Dichroic Reflections

Time for Great Books

All I got’s a sunny afternoon........

and even morning. We made no plans for the weekend because of the test I had to take yesterday; I did come home and suggest driving to the property on the Rim (which I don’t think I’ve ever written about here but it’s on an airpark about 2.5 hours away up where it’s cooler). But neither of us had the energy to pack up all our stuff for camping and T hates doing that much driving for a one-day trip. So instead we’ll stay here and characteristically, he’ll find things that Must Be Done Now (T doesn’t laze well) and I’ll luxuriate in the still-new feeling of having spare time. Maybe I’ll visit the local used bookstore and use the certificate T gave me for Chanukah (just one day’s gift, so it’s a small one).

I’m thinking of stocking up on Bujolds --I’ve read most of them except for the latest few, but never really gotten obsessed, and I own only one or two early ones. From what I’ve heard, though, she’s the rare author whose series has improved over time (for some reason, the others I can think of all seem to be mystery authors -- Dorothy Sayers and Elizabeth Peters come to mind). I should probably buy A Civil Campaign new though; I’ve paged through but not read it and I need to carefully look for the Austen and Sayers homages. Of course, given the reputed quality of later Bujolds, there may not be many used ones for sale.

I also like to look in that store’s very-old-books section for possible additions to my collection of Polly of Pebbly Pit books. I’d especially like to get the one where she learns to fly, but ordering it online feels like cheating. There are a few other old girls’ series I’ll take when I can find them, too; Judy Bolton, maybe Connie Blair, and some girls club whose name I forget but its members were Harriet, Hazel, Marge (aka Buster), TOmmy, and their chaperone, MIss Elton. I had some of all of those growing up, handed down from my mother (who ended up with all the Judy and Connie books) and possibly my grandmother (Polly was copyrighted 1921, when Grandmom would have been 9). Also, though the morals get annoying, I’d like to see what happened when the Five Little Peppers went to Europe.