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Thursday, October 13, 2016

Bookish thoughts...

On Daphne du Maurier.  After reading Rebecca, several of her short stories, and My Cousin Rachel this year, I'm eager to read more of her work. And she's written a lot to choose from, both fiction and non-fiction. I'm leaning towards The Scapegoat or The House on the Strand. Or maybe Jamaica Inn or Frenchman's Creek.  Luckily, my library has copies of all of them.  The only problem is deciding which to read first. Which would you recommend?

On Mother Teresa.  Pope Francis made her a Saint last month. It's pretty obvious why. Like everyone else, I admired the way she lived her life--her compassion and selflessness and her devotion to God. I also admired many of the things she said and wrote. Here's my favorite Mother Teresa quote:
      If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
      If you hare honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
      If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
      The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
      Give the world your best and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
      For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It never was between you and them anyway.


A blog recommendation.  Want to read a blog with posts that are well-written, thoughtful, articulate and humorous? Check out My Life as a Harvard Reject. It's all of these things and more. It's also written by my nephew. So take a minute and click over to his blog and read a few of his amazing posts. They're worth reading; I promise you won't be sorry.

Happy Reading!

14 comments:

  1. My favorites: Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel, and Frenchman's Creek. I can't remember anything about The House on the Strand. :(

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    1. I've seen an old movie version of Frenchman's Creek, which is why it's on my To Read list; and I thought the plot of The House on the Strand sounded interesting. I'll probably end up reading both. :)

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  2. I just got The House on the Strand at a used book store so I'd recommend that one. We could read it together. Or you could tell me how it is. ;) I've always admired Mother Teresa. I'll check the blog out. Thanks for the recommendation.

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    1. The House on the Strand does sound good. And it'd be fun to read it together...this year? Or next? :)

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  3. I love that quote from Mother Teresa! And I'm pleased to see you're planning to read more du Maurier. Jamaica Inn is a good one, but The Scapegoat and The House on the Strand are two of my favourites so I would recommend either of those (probably The House on the Strand if I had to choose). I'm hoping to read Frenchman's Creek soon as it's one of the only du Maurier novels I still haven't read.

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    1. I'm glad to know that The Scapegoats and House on the Strand are both good reads, because those are the two du Maurier novels that intrigue me the most. I'll definitely read those next. Thanks! :)

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  4. What a great quote! I think so much of faith is doing the next good, right thing without worrying about affirmation or praise.

    When I have trouble deciding what to read, I read the first few pages and see what sticks. Good luck picking your next du Maurier read!

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  5. I'd only read Jamaica Inn besides Rebecca; though it's not as good as Rebecca it was still an enjoyable read. :)

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  6. I love Mother Teresa, so happy with that beautiful quote!
    Have you found your next Daphne-novel already? I am still looking for my next one :-)

    Love the blog by your cousin, well written and very funny, thanks for the tip!

    Kind regards,

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    1. Thanks for checking out Will's blog. I think it's awesome, but then I'm biased. And I'm still trying to decide between The Scapegoat and House on the Strand for my next du Maurier read. They both sound good. :) Is there a du Maurier that you're leaning towards reading next?

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  7. Much as I enjoy Daphne du Maurier, I was disappointed with Frenchman's Creek. You may like it better than I did, but I thought it rather full of stereotypes and had me rolling my eyes. On the other hand, House on the Strand is fascinating. I have yet to read The Scapegoat, but the movie version is terrific.

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    1. House on the Strand is one that interests me the most, so I'm thinking I'll start with that one. Thanks for the rec! :)

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  8. I have only read Frenchman's Creek, and I don't remember it well. I think I read it because a family member liked it, and I found it to be slow going at first, but felt like it paid off at the end. I haven't read any other du Maurier, but sounds like I should consider jumping on board with House on the Strand! LOVE the Mother Theresa quote, what a great reminder. And thanks for the blog recommendation :)

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