What I'm Reading

I've been tagged by Els over at Book Book Book with the "What are you reading meme." And like Els, I find it a nice relaxing one...

Here's what I'm reading out loud: A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond. First of a long long series about a small bear from Peru that is adopted by a London family. While looking unsuccessfully for a picture of the 1970s English paperback I'm reading (there's a new American cover and I don't like it), I came across this rather interesting piece by Bond about the books and their publishing history- 75 pounds, he got for it. I also "learned," via wikipedia, that vendors sell Paddington finger puppets by the shores of Lake Titicaca. The children are enjoying the book, but the same doubts that assailed me as a child when I first read it are still with me. Why is this bear so human? Why is there always so much stickiness (marmalade, cream buns, egg on whiskers). Why can't the Brown family see that treating him as human is a recipe for disaster (imagine taking a 2 year old, who's not safely strapped into a stroller, shopping in London. Then imagine it even worse). I really don't like books that feature disaster after disaster; what I enjoy is peaceful escapism.

Which is why I am reading Miss Buncle, by D.E. Stevenson. She is a mid 20th century English writer, often classified as Romance. I think this is a bit unfair (since I have a snobbish knee jerk reaction against Romance). Anyway, she writes entertainingly about the lives of well-off (but not super rich and titled) inhabitants of English and Scottish villages (plus some in isolated farms and in London). Similar to Angela Thirkell's pre-war books, but lighter.

I am saving all the books I really want to read for the 48 hour reading challenge....

This meme's been around for a while, and I'm not sure who to tag...so if you haven't done it yet, please feel tagged!