Welcome to Litsy!

I need a good afternoon tea session one of these days 😃 For those in NYC, have you been to Tea & Sympathy? It looks good!!!

https://www.instagram.com/teaandsympathynyc?igsh=MXVlMWk0YTh5MjBtbw==

4⭐️ Cozy spinster lit, best read on a rainy day 😃 Don‘t forget a large pot of tea with cakes etc because tea is mentioned zillion times in this book and it will make you crave for it. I didn‘t have any cake but leftover Lebkuchen worked. I like this better than her first book Some Tame Gazelle.

So glad I discovered this author-the way she describes small interactions, her longings, domestic worries & social setting is just beautiful, historical & timeless. I loved Mildred. I loved how she was honest with herself about everything. I loved how she was perched on this cusp in life & was really trying to meet her own needs whilst negotiation loss for a passed life & lifestyle as well as coming to terms with a new post war vision for women.

My reading buddy is only going to let me read whilst it rains! The minute that last drop falls he‘ll@be waiting at the door ! #auldlandspine

A storm blowing through today has changed the days plans - I have an unexpected few hours to spend with my first #auldlangspine !

Current stack

I am trying hard to not buy more books as my bookshelves are overflowing. (Common problem, n‘est-ce pas?) But i couldn‘t leave these friends behind could I? Excellent women, all of them 😂

While I liked this book, it was at the lower end of the pick scale for me. Mainly because it seems as if Mildred never really does anything — she just lets things happen to her and lets people take advantage of her. Nothing in her life ever really gets resolved: she seems to be one of those women perpetually doomed to be of use to others but never to be really important to those others. #audiowalk

It‘s now back to Excellent Women for my walking book. I‘m finally getting into the swing of the story; I think that‘s why I was having trouble sticking with it before. #audiowalk

I read this book while catsitting at someone‘s house & reading on the outside porch that faced that beautiful smoke bush. I‘ve had trouble reviewing this. What makes a life? What makes a life valuable? Mildred, a single woman, is there to help with church activities and to help neighbors with their various issues, but where does Mildred fit in her own life. Is it enough for her? The story & characters were brilliant & subtle in their humor.

The only way to make an oil change better.

I scrolled through my List feed and my Goodreads to see how many #Pemberlittens Readalongs I've done in the last 3 yrs.

#ExcellentWomenandBoiledPotatoes remains my favorite Hashtag. 🥔🥔🥔

Tea in a mug? What a disgrace! ?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "slut" has a number of meanings. From the Middle Ages onwards, it was used to describe "a woman of dirty, slovenly, or untidy habits or appearance". This is a meaning that many older people would use it for even now

Thanks to @TheBookHippie for this fun insightful rec! I really enjoyed the intricacies of the platonic and romantic relationships, as well as the humour and tensions found in a faith and neighbourhood community, which totally ties into my background. It felt very “small town,” though it was set in London. The post-War thread was interesting, and I appreciated the subtle presence of the queer characters. #AuldLangSpine #Booked2022 #AuthorNotLIving

As a preacher‘s kid, I loved this sentence near the opening of the book:
“With my parochial experience, I knew myself to be capable of dealing with most of the stock situations, or even the great moments of life: birth, marriage, death; the successful jumble sale, the garden fête spoiled by bad weather.”

“I‘m supposed to be having dinner with somebody, and I shall probably have to help with the cooking.”
“How very anxious for you,” said William. “I always like to have full control of a meal, or no part in it at all. I‘d rather not see people adding Bovril to the gravy and doing dreadful things like that.”

“I suppose I did not want him to remember me as being the kind of person who is always making cups of tea at moments of crisis.”

📖 1-21-23 || This is the year I‘ve discovered Barbara Pym! Why did I go so long before picking this one up? It is a pure delight… funny, subtle, and reflective.

These podcast episodes have added to my appreciation:
The first has snippets of audio from her interviews - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backlisted/id1063252175?i=1000471273492
Another favorite -
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slightly-foxed/id1441881918?i=100055768427...

#12Booksof2022 - day 8

2022 was the year I discovered Barbara Pym. This was the first book I read by her. I read two others during the year as well.

#12booksof2022

Like many of you, Excellent Women won me over in July. Pym had long been sitting on my TBR, so I‘m very grateful that the #pemberlittens buddy read encouraged me to finally get to it this year. Very much looking forward to my next Pym!

This was a re-read for me in July 2022 with the #PemberLittens and I fell in love with Pym and her subtle wit all over again. I do believe this book is actually perfect. 😍

#12Booksof2022

A quiet, unassuming book that packs a surprising feminist punch. I see why it is such a classic, though it is slow going at times and I had to push myself at times to finish. I‘m so glad I did! Sorry the pic is blurry, finished in the car. #BookspinBingo #WinterReadathon #travelingreader @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

#AdventRecommends December 15th

This was the year I discovered Barbara Pym, and I all started with the excellent novel Excellent Women.

I‘m so glad I have more of her books to read. Some of them pictured above.

(Picture is from theartfulelle on Instagram)

Looking forward to these (what we have in audio in the Toronto Library) from @TheBookHippie who sent the longer excellent list below. A play will be interesting! And thanks again to @monalyisha

I‘ve had a condition called myalgic encephalomyalitis 2008, and have had my energy greatly reduced since 2013. So, I am very grateful for the abundance of audiobooks available now! I can read while sitting up but use that time for other things.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I finally finished this #pemberlitten pick. I really loved the dry humor and all the talk of “excellent” women. Mildred is an “excellent” woman because she‘s bright and considerate and a good listener and can be friends with men without pressuring them to marry her 🙄 “excellent” being synonymous with doormat. Really smart comedy.

An enjoyable read and an interesting look at the role of the unmarried woman in Society at this time. Let‘s just say there was a lot of tea involved. 🫖

I am embarrassingly late to finish the #PemberLittens buddy read but what a splendid read! I love the gentle wit and Mildred‘s voice. The book makes me smile, and sometimes titter. Also very thirsty, with all the constant tea brewing. A great introduction to Barbara Pym for me.

P/S I love this mug featuring artwork from the Virago Modern Classics edition of the book 😍

It was fascinating to see how Mildred, a spinster in the 1950s, spent her days and how others took advantage of her kindness and inability to set boundaries. I fall into that trap occasionally but generally am too stubborn and lazy to be considered an Excellent Woman. And that's OK with me. 😜 😉 Enjoyed reading this with the #pemberlittens!

Mildred Lathbury, an unmarried woman in 1950‘s England is an Excellent Woman. Kind,gracious,active in her Church,supportive of her friends, she is often taken for granted. When a young married couple move into her building, her world opens up to new and exciting friends. There is always tea. Mildred is often making tea for someone in need of a chat. Manners are expected. I felt soothed by the pace and language.Charmed by Mildred. #pemberlittens

This was my first Pym and I really enjoyed the writing. The story follows Mildred a single 'excellent' woman as she must deal with new neighbors, gossiping parishioners, and men who take advantage of her helpfulness. I was surprised by how engaging and funny it was considering its simply a day to day account of her life but I found myself invested in her life. It gave a good glimpse of what it was to be a 'spinster' woman in the 50s
#pemberlittens

Current read. A bit late for the group, but looking forward to it! I see the author is much loved on Litsy. #blameitonlitsy #pemberlittens

I didn‘t get a chance to post this after finishing the #chapteraday readalong with the #PemberLittens This was my first Barbara Pym book although I have 2 more loaded on my Kindle. I enjoyed reading about Mildred, an “excellent woman” (aka spinster) living a quiet life in London serving her church & community & anyone else who asks for her help (or who she feels she needs to sort out.) Pym‘s Excellent Women don‘t seem to have or set a lot of ⬇️

Honourable mention to “Battles at Thrush Green“ by Miss Reed

#Litsy Fun and Games
On my way through the #PromptMaze
@TheAromaofBooks

I read this book a-chapter-a-day style with the #PemberLittens, which turned out to be great for me. Had I read it the traditional way, it might have bored me, because not a whole lot happen in this novel. People come and go and there is some drama of the oridinary life, but at the end, nothing and nobody has really changed. Still, I appreciated... ⬇️

This entire paragraph is both hilarious and wince-inducing in its description of men and the domestic burden of women.I love her tongue in cheek description of the advantages she sees of marrying Bone-talking to his mother about worms and Jesuits, and figuring out an irrelevant mystery.Not surprised Pym never married!!
Hugely enjoyed this buddy read,so grateful to @Crinoline_Laphroaig for suggesting this.Have enjoyed this #Pemberlittens

Mildred Lathbury's new neighbours in the flat downstairs are an anthropologist married to an Admiral's Flag Lieutenant. Unfortunately, the marriage seems to be somewhat shaky, while the vicar is enamoured of a widow who has also just moved into the parish.

Classic Pym. I think I am going to have to get a new copy - mine is now falling apart I have read it so many times over the last 30 years or so.

Thoughts on the Ending⁉️

I was bit underwhelmed. Felt like I needed another Chapter and Epilogue to wind up the story. Especially since I read a Spoiler here for Mildred from her next book Jane & Prudence.
http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogspot.com/2013/03/six-degrees-of-barbara-pyms...

Or is that point. 'Mildred is an Excellent Women" and will continue to be one?

#ExcellentWomenandBoiledPotatoes
#Pemberlittens #TheEnd

I‘ve yet to read anything by Pym, but I suspect I‘ll be reading more by her.

Mildred is an “excellent woman,” an unmarried woman of a certain age who helps her church and her community. When new neighbors move into her house, chaos, to a degree, ensues. I found myself sympathizing with Mildred quite a lot. The characters are witty, & Pym‘s writing style is satirical and engaging. Great choice for #PemberLittens ! #ExcellentWomenAndBoiledPotatoes

What a nuanced, lovely conversation. And again, what lovely writing. Rocky isn't a bad guy, or a shallow one. But love can be... disappointing at time.

#Pemberlittens #Excellentwomenandboiledpotatoes @Crinoline_Laphroaig
How does she write sentences that are so simple, but so acutely capture a feeling.

“I saw myself playing a rather noble part, stepping into the background when they were reunited and going quietly away to make a cup of tea or do some washing or ironing.“

Oh, Mildred. Have some self respect. 😬

For the last few years I've done this thing where I've Celebrate my Birthday for as many days as I am years old. And while I do spend money( it's my Birthday 🤷🏻‍♀️) that's not the main focus. It's about taking time to enjoy the little things in life. Like spending time with #Pemberlittens!

#ExcellentWomenandBoiledPotatoes has been a treat to host. Today is the last day of #56DaysofFun. Thanks for joining in the Celebrations. 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

‘I‘m Charlotte Boniface,‘ she announced. ‘My friend Mabel Edgar and I are just moving in—‘Edgar!‘ called Miss Boniface into the other room. ‘Come and meet Miss Lathbury, who lives in the flat above us.

‘‘Do excuse me,‘ she said. ‘I always have to hang the pictures because Bony can‘t reach."

Who else thinks Edgar and Bony are totally a couple? ??‍?‍??

#Pemberlittens #ChapterTwentySix
#excellentwomenandboiledpotatoes