All Virago/All August

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This month the LibraryThing Virago group is hosting the All Virago/All August event. The goal is to read as many Viragos (or Persephones -they’re included) during the month as you can or as you want. It’s a great opportunity to read those classics that you’ve been putting off or that have lingered on your shelves for years and years. I know we all have a few of those! At first I planned to only read Vs & Ps, but there are a couple of contemporary novels that I am looking forward to (like this one) that I’ll slip in among the green and the grey. I’ve already finished The Expendable Man by Dorothy B. Hughes and Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski (reviews coming soon) and have a few others in mind. Here are the titles that are top of the list right now:

Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden

The Echoing Grove by Rosamond Lehmann

The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

Saplings by Noel Streatfeild

The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Tea By the Nursery Fire by Noel Streatfeild

Have you read any of these? Will you read any Vs or Ps in August?

Anbolyn

August 4, 2015

Challenges, Classic Novels, Reading, Uncategorized

Persephone, Virago

29 responses to “All Virago/All August”

Lisa

August 4, 2015 at 8:08 pm

I love Viragos and have fallen in love with Persephones, but I don’t think I could manage a month of just reading them. I do like seeing everyone’s lists, though, and you all will probably be adding to mine 🙂

I do want to get to London War Notes, but after reading so much about our Civil War, I may need a break from war for a while.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 4:43 pm
  
  Yes, I almost added London War Notes to my stack, but I can only take so much WWII stuff at a time. And I am reading a Civil War non-fiction for book club this month so I know exactly how you feel!
  
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heavenali

August 4, 2015 at 10:07 pm

Now that is what I call a wonderful list. I loved The Expendable Man and Little Boy lost when I read them. I have read most of the others on your list and the two I haven’t I have TBR.
I do love AVAA and I am currently reading Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton and will probably follow it up with The Ice House by Nina Bawden. Then I am thinking of reading The Lying Days by Nadine Gordimer and maybe Persephone book The Happy Tree. I look forward to your reviews. Happy reading.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 4:54 pm
  
  Happy reading to you too! I have a few Nina Bawdens but have never read her – look forward to seeing what you think.
  
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Christine Harding

August 5, 2015 at 12:25 am

That’s a great list. Lolly Willowes is fantastic, one of the best books ever (but I have a lot of those!). And Black Narcissus is brilliant too. The others are in my TBRs, apart from The Echoing Grove, which I want – I really like Rosamond Lehmann.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 5:35 pm
  
  I’m really looking forward to Lolly Willowes – it sounds just wonderful. I’m enjoying Black Narcissus though it’s a bit slow for me. And so is Rosamond Lehmann. I love her, but she is not a fast read!
  
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Jane @ Beyond Eden Rock

August 5, 2015 at 3:21 am

A lovely selection of books, and I have to agree with Christine’s selection of Lolly Willowes as a real gem.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 5:36 pm
  
  I’m glad you second that! I’ll definitely be sure to read it this month.
  
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camilledefleurville

August 5, 2015 at 3:49 am

Am doing this with friends on a page created as “event” to my FB page with friends and are reading now Barbara Pym.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 5:37 pm
  
  How fun! And I do love Barbara Pym – she is one of my favorites. Perhaps I should add her to the list…
  
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  1. camilledefleurville
    
    August 7, 2015 at 4:11 am
    
    Lovely reprints by Virago from 2010/2013, I think…
    
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  2. Anbolyn
    
    August 7, 2015 at 12:42 pm
    
    I have a bunch of them – the covers are wonderful.
    
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  3. camilledefleurville
    
    August 8, 2015 at 3:17 am
    
    Oh, yes! Made them very attractive.
    
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jessicabookworm

August 5, 2015 at 3:57 am

I hope you enjoy this event. I haven’t read any of these books. Several years ago I read The Victorian Chaise-longue by Marghanita Laski, so I will be interested to hear your thoughts on Little Boy Lost.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 5:40 pm
  
  A sneak peek – I loved Little Boy Lost!
  
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kaggsysbookishramblings

August 5, 2015 at 5:35 am

A nice selection of titles (and also some lovely ones in the picture). I have managed a Virago and a couple of Persephones so far, because I’m trying to combine with Wome in Translation month. Amazed that I’ve managed to read some planned books so far…..

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 9:26 pm
  
  I thought about combining with the Women in Translation event too, but I don’t have very many Vs &Ps in translation unfortunately. You must have picked the right books for your plan if you’ve stuck to reading them. 🙂
  
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Lory @ Emerald City Book Review

August 5, 2015 at 5:41 am

I’ve read Lolly Willowes and Black Narcissus, both excellent choices and calling to me for a reread. I have Saplings and The Shuttle on my list already, and Tea by the Nursery Fire sounds wonderful too. In fact, I might as well adopt your entire list!

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 9:27 pm
  
  I think it’s a pretty good list! It is great to hear so much good about Lolly Willowes – it makes me more eager to read it.
  
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Jenny @ Reading the End

August 5, 2015 at 2:01 pm

Yayyy Little Boy Lost! This sounds like an excellent reading event. And such attractive books as well. 🙂

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 5, 2015 at 9:28 pm
  
  Little Boy Lost is so amazingly good. I can’t believe I put off reading it for so long. And this event is made for me. It came along just when I needed a break from reading galleys.
  
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vicki (skiourophile / bibliolathas)

August 6, 2015 at 5:19 am

Your list is making my mouth water – I have read a couple of these (Curiously, all the ones with double-barreled author names!) and the rest are on my wishlist already. What a lovely month you will have.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 7, 2015 at 12:42 pm
  
  I love the double-barreled authors! I hope I can get to most of these, but I’m suffering from allergies and haven’t felt like reading much this week. So annoying.
  
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Karen K.

August 7, 2015 at 2:51 pm

I’ve read Saplings, Lolly Willows, and The Edwardians from your list, and I own an old copy of The Shuttle. I think my favorite was Lolly Willows. The Edwardians was good but slow.

And I will definitely try to read a Virago or a Persephone this month! I just finished The Group which might be a Virago, just need to post about it. I’ll check the Virago list to see if it was included. I have LOTS of Ps & Vs on the TBR shelves.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 9, 2015 at 1:39 pm
  
  I just finished Saplings and loved it. I agree that The Edwardians is slow – maybe a bit too slow for me this month. I might end up choosing something different…
  Did you find out if The Group is a Virago? It sounds like it should be!
  
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Cosy Books

August 7, 2015 at 5:24 pm

Thanks for the heads up, Anbolyn! I have neglected my LibraryThing account for far too long and have ended up waaay out of the loop. I was planning on a bit of non-fiction but in the spirit of camaraderie there’s a Barbara Comyns (Virago) I’ve been looking forward to. Count me in.
The Shuttle, Saplings, and The Echoing Grove are all well worth the time you’ll spend reading them. Looking forward to your thoughts on Little Boy Lost!

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1. Anbolyn
  
  August 9, 2015 at 1:42 pm
  
  I might have to add a Barbara Comyns to the list since I know you like her so much. I think I have three of them on the shelves. I loved Saplings but am struggling with The Echoing Grove. I always have a hard time with Lehmann!
  
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Nicola

September 13, 2015 at 2:16 pm

Yes, Black Narcissus. Fabulous book. In this House of Brede is generally considered to be a more realistic portrayal of nuns, but I prefer Black Narcissus.

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1. Anbolyn
  
  September 16, 2015 at 12:25 pm
  
  It is great – I just need to find the time to finish it!
  
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