Book Post: Nightingale Wood

Just finished this book by Stella Gibbons, who wrote Cold Comfort Farm. It was very cute and satisfying. It's a Pink Book, but it stands apart because not only is it about the 1930s, it was actually written in the 1930s, so it is more true to life than many books of that time period. At times I would think, "Yeah, right. They didn't do that back then." But they DID. The writing style is unique as well. It's not a tough read by any means, in keeping with the Pink Book genre. But it's a cut above. I'm thinking of reading Cold Comfort Farm next, which I always thought was about a farm somewhere in America ala Fried Green Tomatoes. Which isn't about a farm, incidentally, but is the book I always thought of when I heard anyone talk of Cold Comfort Farm.

By the way, did you realize Harper Lee is still alive? I was surprised to read that just now when I googled Fried Green Tomatoes to see if it was about a farm (it isn't). Apparently Harper Lee recommended it which totally floored me. Speaking of Harper Lee - recently I saw a great old copy of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Friends of the Library bookstore up the street. I wanted it, but didn't have $1 (!) with me at the time, so I put it back on the shelf. I forgot about it until I was recently doing some research about first editions and came across what appeared to be the same edition of To Kill a Mockingbird which was selling for (eeek) $7,260! I ran up to the library but it was GONE. I wouldn't have sold it anyway, but I would have bought it, put it on my shelf and cherished it that much more. It looked just exactly like this:

But better. (I borrowed this pic from First Editions and Antiquarian Books again. That link will bring you to the To Kill a Mockingbird page which shows the $7,260 one and a different edition for $726.) Rats.