tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post8401028734729642530..comments2024-02-10T19:58:20.327+00:00Comments on Stuck in a Book: My Life in Books: Series Four: Day FiveStuckInABookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-28837821891773766862013-11-04T19:06:48.387+00:002013-11-04T19:06:48.387+00:00Wonderful! Christine - we even chose one of the sa...Wonderful! Christine - we even chose one of the same books - and could have chosen more as selecting just one in each category was so difficult. I don't think you are in our group but I know you somehow found my blog and are already a regular commenter, which is very much appreciated. I'd love to visit the new Birmingham Library perhaps we could arrange that some time?? BarbaraAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-82891963443013167062013-11-04T11:34:17.530+00:002013-11-04T11:34:17.530+00:00I liked Christine's final comment- I believe t...I liked Christine's final comment- I believe that no book should be a guilty pleasure, but I do find myself getting embarrassed when people ask what I'm reading and it's a children's book. Sometimes the reactions are strange... but surely it's not an unusual thing to do. So I thought I'd post in solidarity :) Also enjoying this series in general.Catiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04434990195940872461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-39879981309381473152013-11-02T09:51:44.986+00:002013-11-02T09:51:44.986+00:00"The secret garned" I read it when I was..."The secret garned" I read it when I was a child... maybe I will read it once again... it was wonderful story:) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05186851488791807437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-64211939241752559962013-11-02T08:31:26.162+00:002013-11-02T08:31:26.162+00:00So much here I can identify with especially in Chr...So much here I can identify with especially in Christine's answers, almost all of those in fact. I too love children's books and have reread The Secret Garden ever so many times. But 1984 -- not my cup of tea. Fascinating to have Simon's choices at last. Long may this series continue.harriethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04470091985662379182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-66152108211493791382013-11-02T01:05:19.168+00:002013-11-02T01:05:19.168+00:00Simon, I was just going to ask how you matched peo...Simon, I was just going to ask how you matched people up - I thought it couldn't quite be random - and there your answer is.<br /><br />Another wonderful pair of interviews! Christine, I'm another one who re-reads children's books, and in fact I have several shelves of them. I did think briefly of listing that as my guilty pleasure, but I don't actually feel guilty about it!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-30901620126207002302013-11-01T21:14:32.682+00:002013-11-01T21:14:32.682+00:00Oh! D'oh!Oh! D'oh!LyzzyBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16398604923871095647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-40352821118309797172013-11-01T20:30:48.625+00:002013-11-01T20:30:48.625+00:00I love that we both mention Miss Hargreaves! Ever...I love that we both mention Miss Hargreaves! Every year I make the pairings before I have any of the answers, and try (based on what I know of the participants already) to put together pairs who will complement each other - either by being similar or by being different. But I couldn't have guessed quite how similar our choices would be, with our shared love for Spark, Woolf, and Miss H! Thanks so much for taking part, it was a pleasure to share Friday with you :)StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-59682286508016687172013-11-01T20:28:25.699+00:002013-11-01T20:28:25.699+00:00So rare to find someone who preferred St. Clare...So rare to find someone who preferred St. Clare's! I feel oddly cheered by that news :) I re-read The Naughtiest Girl in the School a few years ago, and it aged better than I expected... and is quite intriguingly Communist.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-74201413389778864512013-11-01T20:27:16.642+00:002013-11-01T20:27:16.642+00:00Since I only really read Enid Blyton, every now an...Since I only really read Enid Blyton, every now and then I pick up a classic children's book and discover what I could have been reading alongside! Not quite the same, but worth filling in the gaps.StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-49914817150150438822013-11-01T20:26:27.087+00:002013-11-01T20:26:27.087+00:00Sadly (for me) reading at the table was banned eve...Sadly (for me) reading at the table was banned even in my bibliophile family! But otherwise books were certainly encouraged :) StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-47408868972799383392013-11-01T20:25:07.865+00:002013-11-01T20:25:07.865+00:00I hope I'm not too much of an interloper here!...I hope I'm not too much of an interloper here! I must read more Orwell - which would you recommend, beyond 1984 and Animal Farm? (The only other book I've read in full is Homage to Catalonia, which I loved.)StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-8609082136390655822013-11-01T20:23:58.893+00:002013-11-01T20:23:58.893+00:00I do love the essays of his that I've read, an...I do love the essays of his that I've read, and have a couple collections, so I should explore them more widely (and, indeed, more of his novels.) Good question re 'unexpected' - probably unexpected to me and to casual readers of SiaB, but not to those who have seen me rave about Sacks already! I think it is a bit surprising that I read scientific non-fiction at all.<br /><br />Thank you for your kind words about the series - still two joyous days to go!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-88510124554189382092013-11-01T20:22:28.680+00:002013-11-01T20:22:28.680+00:00Lovely comment, Jodie! I actually usually hate dy...Lovely comment, Jodie! I actually usually hate dystopian fiction, but Orwell is an exception for me - maybe, like Peter and Christine suggest below, try his essays? I've read a few, and they are wonderful. And he did write some more 'ordinary' novels, which I've yet to read - I think The Clergyman's Daughter might be up our street?StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-4359433615135526652013-11-01T20:21:12.594+00:002013-11-01T20:21:12.594+00:00I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so far Liz -...I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so far Liz - and it isn't over yet, of course! Two more days to come...StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-77986955501604392722013-11-01T15:27:38.767+00:002013-11-01T15:27:38.767+00:00Simon, I never guessed my 'partner' was yo...Simon, I never guessed my 'partner' was you! We do seem to have remarkable similar tastes though, and I do have to put my hand up to dwelling too much on the past at times. I'm delighted to find so many kindred spirits as far as children's books are concerned, especially Geranium Cat - if you are ever in Birmingham, we should meet up and chant the poems in unison, whilst eating toast, marmalade, and rice pudding perhaps!<br /><br />And for Dark Puss's information, I am a great enthusiast about Orwell's essays, and think his prose in that genre is second to none. It's just his novels that I hate, which is very inconsistent of me, but I think it's to with plot, subject and character rather than writing style.<br /><br />Simon, thank you so much for inviting me to take part (and for partnering me). I've always enjoyed reading about other people's book habits, and it was lovely to take part. Thank you!Christine Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-41828462738784197732013-11-01T15:04:45.013+00:002013-11-01T15:04:45.013+00:00So enjoying the series! I am another guilt-free ch...So enjoying the series! I am another guilt-free children's books reader. And I too loved St Clare's (much better than Malory Towers, though I liked them) and haven't gone back to them, because I'm pretty sure Blyton doesn't mature well...Peacocks and Sunflowershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00915384347467690635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-82410734125574895492013-11-01T14:26:12.829+00:002013-11-01T14:26:12.829+00:00I so agree with the comments on reading children&#...I so agree with the comments on reading children's books. I love them, and regularly re-read my favourites, as well as experimenting with new ones. Apart from the joy of the book itself, there is a wonderful tinge of nostalgia about losing oneself in a book, or a story, that you loved as a child. Ballet Shoes, in particular, does it for me every time.SallyCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-64744447433318622482013-11-01T13:30:37.013+00:002013-11-01T13:30:37.013+00:00I loved Christine's moment of realization that...I loved Christine's moment of realization that other families do not read at the table when eating (I can sympathize with that!). What great book-filled childhoods you both had -- lots of familiar names there. And thank you, Simon, for putting this week together - I've had a lovely time.skiourophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08200877834536477400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-6634406460922725912013-11-01T12:04:48.448+00:002013-11-01T12:04:48.448+00:00Lovely - nice to have you featuring in your own se...Lovely - nice to have you featuring in your own series, Simon!<br /><br />I rate Orwell remarkably highly on everything - he's one of my heroes. I was tidying books recently and flipped open the first page of Nineteen Eighty Four and got shivers down my spine just from the first couple of paragraphs!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-80924528290416123562013-11-01T11:54:06.655+00:002013-11-01T11:54:06.655+00:00Orwell is perhaps an even better essayist than a n...Orwell is perhaps an even better essayist than a novellist, but I share Simon's enthusiasm for 1984. A question for Simon, is your love of books about psychology unexpected to you or do you think your weblog readers will find it unexpected? For Christine I completely second LyzzyBee's comment about children's books; indeed with some exceptions so rare that I am hard to put my finger on them there is no shame in reading ANY book! Is your pleasure guilty? I have no guilt in my pleasures (even those that might not be approved of by some), but I am beginning to suspect that for some people the "guilt" is part of the fun :-)<br /><br />Many thanks from me as one of the contributors and readers to Simon and all the other wonderful people who have made this such a rewarding week over here on SIAB. <br /><br />Normal "claws out" service will resume from me next week I suspect.Dark Pusshttp://morganas-cat.tumblr.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-48193965733157517822013-11-01T11:17:35.157+00:002013-11-01T11:17:35.157+00:00I do love this series! Christine, I'm enchante...I do love this series! Christine, I'm enchanted to know that someone else can't see a rice pudding or a jar of marmalade without Milne's lines running through their head (I recite them to myself on train journeys too). Simon, maybe I should give 1984 another chance - I really can't get on with Orwell, which is odd when you consider what a good writer he is, and that there are other dystopian visions that I do like.GeraniumCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03010199887691558717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-446727280609751914.post-20315548846173561482013-11-01T11:09:41.591+00:002013-11-01T11:09:41.591+00:00There is no shame in reading children's books!...There is no shame in reading children's books! Or still buying them! I've loved this series, a real bright spot at 11 every morning this week!LyzzyBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16398604923871095647noreply@blogger.com