feather_ghyll

Nansi’r Dditectif O. Llew. Rowlands & W.T. Williams, Gwasg y Brython, May 1953.

The title translates as ‘Nancy the Detective’. This is my translation of my post reviewing the book, with some added clarifications for non-Welsh speakers.

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Bright Island: Mabel L. Robinson, Hutchinson

You make assumptions when you pick up the next book on your ‘to be read’ pile, some of them encouraged by its design and age. In my defence, Hutchinson boasts that this is published in the same series as ‘Christine, Air Hostess’ and ‘The Intelligence Corps Saves The Island’, which I’ve read, although I haven’t reviewed them here. I don’t remember being impressed by either. So, I prepared myself for some children, probably girls, having not entirely credible adventures on an island. Well, it’s always salutary and a pleasure to have assumptions smashed to smithereens by something far better.

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Princess Susan: Ivy Russell. Nelson, reprint in a new series, 1958.

The title of this book intrigued me. Would it be something like Oldmeadow’s charming ‘Princess’ hooks? Then there was the name, for aside from those giantesses of children’s literature, Susan Pevensie and Susan Walker, the name seems rather down to earth to me. [ETA: Ugh, I forgot Susan Lyle. What's wrong with me?] What would this ‘Princess Susan’ be like? The dustjacket is an illustration of a girl with plaits, lying on her front, stroking a dog, ( Read more... )

Swallows and Amazons (2016) (PG)
Directed by: Philippa Lowthorpe
Adapted by: Andrea Gibb
From the book by: Arthur Ransome
Starring: (Grown-ups): Rafe Spall, Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott
(Swallows): Dane Hughes, Orla Hill, Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen, Bobbie McCulloch,
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1227183/?ref_=nv_sr_1

This feels a little like a natives’ take on the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons. ( Read more... )

The New Girl at ‘Fir Trees’: Maud D. Rees Carey Kingsgate Press, 1948

Perhaps this book suffered a little because I’d just been reading Carola Storms the Chalet School before it, but it’s likely I still wouldn’t have liked most of the characters, anyhow.

The new girl in question ( Read more... )

I cught two matches from the ATP Tour Finals at the O2. That is, I half-watched Del Potro vs Federer and the crowd battling it out to reach the semis on Saturday. ( Read more... )

Apparently there is going to be a film of Swallows and Amazons with Dan Stephens (aka Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey) playing Captain Flint. I have no issue with Stephens playing James Turner...in several years’ time. I couldn’t find much online on the project, filming seems to have been delayed and it’s described as ‘in development’ on imdb. I was wondering if it would be an adaptation of the stage musical, but I think not now, based on what I've seen about the project.

On Monday night, in what was not a shock, despite Sue Barker’s loyal championing of Federer, Nadal vs. Djokovic, the top two players in the world, playing in the final. I didn’t begrudge the doubles players, exactly, but I did wish the singles match could have started sooner and that there hadn’t been an hour of filler in the studio. I was, again, half-asleep for the last two games.

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Greetings! I've been away, yes on a beach, and here are a couple of the books that I read that I think you'd enjoy too.

Introducing Aunt Dimity, Paranormal Detective: Nancy Atherton. Penguin 2009.

This is an omnibus edition of the first two novels in the 'Aunt Dimity' series, which I think I came across in an Amazon 'if you like this book, why not this' way?. Well, I now have another series to collect. The blurb describes them as 'cosy' mysteries, and they very much are, with a slight paranormal element, romance and growing. self confidence for their heroines. They also fit in with a very American type of Anglophilia.

Aunt Dimity's Death ( Read more... )

The website for the series Aunt Dimity's world should give you some idea of the flavour of the books.

I also read Bluestockings: Jane Robinson Penguin 2010.

It was an impulse buy - I had underpacked and so visited the airport's WHSmiths in a flustered mood, but was high-minded enough to buy this. I'm glad I did, it was quite a few of the things that the similarly themed Willingly to School wasn't. ( Read more... )

A collection of links, some of them related to recent posts and things of interest, some that I came across quite some time ago.

Swallows and Amazons memorobilia here!

A critical review of Diana Wynne Jones's The Game (in lieu of my thoughts which I never did write up) by a DWJ fan.

Author Hilary Mantel talks about looking for female role models in 19th century novels
with specific reference to Jo March, Katy Carr and Jane Eyre, discussiong her childish reaction to them, and some other aspects, such as the picture of contemporary London and interaction with real personages in What Katy Did Next.

A nice description of 'Remembering my best find'. I don't hink I can remember a best find so clearly, but I do know from experience that it's always worth trying even the least promising shop.

A review of the production of Daisy Pulls it Off that I saw.

Greyladies a new publishing venture that's just registered on me radar - Girls Gone By's older sister? - that I'm definitely interested in.

Wikipedia's potted history of Josephine Elder.

ETA: I nearly forgot, Happy Easter!

The seed of this comes from my thinking that I've read somewhere that JK Rowling said that Noel Streatfeild was a favourite writer of hers. I don't know if it would have occured to me to see Ballet Shoes for Anna as an influence on the Harry Potter series otherwise. Probably.

Ballet Shoes for Anna: Noel Streatfeild. Collins Modern Classic 1998
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