E. Nesbit, Enid Blyton and other children's classics

Here's what I read over the weekend:

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E Nesbit
The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton
Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton
Jill Enjoys her Ponies by Ruby Ferguson

I loved these when I was little. I think those librarians who banned Enid Blyton because they said she wasn't a good writer were really making political decisions based on her attitudes to class and her sexism. She was of her day though, and to prevent children from reading them is to deprive them of a lot of fun (and to underestimate their intelligence and ability to recognise outmoded attitudes).

Ruby Ferguson's books are still jolly funny!

Day 335; Book 327

My Life in Books Meme

I saw this meme on True Crime Book Reviews. I'm not completely sure what a meme is, but here goes with the format and my answers:


Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions.
Try not to repeat a book title.


Describe Yourself: Daughter of Fortune

How do you feel: Guilty as Sin

Describe where you currently live: Old Pittenweem

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Espedair Street

Your favorite form of transport: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Your best friend is: The Tailor of Gloucester

What's the weather like: Snow Falling on Cedars

Favourite time of day: The Remains of the Day

What is life to you: Something to Do

Your fear: Bad Medicine

What is the best advice you have to give: Cut and Run

Thought for the Day: Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

How I would like to die: With a Strange Device

My soul's present condition: Among the Missing


Care to have a go?

I've been away

But here's the books I've read recently:

Children's classics: Stig of the Dump by Clive King, Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson and The Children of Greene Knowe by Lucy M Boston.

Two books in one free with Mr F's Sci-Fi Now magazine: Ultimate Guide to Sci Fi Literature (vol 1) by Matt Hardrahan and The 50 Greatest Moments of Doctor Who by Andrew Rilstone.

Borrowed from Jo: Scarred Hearts by Max Blecher and The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale

Bought in Oxford: Beyond Words: How Language Reveals the Way We Live Now by John Humphrys.

Sorry, no time to comment today!

Day 331; Book 324

The Jeweler's Bench Book by Charles Lewton-Brain

A book thoughtfully provided by the Rock Chick so her Papa can build her a jeweller's bench for Christmas! (It's American, hence the spelling). Naturally I decided to read it.

It was most enlightening, because up till now I had thought of jewellery-making and silversmithing as a dainty craft ... how wrong was I! The outcome may be dainty but there is brute force and hazards involved. Now I am worried about the Rock Chick surrounded by dangerous heat, chemicals and fumes, which just goes to show that ignorance can be bliss.

Maybe I will get over it if she makes me something nice ...

Day 325; Book 315

Apologies and catch-up

Having been obsessed with moi and outings for moi recently (it's been my birthday), it's time to catch up with what I've been reading. Here we go:

Deception is one of the books for children and teenagers featuring Grace Cavendish, a maid of honour at the court of Elizabeth I. Quite fun and doesn't shy away from the nastier aspects of life. I would have loved this when I was about 10. Here's a link to the series.

Another classic children's book is The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter. Little children would love this, especially with the repetition of the phrase "No more twist" and the happy ending, and the illustrations of course.

Then I read Quest for a Kelpie by Frances Hendry. This is billed as a children's book but I think it could appear just as happily on the shelves for adults (you could compare it with Kidnapped). It's seen from the point of view of an old lady looking back on her childhood in Nairn at the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie and Culloden. There's lots of period and local detail. I don't normally like historical novels but this one has an exciting story and a likeable heroine.

Then Mr F had bought the latest Jeffery Deaver, Roadside Crosses (hardback, but half price in Asda). Good story and plenty of misdirection as usual until the baddie is unmasked. A bit too much explanation about blogs and posting though - surely most people would know about this (most people on here anyway!)

Finally Mr F had also bought the last part of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein trilogy (Dead and Alive). I don't care for horror, but fortunately this one had plenty of humorous asides as well. Very enjoyable.

Well, I've got behind again so looks like I will have to take up Elizabeth's suggestion of reading all the Beatrix Potters ...

Day 326; book 314

This looks good ...

... Fame: from the Bronze Age to Britney by Tom Payne.

There's a review here and another one here.

Have you ever lamented the modern tendency to worship celebrities and indeed to make celebrities out of people with no discernible talent? Well apparently we've been doing it since the dawn of civilization, and it doesn't reflect too well on us. Tom Payne teaches classics and he knows his stuff, and cleverly shows the connections between the past and the present, even comparing the deaths of rock stars to human sacrifice.

As an avid reader of Heat myself, I must get this book.

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller

Well, I didn't expect THAT ending. I liked this book, and thought it was interesting the way your sympathy for the characters changed. Lots of people didn't like it though - see their views here.

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton was as bizarre as you might expect from the director of films like Beetlejuice. It was strangely touching in some places and truly horrid in others - and funny at the same time. A tiny, tiny read, ideal for my purposes at this stage in the Book-a-Day.

Day 319; Book 309