A Room for Book Lovers

Decorate with dark color...I have heard this recommendation from many interior designers. But I have never seen it done so well as in the library at the Mayflower Inn in the idyllic town of Washington, CT. We just got back from a wonderful week on the east coast. Once I catch my breath, I will organize my photos and do a full blog post on the trip. But just for now, I wanted to share this photo I took of the library at the Mayflower Inn. This was taken in the late afternoon on a crisp fall day. All of the rooms at the Mayflower Inn are lovely, but this one in particular caught my eye. It just envelops you and invites you to curl up with a good book. And there were so many to choose from. I went with an Anita Brookner title I had never seen before. And though I didn't make a lot of progress, I will try to get a copy now that I'm home so I can read the whole thing.

It was the perfect library, deeply atmospheric and enticing. The dark brown of the woodwork, the warm colors of the books, and the patina of the well worn leather chairs and pillows added up to a cozy haven for hiding out on a cold winter night. But the next day I discovered there were other uses for this room. One evening it was closed off for a private dinner party. I peeked in and saw a round table glowing with candlelight and flowers set for about 8 people. I've always thought that a dinner in a library would be delightful. Surrounded by all those great books, conversation would flow. I tucked that idea away for the future: a small dinner party for four or six in our tiny library. There's something very appealing about eating in a room not meant to be used for dining. I love the idea of combining dinner, wine, conversation and good books.

And speaking of good books, I just finished Lauren Groff's new book Fates and Furies on the plane coming home. It was strange, intense, and riveting. It's about a marriage seen from the perspective of both spouses. There seems to be something Shakespearean about this book. I enjoyed it and will write a review soon. Have you read it? I would love to know what you thought.

What have you been reading lately?  

Haven

"I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve"

-- Charles de Montesquieu

I love books and continue to prefer them over electronic devices even though they sometimes threaten to take over my house! In fact, my very first blog post four years ago was about the beauty of books. In my opinion, nothing makes a room warmer than a personal collection of books. I love how they bring color, pattern and texture to a room. And they tell us so much about the collector. Recently, after returning from a trip to England and new books arriving daily, I realized it was time to edit the books in my study to make room for the new ones. The goal was to be able to put my hand on whatever title I needed without too much trouble. My system of organization was pretty relaxed with the only rule being to group all books by the same author together. Other than that, I hoped to arrange them in an attractive way to highlight the beauty of the books. Since every book "counts" in this room (no forgettable books here), I should be able to find what I want easily. The topic of this collection would be favorite authors, as well as some new ones from the trip to England. This room would contain literary novels and biographies, mostly English, and very much my "old friends."

 Virginia Woolf and Bloomsbury would be front and center. These are the diaries I found in London. I have been reading Virginia Woolf's books for many years and finding these beautiful editions of her diaries was a highlight of my trip. Seeing her lighthouse in St. Ives was also pretty special!

 Books on her as well as her circle of friends take up a few shelves

 I have been collecting books on the Bloomsbury Group for about 35 years now!

Next were some groupings of favorite authors. I loved getting the Nancy Mitfords and Katherine Mansfields together.

As well as books by E.M. Forster, Elizabeth Von Arnim, and E.M. Delafield. Though it seems that I have many editions of just one title by Delafield, The Diary of a Provincial Lady. This charming book about the life of an ordinary woman living in an English village during the 1930's is laugh-out-loud funny. Go here to read more. I discovered this gem a few years ago and apparently can't resist buying attractive editions.

My beloved Barbara Pym --  I think I've read every one of these

And some lovely Persephone editions -- oh, there's another "Diary of a Provincial Lady"!

Elizabeth Bowen is next to books on reading and writing. This accidental combination makes sense since Bowen's writing is some of the most beautiful and memorable writing you'll ever read. Go here to read more.

My Jane Austen books

Next were the books purchased in London, Cornwall, Devon and the Cotswolds. The goal was to keep all those together so I could have them at my fingertips to remind me of my trip. I have been slowly making my way through them.

So far I have read A Cornish Affair and Ross Poldark. They are both fun, escapist books and they took me back to Cornwall. Ross Poldark is an old-fashioned, swashbuckling tale that I loved and would put under the category of "guilty pleasure."

Some highlights --

This one came highly recommended by one of my readers and I can't wait to read it!

Summer in February is about an Edwardian artistic community set in Cornwall. I am reading this  now and enjoying it. It was made into a film starring Dan Stevens which I may now have to rent.

This one is about a young woman who flees her wedding and hides out in Cornwall doing research on a grand old home and garden. Naturally she is seduced by the beauty of the place as well as the scion of the family who owns the house. A good old-fashioned love story.

I learned about Cider With Rosie while in the Cotswolds. A best-selling (six million copies) nostalgic memoir of finding love during a summer in the Cotswolds, it was published 100 years ago.

Another laugh-out-loud classic of English comedy, also set in the Cotswolds

A collection of recipes from Cornwall and Devon that I found in a bookstore in St. Ives

The third installment of the Old Filth trilogy by Jane Gardam. Go here to read an excellent article about her in the New Yorker magazine.

I found three books by Angela Thirkell -- they are impossible to find here -- at a little book store in the Cotswolds village of Stow-on-the-Wold.

And this book on Beatrix Potter's gardening life, found at Kew Gardens bookstore, was hard to resist.

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A room filled with books is such an inviting sight. I am looking forward to spending some happy hours this winter in my study curled up with a favorite book and a cup of tea!