Today's quote is from Collecting the World:
Collecting the World: Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum is a dense book and I'm only about half way through it. Sadly, it has to go back to the library today.
So, I'll have to re-order it, I guess.
The quote is from the author, James Delbourgo. And the picture is one either my husband or I took while we were in London (and it's crooked because I didn't take the time to straighten it...).
The British Museum is a definite "must see". It's one of the first places we went on our trip to the UK in 2009. (True story.)
Anyway, I liked this because I like the distinction between collecting (relating, interacting with things or ideas) and hoarding (amassing stuff for no good reason).
What I'm Reading Now
I hope you saw my stack on instagram. I haven't added anything else this week, but I have a few more holds (!) waiting for me at the library...
Recently Finished
I've knocked out three from that stack:
A Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart. (Quotes from which may end up here as early as next week.)
Dark Dawn Over Steep House by M R C Kasasian. Short review: well written (as usual), but gruesome, dark, and ultimately sad. Mr. Kasasian is a charming man (you can find him on Twitter, he follows back) and talented writer but I think he may be done writing these Gower Street mysteries. This one had the air of finality about it. Which makes me sad in a way, but I'll be interested to see what he comes up with next. (I've heard it's a WW2 novel so you can bet I'm up for that.)
Queen Victoria's Matchmaking by Deborah Cadbury. I enjoyed Cadbury's Princes at War. This title is good, readable, and better than a novel in some ways. But it's also kind of rehashing already covered territory. (Particularly Born to Rule by Julia Gelardi.) Not a lot of new insight and it's a bit meandering. (I'm not sure you can say that Victoria did any matchmaking for Ena.)
Current Read Aloud
We have one chapter left of Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates. Highly recommended.
Current Kindle Deals
Today is Anne Bronte's birthday. Amazon has Kindle editions of her books for $0.99 each:
Agnes Grey
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
I also found a $0.49 Kindle edition with 8 novels by the Bronte sisters:
The Bronte Sisters: The Complete Novels.
What are you reading now?
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Resources:
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I love the comparison between collecting and hoarding, too. Thanks for sharing this.
I’m intrigued by that quote and book, because I know there are controversies over some of the items in the British Museum which were taken from other countries.
I’d love to hear any advice you have about traveling to England, especially what to do and how to get around in London...
I hadn't gotten to any of the controversies. Sloane collected more "natural history" type items (he was a doctor). But maybe the book would have covered that eventually.
My best advice for traveling to England is just to GO. :) It's such a wonderful trip. We used mass transit a lot (buses, the underground). We bought passes and it was really simple to use them. We ordered train tickets in advance to travel to Scotland but we just also bought train tickets whenever we wanted to take shorter trips (such as to Bath from London). We went in April and the weather was fabulous. It honestly didn't get cold and rainy until the last day we were there.
Thanks, Karen! I've wanted to go since I was a girl and now that it looks like it's actually happening (plane tickets booked for late April!) I'm torn between excitement and "What have I got myself into?!" Still trying to find a place to stay, as we'd like to have a kitchen so we (my daughter and I) don't have to eat out all the time. We'll definitely be using public transportation as there's no way I'm driving!
How exciting! I'd expect it to be pretty busy and exciting in the run-up to the wedding in May. Totally understand not wanting to eat out, but there are a lot of options for food that aren't too expensive. The food was something we enjoyed everywhere we went. :) We never drove ourselves but we did ride around with a missionary in Scotland. It was an experience, to say the least.
Hope you take lots of pictures so I can live vicariously through you. (Our next trip is still a few years off most likely.)