MemberCatherineWalton

These words by Virginia Woolf, which I've only just discovered, sum it up:-

Yet who reads to bring about an end however desirable? Are there not some pursuits that we practise because they are good in themselves, and some pleasures that are final? And is not this among them?

I have sometimes dreamt, at least, that when the Day of Judgement dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards -- their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble -- the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when he sees us coming with our books under our arms, "Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading."

(Virginia Woolf's 'How Should One Read A Book?', in "The Second Common Reader", Pelican Books (A132), London, 1944, page 206.)

The list here is just a sample of my favourite authors and subjects. The complete collection, thousands, has taken over the whole house . . .

History and philosophy are my main interests, with a lot of subjects that impinge on them: classics, art, all kinds of primary sources - from documents to textiles to buildings to landscapes. For relaxation, I enjoy 'cosy' mysteries, science fantasy, and lacemaking texts. And I love to curl up with my Norwegian Forest Cats, Rowan and Daisy, while - of course - reading a good book.