My friend and London hostess Madalena, yours truly, Claire, Sakura,
Yvann, Nugget & Lyndsey and Iris.
Just returned from a literary weekend in London. The utter-amazingness of it I’m sure would not be easily understood outside the book blogging community.
On Saturday met a group of fellow Dorothy Dunnett enthusiasts to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Game of Kings. As with other such gatherings around the world, we made a toast at exactly 1PM with an exquisite smokey whiskey.
On Sunday had a yummy brunch with a group of fellow book bloggers, who I’ve got to know online over the past 1 1/2 years. After eggs Benedict we chatted our way to the National Portrait Gallery to see Jane Austen’s famous portrait by Cassandra, the Brontë sisters, a young Dickens, a handsome Tennyson, a slightly-creepy Thackeray and other literary portraits.
Just before heading off to the train back to Brussels (sniff) I needed to spend my left-over pounds, so we had no choice but to head-off to the nearest Waterstones for an early 5 o’clock tea and to buy The Downtown Abbey Companion. Had no idea it even existed, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be mine!
O how I love London, where billboards advertise the latest books and not just detergent and car insurance *sigh*
The Sleepless Reader 
13 comments
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October 17, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Christina
Sounds like you all had a great time! I’m going to have to get that book…
October 17, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Joanna
Oh my Gods, I am SOOOOOO jealous!!!! Glad you had a fabulous time, wish I could have been there with you!
October 17, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Sandy
I don’t know all of those girls, but I do see Yvann and Iris around in the blogs. I love to see pictures of blogger get-togethers. There are no awkward silences are there! Amazing how you can know these people without ever meeting them!
October 17, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Natalie ~ the Coffee and a Book Chick
Meeting other bloggers is wonderful; glad you had a wonderful time! And you are so right about advertising – I would love to see one about a book and not about insurance.
I just watched Season 1 of Downton Abbey this weekend and have fallen head over heels in love with it. The companion guide looks like something I’d love to get my hands on so I’m off to check around for it now 🙂
October 17, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Steph
I am so envious of you Europeans and your easy ability to travel to other countries at the drop of a hat! I yearn for the ability to just pop on a train and get to London in a few hours, but alas, I don’t see that happening any time soon. 😦
Also, can you believe I still haven’t seen Downton Abbey? It’s available for streaming on Netflix and everything and yet I keep putting it off, though I’m sure I will love it. I have no idea what’s wrong with me sometimes!
October 17, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Ti
It’s always fun to meet other bloggers. I am so glad you had a good time. It’s always amazing to me that book bloggers are usually exactly how you pictured them.
October 17, 2011 at 9:00 pm
nymeth
I so wish I had been there 😦 Let us know if the book is good!
October 20, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Melissa
Jealous! It sounds like an amazing weekend. When I visited the National Portrait Gallery I bought a deck of cards with all the literary paintings on them. I still have it. It has the ones you mentioned and George Eliot and Shakespeare, etc. I love it.
p.s. Downton Abbey is fantastic. I love that there’s a companion book.
October 27, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Some bits and bobs « chasing bawa
[…] of us book bloggers have actually met each other in real life. Do check out Lyndsey and Alex‘s posts on when Alex and Iris came to London Town and we all met up for brunch. It was a […]
November 1, 2011 at 9:11 am
Violet
I bought that book and I haven’t even watched series 1 of DA on DVD yet. I’m hearing some not so great things about series 2, which will probably be on TV in Australia in June. I’ll probably buy the DVD from the UK when it becomes available and have a DA watching binge. 🙂
November 2, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Alex (The Sleepless Reader)
@Christina: Now that I’ve had it for a while, I can highly recommend it. Loved the part about the dresses…
@Joanna: you should have been there 🙂 Next time!
@Sandy: So true! None of the awkwardness of blind dates!
@Natalie: The Companion is perfect if you’re a fan!
@Steph: It’s easy because we’re so close together. Brussels to London is just about 300km (200 miles). Re. DA, do you have a treat waiting for you!!
@Ti: I hope that’s a good thing 😉
@Melissa: We also stopped at George Eliot. Maybe next time you can join with Joanna? We can make a road trip of it!
@Violet: Season 2 has been making me go all teary, but I see where critics are coming from: it’s becoming very.. soap-opera-ish.
November 7, 2011 at 5:53 pm
socrmom78
How fun! I have always wanted to get to London.
Everyone seems to love Downton Abbey. What is it about?
February 24, 2013 at 12:50 pm
Sunday Salon: Bookstore Rituals | Iris on Books
[…] when I was in London last December, and when I visited England and met up with a group of wonderful bloggers the year before, I noticed something every time we entered a […]