Which mysteries first got you hooked?

[Judy]

Ann, I also used to like the Chalet School books - I don't remember any mystery elements, but I absolutely loved the Swiss settings and read them countless times.

[Rebecca]

Lady Clementina wrote: "Did anyone read the Three Investigators books? I only had one as a child but now have read a few and find them quite good fun."

I had some of those! They must have belonged to an older brother, because they were in the house well before I was old enough to read them. Great fun, I concur.

I read a lot of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden as a kid, thanks to my local public library. I don't really remember the transition to mysteries for grownups, but I know I read Dorothy Sayers and Arthur Conan Doyle in high school.

[Susan]

M husband liked the Three Investigators books, but I never read them as a child. He recently started collecting the original hardbacks.

[Everyman]

Lady Clementina wrote: "And how about Tintin? I read and re-read them ??? times and still love them. "

My son devoured them.

[Everyman]

Lady Clementina wrote: "The animated Tintin films/TV episodes are excellent- just like the books come to life.."

I hadn't seen them, but several are available on Youtube. Have one loaded and ready to watch during lunch.

[Susan]

Which one did you watch, Everyman? I must try the animated films with my kids.

[Everyman]

Susan wrote: "Which one did you watch, Everyman? I must try the animated films with my kids."

The broken ear. Very typical Tintin. Nicely drawn and animated.

[Susan]

I can actually remember most of the books. I will certainly have a look today. I loved the opera singer who shattered glass :)

[Ruth]

HJ wrote: "I can just about see why it might be considered desirable to update names and scenarios which are so out of date that modern children wouldn't understand them. But what justification can there be for making Nancy less independent and adventurous? And dumbing down "complex sentence structures and good vocabulary" misses the whole point of good children's books; reading them, gripped by the adventure and the story, is how our language skills were improved without our even realising it..."

And they wouldn't dream of doing it with adult classic books like Jane Austen and Charles Dickens! Yes I know there are modern versions but they don't replace the originals. Can you imagine them 'updating' Tom Sawyer or The Secret Garden to make it more 'accessible'! I suppose the franchise wants to continue producing new material for today's young readers and so feels it's better to update the whole series. Thank goodness for secondhand bookshops!

[Lady Clementina]

Susan wrote: "J K Rowling was/is also considered a 'bad' author by many critics. As a reading mentor for children though, I think that often series aid children as they have familiarity and - when you are learni..."

I agree. I remember my mother (and me) being a little sceptical about the potter books (because of the hype) but once we read them, they were really good fun though the series does get progressively darker.

[Susan]

I like J K Rowling's adult books - not keen on HP and neither were any of my children - but if she turned a lot of children into readers (and she did) that is a fantastic achievement.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Susan wrote: "I like J K Rowling's adult books - not keen on HP and neither were any of my children - but if she turned a lot of children into readers (and she did) that is a fantastic achievement."

My kids were reluctant readers until JK Rowling & Harry Potter came along. You won't hear any criticism of Rowling from me! (although I lost interest during the 4th book)

[Lady Clementina]

Susan wrote: "M husband liked the Three Investigators books, but I never read them as a child. He recently started collecting the original hardbacks."
I'm finding them great fun now. I recently read the Screaming Clocks- and the puzzles were very well done.

Something else I only started reading as an adult is the Biggles books- very enjoyable as well.

[Lady Clementina]

Judy wrote: "Ann, I also used to like the Chalet School books - I don't remember any mystery elements, but I absolutely loved the Swiss settings and read them countless times."

I have friends who are great fans of these but I haven't yet read one.

[Lady Clementina]

Everyman wrote: "Susan wrote: "Which one did you watch, Everyman? I must try the animated films with my kids."

The broken ear. Very typical Tintin. Nicely drawn and animated."

Glad you enjoyed them. I loved the Seven Crystal Balls/Prisoners of the Sun set of episodes and King Ottokar's Sceptre which is one of my favourites among the books.

Have you also read the Quicke and Flupke books by Herge? I remember reading a couple in the library but too long ago to remember the details.

[Lady Clementina]

Susan wrote: "I like J K Rowling's adult books - not keen on HP and neither were any of my children - but if she turned a lot of children into readers (and she did) that is a fantastic achievement."

I have two of those on my TBR including The Cuckoo's Calling.

[Lady Clementina]

HJ wrote: "I started with Enid Blyton (I read all her different series, but my favourites were the ones featuring Barney and his money Miranda), then really loved Malcolm Saville. I also absol..."

I love Sutcliffe's Eagle of the Ninth and have the Lantern Bearers on my TBR.

[Susan]

Talking of childrens's books, these are not mysteries, but I loved E.Nesbit and also Nina Bawden (a couple of hers were mysteries).

[Carolien]

Susan wrote: "Talking of childrens's books, these are not mysteries, but I loved E.Nesbit and also Nina Bawden (a couple of hers were mysteries)."

I still read Nesbit!

[Carolien]

I started off with The Secret Seven and Famous Five. There was also an Afrikaans series called Die Uile "The Owls" that I enjoyed. I moved on to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. My first adult mystery was probably a Georgette Heyer that I took from the same shelf at my grandmother's house where I had started reading her Regency novels.

I have come full circle on these - my oldest daughter and I have just started reading her first Secret Seven! Since we are reading my original copy of Secret Seven Win Through , I think it really is a case of rereading my first ever mystery book. She's a bit reluctant to read, so we have divided the cast and she is reading all the boys' words and I am reading the girls' parts.

As an adult, you have a very different perspective on the books, but she is enjoying it so far.

[Carolien]

Judy wrote: "Ann, I also used to like the Chalet School books - I don't remember any mystery elements, but I absolutely loved the Swiss settings and read them countless times."

I absolutely loved this series, whenever I find a book that I don't have I still buy (and read) them. I reread all my copies while on maternity leave with my youngest daughter.

[HJ]

Carolien wrote: "Judy wrote: "Ann, I also used to like the Chalet School books - I don't remember any mystery elements, but I absolutely loved the Swiss settings and read them countless times."

I absolutely loved this series, whenever I find a book that I don't have I still buy (and read) them. I reread all my copies while on maternity leave with my youngest daughter...."

There is a British publisher who is re-publishing Chalet School titles (also Malcolm Saville, my favourite). They're called Girls Gone By: http://www.ggbp.co.uk/recently-publis...

[Jill]

I started with Enid Blyton. Then as I have a sister who is 9 years older than me , I went straight on to Agatha Christie as that was who she was reading, and it went on from there. I have recently read some E. Nesbit, which I have enjoyed , but never read any Nancy Drew or other children's books of that era. Hopefully there is still time to fit some of those I missed in.

[Lady Clementina]

Carolien wrote: "Susan wrote: "Talking of childrens's books, these are not mysteries, but I loved E.Nesbit and also Nina Bawden (a couple of hers were mysteries)."

I still read Nesbit!"
So do I.

[Lady Clementina]

Jill wrote: "I started with Enid Blyton. Then as I have a sister who is 9 years older than me , I went straight on to Agatha Christie as that was who she was reading, and it went on from there. I have recently ..."

There always is. There are so many children's books and series I have only discovered as an adult and thoroughly enjoyed, may be more so than if I'd read them as a child.

[Susan]

I am re-reading "Alice in Wonderland," with my daughter and really enjoying it all over again. Mind you, she has also introduced me to some great new children's books, such as the "Daisy and the Trouble with (Sports Day, etc etc) which are really funny. There are also a lot of good mystery books for older girls out, many of which are more YA, such as Murder Most Unladylike, and which could easily appeal to members of our group.

[Lady Clementina]

Susan wrote: "I am re-reading "Alice in Wonderland," with my daughter and really enjoying it all over again. Mind you, she has also introduced me to some great new children's books, such as the "Daisy and the Tr..."

That sounds interesting.

I love reading Alice- haven't read the annotated one with the hidden meanings and things but just his play on words is so entertaining and fun every time.

[Hannah]

Anna Katharine Green would probably be the one who made me passionate about mystery...

[Lady Clementina]

Julie wrote: "As a child, Enid Blyton books and the Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon series git me completely hooked on mysteries!!!"

I loved all these- also the Bobbsey Twins- and still do :)

[LindaH]

Nancy Drew!! I remember their blue and white board covers. Thank you, Dad, for buying them for me.

[Susan]

Good point, Linda. It isn't only books which made us readers, but parents and libraries....

[Abigail]

Appropriately enough to this month, my first murder mystery was Murder Must Advertise.

[Susan]

That was a good choice, Abigail. You are obviously a mystery reader of taste :) Mine was Agatha Christie, "Murder on the Orient Express."

[Abigail]

I wish I could claim credit! What I had was a guardian with taste, who liked to challenge children to read adult books.

[Miss M]

Thought I would post this here since there was some discussion about 'modernising' Enid Blyton...

Hachette reverts to original Blyton text
"Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) is reverting to using the original Enid Blyton texts after attempts to modernise the language “didn’t work”.
In 2012 the publisher decided to give some of the texts a “sensitive reworking” but the decision did not go down well with fans, according to senior publisher Anne McNeil.
“Essentially we were looking at dialogue and making sure it worked for a contemporary audience. It was a very subtle change and thoroughly researched but proved very unpopular,” she told The Bookseller. “We thought it was a necessary step but it wasn’t. So we are reverting to the extant classic text.."

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/hac...

[Everyman]

Miss M wrote: "Thought I would post this here since there was some discussion about 'modernising' Enid Blyton...

Hachette reverts to original Blyton text
"Hachette Children’s Group (HCG) is reverting to using th..."

So there actually is a publisher out there with intelligence. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I was brought up on Blyton (the originals of course) and brought my daughters up on her (also the originals, but in some cases had to scrounge second hand bookstores), and my grandchildren are ready for her, so it's great that they'll be able to read the originals too.

[Miss M]

Yes, nice to see them admit to a mistake - though it's probably just good business sense. I think their 'thorough research' overlooked the fact that it's often adults who actually still buy the books, with a strong sense of nostalgia.

[Susan]

My daughter loves Enid Blyton, but she has recently enjoyed The The Naughtiest Girl: The Diary of the Naughtiest Girl, which is a modern 're-imagining' of the original.

I do think that certain names/words probably need to be changed - there was a dog in Mr Galliano's Circus with a horribly politically incorrect name, for example. Minor things, but I don't think that the actual text should be changed. I am also thinking of the recent film adaptation of "Swallows and Amazons," where one of the characters name was changed from "Titty" to "Tatty."