Weekend Reading List

I've have some very good things to read this weekend; They are all from one shelf at the National Library, so you can imagine all the treasures that lurk there unexplored. In no particular order:Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose, by Flannery O'Connor. She writes some of the most brilliant, nail-biting, rivetting short stories, and this collection of essays deals with various aspects of her craft, including her lecture notes on elements of a good short story, and writing fiction in general. It is very inspiring. Did you know she kept 40 peacocks in her backyard?
Another book that deals with words and English usuage, The King's English: A Guide to Modern Usage by Kingsley Amis isn't comprehensive, but is nonetheless important, useful, sensible and besides, informed with a dry wit. Indexed in an alphabetical order, I'm already at 'P'. It is that entertaining, and well-written. Cleopatra's Nose is a collection of essays by Judith Thurman, all from the archives of her work at The New Yorker, including enlightening pieces on Diame Arbus, Richard Avedon, Elsa Schiaperalli, Cristobal Balenciaga, Nadine Gordimer and many more. It's a trove of useful information on all the subjects I'm interested in, so this is a find. Lastly, I'm reading Jane Austen's Letters, edited by Dierdre Le Faye (1995). It's fascinating, of course."If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing." - Kingsley Amis