Suzanne Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Good afternoon, just joined yesterday so please be gentle with me, not been in a forum for many many years (long story, got my fingers burned in a forum while trying to help a fellow member out as people not being nice to her and got assused of being a mole, long boring story but put me off, only came on here to see if people could find out two books for me that I read as a child, thought I would put my neck out and post in this section) I keep a book journal and try to read at least 52 books every year, sometimes its more. A few years ago ( will not be able to find list as hidden up in loft) but I did a Alphabet Challenge ie reading an author for every letter of the alphabet. With some hunting I did find a novel/book with every letter of the alphabet, even the letter X, a chinese author. I didn't read from A to Z so perhaps that could be another challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm new too, relatively speaking, I joined last year. We're a friendly bunch and very accomodating so you have nothing to fear here. Now, to your challenge. Very interesting, I have never thought of that. And it would be challenging. I'm not going to take it up - too many books, not enough time, being my problem - but I will keep it in mind. I'm always interested in other people's challenges. I keep a list of what I've read (or abandoned as the case may be) but I use a spreadsheet. Last year I read 63 books which is the most I've ever read. It was one more than the year before. Being locked down helped with that I'm sure as a result of which I've set a target for 50 this year and see where it gets me. Enjoy the forum and keep posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted February 23, 2022 Author Share Posted February 23, 2022 Good afternoon Many thanks for replying. Wow you are like me an avid reader. Other challenges I have done are mixing in some children's books within my 52 books, and a few classics like gone with the wind and The Thorn birds What I would love to do is to go back and reread all The Famous Five and Secret Seven as I have read them all when I was a girl. Also would be nice to re read all the Catherine Cookson novels. As sort of challenges I am slowly working my way through the Martina Cole books, only read my first one last year and are pretty hooked on her, used to read novels like that when I was in my teens (now aged 58). Always open to new books to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunababymoonchild Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 (edited) I always seem to end up reading children's books as part of my reading. Because I'm over the age of consent - similar in age to you - I don't check the age range for the material. I thoroughly enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch trilogy by Katherine Arden based on Russian fairy tales. I didn't know it was aimed at children until about halfway through! I also end up reading classics as I go, I like a wide range of reading material. I also read The Famous Five and The Secret Seven as a child but the only Catherine Cookson I've been interested in is The Mallen trilogy. Not read Martina Cole as of yet but I am working my way through the Poldark novels by Winston Graham, the Maigret novels by Georges Simenon and endless others. I also especially like stream of consciousness. I love finding authors I've never heard of. Edited February 23, 2022 by lunababymoonchild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madeleine Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 I read all the Famous Five and a few Secret Sevens when I was a child - same age as you now, almost. I wonder how they'll seem by today's standards? i used to read quite a lot of Cookson but found they got a bit samey after a while, loved the Mallens though. I don't really get on with Martina Cole, love the Poldark books though. Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted February 24, 2022 Author Share Posted February 24, 2022 Yes I agree the Catherine Cookson books can be a bit samey. I think one of my faves would have to be The Dwelling Place, Our Kate was good and I reember a lot about The Cinder Path. Watched The Mallens on TV but never read the books. I too wonder about the Famous Five, tey did make a tv seies a few years back but didn't watch as have charactors firmly in my head how they should be and didn;t want to spoil that. Maloray Towers was made in to a tv series, watch some of the first series with dd2 who is 22 just for a laugh, it was pretty good, read all the books Martina Cole is a bit samey sometimes but the chapters are normlly very short and I can also normally read them pretty quickly. Just about to start the new one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Welcome to the forum. I think you will find it to be a group of very nice people. My goal is also to read a book a week on average. I am woefully missing that goal this year as I have only read 4 books so far. A few years ago I hit my high on qty of books read, 72. I agree with lunababymoonchild on Katherine Arden (she is a new author). Her first trilogy was very, very, good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hayley Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience with forums in the past. As others said, we're a friendly bunch here, so you don't need to worry. Your Alphabet Challenge sounds good! I like that it would give you a lot of options to explore different genres. It's definitely one I'd consider doing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 (edited) On 23/02/2022 at 4:20 PM, Suzanne said: What I would love to do is to go back and reread all The Famous Five and Secret Seven as I have read them all when I was a girl. That's interesting: it's long been a tenet of childhood reading in my family that people were almost always a Famous Five reader or a Secret Seven reader, but never both. You and Madeleine have just blown that theory out of the water! My OH and I are both of the same generation as you (the other side of that dreaded six-oh though - the new forty!), and we were both avid Secret Seveners. Enid Blyton was a staple of my childhood. The one that I have retained into adulthood is her Nature Diary, my first inspiration for a love of the outdoors and wildlife that has become a way of life rather than just an interest. I like the sound of your reading challenge. I'm up to my eyeballs in at least two others at present (both running elsewhere in this section of the forum),so won't take it up, but will definitely put it on the shelf for later consideration. I'm currently half-way through a tour of the United States, reading a book set in each of the states and Washington DC, and have just started my Read Around The World, essentially a book written by someone from or resident in each of the 200-ish nations/continents of the world, ideally set there too. One down, 199 to go! Welcome to the forum. I've been around a while, and that's because it's been such a welcoming, relaxed, forum, with members reading a very interesting range of books. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. Edited March 1, 2022 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
France Posted March 1, 2022 Share Posted March 1, 2022 This forum definitely isn't nasty! I think people who read a lot of books, like people who work in bookshops, tend to be better tempered! The worst I've ever found was in a writing forum which I joined because I was challenging myself to do new things, the people on there weren't only vicious, they would tear someone's piece of writing apart and then add that they loathed the genre of whatever it had been written in! On 23/02/2022 at 6:14 PM, lunababymoonchild said: I always seem to end up reading children's books as part of my reading. Because I'm over the age of consent - similar in age to you - I don't check the age range for the material. I thoroughly enjoyed The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch trilogy by Katherine Arden based on Russian fairy tales. I didn't know it was aimed at children until about halfway through! I had no idea The Bear and the Nightingale etc were aimed at children! Loved them though. On 27/02/2022 at 3:22 PM, willoyd said: it's long been a tenet of childhood reading in my family that people were almost always a Famous Five reader or a Secret Seven reader, but never both. You and Madeleine have just blown that theory out of the water! I avidly read both though I prefered the Famous Five. The first book I ever bought for myself with a birthday book token was a hardback of Five on a Treasure Island. I still have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 I first read Secret Seven and then moved on to Famous five Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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