The reason you girls never had Eloise when you were little is because I did have her when I was small and always found her somewhat creepy and frightening. Plus, why was a little girl living in a hotel? Disturbing, right? (I’m still not over it.)

Often my favorite shoes are the ones I have least cause to wear because they are fancy, or only go with one particular outfit. I have a smashing pair of black and white heels but I fear getting them scuffed AND do not want to wear them with anything that will look less amazing with them than the outfit for which I purchased them.

Glad you enjoyed it!

I love to find bookstores on my own! It makes me feel such a pioneer. 🙂

It is lovely. I arrived in my Impressive Academic Town on Saturday afternoon, and I feel like I’ve spent most of my time here since then casting a critical eye over all the breakfast places and trying to decide which one I will take for my own.

Also, yes, you do want to read Joan Wyndham more. Then it will be like Daddy-Long-Legs, and everyone will read Joan Wyndham, and I will not be alone in loving her. :p

So I should really have responded to this comment when I was still at home with my copy of The Dud Avocado, instead of waiting until I moved far away. Which is to say: I do not know what the other kind of organized tourist is. But I do have some slight resentments over my sublessor’s choice of morning beverage.

Don’t bother reading more Hemingway. He’s terrible and clearly disliked women A LOT. I had to read several of his short stories and The Sun Also Rises when I was in school and I swear never never never again shall I read any more Hemingway. Unless I feel like it. (That’s the kind of oath I mostly swear. :p)

Eloise the girl in the New York hotel that I can’t remember the name of? I never read those books when I was small – which in retrospect surprises me.

Maugham, you say? I will have to hunt him down. I am never sure, because I dislike Hemingway so much, if his topics are ones I could never enjoy, or if it’s only because he’s awful that I hate his books.

Was that really why? Ordinarily I’d assume you were joking, but I would believe almost anything of dreadful Hemingway.

I like books to have plot. If a book is going to be thin on the plot, it has to have a strong combination of atmosphere, characters, and narrative voice. I didn’t get the atmosphere so much on this one, but characters and narrative voice, yes. Whereas something like I Capture the Castle is far better because it scores high on all three measures.

(I like how scientific that sounds. I am going to start considering those to be my criteria.)

You don’t have to be a Hemingway fan, but I bet it would help. However, I am probably as little fond of Hemingway as anyone could be, and I still enjoyed it.