I completely forgot that Mr. Knightly was that much older! Love the cover of A Journal of the Plague Years! I had the same copy of The Thebean Plays in college! Lovely video... there's something so soothing about these classic Penguin covers.

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Hello 👋 yes they’re lovely aren’t they :)

Definitely recommend more Forster. A Room with a View and Howard's End are great

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Thanks! Will do :)

thanks for a lovely video, Nicole! It would be great to see your Oxford Classics next, I think :)

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Pleasure! I was thinking Oxford Classics next too :) glad to know you’re interested. Thank you!

This was a really fun video, thank you. The Shepherd's Life and A Shepherd's Life are two interesting books that now i have on my list to read. I like reading about rural/country life and interested in ethnographic research of both village and nomadic lifestyles. However reading the memoirs of people who were part of those communities give a very insightful understanding. I remember having a great time reading a couple of memoirs of Yörüks (nomadic people living in Turkey) and getting the "feel" for the lifestyle. Also, seeing the world classics made me think, do you think you'd pick up some Middle Eastern classics in the future? Like Layla and Majnun or Shahnama (The Book of Kings).

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Pleasure :) Ethnographic research sounds interesting! I hope you enjoy the shepherds books. I haven’t thought about Middle Eastern classics. I might do one day :) are those titles you’d recommend?

Thanks Nicole. This was great. I love the Penguin classics. Some of yours I have read, some I haven’t but you make them sound very tempting 😊

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Pleasure! Glad you like them!

Love Anna Karenina. Totally agree with you that some scenes are like a darker and stronger version of Austen. Love to have your library.

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

So glad to hear you think so too!

thanks Nicole! it would be nice if you could show us the books behind you in your future video

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Hello! Will do :) thank you!

@teresachaotic.corner

3 ай бұрын

Yes! I second seeing the entire bookshelf tour! @@adayofsmallthings

I need to read some of Mary Wollstonecraft works, great collection ❤

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Hope you get on with her :) Thank you!

Great collection!

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Nicole, I look for Penguin Classics like a hunter stalking the big cats. Your collection was impressive, especially DeFoe and Charles Lamb! Does your Journal of the Plague Year have an old intro by Anthony Burgess? Burgess was a great reviewer and literary critic. I think his fiction was spotty. Don't stop here, get Robinson Crusoe, Roxanne, and Capt. Jack Flanders. And if you think Moll is even slightly repentent about the life she led, you should think again! Have you read the Lamb essays? If not, please do. He wrote so clearly and casually that it hides his true message.

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Sorry it took me a while to find out about the author of the Plague Year - it’s not Burgess unfortunately. Will carry on with Defoe and Lamb!

I would like to know if you ever take notes about the books you read? To look back on or just reflect by writing down how you felt about the book in general. Thanks

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Hello! I do yes. I have a Notion page where I take notes of everything I read, watch and listen to lol slightly excessive and geeky 😂

Nicoooole, please don't read the Penguin translation of The Canterbury Tales! T_T I highly suggest reading it in the OG middle english, rather than in translation. To me that's the coolest thing about Chaucer, that we can read him exactly as written without too much effort and be instantly transported back to the 14th century. It only takes a short while to get acquainted with the pronunciations of middle english and that little bit of effort is so so so rewarding. I've read excerpts from that Penguin edition of Chaucer and tbh it makes me sad. It makes me think of a declawed cat, an abject, pitiable creature to which senseless violence has been enacted. Chaucer's language is unbearably flat in modern english. It pains me to think that such translation would be your intro to Chaucer T_T The Norton Critical editions of The Canterbury Tales are very good. There are pronunciation guides and helpful tutorials for getting comfy with middle english in the beginning (including links to audio so you can hear other scholars read passages), and footnotes throughout to help us make sense of Chaucer's vocabulary and references.

@adayofsmallthings

3 ай бұрын

Oh dear, thanks so much for letting me know! That’s a serious case and I had not thought about it at all. Will definitely look into it! (It makes me happy somehow to know that you care so much about it!)

@user-wm2fv3sp3x

3 ай бұрын

I have The Canterbury Tales on my tbr list. So, thanks for your recommendation of the middle English version. It's really inspiring to see that you are so passionate about it.