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What are you reading at the moment, part2

(476 Posts)
GoldenGran Thu 12-Apr-12 10:59:20

Ok, I,ll start the next one. I have just finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry,it is an unusual story of an ordinAry, quiet and rather sad man who receives a letter from someone in his past. He writes a reply and sets off to post it,but keeps passing post boxes and eventually decides to deliver it by hand. He lives in Devon and the sender is in a hospice in Berw ick upon Tweed.i loved it and thoroughly recommend it, It is in the end about love pain loss and redemption.

Ian42 Sun 06-May-12 16:49:08

I'm an eclectic reader; however at the moment I'm reading 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' by Douglas Adams.

whitewave Sun 06-May-12 16:51:07

Yes I have read all the Shardlake novels and very good they are too.

numberplease Sun 06-May-12 17:19:34

Roll on the next Shardlake novel! I read an interview with C.J.Sansom, in which he said that, sadly, he thinks there`s only going to be one more Shardlake book, because of how the years are going by in the books.
At the moment, I`m reliving my childhood, well, part of it, by rereading first Little Women, and now Good Wives, I`ll then move on to Little Men, and apparently there`s another in the Louisa May Alcott series about the March family, so will look out for that one, I didn`t know about it. I read the other 3 when I was 11/12 years old, and loving them just as much now.

Nonny Sun 06-May-12 17:23:43

Oh dear, I was hoping that Shardlake would make it throught to the reign of Elizabeth.

whitewave Sun 06-May-12 17:26:52

Did you read Heidi as a child? Looking back I seemed to have soaked up every book I could possibly get my hands on, including loads of classics, books that my mother had read all very 1920's & 30's as well as good old Enid and they hold very fond memories for me - I still have many of them - tried to get my daughter to read them but her tastes were different.

greenmossgiel Sun 06-May-12 17:31:20

numberplease, I loved Little Women and Good Wives! (remember "Marmee"?)
At the moment I'm reading The Telling by Jo Baker. "As Rachel struggles to put her mother's affairs in order, she grows more convinced that the house holds a message for her. Can the ghosts of the past be nudging their way into the present, or is Rachel really losing her mind?" Takes in the Chartist movement - something I'd never heard of before reading this novel.

jeni Sun 06-May-12 17:32:27

Oh yes! And the abbey girls and the chalet school and Angela brazil and Veronica at the wells!

whitewave Sun 06-May-12 17:36:02

jeni

I don't remember any of them!! who were the abbey girls? You are not talking about Mallory Towers are you?

jeni Sun 06-May-12 17:50:44

No! Eleanor oxen ham I think. I think they were probably prewar!

Anagram Sun 06-May-12 17:53:09

Didn't Angela Brazil write the Mallory Towers stories? confused

Annobel Sun 06-May-12 17:53:54

Abbey Girls - EJ Oxenham, I think. I loved them too but perhaps not as much as the Chalet Girls. There were very old copies of Angela Brazil books in my granny's house - they were set in the time of World War I.

jeni Sun 06-May-12 17:56:26

Elsie m oxenham

Annobel Sun 06-May-12 17:59:18

No, Anagram, Mallory Towers books were among Enid Blyton's prolific works - box set available from Amazon! There was another school series - St Clare's, also available as a box set from Amazon. I acquired all these from my older cousins and started reading them when I had pneumonia at the age of 6.

Nonny Sun 06-May-12 17:59:58

whitewave- I too loved the Little Women books. I read a spin off about Mr March going to fight in the civil war - I think it was called "March" by Geraldine Brookes But I don't know if I enjoyed it as it didn't show Pa inthe light we remember him in!
I too read books my mother had read in the 20's & 30's especially Anne of Green Gables. I also used to get books from jumble sales which were very old fashioned

Anagram Sun 06-May-12 18:08:24

Thanks, Annobel. Just Googled Angela Brazil (which is apparently pronounced 'brazzle'!) - she certainly was a prolific writer, but I don't think I ever read any of hers. I did like the Chalet School books, though.

whitewave Sun 06-May-12 18:11:07

Does anyone also remember "Listen with Mother"? I can remember dancing to the music at the beginning and end of the story. I can remember as a child that total concentration when reading I don't seem to be able to achieve that without letting the world in now.

Ian42 Sun 06-May-12 18:15:45

I found this on YouTube that may interest you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-4UAtS3fo

whitewave Sun 06-May-12 18:21:52

Ian42

OH! yes what a different world it was,

Ariadne Sun 06-May-12 18:24:13

Oh, I remember the Abbey books - they all married well and had twins and triplets and dressed them in different coloured prints.

Just finished "Into the Darkest Corner" by Elizabeth Haynes - gripping.

eGJ Mon 07-May-12 14:25:49

Yes whitewave I DO remember "Listen with mother" and my mother had a number of stories accepted and read on it - including two which were about me! I have the original scripts and have just re-read them. Lovely memories of my mother and of having to be quiet whilst she was writing them! smile

whitewave Mon 07-May-12 14:35:10

eGJ I wonder if I listened to them. There is a book shop in Lewes that sells second hand childrens books from the 50's etc and it is divine to prowse around.

chitchat Mon 07-May-12 15:07:42

I received book from my friend's daughter called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.It was a gift, it is one of a million which is being given as part of World Book Night April 23rd 2012 to spread the joy and the love of reading Once I have read it I pass it on, but the story is mine forever. 20,000 passionate volunteer's across the country give copie's of one of the 25 specially choosen brilliant books within their communties WWW.worldbooknight.org
I have just finished reading the book, it was interesting and certainly got me thinking. I am now going to pass it on to my daughter
Anyone else heard about this???

crimson Mon 07-May-12 15:44:42

whitewave; do they do a book search? I've been looking for a picture version on 'ad, a Dog for years. My duaghter used part of The Alchemist as a reading at her wedding. Although I bought it for her I'm ashamed to say I haven't read it myself. Ian; they're doing Hitchikers at a local theatre soon; I wasn't going to go but I may think again. The latest film wasn't up to much, but I loved the television series [having missed it on the radio].

crimson Mon 07-May-12 15:45:26

...picture version of 'Lad, a Dog' I meant to write....

whitewave Mon 07-May-12 18:32:27

crimson - not when I was last in there. But I actually have done a search on google and come up with what I wanted - although couldn't afford it! It was pretty obscure too - as a toddler I remember Belinda and Father Christmas whcih were beautifully illustrated and Belinda and Humpty Dumpty also beautifully illustrated found them both