Cold-induced library haul

Feeling sorry for myself because I was - again - suffering from a grotty cold, I decided to visit my local library. I figured that as I had to venture to the shops anyway to buy yet more tissues (at this point, I had already gone through one box's worth and at least one bog roll), I might as well as do something pleasant while I was out of my sick bed. I ended up only borrowing three books because, to be honest, I couldn't face lugging back a load of books in my plaguey state. Mind you, considering that this was my second cold in as many weeks, grabbing one or two books from my library's display of "optimal health" books - rather than just giving them a cursory glance - would not have gone amiss. Ah well, these are the books I did get,

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler - Goodreads description

I've been wanting to give this retelling of Taming of The Shrew (part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project) a go ever since it came out last year. I was interested to see how Tyler would tackle the really rather sexist plot of the original  - gobby woman gets put in her place by bloke (though I have read Shakespeare was being ironic or something). Plus I really liked Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread, so I wasn't averse to reading more of her work.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier - Goodreads description

Having failed to re-read Rebecca for my Jane Eyre project because I couldn't face reading about someone else's anxieties (I have enough of my own), I felt I owed it to Du Maurier (not quite sure why to be honest) to try to read another one of her books. As My Cousin Rachel (boy meets girl he suspects of doing in his cousin; falls in love with said girl) has been made into a (soon-to-be-released) film, it seemed the obvious choice. 

Man at the Helm by Nina Stibbe - Goodreads description

I absolutely loved Stibbe's memoir Love, Nina - to the extent I once foisted it upon an unsuspecting member of my bookgroup as a secret Santa gift - but I was sceptical that I'd like this work of fiction about two girls trying to find a husband for their mum. Funny, insightful non-fiction writers aren't necessarily gifted fiction writers (and vice versa) as fiction and non-fiction are two very different mediums. Therefore, I decided to pick up this library edition  - the great thing being that I could try it without fear of adding to my "bought but won't read" pile. 

All things Jane Eyre

I recently decided - for no other reason than because I felt like it - to read all things pertaining to Charlotte Bronte's masterpiece Jane Eyre, including both fiction and non-fiction. However, that was before I realised quite how many books there were out there that had something to do with Jane Eyre (94 according to this Goodreads list). As I have neither the money nor the time to read all of these books, I have decided instead read one book from each of the following categories: prequel, actual, retelling, sequel, and spin-off. 

Prequel - Wide Sargasso Sea by Rhys
There can no other prequel to read than Rhys' well-known novella, which documents how Antoinette Cosway - aka the first Mrs Rochester - ended up being called Bertha and locked up in an attic.

Actual - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Well, obviously, there'd be no point to this project if I didn't use it as an excuse re-read my all-time-favourite book would there?

Retelling - Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
I have always thought the accusation that Rebecca was a reworking of Jane Eyre a little unfair to Du Maurier. Certainly there are parallels with Bronte's work, but it's a magnificent book in its own right. The only reason I am choosing to re-read it for my "retelling" book is because it's the most famous retelling and the other ones on Goodreads looked pretty ropey (one has five one-star reviews; not a good sign).

Sequel - Reader I Married edited by Tracy Chevalier
Technically this is a collection of short stories that are inspired by Jane Eyre rather than a straightforward sequel, but it does have some that purport to be sequels. Plus, I already own it and as I've already bought three books specifically for this project, I need to rein things in a little.

Spin-off - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
This comic crime novel about a "literary detective" called Thursday Next who has to enter the novel Jane Eyre stop a crime seems completely bonkers and, thus, a must read.

My goal after reading (or in some cases, re-reading) these books is to look at how the character of Jane in these books differs. However as Jane is only briefly referenced in Wild Sargasso Sea, I will look at  how Rochester in this book (though never actually named as such) compares with Bronte's version.