OT - The Book Thread - YouLookFab Forum

Louise

Then
Enid Blyton- Famous 5
Anything by Roald Dahl
Nancy Drew books

Now
Absolute favourite book ever Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman This is the 'what happened before' Daphnie Du Maurier's Rebecca.
The Twilight Saga
Harry Potter
Chick lit type books

16 years ago

Ele

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Louise- I could never get into Nancy Drew, but I love detective stuff as a light read these days!

As a kid I loved Lucy Maud Montgomery. There was a lot of talk about Anne of Green Gables on the other thread, but I actually didn't get into those until I was older. I loved the Emily of New Moon books, and some of her other more obscure heroines. I know Anne is beloved worldwide, but I wonder how many of these books really "made it big" outside of Canada's borders?

I also loved Kit Pearson, a wonderful Canadian author- her Guests of War trilogy was so special to me- has anyone else read it? Others include Lois Lowry (Number the Stars), Robin Klein (Hating Alison Ashley, People Might Hear You, etc.), Katherine Paterson, Scott O'Dell and lots of others I can't remember right now! My Mum was a librarian and my whole family is obsessed with reading- in fact, my sister and I weren't allowed to keep books in our rooms when we were little, because we would just read all night instead of sleeping!

These days, my favourite "all-time" books include:
Pride and Prejudice, Emma by Jane Austen
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Fall on Your Knees by Anne-Marie MacDonald
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (I also love her recent Jackson Brodie stuff- highly recommended if you like detective/crime but with wonderful characters!)
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell (I recommend this to anyone looking for a heartbreaking, beautifully written and romantic book- but don't read it in public!)
Harry Potter series

16 years ago

Louise

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Ele you enjoyed Rebecca i'd suggest reading Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman. it tells the tale of Rebecca and Maxim. I really enjoyed it and have read several times so much so my well thumbed copy has loose pages! x

16 years ago

hanna

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then:

- any and every enid blyton book. mallory towers, st clare's, the secret island, the enchanted tree, famous five, secret seven... man, i could go on. to this day, that's one of the things that bond my best friend and i together -- we became friends when we were 7 and played many, many pretend games around those stories!

- roald dahl. esio trot, the bfg, matilda, the witches, charlie and the chocolate factory, james and the giant peach... oh i love them all.

- anne of green gables, the entire series.

- the narnia books -- my first introduction to the fantasy genre, and i haven't looked back since!

- madeline l'engel (did i spell that right?). the book "many waters" sparked a lot of new ideas for me, but i love her in general.

- tamora pierce -- the 'song of the lioness' series featured a strong female character working her way up to become a knight. awesome.

now: i still read a lot of fantasy/sci fi stuff, and terry pratchett and neil gaiman are two of my favorite authors of all time -- but i'm pretty eclectic. i will read ANYTHING. i love the humor of pg wodehouse, i love oscar wilde... and are there any poetry buffs in the house? ts eliot, pablo neruda, charles bukowski, dorothy parker, ee cummings....yes? no?

16 years ago

Anonymous

I read Robert Louis Stevenson, Nancy Drew books (the old original ones. I understand that the newer ones are lacking.), and every mystery I could find by Phyllis A. Whitney and Lousia May Alcott. Also Jane Austen.
Now I read less fiction but loved the Harry Potter series, historical mysteries, ee cummings, Carl Sandburg and poetry in general.

16 years ago

Angie

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Fashion Stylist

Soooooooo, Louise and I are kid book twins! I’ll add “The Secret Seven” and anything by Judy Bloom and Agatha Christie to her list.

16 years ago

Ele

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Louise- I will check it out, thanks! Is it at all scary? I love the slightly creepy, Gothic undertones of Rebecca

Hanna- Oh, I forgot to put Enid Blyton on my list. I was obsessed with every and all boarding school books. (Also stories about orphans, strangely. I swear I didn't really hate my parents!) I read lots of Roald Dahl when I was really little, and PG Wodehouse as a teen.

Angie- Do you get much reading done these days?

16 years ago

hanna

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oh ele, i forgot -- i love rebecca as well. it's so creepy! sends chills up my spine every time i read it. i love a good ghost story!

16 years ago

Louise

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Hanna you took me straight back to childhood with a bang! Think my books the Magic faraway tree by enid blyton might be the same as your enchanted tree books i'd totally forgotten those.

Ele, Rebecca's Tale isn't scary per se but Mrs Danvers is a bit creepy towards the end. i was unable to put it down the first time i read it. it's one of those stories that 'weaves'.

16 years ago

hanna

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louise, THAT'S IT -- i'd completely messed up the title of that book! the magic faraway tree, with moonface and silky and the saucepan man... ooo, that takes me back. there was the wishing chair too, anyone remember those?

16 years ago

Dawn

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Oh my god, you wouldn't believe the amount of books I read as a kid! Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl were passed down to us from my aunts and uncles so we had well worn editions. Of course, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys were there as well! I loved fantasy as well- The Chronicles of Narnia, the first Harry Potter was released when I was nine so I loved that!

Moving onto my teenage years, I read so much more from Jane Austen and her peers, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Phillip Pullman, The Lord of the Rings, etc. My older sister studied English Literature at university so I often borrowed her books from her.

Probably my two favourite books from my childhood and teenage years are The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

In the past few years, I have made more of an effort to read some of the classic authors of English literature and the seminal novels of the 20th century such as Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Orwell (I love 1984!), Thomas Hardy, Tolstoy, James Joyce, John Steinbeck (need I mention how amazing The Grapes of Wrath is) and Victor Hugo.

Two of my favourite books have to be Catch 22 by Joseph Heller and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams!

Unfortunately my bookshelves are currently weighed down with mostly politics books at the moment but there are still some extremely important and inspiring works amongst these books.

16 years ago

LoP

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What a great thread. As a kid, I loved reading everything I found including encyclopedias. My all time favorites are still "The Little Prince" and "The Alchemist".

I haven't changed much I guess as I still like reading all kinds of topics. I have a long commute and I listen to audio CDs on the way. So I end up listening to one book and reading another for my book club weekly. Currently I'm listening to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" (great letters!) and reading "The Help" (inspirational).

I sometimes highlight the ones I like on my blog at: http://www.legacyofpearl.com/tag/Book+Club

16 years ago

Michelle

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Well it's no wonder we all get along so well, ladies...we have incredible overlap in our reading interests!! Another Austen devotee here, starting in my teens and continuing to this day (Ele, like you P&P and Emma are favourites, though I strangely also include Mansfield Park there). I also adored Rebecca, though oddly enough wasn't as into the rest of Du Maurier's body of work from what I've seen (got legitimately disturbed by Jamaica Inn and was left sort of cold by My Cousin Rachel). Freakin' love L.M. Montgomery and only recently read the rest of the Anne series (who else thinks Rainbow Valley is really underrated)? I haven't read the Emily books, but they're ona list of things to tackle.
Ele, I squealed in delight when I saw Scott O'Dell on your list. Island of the Blue Dolphin was one of my all-time faves!
Random Canadiana: Shadow in Hawthorn Bay by Janet Lunn was a highly influential book in my early teens, and I devoured every Gordon Korman book I could get my hands on. Bernice Therman-Hunter was also kind of awesome.
I share many people's love of Roald Dahl and Judy Bloom.
I did my undergrad in english Lit and developed a fondness for 19th century writers (Hardy, the Brontes etc). I love me some Canadian fiction, with Margaret Laurence near the top of the list. I don't know if Rohinton Mistry counts as Canadian, but he penned one of my favourite books of all time (A Fine Balance). Love Rushdie too (yes, I know he's not Canadian).
Have previously declared my love of the Harry Potter series here, but it can't hurt to get that out there again.
Currently reading an Australian book that I'm really enjoying; A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz. Anyone else read it?

Ok, must stop rambling!

16 years ago

Louise

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The wishing chair! Hanna i remember that too loved them.

Anyone remember The worst witch? Before Harry potter but in the same vein, witches and boarding school

michelle also not so keen on other daphne du maurier books read jamaica inn and also found it a bit strange x

16 years ago

RoseandJoan

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Oh Louise, I loved The Worst Witch, Matilda and Fantastic Mr Fox. My all time favourite would be The Hobbit.

I'm loving reading the Teah her story book, her favourite is Where the Wild Things Are with the Mr Men books coming a close second.

I'm ashamed to say I haven't read a novel in a long time. When I'm reading a book I read from cover to cover in one sitting, the house could fall down around my ears and I wouldn't notice. I now have to read short concise pieces of reading out of fairness to the family.

My favourite classic is without doubt Wuthering Heights.

16 years ago

Ele

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Louise- Oh, The Worst Witch! I didn't bother mentioning that because I figured it was so obscure, no one would know what I was talking about. LOVED those books.

Michelle- You and I must be kindred spirits I forgot all about Janet Lunn, but I read lots of her when I was younger. I think my favourite was The Root Cellar, because I was into time travel. I also read tons of Gordon Korman- my parents always said they could tell when my sister or I were reading one, because of the shrieks of laughter that rung through the house! Honestly, the one with all the zucchini- priceless!

You really must read the Emily of New Moon Books- as much as I love Anne, Pat et al, she is truly the most captivating of all LMM's heroines. The books (there are three) are a bit slower and more mysterious than the Anne ones, but really special.

I'm surprised that no one has talked about After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell, which I mentioned in my list. I *always* recommend this book to female friends, and they always love it. Just one of those real crowd-pleasers (if you can call a book that makes you sob uncontrollably "crowd-pleasing").

16 years ago

Michelle

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The Zucchini Warriors!! Ele, that was gold (as were all the other Bruno and Boots books). But for my money, the best Korman was one called Son of Interflux. I just read it recently after trying to track the thing down for years and howled with laughter, and apart from some of the vocab, it hasn't dated at all (high school kids take on monster corporation over environmental issues). Too fun!
Ok, I'll read Emily. I understand that heroine's experience were more akin to Montgomery's own...poor woman.

16 years ago

Dawn

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I think I read The Worst Witch when I was younger and loved it!

My other favourite books as a younger teenager were by British author Jacqueline Anderson who wrote fiction that dealt with the many issues faced by teenage girls. My aunt has bought all of them for my cousins and I still take a quick read of them when I visit them.

16 years ago

chewyspaghetti

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Growing up, I loved the LM Montgomery series of Anne and Emily, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Great Brain series, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (didn't discover the rest of Roald Dahl until my kids did), Milne's Winnie the Pooh and poetry books, the Oz series, Judy Blume, A Wrinkle in Time series, The Secret Garden and the Little Princess, Little Women and Little Men, and Shel Silverstein.
I've read a lot of juvenile literature as an adult that I loved, including the Harry Potter series, the Lemony Snicket books, The Spiderwick Chronicles. I still love a good series- Clan of the Cave Bear, and Outlander (although I've only read a couple of those). My all time favorite author is Ernest Hemingway and I reread him every few years. I recently read The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck) and loved it. Oddly enough, I had tried to read it several times before and couldn't get through it. I also love Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger), and just about anything by Kurt Vonegut, George Orwell, Edgar Allen Poe or MarkTwain. Another recent read that I really enjoyed was Water for Elephants.

16 years ago

Laura

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Ooh, I love this thread!

How about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House series? I read those each about 200 times!

And horse books? Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteque (sp??). Like a lot of girls, I LOVED horses.

16 years ago

Vani

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A thread after my own heart!! I LOVE reading. And I had the good fortune to be blessed with parents and uncles who were the same and always encouraged this habit by supplying me with an endless variety of reading material. My cousins would always make fun of me for latching on to the first available book and ignoring them at any and all family functions. Every library I had access to, I would befriend the librarian and devour all available books. Until I got to my teens, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Famous Five and Archie rocked my world. Then I discovered Jeffery Archer at the modest 2 cabinet library in my school. It is amazing how different the popular genres were where I was growing up as opposed to what I see most of you here have read. Then there were Jane Austen, Somerset Maugham and so began my journey into grown-up literature. I haven't been able to do any serious reading lately but just finished a fantastic book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I am hoping to start cracking on The Complete Saki this weekend. I LOVED the HP series and am inclined to think I will not be a big Twilight fan. My interests are very diverse and I never leave a book unfinished.

There is still a painful lack of public libraries even in the bigger cities in India. Children have to depend on parents to either buy them books or trek to the one and only city library. Fortunately it is not an expensive indulgence. My fondest memories of child are taking the bus into the city for the Sunday morning used book market. The smell of old books is like an aphrodisiac to me. When I am older and ready to retire, I want to be able to open a used book store with a fireplace, loungy, comfy chairs and story hour everyday for all those kids who cannot afford even the small luxury of books.

16 years ago

Louise

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Laura i loved Little House in the big wood by laura ingalls wasn't keen on the prarie ones x

16 years ago

Ele

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Laura- I read all the Little House books, and loved them. Like Louise, the first one was my favourite.

I didn't even get into all my horse books, but I read loads. I went through a huge horse phase and rode (mainly dressage, but some showjumping) for years. Loved the Misty books (weren't there two?) and Black Beauty, but most of my favourite horse books were really obscure British series that I don't even remember the names of right now!

Vani- My Mum would love you She is a librarian who worked for the federal government for most of her career, but when she retired 2 years ago she got a part-time job at the public library, simply for fun! She works at 9 different branches now on the reference desk and *loves* helping people with research, finding books for kids, etc. You've never met a bigger fan of libraries- whenever we were on vacation (it didn't matter where), if we drove past the public library, she always made us go in. Usually she'd get into a long discussion with the librarian and my sister and I would die of embarrassment

Louise- Have added Rebecca's Tale to my amazon wishlist, but heading to the library tomorrow to see if they have it first

16 years ago

Louise

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Ele try greenmetropolis.com too it's a book recycling site in the uk (are you uk too?)£3 something for a book x

Edit just checked they got loads available £3.75 each

16 years ago

Ele

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Thanks, Louise! I will check that out- can't believe I haven't heard of it before!

16 years ago

hanna

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man, i just have to say, this thread is giving me some great book suggestions. bf and i are going on a week-long trip to colorado, and as he's the snowboarder of the pair, i'm going to be left to my own devices, with a LOT of reading time!

no fantasy/sci-fi readers in the house? fellow neil gaiman and terry pratchett devotees? i firmly believe 'good omens' is one of the best books ever -- the apocalypse was never so funny!

16 years ago

marianne

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Interesting thread, I am taking notes for my own kids. Most of the books you have mentioned weren't translated into my native language at the time, so I grew up reading classics like Dickens, Dumas, Victor Hugo. I never could get into Lord of the Rings. I still read a lot of "old" literature, but among my contemporary favorites are Umberto Eco, Orhan Pamuk, JM Coetzee... I am probably forgetting someone

Oh and I had no idea about Twilight phenomenon at all - I only saw a 2-min blurb on TV promoting the movie (I have been hopelessly behind on pop culture since the kids).

16 years ago

Michelle

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OH Marianne, cheers to Coetzee!!!
Hanna, my ex was quite into fantasy stuff and got pretty obsessed with a book called Snow Crash by Neal Stevenson. I never read it, but I know other fantasy lovers were keen on it too. Just throwing it out there in case you're interested.

16 years ago

Angie

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Fashion Stylist

My word. A South African author made someone's list. Anyone read André Brink?

Laura, high five! I used to own my own horses and books about the pony club were my life. (And I LOVE Jilly Cooper's Books. She is a superb story teller).

Julie, high five too! The Mr. Men books were sublime. LOVED Mr. Topsy Turvy. Anyone read the “My Naughty Little Sister” series?

16 years ago

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