Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I first read this in high school I think, then devoured other du Maurier stories, including The Birds, which most know as a Hitchcock film. I was led back to Rebecca because I read and loved The Sisters Mortland recently, which led me to Rebecca's Tale from our local library.

As an aside, I loved Rebecca's Tale and don't quite get the negative reviews. Beauman followed du Maurier's style quite well, kept true to the tidbits in Rebecca and added a bit more dimension. Did I miss something? Someone said in a review that it was never clear how Rebecca died but in rereading Rebecca just now it seems clear if you believe Maxim's confession to his unnamed new wife. She taunted him about being pregnant by someone else and knowing that child would inherit Manderley. So yes he killed her and yes she committed "suicide by murder" as it were.

Anyway, after reading Rebecca's Tale I had to go back and reread the original, as it had been many many years. I'm happy to say that it's still a great read AND makes me want to go to Cornwall.

Do you write in the margins of your books?

Wonderful post here from Steve Leveen on why you should write in your books. I used to be firmly against marking up books but I switched camps quite a few years ago and now highlight, underline and write marginalia (Thanks for that word Steve!) in any book that really captures my attention.

I bought a Kindle and enjoy many aspects of it. I like being able to carry a selection of books with me and choose which one to read wherever I am. It also satisfies my impatience when I must have a new book that someone told me about right then and there. But while you can write in the books and highlight, it's much more cumbersome and much less personal.

I have tucked letters into books that accompanied them when they were given as gifts. I have old notes and bookmarks and probably a photo or two tucked into books as little surprises to find upon rereading. You can't do any of that with a Kindle. But you can search across books for things, which is pretty cool.

I make lots of notes in cookbooks. Of course I note changes I made or ideas for future changes. I asterisk the ones we like the most. I note down who I served it for if we've had company. I love thumbing through the cookbooks and seeing my notes. I hope someone else enjoys them later.