Bakewell ‘bigs it up’ for Montaigne (in parts) – Although you’ve yet to see a review on RobAroundBooks of Sarah Bakewell’s awesomely stupendous (and lengthily titled) How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in one question and twenty attempts at an answer (Chatto and Windus), you’ll have seen me wagging my tail aplenty, both around the pages of my reading journal, and on Twitter. Not only did Bakewell introduce me to an incredible man of history who I previously had little knowledge of, but her passion for the man also encouraged me to go and pick up Everyman’s Library tome-like Complete Works of Michel de Montaigne (which may I add, is absolutely fantastic!).
In other words I’m a huge fan of Sarah Bakewell, and the essay-penning hero she champions, so it was real delight to discover that Sarah is currently writing a weekly Montaigne-flavoured column for Guardian Online. At the time of writing Bakewell has produced three of her seven part series on Montaigne, and I highly recommend that you go read them.
Remembering Richmal Crompton – When I was a lad (not so long ago), there were two main ‘literary’ staples which kept my reading hunger sated. The first was Enid Blyton and her Famous Five, and the second – the one that I always seemed to gorge the most on – was none other than the Just William books from Richmal Crompton. I adored Just William and I remember always reading about his rebellious exploits with unconstrained glee. I say I remember but I’d kind of forgotten until I read this short yet fine article on Richmal Crompton, produced by Christopher Fowler as part of the Forgotten Authors series for The Independent.
I don’t know about Violet Elizabeth ‘thcreaming and thcreaming until she’s thick’ but I know that I read the Just William books with so much passion and energy that I almost made myself ill. Ahhh…..great memories brought flooding back. Thank you Christopher!
The New Yorker’s ‘Agreeable’ short story offering – Fans of short stories and of novelist Jonathan Franzen are going to be doubly delighted with the fiction offering served up by The New Yorker this week; a rather sprawling short story called Agreeable.
And while we’re on the subject of FREE short story offerings, Harper Perennial’s Fifty-Two Stories website – an old favourite here at RobAroundBooks – has a put up a double helping of James Thurber. Do you get the impression that the big boys are spoiling us? Me too. 
About Rob
Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul" - 
says:
If I can be cheeky and point your readers in the direction of my blog Rob. (Once they’ve finished here of course!) MG Harris author of the Joshua Files (a successful YA series) stopped by my place just last month to talk about Just William and Richmal Crompton.
http://bit.ly/cRamki
says:
Not cheeky at all Darren. A superb post which only widens my childhood memories of Just William (and everyone else’s I hope). So thank you!
Warmest
Rob