Books from our childhood/teens....d own Hazy Memory Lane

Polly, were the twins Lotte and Lisa?

Loved Professor Branestawm (may not have spelt that right) and of course Enid Blyton especially Castle of Adventure. In my teens Neil Shute 'On the Beach' had a huge impact. As soon as Sean Connery played Bond in the films I consumed all Ian Fleming's books as soon as they came out in paperback. I have them still

Someone mentioned a series of books about twins in different countries - I remember those! Lots of others have come back to me too which I didn't mention - I Loved The Secret Garden, Heidi, Emil and the detectives and White Boots. Also remember a series about a girl called Mary Tary. As a teenager I read rather trashy comics called Trixies Diary, When I was older I remember enjoying Greengage Summer, Gone with th Wind, lots of Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Neville Shute, Thomas Hardy, etc. I remember being devasted at the ending of Tess of the Durbervills, and also Gone with the wind. I was outraged!! I read Ann Franks Diary too as a teenager and like someone else said was deeply affected by it

Really loving this thread. Does anyone remember a series of books about a flight attendant. Really wracking my brains over this one.

Did try googling it but the search brought up some rather norty sites/books.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri. I think I used to read it once a month, such a beautiful story. Also, The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. I re-read it recently and sobbed ( and I'm somebody who doesn't cry easily), though I don't remember it being sad as a child.

Not straying too far from the thread - what about Christmas annuals? I had Bunty, Judy, "Girl" (my brother had Eagle"). As I keen brownie I had the brownie annual. Bobsey Twins annual, Girls Crystal and so on. Not all at once of course . My brothers and I could request just one - big decision!

Does anyone remember the Armada books? Paperbacks priced at 2/6d. When I got book tokens for presents I would immediately calculate how many books i could buy!

The most important book of my childhood was the story of Moldy Warp from the little Grey Rabbit series. It was a revelation that people had once lived in houses now found underground - the Roman villa where Moldy Warp lived - and that such treasures as the dolphin mosaic actually existed. It was then, aged 6, that I decided I was going to be an archaeologist, beginning a lifelong passion that stays with me 60 years later. Likewise a book called "The Ship that Flew", about a group of children who could time-travel in a model Viking boat was my absolute favourite at age 11-12.

I've actually started reading Alice in Wonderland again after all these years, it certainly gives you a new perspective on the story!

Mrswoo, I have a cherished hardback copy of the Loving Spirit. It was second hand when I bought it 40+ years ago but it still has its dust jacket.

I read all the Jalna series when I was expecting my first baby. I was desperate to call our baby something like Pheasant or Wakefield or Fnch but luckily Dh put his foot down with a firm hand!

I hardly ever post but this is such a lovely topic

I was reading from 3 - 4 years of age and my list of favourites would be much the same as every other posters - loved most Enid Blyton but my favourite title of hers was 'Shadow the Sheepdog' ; my first copy fell to bits and I was overjoyed when my aunt bought me a new copy for Christmas.

I progressed as most did - the classics, Tolkein, Agatha Christie, Georgette Heyer, Jean Plaidy (also in her persona of Victoria Holt), a bodice-ripper stage.
Today I mostly read crime fiction, although I have recently discovered JAFF (Jane Austen Fan Fiction) and have gone slightly overboard on it

As for lesser known books from my childhood - I loved the Jill books (and going to look them up, I have only now realised that the first one was published in 1949!) but does anyone else remember the 'Susan' books by Jane Shaw? www.collectingbooksandmagazines.com/shaws.html very, very funny

Like many others I devoured all the boarding school and Famous 5 type of books also the Bobbsey Twins all so culturally relevant to a girl growing up in a large Glasgow local authority housing estate!! A favourite when I was younger was one called Shadow the Sheepdog, I longed for a dog so this one too was fantasy land. Interestingly in later years I did have twins myself and chose to have dogs when the family were growing up...never did the boarding school thing, though no regrets about that one!!

I used to buy with my pocket money the lady bird factual books, book of trees, birds etc. Fiction books were always from the library. As an infant reader I loved Worsel Gummidge and Milly Molly Mandy. As a slightly older reader the Bobsey Twins always had me enthralled, along with Enid Blytons Mallory Towers series. In fact all her stories about children having adventures. I did not discover her fairy stories until I was reading to my own children. Oh yes, the Katy series and the Little women series were ones I never grew tired of. So many books. What fun I had peeking into their worlds. As a teenager I progressed to all the Agatha Christie novels.

I read all the Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton and I also loved The Secret Garden and Worzel Gummidge.My very favourite children's author was Eleanor Farjeon I especially loved her short stories and Elsie Piddock skips in her sleep is still a favourite today.
As a young teenager I discovered Daphne du Maurier and have read and 're-read her first published novel, The Loving Spirit, which has been long out of print but worth reading if you can get hold of a copy. After that I moved on to the Whiteoaks of Jalna series by Mazo de la Roach I think I intended reading the entire series but only managed about four books.

In my teens and after watching the first black & white broadcast of The Forsyth Saga, I bought the first paperback to read on the bus going to work. A lady spoke to me and said "How wonderful to be reading. that for the first time" Ive often wondered how she knew ! Probably because of my age and having a brand new paperback in my hands.
As a child I DEVOURED every Enid Blyton book I could find in the local library. I also loved the Biggles books !

I must have read nearly all of Enid Blyton's books,from when I was 7 up until my early teens.My favourites were the 'The Famous Five',the 'Mallory Towers'series and 'The Naughtiest Girl in the School' series. I also loved the Pullein-Thompson sisters pony story books because I was pony-mad, and likewise,anything by Ruby Ferguson. When I was in my teens,I got into Gerald Durrell's books,such as My family and other animals and Menagerie Manor. I was an avid reader then,and still am.

Tom's midnight garden - Philippa Pearce . The wierdstone of Brisinghamen - Alan Garner . I thought of the March girls as family , and read Little Women etc many times . Then Jane Austen , Dickens , Jean Plaidy , Sherlock Holmes . Spend so much time caring for Grandchildren now I find it challenging to read anything like as much as I did then .

What a lovely thread! I'm nodding at many of the authors and titles here.

The first book I recall getting from the library (you weren't allowed to join until you were five) was a Blackberry Farm story. Later I moved on to many of the ones mentioned here. Also Lorna Hill, who wrote about ballet and horses.

There was a series of travel books I loved called something like 'Susan & Peter Go To....' which described lots of places they supposedly visited round the world but I've never been able to find any trace of them online.

I loved a series about the Flying Doctor service in Australia - Lawrence Meynell?

My absolute favourite is probably Alison Uttley's A Traveller in Time. I re-read it recently and the language is so sophisticated for the audience it was aimed at compared to today's writing.

Famous Five, Secret Seven, and books about twins from different parts of the world, i.e. The Eskimo Twins, The Indian Twins etc. followed by all the Biggles books. Then just about anything and everything, lots of Howard Spring, Nevil Shute, Monica Dickens and Charles. Now like anything to do with history, ancient, modern, and social, along with crime and detective novels.

Enid Blyton was one of my favourites - and I still have them from back in the 60's - I am now passing some of them to my Grandaughter who is enjoying them as much as I did when I was about her age. Milly Molly Mandy, and Teddy Robinson, also book by Mabel Lucy Atwell who did some lovely pictures. Mrs Pepperpot and Winnie the Pooh was also a great fabourite. I had many books as a child as I loved reading and I still love reading and at present have over 1000 books of all types from poetry (including childrens) and various novels. Some of which I read and cannot bear to part with others I think there is no more room so really must pass them on. I only wish there was a book swap place near where I live to exchange the books I have read for ones that I would like to read.

*characters!!

Hazel - as an infant teacher I loved reading my class Gobbolino the Witch's Cat and The Little Wooden Horse. The author later wrote a third book with both charcaters in, I've never read that one.

As a child in Canada , I was delighted to get a book from my English grandmother. I was about six years old. The book was called ' Deep Sea Mokey ' . It told of a donkey who had an adventure under water, it was beautifully illustrated . I loved it and re-read it dozens of times. In one section primroses were mentioned and drawn. We didn't get them in Canada and I longed to see some. Finally did and I've loved them ever since. At my daughter's suggestion I tried Amazon to see if there was any chance of getting a copy. A second hand bookstore in Aberdeen did and within days I had Deep Sea Mokey in my hands. Despite its age it's still a lovely book.

Wurzelernie - except for Nancy Breary, are you me?!
Leftout - I didn't get public library books as my DM, who'd had diphtheria and scarlet fever as a child also thought they'd be 'full of germs'. I was allowed my own books however. Always thrilled to get one for Christmas, I was disappointed when an aunt and uncle's book shaped present was a dictionary!! Tell us what books you enjoyed later in life, or favourites you've charged with children since. You must have longed for those locked away books. Did teachers introduce you to books, I hope so.

What a lovely thread! I think all my favourites have been mentioned: The Family from One End Street, Emil and the Detectives, The Silver Sword and the Sunny Stories series from a young age. I can't really remember anything in particular from my teens. I was probably temporarily distracted! Nowadays I love all crime/thriller novels and some non-fiction, such as autobiographies, most purchased from local charity shops and either passed on to friends or returned to the charity shop for resale.