Nobody ever said a subscription to The Real Reader's Quarterly was cheap. The price of the publication plus shipping to Canada is £52 (about $80 US dollars). That's not so bad, being a known quantity. The unknown quantity is the amount you'll then end up spending when you read all the fantastic reviews contained in each of the four yearly issues on often out of print books and series, which you'll then feel you cannot possibly live without, even though you've likely never heard of the titles or authors before. In some cases, you'll on the contrary already own several editions of a given book, but then feel compelled to order a special limited edition published by their own Slightly Foxed imprint, if you're anything like me, but more on that coming shortly.

This issue contained, as they all tend to do, a good mix of old favourites and complete unknowns. Among the favourites were Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, which I read several years ago and recently acquired as a gorgeous Folio Society edition, and also as an audiobook narrated by Michael C. Hall of Six Feet Under and Dexter fame when it went on sale. What can't be overstated is the charm of the articles/reviews contained in each issue, where authors are encouraged to talk about their favourite books which are picked for their sentimental or literary worth as opposed to their value on the marketplace or jury list placements. Of books I already own and was compelled to purchase again , there was also an article about My Family and Other Animals, which Slightly Foxed has just published as an addition to their growing collection of biographies in small clothbound editions, this one being a personal all-time favourite by natural history writer Gerald Durrell, and one I couldn't resist getting, even though the £19 price tag with shipping to Canada was a bit of a splurge.

New-to-me discoveries included E. M. Forster's Two Cheers for Democracy, which only served to remind me that I already have no less than four of his books on the tbr still waiting for me to discover this amazing author, and it might be a good idea to start where he began in 1905 with Where Angels Fear to Tread. An article on Elizabeth Grant's Memoirs of a Highland Lady has me growing my wishlist, but then what else is new? That one should make for an interesting treasure hunt if I insist on getting a lovely reading copy, otherwise there's always a kindle edition. Another big splurge thanks to an article on L. P. Hartley's Eustace and Hilda trilogy, this time available through NYRB, and while I was at it, why not get The Go-Between as well, right? since that one is also on the Guardian 1000 as well as the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die—all four 2006/2008/2010/2012 editions, no less!

There's a third and last article of a trilogy on Patrick O'Brian's twenty naval novels, starting with Master and Commander, which I'll have to try my hand at again, and I think I'll need to get my hands on Patrick O'Brian's Navy: The Illustrated Companion to Jack Aubrey's World to help me with all the navy lingo. The little sample I did try on audio as narrated by Patrick Tull (which was highly recommended by Suzanne) was lots of fun, but I did get lost among the topsails and forecastles and various types of canon charges, so a little help, even if it means a small additional investment will be needed.

An article near the end, on Rex Stout's Fer-de-Lance has me convinced my life as a reader will never be complete without adding Nero Wolfe to my repertory. And that's just scratching the surface, as there are several articles I'm skipping over. I can't afford keeping up my subscription to SF. But then I can't afford not to. And besides, what else could approach such perfection for bathroom reading material? ( )