Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 63
January 3, 2017
Why you should read to your children
I have always believed that reading to your children can only be a good thing but I never really sat down and quantified the benefits. I thought it would be interesting to see what the general view of people is on this question and so I did a bit of research on the benefits of reading to your children. Some of the benefits that emerged are fairly obvious, in particular the following five benefits:
1. Better long-term academic performance by the child;
2. Faster development of basic speech skills;
3. Greater long-term mastery of language;
4. Better communication skills; and
5. Physical ability to handle a book and turn the pages.
There were some other benefits, however, that interested me and which I wouldn't have thought of immediately, such as:
1. Improved logical thinking skills;
2. Enhanced concentration and discipline; and
3. Increased ability to adapt to new circumstances.
The last two benefits, that I thought were very worthwhile but which are soft skills benefits, are an appreciation of reading and an improved relationship with your child.
All of the benefits listed above are very worthy but the one that interests me the most is the point on increased discipline. I am a chartered accountant with a limited knowledge of psychology but, in my humble opinion, it is a lack of discipline that causes many of the issues that arise with young people. It takes discipline to sit down and study, turning your back on the allure of iphones, ipads and Youtube. In our modern world, studying is necessary if you want to achieve, even if you are very bright and learning comes easily to you - you have to have at least read something in order to have a knowledge of it. It also takes discipline to stand tall in the face of peer pressure and turn away from experimenting with drugs and excessive intake of alcohol. Discipline is even required to read a book instead of resorting to the easier way of enjoying a story in the form of the movie - the gratification with a movie is much quicker and less effort even if a lot of the detail is left out of the story. I feel very strongly about the lack of discipline that has infiltrated our modern society and, therefore, it is very gratifying to me that I can work on instilling discipline in my own children, my nieces and nephews and other children I am in contact with just by reading them a good book.
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blogs: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com and goodreads.com
Facebook: @SirChocolateBooks
Twitter: @bakeandwrite
1. Better long-term academic performance by the child;
2. Faster development of basic speech skills;
3. Greater long-term mastery of language;
4. Better communication skills; and
5. Physical ability to handle a book and turn the pages.
There were some other benefits, however, that interested me and which I wouldn't have thought of immediately, such as:
1. Improved logical thinking skills;
2. Enhanced concentration and discipline; and
3. Increased ability to adapt to new circumstances.
The last two benefits, that I thought were very worthwhile but which are soft skills benefits, are an appreciation of reading and an improved relationship with your child.
All of the benefits listed above are very worthy but the one that interests me the most is the point on increased discipline. I am a chartered accountant with a limited knowledge of psychology but, in my humble opinion, it is a lack of discipline that causes many of the issues that arise with young people. It takes discipline to sit down and study, turning your back on the allure of iphones, ipads and Youtube. In our modern world, studying is necessary if you want to achieve, even if you are very bright and learning comes easily to you - you have to have at least read something in order to have a knowledge of it. It also takes discipline to stand tall in the face of peer pressure and turn away from experimenting with drugs and excessive intake of alcohol. Discipline is even required to read a book instead of resorting to the easier way of enjoying a story in the form of the movie - the gratification with a movie is much quicker and less effort even if a lot of the detail is left out of the story. I feel very strongly about the lack of discipline that has infiltrated our modern society and, therefore, it is very gratifying to me that I can work on instilling discipline in my own children, my nieces and nephews and other children I am in contact with just by reading them a good book.
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blogs: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com and goodreads.com
Facebook: @SirChocolateBooks
Twitter: @bakeandwrite
December 12, 2016
Abridged classics - Yes or No
There seem to be some very strong views out there in the "bookish" community about not allowing children to read abridged classics. I am afraid that I do not agree with this sentiment. I am a great lover of books and, particularly of classics, and I have always harboured a secret hope that my boys will also love the classics.
My oldest son loves to read. I always read extensively to both my boys and, as the classics are my thing, I did tend to read children's classics to them from a young age. They were introduced to the joys of The Secret Garden, Heidi, The adventures of Dr Dolittle and many others. At the end of Grade 1, Gregory's reading suddenly took off. He spent a significant part of his December holiday at the end of that year reading the entire Horrid Henry series from beginning to end. He then quickly progressed to other books, the ones that were the most notable to me being my beloved Roald Dahl series. During his grade 2 year, Gregory was quite ill again and had to take some time off school. I thought the time was right to start introducing him to the classics. I had bought the entire Classic Starts book series and started giving these to Greg, one book at a time. It was a great joy to me to see how Greg devoured these books. He read every one except for Dracula and Frankenstein, both of which he has not read to this day.
What has happened subsequently? Greg has just completed his final year of primary school. Over the past two calendar years, Greg has progressed to reading many of the original classics, the abridged versions of which he loved as a younger boy. He loved The Secret Garden and said that it was full of mystery and magic. He has also read some that I have never read as they are fairly masculine in nature such as The red badge of courage, Don Quixote, Treasure Island and many others. Greg was one of a team of four boys from his Prep School that represented South Africa in the finals of the Kids Literature Quiz that took place in Auckland, New Zealand during August this year. So my dream has come to fruition.
My firm belief is that original classics written in complex and unfamiliar English can be frustrating for young readers. The become so bogged down in trying to understand the unfamiliar English and long descriptive passages that they lose the storyline entirely. Abridged classics have the following three benefits:
1. They introduce young readers to the joys of the classic stories in a simple way so that they can appreciate the story. Most people only remember the general story line of a book down the line in any event so this is perfect. A knowledge of the story line will help young readers when they go on to tackle the original versions. They are then able to spend more time appreciating the prose and language as they are already familiar with the story;
2. They are many children out there who struggle to read for various reasons. Abridged classics allow them to also enjoy and appreciate these wonderful stories without becoming frustrated and losing interest; and
3. Children introduced to abridged classics at a young age frequently go on to read the originals at a later stage when their reading abilities are more developed.
I wonder what other readers think about abridged classics? Do you agree or have a strongly opposing view? Let me know.
My oldest son loves to read. I always read extensively to both my boys and, as the classics are my thing, I did tend to read children's classics to them from a young age. They were introduced to the joys of The Secret Garden, Heidi, The adventures of Dr Dolittle and many others. At the end of Grade 1, Gregory's reading suddenly took off. He spent a significant part of his December holiday at the end of that year reading the entire Horrid Henry series from beginning to end. He then quickly progressed to other books, the ones that were the most notable to me being my beloved Roald Dahl series. During his grade 2 year, Gregory was quite ill again and had to take some time off school. I thought the time was right to start introducing him to the classics. I had bought the entire Classic Starts book series and started giving these to Greg, one book at a time. It was a great joy to me to see how Greg devoured these books. He read every one except for Dracula and Frankenstein, both of which he has not read to this day.
What has happened subsequently? Greg has just completed his final year of primary school. Over the past two calendar years, Greg has progressed to reading many of the original classics, the abridged versions of which he loved as a younger boy. He loved The Secret Garden and said that it was full of mystery and magic. He has also read some that I have never read as they are fairly masculine in nature such as The red badge of courage, Don Quixote, Treasure Island and many others. Greg was one of a team of four boys from his Prep School that represented South Africa in the finals of the Kids Literature Quiz that took place in Auckland, New Zealand during August this year. So my dream has come to fruition.
My firm belief is that original classics written in complex and unfamiliar English can be frustrating for young readers. The become so bogged down in trying to understand the unfamiliar English and long descriptive passages that they lose the storyline entirely. Abridged classics have the following three benefits:
1. They introduce young readers to the joys of the classic stories in a simple way so that they can appreciate the story. Most people only remember the general story line of a book down the line in any event so this is perfect. A knowledge of the story line will help young readers when they go on to tackle the original versions. They are then able to spend more time appreciating the prose and language as they are already familiar with the story;
2. They are many children out there who struggle to read for various reasons. Abridged classics allow them to also enjoy and appreciate these wonderful stories without becoming frustrated and losing interest; and
3. Children introduced to abridged classics at a young age frequently go on to read the originals at a later stage when their reading abilities are more developed.
I wonder what other readers think about abridged classics? Do you agree or have a strongly opposing view? Let me know.
December 9, 2016
Hype or like Fridays - Overhyped books that let you down
Hype or Like Fridays is a theme created by Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. This week the subject is "Overhyped books that let you down".
As I am very particular about my own "adult" reading due to the limited time I have to read for myself, I don't continue with any book that I don't like. I have, however, had some let downs with books Michael and I have read together.
The book that I felt most let down by this year is The 78-story treehouse. I had heard such great things about this series of books and felt it was a must read. We bought the book whilst on holiday in New Zealand in August this year and we started reading it a couple of weeks ago. The ideas and the pictures were fun and very appealing to children aged 9 to 11, but I didn't think the book flowed very well. It seemed to jump randomly from one idea to the next. I also felt the text was very skimpy and the ideas could have been fleshed out a lot more.
The other book that I felt let me down was Will Solvit and the T-Rex Terror. The story itself was enjoyable; there was lots of action and plenty of interesting facts about dinosaurs' throughout the book. What I didn't like about the book was Will's attitude to school and his teacher. Children are very influenced by characters in books and on television and I don't like any promotion of the idea that school is not "cool" and that it is acceptable to be cheeky to authority figures. My older son once blew pepper into Michael's face after watching an episode of Scooby Doo on television where Shaggy does that very thing. Michael is a chronic asthmatic so this did not result in a happy weekend for our family.
What books have you read this year that you felt let you down? Do you have a different view on the two books I have discussed above? I would love to hear your view.
As I am very particular about my own "adult" reading due to the limited time I have to read for myself, I don't continue with any book that I don't like. I have, however, had some let downs with books Michael and I have read together.
The book that I felt most let down by this year is The 78-story treehouse. I had heard such great things about this series of books and felt it was a must read. We bought the book whilst on holiday in New Zealand in August this year and we started reading it a couple of weeks ago. The ideas and the pictures were fun and very appealing to children aged 9 to 11, but I didn't think the book flowed very well. It seemed to jump randomly from one idea to the next. I also felt the text was very skimpy and the ideas could have been fleshed out a lot more.
The other book that I felt let me down was Will Solvit and the T-Rex Terror. The story itself was enjoyable; there was lots of action and plenty of interesting facts about dinosaurs' throughout the book. What I didn't like about the book was Will's attitude to school and his teacher. Children are very influenced by characters in books and on television and I don't like any promotion of the idea that school is not "cool" and that it is acceptable to be cheeky to authority figures. My older son once blew pepper into Michael's face after watching an episode of Scooby Doo on television where Shaggy does that very thing. Michael is a chronic asthmatic so this did not result in a happy weekend for our family.
What books have you read this year that you felt let you down? Do you have a different view on the two books I have discussed above? I would love to hear your view.
December 5, 2016
Why we should be grateful to Shakespeare (and not complain about Shakespeare setworks)
I have always loved Shakespeare and Dickens. I never complained about these set work books when I was at school and I used to sit by myself reading Dickens with a dictionary. I was well aware then, and I am still well aware, that the average school goer is not a big fan of Shakespeare. The chorus of groans when the choice of Shakespearean play for the year is announced, then and now, is a testimony to this viewpoint.
Not many people are aware, however, how many common English words and phrases are attributable to Shakespeare and his genius. Shakespeare invented over 1 700 English words by changing them in various ways such as adding prefixes and suffixes, changing verbs into adjectives and using common words in a totally new and original way. A few examples of words invented by Shakespeare are blood-stained, excitement, fashionable, mimic, amazement and gossip. Imagine life without these words, particularly fashionable and gossip!
In addition, many everyday phrases that we use originate from Shakespearean plays. the ones that immediately spring to my mind are as follows:
Milk of human kindness - Macbeth;
Set my teeth on edge - Henry IV Part 1;
Wear my heart upon my sleeve - Othello;
As good luck would have it - The Merry Wives of Windsor; and
Break the ice - Taming of the shrew
Who has not attended a conference where everyone starts off introducing themselves and with an "icebreaker" to get things going.
Shakespeare apparently had the largest vocabulary of any writer at twenty four thousand words. He was also familiar with seven foreign languages which he used in his plays.
Not only do we have all the amazing new words and phrases to be grateful to Shakespeare for, but he also still has an on-going influence on modern writers. Many writers have, and continue, to use quotes from Shakespeare as titles for their books.
Modern children are very fortunate. There are a multitude of modernise and abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays available to them. The abridged Shakespearean plays published by Orchard Books are retold in modern English and are beautifully illustrated by Tony Ross. My sons have both read the entire series and have, I firmly believe, benefited from this early introduction to Shakespeare. I can remember my oldest son, Gregory, sitting giggling over the Taming of the shrew at the tender age of nine. He read it three times. Shakespeare's plays are also now available as graphic novels. I am not a big fan of graphic novels but that is a story for another day.
I hope that the schools continue to encourage Shakespeare and our children continue to benefit from his incredible talent and to learn to appreciate his contribute to our modern language.
Not many people are aware, however, how many common English words and phrases are attributable to Shakespeare and his genius. Shakespeare invented over 1 700 English words by changing them in various ways such as adding prefixes and suffixes, changing verbs into adjectives and using common words in a totally new and original way. A few examples of words invented by Shakespeare are blood-stained, excitement, fashionable, mimic, amazement and gossip. Imagine life without these words, particularly fashionable and gossip!
In addition, many everyday phrases that we use originate from Shakespearean plays. the ones that immediately spring to my mind are as follows:
Milk of human kindness - Macbeth;
Set my teeth on edge - Henry IV Part 1;
Wear my heart upon my sleeve - Othello;
As good luck would have it - The Merry Wives of Windsor; and
Break the ice - Taming of the shrew
Who has not attended a conference where everyone starts off introducing themselves and with an "icebreaker" to get things going.
Shakespeare apparently had the largest vocabulary of any writer at twenty four thousand words. He was also familiar with seven foreign languages which he used in his plays.
Not only do we have all the amazing new words and phrases to be grateful to Shakespeare for, but he also still has an on-going influence on modern writers. Many writers have, and continue, to use quotes from Shakespeare as titles for their books.
Modern children are very fortunate. There are a multitude of modernise and abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays available to them. The abridged Shakespearean plays published by Orchard Books are retold in modern English and are beautifully illustrated by Tony Ross. My sons have both read the entire series and have, I firmly believe, benefited from this early introduction to Shakespeare. I can remember my oldest son, Gregory, sitting giggling over the Taming of the shrew at the tender age of nine. He read it three times. Shakespeare's plays are also now available as graphic novels. I am not a big fan of graphic novels but that is a story for another day.
I hope that the schools continue to encourage Shakespeare and our children continue to benefit from his incredible talent and to learn to appreciate his contribute to our modern language.
November 28, 2016
Are Enid Blyton's books still relevant for modern children?
I loved to read as a very young girl. I learned to read when I was four and have been devouring books ever since. As the oldest of four girls, I usually only received new books on my birthday or for Christmas. As a result, I haunted our local library, and read everything on their shelves. Enid Blyton was one of my most admired authors and I absolutely loved her books. She wrote over 700 books so there were plenty to choose from. I read as many as I could, the stories about Mr Pink-Whistle and Mr Meddle, the Wishing Chair series of books, books about girls at school, namely, the St Clare series and the Malory Towers series and, of course, the very well known Famous Five and Secret Seven series of books. I managed over the years to acquire them all and when I was twelve I created my own library with library cards and the works. My very favourite Enid Blyton books were, and still are, The Land of Far Beyond (I paid GBP 90 plus postage for a copy of this last year - shhhh! Don't tell my husband) and the adventure books such as The Valley of Adventure (my personal favourite), The Castle of Adventure and many others.
I have encouraged both my sons to read Enid Blyton's books and I have also read extracts and short stories of hers to the children in my Sunday School.
There has been a lot of controversy about Enid Blyton and her books, particularly with regards to the quality of her writing and her politics.
So, are her books still relevant for modern children? Many of the issues that were identified in her books have been amended and changed. For example, the gollywog, who was a good character, that featured in her Noddy series of books has disappeared. So, it would seem, that this particular concern is no longer relevant. The quality of her writing? Well, I for one think her simple style of writing is perfect for the age group she wrote for and her creativity is completely amazing. Her stories for older age groups teach children about independence and the idea of going adventuring without adult supervision, while impractical in our modern world, are very appealing to that age group. Her characters are very responsible in her books so she is not sending a message of irresponsible and silly behaviour in these unsupervised circumstances. I find that very attractive in a book series as so many modern books seem to promote rudeness and lack of respect towards authority figures. The modern books about schools also seem to focus on silly and "bad" behaviour in pre-teen and teenage characters to create the humour and interest and I am not a fan of that. My own oldest son tried to melt his crayons on the heater at school, after reading a story in which the main character did the same thing. He also blew pepper right into the fact of my younger son, a chronic asthmatic, after seeing this done in a popular television show.
In summary, in my opinion, Enid Blyton books are still amazing and portals to wonderful worlds populated by Brownies, Elves, Fairies and other magical creatures as well as thrilling adventures where children conquer various bad characters.
So, what do you think? Would you recommend Enid Blyton books to your children.
I have encouraged both my sons to read Enid Blyton's books and I have also read extracts and short stories of hers to the children in my Sunday School.
There has been a lot of controversy about Enid Blyton and her books, particularly with regards to the quality of her writing and her politics.
So, are her books still relevant for modern children? Many of the issues that were identified in her books have been amended and changed. For example, the gollywog, who was a good character, that featured in her Noddy series of books has disappeared. So, it would seem, that this particular concern is no longer relevant. The quality of her writing? Well, I for one think her simple style of writing is perfect for the age group she wrote for and her creativity is completely amazing. Her stories for older age groups teach children about independence and the idea of going adventuring without adult supervision, while impractical in our modern world, are very appealing to that age group. Her characters are very responsible in her books so she is not sending a message of irresponsible and silly behaviour in these unsupervised circumstances. I find that very attractive in a book series as so many modern books seem to promote rudeness and lack of respect towards authority figures. The modern books about schools also seem to focus on silly and "bad" behaviour in pre-teen and teenage characters to create the humour and interest and I am not a fan of that. My own oldest son tried to melt his crayons on the heater at school, after reading a story in which the main character did the same thing. He also blew pepper right into the fact of my younger son, a chronic asthmatic, after seeing this done in a popular television show.
In summary, in my opinion, Enid Blyton books are still amazing and portals to wonderful worlds populated by Brownies, Elves, Fairies and other magical creatures as well as thrilling adventures where children conquer various bad characters.
So, what do you think? Would you recommend Enid Blyton books to your children.
November 21, 2016
Who is the most evil character in the Harry Potter series
My older son asked me yesterday "Mom, who do you think is the most evil character in the Harry Potter book series?" I didn't give my reply much thought at all "Well, it must be Lord Voldemort!" - he is the fascist-styled leader of a group of evil witches and wizards in the books and the mastermind behind the plot to rid the world of non-magical people, or Muggles, as they are called in the book.
"Are you sure?" asked Greg, aged 13 and three quarters. "Lord Voldemort is evil but he isn't the character that disturbs me the most." In Greg's world, he has a list of the three most evil characters in the world of Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort appears on the list - as number three! So who could possibly be worse? "I really don't like Bellatrix Lestrange." I thought about that, yes, Bellatrix is a truly evil witch, Lord Voldemort's most loyal follower and the one who is instrumental in carrying out his plans. Bellatrix is very happy to torture and murder anyone who stands in the path to glory and dominance for her Master. "She's my number 2." Number 2, I gasped in amazement - who could possibly be worse. I wracked my brain to think who could fit the most evil bill; it has been a while since I read Harry Potter.
"The character I detest the most is Delores Umbridge", says Greg with a little smile. "She is a teacher and should share knowledge with and inspire her students. Instead, she betrays her position of trust and tortures Harry. She makes him cut the words "I must not tell lies" into his hand and the whole time she has a sickly sweet smile on her face." A very interesting view and one I would not necessarily have arrived at myself. On reflection thought, I absolutely agree with Greg.
So what do you think? Who is the most detestable character in the Harry Potter series - let me know by commenting.
"Are you sure?" asked Greg, aged 13 and three quarters. "Lord Voldemort is evil but he isn't the character that disturbs me the most." In Greg's world, he has a list of the three most evil characters in the world of Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort appears on the list - as number three! So who could possibly be worse? "I really don't like Bellatrix Lestrange." I thought about that, yes, Bellatrix is a truly evil witch, Lord Voldemort's most loyal follower and the one who is instrumental in carrying out his plans. Bellatrix is very happy to torture and murder anyone who stands in the path to glory and dominance for her Master. "She's my number 2." Number 2, I gasped in amazement - who could possibly be worse. I wracked my brain to think who could fit the most evil bill; it has been a while since I read Harry Potter.
"The character I detest the most is Delores Umbridge", says Greg with a little smile. "She is a teacher and should share knowledge with and inspire her students. Instead, she betrays her position of trust and tortures Harry. She makes him cut the words "I must not tell lies" into his hand and the whole time she has a sickly sweet smile on her face." A very interesting view and one I would not necessarily have arrived at myself. On reflection thought, I absolutely agree with Greg.
So what do you think? Who is the most detestable character in the Harry Potter series - let me know by commenting.
November 18, 2016
Hype or Like Fridays
Hype or Like Fridays is a theme created by Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. This week the subject is "Pair a book with a holiday food or drink" and my choices are as follows:
Adult books:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte goes with Christmas pudding containing coins. This book is delicious but there is something about it that is like biting on a coin and feeling your teeth scrape.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles goes with a strawberry daiquiri. It is delightfully juicy and strong and it almost certainly makes you cry when you finish it.
Children's books:
How the Grinch stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss goes with sherbet. It fizzes and froths with action and then fills your mouth with delicious sweetness.
Mr Men A White Christmas by Roger Hargreaves goes with a gingerbread house. It is amazing to look at and delightful to consume with an interesting tangy aftertaste.
Adult books:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte goes with Christmas pudding containing coins. This book is delicious but there is something about it that is like biting on a coin and feeling your teeth scrape.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles goes with a strawberry daiquiri. It is delightfully juicy and strong and it almost certainly makes you cry when you finish it.
Children's books:
How the Grinch stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss goes with sherbet. It fizzes and froths with action and then fills your mouth with delicious sweetness.
Mr Men A White Christmas by Roger Hargreaves goes with a gingerbread house. It is amazing to look at and delightful to consume with an interesting tangy aftertaste.
November 14, 2016
Sir Stealthy and the jewellery thieves the final chapter
On Sir Stealthy’s photo their faces showed well,
Which made it easy for the police to tell,
Once through the police data base they’d sieved,
Exactly who the culprits were and where they lived.
In the end the identifications were made,
And the thieves were caught and for their crimes paid,
By going to jail for a very long while,
In a place where the weather is very hostile.
Sir Stealthy and Mike on the other hand,
A lovely holiday sat down and planned,
With the money they received as a reward,
They treated themselves to the best they could afford.
The End
Which made it easy for the police to tell,
Once through the police data base they’d sieved,
Exactly who the culprits were and where they lived.
In the end the identifications were made,
And the thieves were caught and for their crimes paid,
By going to jail for a very long while,
In a place where the weather is very hostile.
Sir Stealthy and Mike on the other hand,
A lovely holiday sat down and planned,
With the money they received as a reward,
They treated themselves to the best they could afford.
The End
November 11, 2016
Hype or Like Fridays
Hype or Like Fridays is a meme created by Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. This week the subject is ‘Book recommendations I’m thankful for’. There are so many books I am thankful were recommended to me I almost don't know where to start but here are my absolute favourites:
Children's books:
The Harry Potter series which was recommended to me by my youngest sister. I started off reading her copy of The Philosopher's Stone and now have two copies of each book.
The Land of Far Beyond by Enid Blyton. I loved this book, which is a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress, as a child and bought it again recently for my collection.
Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Proyson. Mrs Pepperpot is a little old woman who lives in the countryside with her husband. Every now and then Mrs Pepperpot shrinks to the size of a pepperpot and she has adventures including delivering a large doll to a lonely little girl, delivering a prize to a fete and helping her husband buy macaroni.
Adult books:
I loved the book The Stand by Stephen King. This book is one of my favourites by this author. The modern world is devastated by a super flu developed as a biological weapon. The few survivors of the super flu epidemic start to be plagued by dreams of an elderly woman and a very bad "dark man".
I am also grateful to my husband's uncle who encouraged me to read Charles Dickens. I really enjoyed Great Expectations and revelled in the weird eccentricity of Miss Haversham and the amazingly descriptive prose that makes this particular book so memorable.
On the lighter side, I am grateful for Bridget Jones' Diary which is one of the funniest books I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed the quirky adventures of Bridget on her path to finding true love and still read snippets of this book now and again when I need a good giggle.
Children's books:
The Harry Potter series which was recommended to me by my youngest sister. I started off reading her copy of The Philosopher's Stone and now have two copies of each book.
The Land of Far Beyond by Enid Blyton. I loved this book, which is a children's version of Pilgrim's Progress, as a child and bought it again recently for my collection.
Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Proyson. Mrs Pepperpot is a little old woman who lives in the countryside with her husband. Every now and then Mrs Pepperpot shrinks to the size of a pepperpot and she has adventures including delivering a large doll to a lonely little girl, delivering a prize to a fete and helping her husband buy macaroni.
Adult books:
I loved the book The Stand by Stephen King. This book is one of my favourites by this author. The modern world is devastated by a super flu developed as a biological weapon. The few survivors of the super flu epidemic start to be plagued by dreams of an elderly woman and a very bad "dark man".
I am also grateful to my husband's uncle who encouraged me to read Charles Dickens. I really enjoyed Great Expectations and revelled in the weird eccentricity of Miss Haversham and the amazingly descriptive prose that makes this particular book so memorable.
On the lighter side, I am grateful for Bridget Jones' Diary which is one of the funniest books I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed the quirky adventures of Bridget on her path to finding true love and still read snippets of this book now and again when I need a good giggle.
November 7, 2016
Sir Stealthy and the jewellery thieves - Part 5 (one more part to go next week)
He drew a copy of the foot print,
And off he went without one hint,
Of what he had seen and planned to do,
If the footprints on the cliff matched the clue.
Up the cliff Sir Stealthy and Mike toiled,
While below them the ocean boiled,
Right at the top they found a dug-up patch,
And a footprint that the drawing did match.
The men had finished their job and left the scene,
They’d left everything neat and clean,
That was their intention to be sure,
They left thinking their treasure was secure.
Final part to follow next week....
And off he went without one hint,
Of what he had seen and planned to do,
If the footprints on the cliff matched the clue.
Up the cliff Sir Stealthy and Mike toiled,
While below them the ocean boiled,
Right at the top they found a dug-up patch,
And a footprint that the drawing did match.
The men had finished their job and left the scene,
They’d left everything neat and clean,
That was their intention to be sure,
They left thinking their treasure was secure.
Final part to follow next week....
