
mabell Nice job staying on the alert, Johnny! 👏 3y
Ruthiella Any crinkly bag could contain a TREAT! He knows that! 😆 3y
Cathythoughts Johnny 👏👏😂 3y
batsy Aww! Lil paws! 3y
74 likes8 comments