The American Mystery Classic series is published by Penzler and is well worth looking at. I loved Mary Roberts Rinehart’s The Great Mistake (1940). In her time Rinehart was more popular in the States than Agatha Christie and I do enjoy her books. They tend to be more leisurely and have strong ‘had I but known elements’, but I find both of these elements appealing. I liked the narrator, a young woman, and became more and more absorbed as it went along. It is also an interesting book from a social history perspective, and it depicts people of various classes and wealth.

Persephone had a great success with Winifred Watson’s Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which I recommend if you are looking for a book to make you feel better about life. They have just published Hop, Step and Jump (1939) by the same author. This is less light-hearted,  but is still a very good read with some humour, and a positive ending. It tells the story of a working-class girl who ‘betters’ herself after the failure of her marriage. There are many appealing and interesting characters, and the book is surprisingly open about sex given when it was first published.

Many science fiction novels of various periods have been reprinted in the Gollancz SF Masterworks series, and I particularly enjoyed Arthur C Clarke’s A Fall of Moondust (1961). This is a relatively short and taut novel in which a tourist bus/ship sinks below the moon’s surface. I liked the fact that we see events from the perspective of both those trapped, and those who are desperately trying to rescue them. It’s a thrilling read with much tension.

I was initially somewhat reluctant to read Rebecca Romney’s Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: The Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend. I feared that it would be rather dry and perhaps boring. I was wrong! Romney writes in a very readable way, and I was pleased that she included a lot of her own reactions and thoughts. Her comments about her experiences in the rare book trade also added a lot to the book’s interest. Incidentally, I was glad that she praised Maria Edgeworth as I have really liked many of her books, such as Belinda, with their humour and sharp observations. It is easy to see how she influenced Austen.

Do ask if you want any more recommendations.

Happy Reading!

Frances

Please note that I have taken the idea of ‘superlatives’ from the excellent book blog Elle Thinks (https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/).