bree
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Posts posted by bree
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1 to go, wohoo!
Can you imagine you are one book away from finishing a reading challenge you set for yourself in 2008?? 
Pretty legendary!Wow! I agree. Good going Janet!
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Regency Buck is delicious! And a very good pick for your first Georgette Hayer. Looking forward to your thoughts after reading it...
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The Magic Finger
Roald Dahl
★★★★
Synopsis:
A young girl sees red when her neighbours shoot down ducks. And can't help but unleash her Magic Finger on them. What happens next, and do they learn their lesson, is what this little book is about.
Thoughts:
Such a tiny book. And it packs a punch. A simple story - but one which makes you think about your actions, their consequences, and what it is to be at the receiving end. A great read for children (and adults too!) about the importance of putting yourself in another's shoes. I liked this book!
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James and the Giant Peach
Roald Dahl
★★★
Synopsis:
At the age of four, happy, much-loved James Henry Trotter, loses his parents, and is sent to live with his nasty Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. Neglected, beaten and forced to live in captive, James is a very unhappy little boy. And then something happens that will change his life forever. A bit of Magic, a huge Peach, a menagerie of new friends, and a whole new world open up to him.
Thoughts:
Janet's fun Roald Dahl challenge got me wanting to read this one. I have only previously read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - and even that one as an adult.
This book was a good read, and has a streak of twisted-ness and matter-of-fact ruthlessness that I've now come to accept in Roald Dahl's writing. It leaves me strangely uneasy. (I dare say children reading it will glean over it, and just enjoy the adventures of James and his friends in the peach)
It's also an excellent write to introduce children to the world of insects and their wondrous natural features, habits and characteristics.
And the illustrations are perfect - a little spiky - a little caricature-esque - much like the words themselves.
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Pied Piper
Nevil Shute
★★★★☆
Synopsis:
John Howard, an elderly Englishman is on a quiet fishing holiday, in France, while the Second World War, unfolds around him. He attempts to get back to England, and along the way is entrusted with care of various children, in the hope that he can get them to safety. Children of various nationalities, languages, and pasts, all follow this gentle man, as he does all he can to fulfill his responsibilities.
Thoughts:
I picked up this book, as part of the March reading circle read. It is a gently-paced novel, and in its slow meanderings through France it beautifully showcases various themes. Themes of duty, childhood, war, the effect it has on people, the fear, and through it all the quiet determination of a not-so-young human who goes beyond the call of duty to ensure that innocent children are spared of a war that they didn't ask for.
I liked reading this book, and John Howard is a special man whom I'll think of fondly, and with much respect, and will someday visit again.
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Hope it's okay to join in on this mammoth thread!
Inspired by Janet's Roald Dahl challenge, I bought myself James And The Giant Peach and The Magic Finger.
Both delightful - can't believe I went through childhood missing out on Dahl!
Have just ordered Matilda - and currently gone back to reading the second Tommy&Tuppence Christie : Partners In Crime.
A bit different from her usual books - as it is a-chapter-a-story.
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38. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
My first Agatha Christie novel but hopefully not my last! I thoroughly enjoyed The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The plot was great (I never saw the ending coming then had to go back and re-read some paragraphs. If someone had told me when I was about halfway through the book who had killed Roger Ackroyd, I would never have believed them) and the characters were so vivid and realistic. I loved everything about it.
5/5
Hope its okay to jump in on your thread - I can never resist a Christie mention!
Can I tempt you to try Crooked House and And Then They Were None?
They both are ace.
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This is sweet!
Oak Iceweb
She protects the vulnerable and brings justice to the wronged.
She lives in forests of oak and lime trees.
She is only seen in the mist of an early morning.
She wears pretty autumnal leaf colours and has icy blue butterfly wings.
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Hello momo!
(love your name - reminds me of those delicious Tibet-ian dumplings!)
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No Place Like Home ~ Mary Higgins Clark
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I liked the part at the very end, where it was obvious that Mr Howard hadn't talked about what he had been through but allowed people to go on thinking he had just been on holiday. I think it was very in keeping for the time, and I can't think of many people who would carry on with life in such a stoic manner nowadays.
Very well put. And you're right. It didn't occur to me till I read your comment.
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…in fact, my Mum’s writing inside the front cover (for I borrowed it from her) tells me she bought it in February 1977! I love the current, slightly art deco cover so I might treat myself to that as I’m positive I’ll read it again.
Janet, that's so lovely! And I know what you mean about the cover.
I picked up my copy from a second-hand book-store - the cover is almost the same as yours, and it has a little note from 1974!
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1- Who was your favourite character?
John Howard.
2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?
I think the book picked up pace when Howard met Nicole. Till then it was a bit dreary, and not unlike the journey he was undertaking - as he put it at one point : "without adult conversation". I did like the interactions between them.
3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/ by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?
Yes, it was the first one - and I'd be open to similar books. I'm not sure I'd have picked this book randomly, so I'm happy it was chosen by the reading circle.
4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?
Not really. I just wish I could have read it in fewer sittings though. Because of my erratic reading the story felt a bit long-winded - and is begging for a quicker re-read.
5- How well do you think the book fitted the theme of Masculinity?
I'm not sure how I define masculinity. To me it's just being male. I try and fight and reject prejudices of what is "feminine" or "masculine". So apart from the fact that the protagonist was male, masculinity has no other relevance in my understanding of the book. He was just a beautiful person. And being male was incidental.
6- The main character is elderly and the events stretched him to his limits. Why did he not refuse to help , or give up? .
He was good person. Someone sincere and true to his conscience. Who knew what was right and was courageous and noble enough to look past limitations and do what he felt needed to be done.
He was of gentle, yet strong spirit and his life's experiences - the war, losing his son - has only made him more compassionate, wise and patient. So despite the fact that he wasn't physically strong enough, or the path home wasn't straightforward - he was essentially a person who'd do what he thought was right, or fall trying.
7- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?
Enjoyable is not a word I'd use. But did I like the book? Yes, very much. And it is a book that I will re-read down the years.
Inspiring. That's how I'd describe it. Such a beautiful story of a beautiful man. Told gently, with little gems of wisdom scattered amidst a tale of heroism. I'd rate it a 4.5 on 5.
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Animal Farm : George Orwell
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The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling
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A Daughter's a Daughter - Agatha Christie writing as Mary Westmacott
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Stand By Me - though appreciated, this brilliant film gets side-lined amidst more famous Stephen King films
What's Eating Gilbert Grape - one of the finest films of Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, and yet doesn't get mentioned as often as it deserves to
Candy - such a beautiful film - Heath Ledger and the girl (I forget her name) break your heart with their vulnerability
(Edit : Just googled, its Abbie Cornish)
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The Secret Adversary
Agatha Christie
★★★
Synopsis:
This is the first of the series of Christie's novels which feature the amateurs-turned-pro detective-duo of Tommy and Tuppence. And is a detour from her usual slow-paced murder mysteries, these books are full of espionage, action, and thrills.
The book begins with the young out-of-work and out-of-money duo, getting together to start a company called 'Young Adventurers' - who'll do anything for money and a bit of travel. Very soon they find them selves embroiled in a net of mystery, secret papers, government agendas, kidnappings,international spies, and an omniscient, unknown adversary : Mr. Brown.
What happens to our favourite couple? Will they manage to unmask the mysterious Mr. Brown? How far will their luck and pluck see them? And who is Jane Finn?
Thoughts:
Spies. Plots. International villains. Hidden documents. An omnipotent unknown criminal mastermind. Kidnap. Amnesia. Secret agents. Red herrings. Romance.
The Secret Adversary has it all. Maybe a too much, in fact! But somehow it all comes together and you'll end up rooting for the darling couple : Tommy and Tuppence.
Worth a read.
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Mother Goose Rhymes
Alex Publishing
★★★★
Synopsis:
This large board-book is a collection of nursery rhymes:
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Mary Has A Little Lamb
- Pop Goes The Weasel
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Little Miss Muffet
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Hey-Diddle-Diddle
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Hickory Dickory Dock
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Humpty-Dumpty
Thoughts:
Good, colourful illustrations. Four finger-puppets to dance while you sing the rhymes. And a well-made sturdy book.
Alya loves the rhymes and can't get enough of Mary and her wee lamb. She also loves Miss Muffet's spider and goes around looking for them in our house!
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Mary Has A Little Lamb
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The Shining by Stephen King
I read this as a teenager - not knowing anything about the book or the author, and it haunted me for weeks.
(I watched the film a few years ago and it wasn't half as scary)
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I downloaded "The Secret Adversary" by Agatha Christie. I never heard of Tuppence and Tommy. I was only acquainted with Miss Jane Marple and Hercule Poirot. This was a light, humourous read.4/5.
Tommy and Tuppence are delightful aren't they?
If you're interested, they feature in a four more books, after The Secret Adversary:
Partners in Crime
N or M?
By the Pricking of My Thumbs
Postern of Fate
and they age beautifully through them!
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How many books do you read at once?
in General Book Discussions
Posted
Just one for me.
Not too good at multi-tasking - and I'd end up horribly disoriented if I attempted more than one!