Bag Full of Books

This utterly bookish blog by Slightly Foxed subscriber Arpita is packed with reviews and lovely photos.

‘Armchair traveling around the world, one book at a time.

Greetings from Massachusetts, USA. My name is Arpita and I love being stuck in the middle of a good book . . .’ Visit Blog

The Bag Full of Books Instagram feed is a thing of bookish beauty too. If you’re on Instagram you can follow @bagfullofbooks but if not, do scroll down for a selection of Foxed photos.

Glimpses of my weekend… how was yours?

A photo posted by Arpita Bhattacharya (@bagfullofbooks) on Jun 26, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT

‘Portrait of Elmbury’ by John Moore is the recounting of the author’s life, in the small market town of Elmbury in the interwar years. It seems that the name Elmbury is a fictitious name. In all probability the town of Elmbury is the author’s childhood hometown of Tewkesbury. The names of the characters that show up frequently in the narrative have also been changed to preserve anonymity. What cannot be disguised, however, is the author’s fondness for his hometown, its valleys and fields, its orchards and woods, its rivers and farms ,along with the assortment of distinguished and motley characters that lend Elmbury, a character all its very own. ‘Portrait of Elmbury’ is, as the title suggests, a vivid and minutely detailed historical sketch of the market town as seen through the eyes of the author. I enjoyed it for a unique glimpse at a way of life that occupies a special place in the rural history of England. Please see the link in my bio for a full review on my blog!

A photo posted by Arpita Bhattacharya (@bagfullofbooks) on Aug 4, 2016 at 5:56pm PDT

‘Look Back With Love’ is the author Dodie Smith’s childhood chronicle of an Edwardian upbringing in the city of Manchester. The childhood is in no way idyllic, Smith’s father died very early on in her childhood, but in every way it is so very charming. Brought up in a household of adults, little Dodie Smith was doted upon by a host of uncles and aunts, grandparents and a loving mother, who relied upon storytelling to entertain the small child. If anyone has read ‘I Capture the Castle’, one can recognise that Cassandra IS Dodie Smith. Quirky and full of delicious historical details, I can already tell, though I am a third into the book that this autobiography is going to be a great favourite this year. A big thank you to @foxedquarterly for the beautiful edition!

A photo posted by Arpita Bhattacharya (@bagfullofbooks) on Aug 3, 2016 at 3:45pm PDT