Janet

I tried it a few years ago but just couldn't get into it. On the strength of your review I should try again.

To me, hitting a child just teaches that problems can be solved with force - but I realise it's an emotive subject so here probably isn't the place. Whipping though? *shudders* It really put me off Pa.

I didn't reread this as I read it a couple of years ago and didn't want to pay to reserve it from the library, so these answers are taken from my review of it. 1. Who was your favourite character and why? I don't think I had a favourite character - I couldn't help comparing them with the TV show and found I preferred the TV portrayal to the real people in the book! 2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest? I loved the parts about food, and how they survived the winter when there was little food to be found outside the house! I didn't like the punishment aspect (more of that in Q4) 3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more? It's the first 'Little House...' book I've read. I would maybe read more, but with so many others on my shelves I won't actively seek them out. 4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with? Yes. Several times being whipped is mentioned and it happens to Laura once after she slaps Mary - “Then he [Pa] took down a strap from the wall, and he whipped Laura with the strap”. Kind of horrific thinking of a child who has only just turned five years old (and she was allegedly three but was asked to age herself a couple of years by her publisher) being whipped. I suppose that was just a sign of the times, but as someone who has never laid a hand on my children I find the idea of whipping a defenceless child absolutely abhorrent. Of course, Laura could have been exaggerating this. 5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience? Yes, although there wasn't much depth to the book. I'd have preferred it if one of the others had won!

Progress Reading from 2.00pm to 2.45pm and 3.45pm to 4.30pm Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - 15% read I've had a busy day today so I'm quite pleased to have managed that much!

I've not long been in from work and I really must do some ironing before I get going...

My Mum has finished Mary Hooper's Newes of the Dead, Claire. If you PM me your address I'll pop it in the post some time next week.

I don't have room for any more bookcases, frankie! I haven't been harassed about fantasy/sci-fi since Replay - phew! The Seance was great I love the Victorian period of British history, so that helped.

Thanks, frankie - still coughing but not as badly and I don't feel poorly, so that's good Progress Reading (on and off) from 12.00 noon until 4.30pm A Yorkshire Boyhood by Roy Hattersley - P133 to end = 161 pages I don't think I'll be able to start anything else today but I'm really pleased with my progress. ETA getting to grips with a tablet and missed loads of posts

Ewww, Ben - creepy pic! I'm not sure how much I'll get done today. I woke at 4am with a random cough which won't go away (I hope it's not so bad this evening as I'm off to the theatre ) and I think I might go back to bed once Peter has gone to work (I got up at 4.30am so as not to disturb him, but haven't picked up a book yet I'm really tired so I can't concentrate!). He's out tomorrow so I might get some more done then but I'm not aiming to do all three days straight. I'm half way through Roy Hattersley's memoir A Yorkshire Boyhood - I'm aiming to finish that if I can and then I'll see what grabs me from my shelves!

Uh-oh. *Hides*

I still have copies of Malory Towers (and St Clare's - and all the Famous Five books) but they do seem to be quite prolific in charity shops here, so fingers crossed I find one. I read the Malory Towers books first, which I think is why I remember them more fondly. The St Clare's ones are similar but the twin element is quite fun.

x I already do this XD! Is there something odd happening with your formatting, Athena? I've noticed a lot of random x symbols appearing in your posts. I haven't noticed it happening to anyone else.

I don't get the fuss about Brad Pitt either, Athena! I do like Julia Roberts though.

They're very dated, frankie, but are quite enjoyable, if a bit samey after a while. There are always lots of these in our charity shops - if you'd like I could look for the first one for you and send it to you so you could try it?

Project Gutenberg is my first port of call for the free classics. After that, I try Amazon. I only tend to buy 'non-free' books as the Kindle 99p deal-of-the-day books.

I nearly downloaded this when it was 99p! I won't borrow it as I don't get on with oversized books, but I'm kicking myself now for not getting it at the time! Could the unsatisfactory ending be due to a second 'Tailorstown' book - The Disenchanted Widow - which is (according to Amazon) available for pre-order? Perhaps it's an actual sequel? ETA: Voilà!

No, but interestingly if you search Ken Grimwood on IMDB.com it comes up with Replay as being 'in development' - although you can only look at what's going on if you have a pro account (which I don't!). ETA: This is on Wikipedia! Ken Grimwood was working on a sequel to Replay when he died from a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 59. While Grimwood was still living it was rumored that a film adaptation starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts was in the works. This adaptation never materialized. In 2010, it was reported that Warner Bros was planning on filming a version of Replay starring Ben Affleck. The screenplay for this adaptation has been written by Jason Smilovic. Robert Zemeckis is in talks to direct. Source

I seldom reread books. I've read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and Beyond this Place by A J Cronin a few times - and I've reread books that I read as a child - or maybe something that I've read before which has been chosen for book club - but generally I don't reread books because I have so many 'fresh' ones waiting that it would feel wrong to read something when I've already read it!

Thanks, guy. Fingers crossed!

I looked on Ebay but they're mostly Replay. One book was for sale on the Australian Ebay but they want $55 for delivery!

I *might* be able to participate on Friday as my plans for the week have changed now. However it is half-term here so it rather depends on what my daughter is doing whether a) she wants me to do something with her and b) if she doesn't, whether she's here with friends, or out!

Thanks, Willoyd. I like the sound of In Search of England (I have an H V Morton book of the same title on my wish list!) and they actually have a copy of the Hattersley one in our library here (miracle of miracles!) so I will try that at some stage. I'm on P48 of A Yorkshire Boyhood and I'm enjoying it so far!

I loved it too, and the film was a good adaptation.

Hi Buddy. I have Shooting an Elephant and Inside the Whale and Other Essays but I haven't started them yet. I looked at this in W H Smiths, but the print is tiny so I don't think I'd get on with it! I'd like to read his Diaries and Letters books too. So many books, so little time...!

I've just started a book called A Yorkshire Boyhood by Roy Hattersley - he was a British politician for the labour party until 1992 - and was deputy leader of the Labour Party. I'm not a political creature really (although I always vote ) but this isn't about politics (or if there is politics in it, they won't be the major feature) but is rather about his boyhood. I flicked through the first few pages in the library and it sounded like something I'd enjoy so I took a chance. It's not my 'normal' sort of autobiography. I haven't read enough yet to tell whether I'll like it or not. ETA: I *think* he wrote a column in a national British newspaper, but I'm not sure if he still does.