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A Whole Other Story

A blog about old, out-of-print, and overlooked books

A Whole Other Story

A blog about old, out-of-print, and overlooked books

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Bookworm

Category: Bookworm

Bookworm
Follow a trail of discoveries from the past fashions of picture books.

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Welcome!

This face belongs to me, Ceri. The one on the left. When I am not drinking tea and eating biscuits in a semi-vegetative state, I read books. And buy books. And sell books. And read lots of other stuff about books. And take photos of books.

And sometimes I write about them too. Which is what you’ll find here.

The one on the right is Arlo. He does not read books, and refuses to discuss them with me. So I’m hoping you’ll stick around and chat with me about them instead.

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Stalk my current reads…

Meanwhile, on Instagram…

I missed #timeouttuesday yesterday so I'm having #timeoutwednesday instead. It doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but it still lets me step away from work for half an hour (or so) so I'm not complaining 🤣

Today I have been reading Dylan Thomas in honour of #stdavidsday. It's the first time I've read any of his work,and so far so good 👍 It is quick and consumable, it has a lovely lyrical quality to it, and it's an interesting eye into life in Wales in the late 1920s.

I never knew that Dylan Thomas died at only 39 😲 or that Dylan is actually pronounced Dullan in Welsh. Despite his Welsh heritage, Thomas opted for the English pronunciation. Can't blame him really.

I'll probably finish this when I get chance, although I'm now officially currently reading seven books and haven't finished a single one in February 😬😬 Help!

Anyway, happy St David's Day! Spring is on the way 😁😁

What new books have you started lately?

@wholeotherstory

•

I missed #timeouttuesday yesterday so I'm having #timeoutwednesday instead. It doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but it still lets me step away from work for half an hour (or so) so I'm not complaining 🤣 Today I have been reading Dylan Thomas in honour of #stdavidsday. It's the first time I've read any of his work,and so far so good 👍 It is quick and consumable, it has a lovely lyrical quality to it, and it's an interesting eye into life in Wales in the late 1920s. I never knew that Dylan Thomas died at only 39 😲 or that Dylan is actually pronounced Dullan in Welsh. Despite his Welsh heritage, Thomas opted for the English pronunciation. Can't blame him really. I'll probably finish this when I get chance, although I'm now officially currently reading seven books and haven't finished a single one in February 😬😬 Help! Anyway, happy St David's Day! Spring is on the way 😁😁 What new books have you started lately?

2 weeks ago

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1/9

Reposting this one from way back in 2019, in honour of Sir John Tenniel, #bornonthisday even more way back in 1820. If ever there was a more perfect example of front and rear covers working in harmony, I'd love to see it 😊

Did you know that Tenniel was blind in one eye from the age of 20? He was apparently injured whilst fencing with his father, but never told his dear old dad how sever the injury actually was. I wish I could draw half so well with two eyes as he did with one. Actually I wish I could draw at all! And that I had a couple of jam and cream rings to hand right about now 😋 But you can't have everything 🙃

#johntenniel #sirjohntenniel #puffinbooks #vintagepuffinbooks #oldpuffinbooks #vintagechildrensbooks #oldchildrensbooks #readsomethingold #vintageillustration #vintagebookillustration #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookillustrators #vintagebookdesign

Reposting this one from way back in 2019, in honour of Sir John Tenniel, #bornonthisday even more way back in 1820. If ever there was a more perfect example of front and rear covers working in harmony, I'd love to see it 😊

Did you know that Tenniel was blind in one eye from the age of 20? He was apparently injured whilst fencing with his father, but never told his dear old dad how sever the injury actually was. I wish I could draw half so well with two eyes as he did with one. Actually I wish I could draw at all! And that I had a couple of jam and cream rings to hand right about now 😋 But you can't have everything 🙃

#johntenniel #sirjohntenniel #puffinbooks #vintagepuffinbooks #oldpuffinbooks #vintagechildrensbooks #oldchildrensbooks #readsomethingold #vintageillustration #vintagebookillustration #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookillustrators #vintagebookdesign

@wholeotherstory

•

Reposting this one from way back in 2019, in honour of Sir John Tenniel, #bornonthisday even more way back in 1820. If ever there was a more perfect example of front and rear covers working in harmony, I'd love to see it 😊 Did you know that Tenniel was blind in one eye from the age of 20? He was apparently injured whilst fencing with his father, but never told his dear old dad how sever the injury actually was. I wish I could draw half so well with two eyes as he did with one. Actually I wish I could draw at all! And that I had a couple of jam and cream rings to hand right about now 😋 But you can't have everything 🙃 #johntenniel #sirjohntenniel #puffinbooks #vintagepuffinbooks #oldpuffinbooks #vintagechildrensbooks #oldchildrensbooks #readsomethingold #vintageillustration #vintagebookillustration #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookillustrators #vintagebookdesign

2 weeks ago

View on Instagram |

2/9

A rather damp squib of a photo for a rather damp squib of a book.

I was going to write a blog post about this one, but I haven't had time and couldn't think of much to say other than that it was fairly bobbins.

Average actor Jimmy loses his job, gets dumped by his girlfriend, gets burgled several times and his cat dies. He somehow winds up on New Year's Eve with no one to talk to except the burglar he has tied up in the kitchen.

I came across this in a list of alternative festive reads, and it looked like a light-hearted read. It was described everywhere I looked as "hilarious" so I was really looking forward to it. With a string of bad luck of late, I felt like I needed something fun...

But alas, it was sadly average and not in the least bit amusing. It was written in around 1970, and it read like an old sitcom from the same era that is now really dated and at times cringingly inappropriate 😬😬 Disappointing.

Apologies for the crap photo, I recently dropped my (day old) phone in the bath, so I'm making do with a pants one. Also disappointing 😭

What was the last book you read that really disappointed you?

@wholeotherstory

•

A rather damp squib of a photo for a rather damp squib of a book. I was going to write a blog post about this one, but I haven't had time and couldn't think of much to say other than that it was fairly bobbins. Average actor Jimmy loses his job, gets dumped by his girlfriend, gets burgled several times and his cat dies. He somehow winds up on New Year's Eve with no one to talk to except the burglar he has tied up in the kitchen. I came across this in a list of alternative festive reads, and it looked like a light-hearted read. It was described everywhere I looked as "hilarious" so I was really looking forward to it. With a string of bad luck of late, I felt like I needed something fun... But alas, it was sadly average and not in the least bit amusing. It was written in around 1970, and it read like an old sitcom from the same era that is now really dated and at times cringingly inappropriate 😬😬 Disappointing. Apologies for the crap photo, I recently dropped my (day old) phone in the bath, so I'm making do with a pants one. Also disappointing 😭 What was the last book you read that really disappointed you?

4 weeks ago

View on Instagram |

3/9

I don't really care about Valentine's Day, but it was a good excuse for a #timeouttuesday with this gorgeous little number 🥰

Most of the poems are quite over the top to modern eyes, with lots of swooning and sighing and exclamation points. There's a fair bosom, some lusty bloods and also some crispèd hair, whatever that might be. So I feel like I've had my money's worth 😂

I found a fair few references to Cupid, but none to Valentine💘 You'd be forgiven for thinking that was because Valentine's Day wasn't a thing back then, but actually the feast of Saint V was recorded as far back as the 8th Century. It became associated with romantic love in around the 14th, so those Elizabethans were definitely on the case.

I don't celebrate St Valentine's, but I think my dog does. He's been following me around all day with puppy dog eyes and he's currently lying on me awkwardly as I try and type. I think he's been reading too much Elizabethan poetry. Either that or he's hungry 😆

Any Valentine's reading happening your end?

@wholeotherstory

•

I don't really care about Valentine's Day, but it was a good excuse for a #timeouttuesday with this gorgeous little number 🥰 Most of the poems are quite over the top to modern eyes, with lots of swooning and sighing and exclamation points. There's a fair bosom, some lusty bloods and also some crispèd hair, whatever that might be. So I feel like I've had my money's worth 😂 I found a fair few references to Cupid, but none to Valentine💘 You'd be forgiven for thinking that was because Valentine's Day wasn't a thing back then, but actually the feast of Saint V was recorded as far back as the 8th Century. It became associated with romantic love in around the 14th, so those Elizabethans were definitely on the case. I don't celebrate St Valentine's, but I think my dog does. He's been following me around all day with puppy dog eyes and he's currently lying on me awkwardly as I try and type. I think he's been reading too much Elizabethan poetry. Either that or he's hungry 😆 Any Valentine's reading happening your end?

1 month ago

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4/9

Did you know that Raggedy Ann's name comes from poetry? Her creator Johnny Gruelle combined the words from two poems by James Whitcomb Riley: The Raggedy Man and Little Orphant Annie. Gruelle patented the doll and the name in 1915, and quite cleverly introduced the doll along with her stories to the public in 1918.

Raggedy Ann isn't really as well know in the UK as she is in the US, but I did have a Raggedy Ann doll when I was little. She was passed down to me from my Mum, who was born in America. I always think she looks a bit creepy in drawings, but actually the doll was quite sweet and I remember being quite fond of it. Don't know what happened to her, sadly.

Was Raggedy Ann part of your childhood?

#tbt #throwbackthursday #raggedyann #oldbooks #vintagebooks #vintagechildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookillustrator #vintagetoy #vintagetoys #raggedyandy

@wholeotherstory

•

Did you know that Raggedy Ann's name comes from poetry? Her creator Johnny Gruelle combined the words from two poems by James Whitcomb Riley: The Raggedy Man and Little Orphant Annie. Gruelle patented the doll and the name in 1915, and quite cleverly introduced the doll along with her stories to the public in 1918. Raggedy Ann isn't really as well know in the UK as she is in the US, but I did have a Raggedy Ann doll when I was little. She was passed down to me from my Mum, who was born in America. I always think she looks a bit creepy in drawings, but actually the doll was quite sweet and I remember being quite fond of it. Don't know what happened to her, sadly. Was Raggedy Ann part of your childhood? #tbt #throwbackthursday #raggedyann #oldbooks #vintagebooks #vintagechildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensbookillustrator #vintagetoy #vintagetoys #raggedyandy

1 month ago

View on Instagram |

5/9

Jules Verne #bornonthisday in 1828.

Five Weeks in a Balloon was Verne's first novel, published in 1863 (1869 in English). This lovely vintage edition is sadly not dated, but it does have a bookplate from Kettering Collegiate School awarding it to a student in 1898.

Verne has always been very well respected and studied in France, but he's been a little dismissed elsewhere. Probably a lot of this is down to clunky English translations, dodgy film adaptations, and lots of abridged 'children's' versions of his works. I have to confess, I've never read any of his work - come to think of it, it did always come across as 'boy's own' adventury nonsense. But apparently his novels were meticulously researched and very well written. He's also the second most translated author in the world, don't you know. So perhaps I should reconsider.

Have you read any Jules Verne?

#julesverne #fiveweeksinaballoon #frenchliterature #frenchlit #frenchauthor #novelsintranslation #booksintranslation #vintagebooks #19thcenturybooks #19thcenturyliterature #adventurestories #readsomethingold #bookstagramuk #bookflatlay

@wholeotherstory

•

Jules Verne #bornonthisday in 1828. Five Weeks in a Balloon was Verne's first novel, published in 1863 (1869 in English). This lovely vintage edition is sadly not dated, but it does have a bookplate from Kettering Collegiate School awarding it to a student in 1898. Verne has always been very well respected and studied in France, but he's been a little dismissed elsewhere. Probably a lot of this is down to clunky English translations, dodgy film adaptations, and lots of abridged 'children's' versions of his works. I have to confess, I've never read any of his work - come to think of it, it did always come across as 'boy's own' adventury nonsense. But apparently his novels were meticulously researched and very well written. He's also the second most translated author in the world, don't you know. So perhaps I should reconsider. Have you read any Jules Verne? #julesverne #fiveweeksinaballoon #frenchliterature #frenchlit #frenchauthor #novelsintranslation #booksintranslation #vintagebooks #19thcenturybooks #19thcenturyliterature #adventurestories #readsomethingold #bookstagramuk #bookflatlay

1 month ago

View on Instagram |

6/9

Today's #timeouttuesday involved a Hot Cross Bun and Flannery O'Connor.

O'Connor has been called one of the greats of Southern Gothic literature, and it's easy to see why. These are exactly my kind of short stories: dark, slightly disturbing, a bit weird, and completely absorbing. This was my first meeting with Flannery, and her work feels vaguely famililar, like I've read it before. It's not that the stories are at all tired or formulaic - quite the opposite. It's more that the style of writing just works for me. It's a bit like meeting someone and getting along like a house on fire straight away. Yep, I feel like Flan and I are old friends already 😊 Nothing like discovering a new favourite author.

Another discovery I have made recently is that hot crossed buns are actually very nice not toasted. What!! Cold Crossed Buns??!! I mocked my husband about it for ages, but lately I have come to appreciate his way of crossed bun consumption. I warn you though, they are dangerously scoffable in untoasted form, which is why it isn't pictured.

Have you made any new discoveries lately?

#flanneryoconnor #southerngothic #southerngothicliterature #hotcrossedbuns #easterfoodinfeb #readsomethingold #vintagebooks #oldbooks #bookflatlay #bookstagramuk #discovernewauthors #newfavourite #bookpic #bookpics

@wholeotherstory

•

Today's #timeouttuesday involved a Hot Cross Bun and Flannery O'Connor. O'Connor has been called one of the greats of Southern Gothic literature, and it's easy to see why. These are exactly my kind of short stories: dark, slightly disturbing, a bit weird, and completely absorbing. This was my first meeting with Flannery, and her work feels vaguely famililar, like I've read it before. It's not that the stories are at all tired or formulaic - quite the opposite. It's more that the style of writing just works for me. It's a bit like meeting someone and getting along like a house on fire straight away. Yep, I feel like Flan and I are old friends already 😊 Nothing like discovering a new favourite author. Another discovery I have made recently is that hot crossed buns are actually very nice not toasted. What!! Cold Crossed Buns??!! I mocked my husband about it for ages, but lately I have come to appreciate his way of crossed bun consumption. I warn you though, they are dangerously scoffable in untoasted form, which is why it isn't pictured. Have you made any new discoveries lately? #flanneryoconnor #southerngothic #southerngothicliterature #hotcrossedbuns #easterfoodinfeb #readsomethingold #vintagebooks #oldbooks #bookflatlay #bookstagramuk #discovernewauthors #newfavourite #bookpic #bookpics

1 month ago

View on Instagram |

7/9

For today's #throwbackthursday a little Roobarb and Custard 😊

Roobarb first appeared on TV in the UK in 1974. Though there was only one series of 30 episodes, it was very popular. I remember watching it when I was a kid in the 1980s, so it must have been repeated a lot. They made a second series in 2005, also voiced by Richard Briers - and happily they stuck to using the same 'wobbly' animation methods instead of using updated techniques.

I don't know about you, but I always get mixed up and think Roobarb is the cat and Custard is the dog. I guess it's partly their colours and partly the fact that Custard better suits the sweet soppy nature of dogs, and Rhubarb the slightly more acerbic nature of cats. But no, it is the other way around, because the original Roobarb was named after creator Grange Calveley's Welsh Border Collie.

The picture is taken from a little tie-in book called The Adventures of Roobarb: When There Was a TV Show from 1978. Up for sale if anyone is interested - see link to my shop in bio. 😃

Were you a Roobarb fan?

@wholeotherstory

•

For today's #throwbackthursday a little Roobarb and Custard 😊 Roobarb first appeared on TV in the UK in 1974. Though there was only one series of 30 episodes, it was very popular. I remember watching it when I was a kid in the 1980s, so it must have been repeated a lot. They made a second series in 2005, also voiced by Richard Briers - and happily they stuck to using the same 'wobbly' animation methods instead of using updated techniques. I don't know about you, but I always get mixed up and think Roobarb is the cat and Custard is the dog. I guess it's partly their colours and partly the fact that Custard better suits the sweet soppy nature of dogs, and Rhubarb the slightly more acerbic nature of cats. But no, it is the other way around, because the original Roobarb was named after creator Grange Calveley's Welsh Border Collie. The picture is taken from a little tie-in book called The Adventures of Roobarb: When There Was a TV Show from 1978. Up for sale if anyone is interested - see link to my shop in bio. 😃 Were you a Roobarb fan?

1 month ago

View on Instagram |

8/9

I never thought I would say that Harry Styles influenced my reading 😆 But I picked this up in a library sale purely because of the title - In Watermelon Sugar.

It is a very strange book. It's set in (I think) a post apocalyptic world where people live in a commune called iDEATH and make most of what they need from watermelon sugar. There are vegetable statues everywhere and the sun shines a different colour everyday. The inhabitants eat lots of carrots and talk about their past conflicts with the man eating 'tigers', and gangs of drunkards who hang out in the 'forgotten works' - some sort of abandonned factory.

If it sounds bonkers, it is. But it is oddly readable. It's rather like a weird dream - nothing makes any sense whatsoever, and if you try and explain it, it sounds like a load of twaddle. But if you go along with it, it makes it's own sense and is kind of enjoyable. Much more inventive and less annoying than Harry's song anyway 🤣

Would I read any more of Brautigan's work? Maybe. Would I eat the watermelon from the photo? Definitely not 🤢

Full review up on the blog. Link in bio.

@wholeotherstory

•

I never thought I would say that Harry Styles influenced my reading 😆 But I picked this up in a library sale purely because of the title - In Watermelon Sugar. It is a very strange book. It's set in (I think) a post apocalyptic world where people live in a commune called iDEATH and make most of what they need from watermelon sugar. There are vegetable statues everywhere and the sun shines a different colour everyday. The inhabitants eat lots of carrots and talk about their past conflicts with the man eating 'tigers', and gangs of drunkards who hang out in the 'forgotten works' - some sort of abandonned factory. If it sounds bonkers, it is. But it is oddly readable. It's rather like a weird dream - nothing makes any sense whatsoever, and if you try and explain it, it sounds like a load of twaddle. But if you go along with it, it makes it's own sense and is kind of enjoyable. Much more inventive and less annoying than Harry's song anyway 🤣 Would I read any more of Brautigan's work? Maybe. Would I eat the watermelon from the photo? Definitely not 🤢 Full review up on the blog. Link in bio.

1 month ago

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9/9

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