Deborah

This sounds wonderful, I have added it to my wishlist, thank you for your reviews!

I see I am not the only one frantically trying to finish off my christmas shopping Hope your son enjoys the books!

Christian, welcome to the forum! Two books that spring to mind are Tiddler and The Whale and The Snail, have you tried those?

I was delighted for Louis and Flavia, their freestyle coreography was very special, something new that we had never seen before on Strictly, beautiful. Even though Denise was ever so good last night too, very brave! Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Delaila, a Kindle is such a great idea for kids, so many children's ebooks are being published at the moment! One thing though, how do you assess the quality of, like you mention, self-published books? I guess reviews should give a good indication. Michelle, I was always encouraged to choose my own books: I don't remember ever being forbidden any books, or on the contrary, being pushed to read any I didn't enjoy. I definitely think kids should experiment and choose what catches their eye, as opposed to what looks interesting or 'educational' to the parents. Or how will they ever develop their own preferred style?

Hayley, I completely agree. This is an over-interpretation of a book originally thought out for children. JK Rowling obviously did not expect to have such a strong adult audience, and I really think she feels obliged to force a more adult 'take' on the whole storyline.

I have watched many documentaries about the life of this incredible person, but admit I never thought of picking up a biography about him. I think I'll try Louis Fischer's, thanks to your review, Milo. Thank you!

I am entirely with you on this one, I find Ungaretti's poems so powerful.

Synopsys

Happy to find other Strictly fans like myself! The line-up this year looks great, it's going to be an interesting competition. Believe it or not, I am already trying to predict the final... Louis Smith and Victoria Pendleton. What does everyone else think?

Hello Lydia, welcome to the forum!

I am the same. Perhaps that's why I enjoy them so much. Because I only read the odd classic in between other styles, I tend to forget just how effortlessly such good literary works can transport you to those forgotten times...

MisteryRose, I was thinking more during the summer holidays, even though friends have recommended to see India during the colder months. And I agree with you, with lots of planning-ahead, travelling with kids is just as fun! We travelled all around Sicily last summer, when my son was 5, best holiday so far. Deborah

Bree, thanks so much for this. After reading your post, I was suddenly inspired and went on a long spontaneous search on the state of Rajasthan I find your country truly fascinating. I'll take a look at the book you recommended, thanks again!

Hi All When looking for new material to read – be it for myself or for my children – I have found myself often starting my search here. So today I thought: it’s time for me to contribute! I recently bought Book 1 of The Adventures of Travelling Piglet, entitled When All You Know Is Where You’re Going, written by L C Eliot. The title stood out for me, not the usual kiddy’s language, and the book cover looks traditional, almost old-style: I was happy to see something stand out from the usual cartoon-style illustrations children literature seems to have adopted so widely. The story itself is absolutely adorable, with a cute little piglet, the main character, setting out to compete in a racing competition, and meeting other friendly characters along his journey. A nice length for children who are confident readers, or helped by parents through some of the more advanced vocabulary; superbly written, an extremely easy read – by which I mean, it is written in such a way that it flows nicely. If you have read it too, let me know what you think, I’m interested to know. I hope this review is as valuable to you, as yours have been to me. Deborah

This always happens to me when I have been reading for too long - be it a book for leasure, or academically, when I was still studying - but strangely enough it is always the same word my brain can't seem to process as spelt correctly...

I wish I could travel more, it gets so difficult with a young family! My all-time dream is to spend a couple of months in India, it has been a "planning in progress" break for a while now, I am just waiting until my little one (my son is 6) is old enough to enjoy - and remember! - the rides on the elephants Anyone been yet? Anything in particular you would deem as a must-see (except obviously the gorgeous Taj-Mahal and beautiful region of Kerala!) Any Indians who could advise? Thank you!

Thanks so much for this, it's my nephew's birthday soon, and this collection will make a nice little present for him, as he has already read pretty much everything from Roal Dahl.

The exact same happens to me all the time! And yes, Irish accent makes me melt every time, although I love all accents really. I wish I had an accent, mine is pretty neutral.

What an absolutely gorgeous library, MisterBus! The button to edit posts is right below the text-box by the way!

I walk past the ad for this book every morning on my way to work, which has made me curious to know... What does everyone think about it? Anyone read it yet?

...(to) hop on a raging seahorse which would take them across...

Lamborghini

Vladd, your link didn't work but I just googled "people who became nouns", very interesting indeed.

Cap