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Dr Laura Varnam

@drlauravarnam

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Tutor at Univ, Oxford. Poet. Medievalist. She/her. Books: Church as Sacred Space, Encountering Margery Kempe, Primers 7. Next bks: Du Maurier, Beowulf

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I have to share this beauty with you! It's a programme from the Queen's Theatre in London of Daphne du Maurier's stage version of "Rebecca". It dates from April 1940 and the cover illustration of Manderley is stunning. Seeing that Margaret Rutherford played Mrs Danvers in this production sends a shiver down my spine! It also starred Celia Johnson as the second Mrs de Winter, and I imagine she would have been perfect in the role.
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During the play the action takes place solely in the Hall at Manderley, and I'd be fascinated to see how the brooding and sinister atmosphere of the novel was brought alive on the stage. Perhaps positioning the scenes in one room created even more of a sense of claustrophobia and intensity.
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If you swipe you'll see I've included some images from the programme. There's a fabulous advert for 'The Perfect Gown for Afternoon Occasions' with the model looking very Rebecca-esque! There's also a photo of Celia Johnson and Margaret Rutherford, visually epitomising naivety and dominance in one fell swoop.
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I have to admit one of my favourite adverts is by the Theatre Management advising patrons that there is a Special Service of Afternoon Teas served by the Attendants in the Auditorium! I'm wondering if it was an afternoon tea in its truest sense and if theatregoers would be precariously balancing tea, sandwiches, scones and jam on their laps in the interval 🤷🏼‍♀️ As a fan of afternoon tea I must say I would be willing to give it a go, and I wish theatres today would offer this service 😁

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Show me your #nonidenticalbooktwins!
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I've realised I inadvertently have a lot of duplicate vintage book titles on my shelves (published in particular by Penguin 🐧) mainly due to my love of cover art and design. It's really difficult to pare them down as I don't think I could choose only one from each duo to keep.
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How about you? Do you have any #nonidenticalbooktwins?
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If anyone received a copy of this tremendous Daphne du Maurier novel in their stocking over Christmas, it would have been a treat - but it’s unlikely to have had this vintage cover!

It’s a favourite novel of mine, also of my friend @drlauravarnam and she has an old copy with this jacket. It’s so atmospheric that it was a delight to paint and the proportions of this miniature canvas lent themselves very well to suggesting a tiny book. I painted two of these little oils, one of which stands in my studio and the other, Laura has in Oxford.

Being so small, painting was tricky but the overall look is effective and I have always intended to paint more book jackets, I just haven’t got round to them yet! However, if anyone has a personal favourite and would like a miniature painting of the cover, please DM.

#commission
#commisionsopen
#art
#artistsoninstagram
#artwork
#artworks
#gifts
#oilpainting
#oils
#oiloncanvas
#oiloncanvaspainting
#book
#bookhaul
#booklover
#bookjacket
#vintage
#rebecca
#daphnedumaurier
#daphnedumaurierrebecca
#christmasbooks
#essexartist

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My main Xmas present

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No December can go by with my edition of Happy Christmas by Daphne du Maurier to make an appearance on #DuMaurierMonday

It took me quite a while to find my own copy of this fantastic little story and it’s definitely worth tracking down!

I keep wondering why nobody has republished it. It’s an absolute gem among Du Maurier’s short stories.

Is it maybe in one of her collections? I don’t own all of her short stories collections and can’t check so this is a question for our expert @drlauravarnam 💕 If you call yourself a Daphne fan and are not yet among Laura’s followers, you have to change this!!!!

Have a great week and don’t try to get too stressed!

#daphnedumaurier #classiclit #igbooks #decemberreads #christmasbooks #bookstagram #booklove #bookishgems #favouriteauthor #bibliophile

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I couldn't come to London this weekend without a trip to the British Film Institute on the South Bank. I used to hang out there regularly to watch films and study when I was working on my Doctorate in Film History.
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It's also one of my favourite spots in town as in front of the BFI you'll find the Southbank Centre Book Market, with outside stalls full of secondhand books (including these rather lovely vintage Penguins). I always pick up a book or two, and this time was no exception!
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With my bag a little heavier and my purse a little lighter, I settled down in the BFI to watch a 1944 film called "The Uninvited". It was based on the novel 'Uneasy Freehold' by Dorothy Macardle, and the screenplay was partly written by Dodie Smith (of 'I Capture The Castle' fame). It's an early Hollywood attempt at a proper ghost story, and I was particularly keen to see it as the synopsis suggested Daphne du Maurier "Rebecca" vibes (for example a mansion on the Cornish coast; an enigmatic portrait of the glamorous lady of the house who died under suspicious circumstances; and a character with a hint of Mrs Danversesque obsession). It was right up my street as it ticked all the spooky and sinister boxes, with a murder mystery thrown in too!
🧐😱
Are you a fan of old movies? What are some of your favourites?
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The Beautifully Mundane is anything but mundane! A brilliant, funny, poignant, uplifting collection of thoughtful photographs and an eclectic collection of words in response to the images by various artists, academics, writers and makers. Very proud to have been asked to participate. Check it out @photoprojectcornwall and on #vero @mickredmondphotography

#photography
#wordsandpictures
#artistsincornwalloninstagram
#artincornwall
#whealmartyn
#intobodmin

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We’re delighted to publish ‘Her Wordhoard’ by Laura Varnam in our new issue! badlilies.uk/laura-varnam Her Wordhoard

She calls me Feorsið, Far-Travelling.
(I’m trying to work out if it’s ironic.)
I’m the Queen’s Mind. I objected
to Handmaiden; after all, it’s not
my hands that are at her service.
When the king’s poet was poached
by a neighbouring tribe – the lawless
thieving bastards! – at first the men
wouldn’t entertain me. We get enough
nagging at home! But when I unlocked
my wordhoard, trotted out the old
familiar tales, they settled back in their
seats. Give them lopped-off body parts
and they soon feel at home. What’s a
legend without beheadings, I always say.

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Bad Lilies. Issue Ten: Remembrances. OUT NOW at badlilies.uk

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I didn’t realize I have so many unread Daphne Du Maurier books on my TBR shelves!
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Since it’s #dumauriermonday, I’ll tap into the fan base and ask which of these I should start with?
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I also decided to #copyagreatbookpic and use a books-on-a-windowsill setup I’ve seen on Andy’s feed @places_and_books. It’s a good one for grabbing what little light I can get in my dark house! You’ll see it more often here as we head into Oregon’s rainy winter.
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What author looms large on your TBR shelf?
🤷‍♀️
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#daphnedumaurier #unreadbooks
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#readingcommunity #tbrshelf #rulebritannia #thehouseonthestrand #dontlooknow #bookstagrammers #dumauriermonday #dumaurier #modernclassics #booksbywomen #englishliterature #booksandcoffee #vintagebooks #somanybookssolittletime #alwaysreading #bookworm #classicbookstagram #igbooks #mondayvibes #readersofig #booklovers #oldbooks #bookishthoughts #pdxbookstagrammers #coffeeandbooks #italianceramics #booksbooksbooks

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You're stranded on a desert island...the main character from the last book you read is on a mission to rescue you. Who arrives to save the day??
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Fortunately for me, it would be Marian Graves from "Great Circle". She is actually a pilot so I couldn't ask for a more useful rescuer! (Ps I'm glad my last book wasn't a horror - I wouldn't much fancy Jack Torrance or Dracula coming to save me!)
😁🛩️
How about you? Who would be your rescuer based on the last book you read?

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The Virtuous Ones - Christopher Stoddard
Good Reads 3.64

Billed as the Mad Men of the 21st Century I strapped in for a ride. I loved Mad Men. The industry. The female struggle. The clothes. The actors. The glamour. I also spent lots of my working life at ad agencies & was inspired by the passion, the madness, the people & the pace of it all.

The World has changed as this book shows. We are now in a new order where social media reigns. Enter the “wokest” PR agency you can find full of neurotic, drug dependent, money & label driven cast of characters. Stoddard’s very ironic titular virtuous ones.

A short book, it nevertheless packs a punch. Full of satire & beautifully written prose. It plays a little too much to the crowd I think. We are all shades of good & bad. It is more possible to be both than this book suggests. You can be messed up but produce excellent work. You can have a social conscience & still want to be a celebrity hanger on.

This book hits the mark more by highlighting the #metoo movement & the close ally that personal insecurity is to the whole social media evolution exploding in our lives.

As a satire it works but in delivering a cast of characters you identify with, root for or even hate but are invested in - it does this less well.

Thank you to the publisher, the author & @netgalley for a digital arc of this work in return for an honest review.

Published 🇬🇧 Thursday 22nd 2022

QOTD: What is your dream working environment?
AOTD: In a buzzy advertising/ marketing department 😊

#TheVirtuousOnes #ChristopherStoddard #NetGalleyUk #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #mrsinkslinger #avidreader

#igreads
#booklove #booklover
#bookworm

#bookstack

#bookstagramuk #bookstagram

#bookstagrammer #bookstagrammeruk

#currentlyreading

#bookishpost

#readersofinstagram
#readersofinsta
#booksofinsta
#igreads

#bookaddict #bookaddicted

#booknerd

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