Exploding Head Emoji

 The postman comes early here, so when I heard him this morning shortly after I got up, I got dressed in a hurry and had a look. I knew I'd be getting happy mail today or tomorrow because Bill recently got me a voucher from Kenny's Bookshop and I'd gotten an email saying the order was shipped. After he gave it to me, I spent a few days pondering and clicking around, deciding what to get. I kept a list and made my decisions from that. I was thrilled to see the box in the entryway this morning and even more thrilled when I opened it.

Other than Kristin Lavransdatter, all the books are either comedic (The Caravaners) or at least have elements of comedy and satire (Sketches by Boz and Cecilia). The Undset book contains the entire trilogy. I know I read at least the first one decades ago, but am not sure whether I read all three novels and don't remember anything about the one I know I read, so although it'll be at least partly a re-read, it will seem new. I've not read any of the others. I did listen to a couple Sketches by Boz on the BBC Sounds app--they aired on Radio 4Extra. I laughed quite a bit and after that I decided I wanted the book. Fanny Burney is a new-to-me author, although I've read a bit about her and am intrigued. I was deciding between Cecilia and Evelina. The latter is more well known, I think, and I can read that in installments on the Serial Reader app, which I will do if I like this book. Burney was apparently a big influence on many writers who came later. This book was first published in 1782. Finally, I read about The Caravaners in a blog post that was discussing Elizabeth von Arnim's work in general. I haven't read anything by her, and her better known works, like Enchanted April and Elizabeth and Her German Garden are quite different, from what I've read. Nevertheless, if I like this one, I'll get the e-audiobooks of those from the library. I have Dickens and Burney on my e-reader--they're free on Project Gutenberg--but when a book is several hundred pages long (Cecilia is over 1000), I prefer to read an actual book instead of an ebook.

In anticipation of the arrival of the new books, I organized the ones I already had. We don't have any bookcases, so we do what we can with boxes and the floor. We have a few book towers tucked away in accessible, but out of the way spots. I had some books that I've read so wanted to put elsewhere. As I was shifting books around, I was reminded of how many great books we have. I've been reading so many NetGalley and library e-books that I've been letting my physical books languish. I've decided to focus on those for a while. I've been on a classics kick for a few years now and that shows no sign of abating. I have lots of chunky old books in my pile that I am eager to get to. 

For the past year, I've been enjoying old writing that makes me laugh. E.M. Delafield and her Diary of a Provincial Lady books, E.F. Benson's six Mapp and Lucia novels, and the occasional P.G. Wodehouse e-audiobook have brought much laughter. I'm looking forward to the comedic elements of my new books--I think I'll start with The Caravaners. It will be a good contrast to the e-book I'm reading now--the last one on my NetGalley shelf. It's an excellent nonfiction book that reads like a thriller, about what would happen in the event someone fires off a nuclear weapon at the US. Given the current situation globally and the threats within the US itself, it's a timely book (to be published in March, if I remember correctly). The author is laying out the history of the military thinking about nuclear weapons, the effects of such a blast, and the minute-by-minute response process that would ensue. The president would have about 6 minutes to decide where to launch the response nukes--and what people to kill/maim. This is not a defensive situation--in spite of what we are told, the interception systems are likely to fail--it would be pure retaliation. And I must say that as I have been reading, I have of the exploding head emoji many times. Of course we all know the very idea of nuclear weapons is nuts, but it's hard to wrap my mind around how very flimsy the entire edifice is. So much can go wrong at so many points in the process--and almost has. Once again, I am astonished that human beings as a species have survived for this long. I have a feeling it will be something of a relief to turn to a comic novel, written more than a century ago, about a pompous German general on a caravan holiday in Kent (UK) in 1906. It's apparently based on a true story. I'm looking forward to it.

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