• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • The Gardenangelists Podcast
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Rating Books by Gardening References

February 13, 2022 By Carol 3 Comments

I’ve been reading quite a bit lately, mostly novels written in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. They are pleasant reads which don’t require too much effort and because of when they were written, they generally have an expected, happy, ending. Or if not happy, at least pleasant.

While reading, I often find references to gardening which has prompted me to rate non-gardening books on this basis alone. What do they tell us about gardening and gardeners?

I am giving the novel Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym (1953) two flowers for two excellent gardening references.

Reference number 1:

Borrow a lawnmower in the depths of winter? That is hilarious.

And then there was this:

Who else has the power to disappear in a garden, only to “micraculously” return at just the right moment? I was reminded of how Agatha Christie wrote in Nemesis, “Gardening is as good as a smoke screen… to explain how Miss Jane Markle managed to not be seen snooping around when out in a garden. (Many of Christie’s mysteries receive numerous flowers from me in my rating system due to the well-placed references to both gardeners and plants throughout.)

I will give Ms. Pym four flowers for Some Tame Gazelle (1950), which gives us several thoughts on gardening, including this definition of “splendid.”

Even without the goat reference, this one stands up quite well, does it not?

And then there was this information about plants:

Plants really can stand up to a lot. Unless they are really expensive and then you’d better not look at them with anything but a smile. (My thoughts, not Pym’s.)

And this meditation on digging:

Who amongst has not worshiped in such a manner in a garden?

I also read her book Exellent Women (1952) and found within its pages a good definition of “independent” that relates to gardening, so it gets at least two flowers in my completely arbitrary book rating method.

Now on to the next novel Ms. Pym wrote, Less than Angels (1955). Given the subtle references to gardening in her first three books, I have high high hopes for more in this one. I’ll report back soon.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: humor

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening says

    February 14, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    Hmm. I think I need to read Barbara Pym. Are you going to join the Barbara Pym Society?

    Reply
    • Carol says

      February 14, 2022 at 7:08 pm

      I didn’t know there was a Barbara Pym Society! But now that I do, I’ll check it out. Their website looks very interesting! https://barbara-pym.org Thank you for letting us know!!

      Reply
  2. Dee A Nash says

    February 23, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    I loved this post. ~~Dee

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,053)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT