Milly Molly Mandy; Family from One End Street; What Katy Did; anything by Anne Fine; Judy Blume or Paula Danziger. Anything by Diane Wynne-Jones. Errrrrmm. Can’t remember anything else.
The Universe and the Earth. Hardback encyclopaedia from (I think) M&S. First bit was the universe (by Ian Ridpath) and the second was geology, geography, and sociology (Peter Harben). A subject dictionary ran along the bottom of each page. I bloody devoured that. Memorized things like the Mercalli Scale and Moh’s and the orbital periods of the outer planets.
I think when young Fantastic Mr Fox and The Wind in the Willows. At some point after that I discovered the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when about 7 or 8 I think.
Yeah, loved the Willard Price books. I especially appreciated that they were a bit hard edged, like in Pacific Adventure when that person got their foot stuck in a giant clam and drowned.
I think they're probably frowned upon now because of their attitude towards indigenous peoples though.
I also liked a book called "How Is It Done?". Used to dip into that every night.
Wind in the Willows (but read to me by my father and grandfather when I was very young. I had never actually read it myself until I started reading it to my son a few years back. I have say it is not as good as I remembered it being!)
The Land of Far Beyond (but couldn't get along with any other Enid Blyton to be honest).
The Narnia books
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings
The Biggles Books (much to my mother's horror)
Roald Dahl particularly the charlie books and then Boy when I was older.
I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was young and a lot of my reading material tended to be my father and uncles' childhood books as a result. As a teenager I read loads of Faye Weldon, Doris Lessing and Margaret Atwood from my mother's bookshelf. It's no wonder my world view is so fecking odd really.
Narnia, Hobbit, also the Ronald Welch series of books following the Carey family through history - I got the reprint of the first one "Knight Crusader" not long ago in a fit of nostalgia and it still reads pretty well.
Further votes for Dahl and Price. I think the Giant Clam was South Sea Adventure, no? Captain wotsit murdered by the preppy twot.
Diving Adventure was my fave. Loved the idea of living under the coral sea.
Rosemary Sutcliffe. Stig of the Dump. Catweasel. Silver Sword by Ian Serralier. Hobbit and LOTR. WITW. Treasure Island. John Wyndham (and then a descent into horror from there - King, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert, Graham Masterton, The Exorcist).
Also saw the film when I was 15, terrifying. It was a double bill with Friday the 13th, the latter being the first one to be shown. It made me and my friend jump in a few places and we laughed at it and it lulled us into a false sense of security for the horror that was to come. Yikes.
I don't really have favourites, some I can remember enjoying and can remember the names of are:
Rosemary Sutcliffe historical novels
Also Mary Stewart books about the Arthurian legend - Crystal Cave etc.
Gobbolino the witch's cat.
Roald Dalh (most are not as good as I remember them though)
Dick King Smith - various
James Herriott vet stories
My dad's old "Biggles", Just William, Jennings and Derbyshire etc
My mum's old "Ballet shoes", "White Boots" by Noel Streatfeild
Horse books - "Jill" pony books, "Jinny" stories by Patricia Leitch, "Phari" (about a polo pony in India), "Tale of two horses" (from the perspective of two Mustangs travelling all down south and central America - written by their rider who actually made that journey - his account is called Tschiffelly's Ride - out of print)
Various great series of fantasy books I can no longer remember the names of - they'll probably come back to me at 4am when I'll not be in a position to pass them on. Unfortunately they were from the library, in our house for 1 or 2 weeks max and without ongoing exposure to the covers I can't remember what they were called.
Someone mentioned Dune series above - I'm looking forward to the film, out shortly, looks excellent
On books, I also loved Lord of the Rings as was scarier and darker than anything else I'd have had access to at that age. I'd have loved the Hunger Games etc if they'd been written.
Yes John Wyndham, Silver Sword etc. Good reminders.
I've been reading the Faraway Tree stories on repeat to my daughter, who loves them. I don't remember the stories much from my own childhood as was probably too young to remember properly
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Dr. Suess. After that life started to make sense. In all its madness.
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Animal farm, the Hobbit, lord of the flies.
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Milly Molly Mandy; Family from One End Street; What Katy Did; anything by Anne Fine; Judy Blume or Paula Danziger. Anything by Diane Wynne-Jones. Errrrrmm. Can’t remember anything else.
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The Universe and the Earth. Hardback encyclopaedia from (I think) M&S. First bit was the universe (by Ian Ridpath) and the second was geology, geography, and sociology (Peter Harben). A subject dictionary ran along the bottom of each page. I bloody devoured that. Memorized things like the Mercalli Scale and Moh’s and the orbital periods of the outer planets.
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[insert animal theme n/2,000] Adventure by Willard Price
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I think when young Fantastic Mr Fox and The Wind in the Willows. At some point after that I discovered the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when about 7 or 8 I think.
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I liked the Famous Five. A bit of Dick, a bit of Fanny, and lashings of ginger beer.
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Erm. Anne and George. But no Fanny.
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There was Aunt Fanny.
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Aunt Aunt
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Little House on the Prairie et al
anne of green gabLes et al
It Shouldnt Happen to a Vet et al
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Oh, and Pippi Longstocking et al
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and jean i guess - but she was always screaming, and i don't mind screaming as long as it's appropriate, she'd she cream and pass out at everythhing
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James and the Giant Peach
The Witches
The Twits
Basically anything by Ronald Dahl
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Loved Family from One End street!
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Fattipuffs and Thinnifers
cat in the hat
where the wild things are
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Forgot the Little House books!!!
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Richard Scarrys busy busy world
aeapos fables
stop me now
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My dad used to cal me Mrs Grimm because I was adicted to Grimms Fairy Tales
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Tim and Tobias
Cry Vampire!
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Mr m: swallows and Amazons
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There was a longer story Enid Blyton series iirc. One set on a hot south west coast. Any ideas? Loved it.
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What Amithesucker said
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Roald Dahl books
Rosemary Sutcliff. Warrior scarlet somehow made a huge impression.
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Yeah, loved the Willard Price books. I especially appreciated that they were a bit hard edged, like in Pacific Adventure when that person got their foot stuck in a giant clam and drowned.
I think they're probably frowned upon now because of their attitude towards indigenous peoples though.
I also liked a book called "How Is It Done?". Used to dip into that every night.
I had few friends as a child.
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Trevor, probably one of her Adventure series books, which were her best books
Me, the Iliad in the original Greek
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That’s the badger, thank you.
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Wind in the Willows (but read to me by my father and grandfather when I was very young. I had never actually read it myself until I started reading it to my son a few years back. I have say it is not as good as I remembered it being!)
The Land of Far Beyond (but couldn't get along with any other Enid Blyton to be honest).
The Narnia books
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings
The Biggles Books (much to my mother's horror)
Roald Dahl particularly the charlie books and then Boy when I was older.
I spent a lot of time with my grandparents when I was young and a lot of my reading material tended to be my father and uncles' childhood books as a result. As a teenager I read loads of Faye Weldon, Doris Lessing and Margaret Atwood from my mother's bookshelf. It's no wonder my world view is so fecking odd really.
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I only read The Wind in the Willows for the first time about 5 years ago. I absolutely loathe the Mr Toad character.
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Yeah Mr Toad is a right twot..
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Narnia, Hobbit, also the Ronald Welch series of books following the Carey family through history - I got the reprint of the first one "Knight Crusader" not long ago in a fit of nostalgia and it still reads pretty well.
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burglar bill is an abomination
the frog series is pretty good
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AA Milne
The Little Grey Rabbit books by Alison Uttley (my grandpa used to bring a new one with him when he came to visit and read them to me; I was 3-4)
Enid Blyton
As a teenager, eg Lord of the Flies, Jaws, James Herbert, Watership Down, Tales of the Unexpected
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Further votes for Dahl and Price. I think the Giant Clam was South Sea Adventure, no? Captain wotsit murdered by the preppy twot.
Diving Adventure was my fave. Loved the idea of living under the coral sea.
Rosemary Sutcliffe. Stig of the Dump. Catweasel. Silver Sword by Ian Serralier. Hobbit and LOTR. WITW. Treasure Island. John Wyndham (and then a descent into horror from there - King, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert, Graham Masterton, The Exorcist).
Gr8 times m7s.
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oh god yeah, The Exorcist.
Also saw the film when I was 15, terrifying. It was a double bill with Friday the 13th, the latter being the first one to be shown. It made me and my friend jump in a few places and we laughed at it and it lulled us into a false sense of security for the horror that was to come. Yikes.
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The silver sword
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I don't really have favourites, some I can remember enjoying and can remember the names of are:
Various great series of fantasy books I can no longer remember the names of - they'll probably come back to me at 4am when I'll not be in a position to pass them on. Unfortunately they were from the library, in our house for 1 or 2 weeks max and without ongoing exposure to the covers I can't remember what they were called.
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Someone mentioned Dune series above - I'm looking forward to the film, out shortly, looks excellent
On books, I also loved Lord of the Rings as was scarier and darker than anything else I'd have had access to at that age. I'd have loved the Hunger Games etc if they'd been written.
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Yes John Wyndham, Silver Sword etc. Good reminders.
I've been reading the Faraway Tree stories on repeat to my daughter, who loves them. I don't remember the stories much from my own childhood as was probably too young to remember properly
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Basically everything wang said
Tom Clancy/ Stephen King and imitators thereof from around 12/13.
Discworld from about 15 I think.
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