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Fiction- What are you reading? Part 2
AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"The Animorphs and Harry Porter Series. I didn't read much besides those unfortunately.
Joan wrote: "AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"Two of my favorites were
The Mouse and the Motorcycleand M..."</i>
Joan, [book:The Mouse and the Motorcycle was popular too, with my kids, but not one we read over and over again.
"AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"I loved Enid Blyton's Famous Five series and C.S. Lewis' Narnia series.
Chrissie wrote: "AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"Emily the Traveling Guinea Pig and Mr. Apple's Family were two of my all time favorites. These a..."
Frog and Toad Are Friends etc favourites with our kids and grandkids.
Dale wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"Emily the Traveling Guinea Pig and Mr. Apple's Family were two of my all time f..."
Yeah, fun books. Now my grandchildren like them too.
My favorite book as a child? I loved everything but the ones that stand out are: mysteries (Happy Hollisters, Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown, etc.), The Outsiders, A Wrinkle in Time, Lassie Come Home, Wolves of Willoughby Chase & Blackhearts in Battersea, From the Mixed Up files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, Harriet the Spy. So many good ones!
AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"How can I possibly choose? I am not one for having a favourite. And even though what I liked changed as I grew up, the books I loved were always eclectic in nature.
It's a great question, but one I can't answer. Plus, some of my favourite fiction from my childhood was written for adults, so would that count, too, or just books meant for children? But not to worry, even narrowed down, I don't know how to answer :), but I've been enjoying seeing what people write.
Also, even if I named some of my favourites, some of them have been out of print for some time as they weren't new back then.
Pam wrote: "My favorite book as a child? I loved everything but the ones that stand out are: mysteries (Happy Hollisters, Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown, etc.), The Outsiders, A Wrinkle in Time, Lassie Come..."From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was one of my favorites, too. Oh how I dreamed of sneaking in and staying overnight at The Metropolitan Museum of Art!
Or to be honest I’d still like to sneak in and stay overnight.
Mod
To this day Ron still reads the Encyclopedia Brown books on occasion, for a mix of nostalgia and easy nighttime reading. He has a stack of them on the bedstand. I subject him to some good natured teasing over it sometimes, but I actually find it kind of endearing.
I don't recall ever reading those mystery puzzle books as a kid, but I did have the choose your own adventure fantasy books. I loved those at one point.
Greg wrote: "Pam wrote: "My favorite book as a child? I loved everything but the ones that stand out are: mysteries (Happy Hollisters, Bobbsey Twins, Encyclopedia Brown, etc.), The Outsiders, A Wrinkle in Time,..."I remember those choose you own adventure- invaluable for motivating my reluctant-reader step-son.
AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"I loved the Enid Blyton' Famous Five series and her Adventure series books. Earlier than that, I really liked The Bobbsey Twins.
A Wrinkle in Time was another wonderful read, as well as Five Little Peppers And How They Grew.
I remember reading and loving 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. I thought this one was very exciting.
My second grade report card has a note from the teacher to my parents stating that I was very fond of the Cowboy Bob series....I don't remember those at all.
As a small child I loved The Little Red Hen and The Magic Porridge Pot.But for years my great love was Enid Blyton's Famous Five. As I got older I also enjoyed her Adventure series.
Narnia was probably the first fantasy I read (and reread and reread). Another great love.
Horonorable mentions:
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, The Owl Service, A Traveller in Time and Tom's Midnight Garden.
All of Roald Dahl's children's book written in the 1970s.
And although I don't really like the books she writes for adults I loved Penelope Lively's children's books like The House In Norham Gardens, The Whispering Knights and The Wild Hunt Of Hagworthy.
Mod
But for years my great love was Enid Blyton's Famous Five. As I got older I also enjoyed her Ad..."
I love Roald Dahl Esther!
I do too, he was so dark but always in the end there was hope.Started a rather novel book called Metamorphica by Zachary Mason
Greg wrote: "Esther wrote: "As a small child I loved The Little Red Hen and The Magic Porridge Pot.But for years my great love was Enid Blyton's Famous Five. As I got older I also..."
Books like The Witches came out later when I was already past my Dahl phase but The Magic Finger was very weird and dark compared to the other children's books I was reading.
Another favourite author that I almost left off the list was Nicholas Fisk. It is difficult to get hold of his books now but I loved Trillions.
AB wrote: "What’s everyone’s favourite fiction from their childhood?"Anne of Green Gables and anything by Jacqueline Wilson
Now I am reading A Summons to Memphis. So far I am enjoying it. Interesting how it compares and speaks of Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee.
I've started two more books: The Devil's Elixirs and Still Life. Extremely different from each other - a gothic classic and a mystery.
I started Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts yesterday and I can’t put it down! It’s a sci-fi alternate history that starts in 1946 Moscow with a group of sci-fi writers. It’s a very unusual story with great dialogue! I would’ve never found it except for seeing someone on Facebook talking about it in a Reader’s group. I’ve got to find some more of this author’s works! My library doesn’t carry any of his books so I have to go through ILL or purchase them on-line.
Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "I've started two more books: The Devil's Elixirs and Still Life. Extremely different from each other - a gothic classic and a mystery."I liked The Devil's Elixirs! Not a 5 stars read, but very good. By Hoffmann I prefer his short stories or novellas.
dely wrote: "I liked The Devil's Elixirs! Not a 5 stars read, but very good. By Hoffmann I prefer his short stories or novellas."I think you might be right. I've read some of his short stories in the past and liked them a lot. This is not proving an easy read, which is probably due both to the old translation and to the heat... I can't concentrate!
Mod
They are all quite all right, even if, as usual with me, I'm finding James a bit hard to follow ...
Greg wrote: "Jess wrote: "I just realised that I've not updated here in a while. I finished Middlesex which I absolutely loved (possibly my favourite book of the year). I then went on to read ..."..."
Really liked that book and have recommended it to several people. Thanks for posting. Am adding it to my "re-read" list.
Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "I think you might be right. I've read some of his short stories in the past and liked them a lot. This is not proving an easy read, which is probably due both to the old translation and to the heat... I can't concentrate!"The heat is killing me in these days!
About the book, I think that the surrealism or magic in Hoffmann are good in short stories because there is the right amount of it. In a longer book there is too much of it and it isn't always easy to follow what is happening and, above all, why. I don't know about the translation because I've read it in German, but I remember that more than once I had to re-read some parts because it was difficult to understand what was going on and why.
LauraT wrote: "Started yesterday three books together: Death at the President's Lodging, L'Arminuta and The Golden Bowl.They are all quite all right, even if, as usua..."
That's the thing about James.
Mod
They are all quite all right, e...
That's the thing about James. "
With me always!!!!!
I started reading another novella by ETA Hoffmann: The Golden Pot and Other Tales (I could find only this edition in English, but the German edition I have has only The Golden Pot).Seen that I like this author, a GR friends recommended to read also this novella because it's her favorite by Hoffmann.
Respect to his other short stories or novellas, in this one even more magical things happen (linked to witchcraft). Reading it in German doesn't help (but I could download it for free, hehe) because I often don't know if I understood it right, or if really such weird things happen in the book.
But I'm totally lost in the story, as it usually happens with this author.
dely wrote: "I started reading another novella by ETA Hoffmann: The Golden Pot and Other Tales (I could find only this edition in English, but the German edition I have has only The Golden Pot)...."
I think I have a book with the Italian translation of The Golden Pot somewhere. I should read it sometime, but for now I'm still struggling with The Devil's Elixirs - I'm taking my time with it because I find it very slow-going. It's not bad, but I'm not loving it. On the other hand, I tried reading something by Hoffmann in German in the past, and found it very difficult to follow.
In the meantime I've started a mystery for a bit of an easy read, Death in August. I'm enjoying it so far - I like the characterization and the fact that it's set in Florence, because it makes me revisit places I used to go to every day back when I was living there.
dely wrote: "I started reading another novella by ETA Hoffmann: The Golden Pot and Other Tales (I could find only this edition in English, but the German edition I have has only The Golden Pot)...."
I have found the The Golden Flower Pot online. I will give it a try soon.
Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "On the other hand, I tried reading something by Hoffmann in German in the past, and found it very difficult to follow."He isn't easy to read in German. Till now I've read in German The Devil's Elixirs (I couldn't find an Italian translation), The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (no complete edition available in Italian), Nutcracker and now The Golden Pot. In Italian I've read one or two collections of short stories.
Chrissie wrote: "I have found the The Golden Flower Pot online. I will give it a try soon. "I think it's the same I'm reading now because it is combined with the edition I'm reading.
I'm curious to know what you will think about it. There is a lot of magic and in this one also witchcraft.
edit: yes, I followed the link in your review and it's the same story I'm reading.
dely I assumed that, but now I know for sure. Thank you. Often one short story may go under a have a variety of similar names.
dely, my Italian edition of The Devil's Elixirs is an old one and I believe (not sure, though) that the publisher is now out of market, so the book is probably out of print. I found it in a second-hand bookstore ages ago. I tried reading The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr in German but I found it too difficult and ended up abandoning it. I want to try again sometime, though - I think it's a good book.I have just started a completely different book, Final Girls, which doesn't sit well my anxiety. I don't know what I was thinking when I started it, but I thought about that only after I'd read quite a bit and didn't want to give up on it. I will probably just take my time, although it is a page-turner.
I am currently reading Displaced by Stephen Arabanell. This book is very reminiscent of Daniel Silva's' Gabriel Allon series. Although this book takes place in Palestine before Israel achieved statehood. So far I haven't closed this book which is good for me since summer for me is major slump time.
Marina (Sonnenbarke) wrote: "dely, my Italian edition of The Devil's Elixirs is an old one and I believe (not sure, though) that the publisher is now out of market, so the book is probably out of print. I found ..."The Tomcat Murr book is also difficult because there are two biographies going on at the same time: one is complete (that of the cat), the other is only partial. It isn't easy at all to get into it during the first chapters. The two biographies are interwoven and it isn't easy to understand about whom we are reading.
If you are interested, here is my Italian review about both books, the Italian and the German edition: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Having stuck in a short story by Eudora Welty (A Worn Path) and not having liked it so much I thought I would try one more, to give the author another chance. So I began Delta Wedding only to discover that it is a novel not a short story! I am struggling with this too. Talk about wordy! Neither do I enjoy reading two books at the same time, but I feel I have to finish it to make a fair judgment. It is not fun reading Welty's and The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama at the same time! Phew.
Chrissie, that must make for a very strange combination. I have trouble with Welty. Have started a book of shorts If You See Me, Don't Say Hi: Stories
Diane S ☔ wrote: "Chrissie, that must make for a very strange combination. I have trouble with Welty. "
Well there is no trouble keeping the two separate!
I have not fallen n love with either. For now I have stopped reading Welty. I THOUGHT it was to be a short story. I THOUGHT I would give Welty one more chance. I had no intention if reading a whole novel. STUPID me. I find Welty's writing wordy and confusing, with once in a while a great line stuck in. Too many characters that I feel nothing for.
I just want these books to end. At least with the book on Obama I am learning something. Remnick is better as an editor than as an author............
About to start
After Nightfall by A.J. Banner after finishing
Sins of the Fathers: A Family Mystery Set in Scotland and England by Anthea Fraser My spoiler free review can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Now I am listening to The Victim by Saul Bellow. It is well read by Joe Barrett. I am also trying to get through Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty. I am reading it on my computer. I thought it was a short story. It isn't. It is a novel. Reading such a long book online is no fun. I thought I would give Welty one more chance, having been disappointed with that I have read by her earlier. On this front, things do not look bright. Welty and I do not seem to blend well.
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Emily the Traveling Guinea Pig and Mr. Apple's Family were two of my all time favorites. These are not picture books but for young readers. I still get all gushy and warm inside when I think of them.
All of Arnold Lobel's books are fantastic. His books are books I read to MY kids and we all loved. Frog and Toad Are Friends and Owl at Home were two we adored.