feather_ghyll

Happy new year! Here's my 2022 in books, tennis and some other things.

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Here is a round-up of some things I posted about last year. ( Read more... )

I don't know if I'll get around to typing up a full review of 'Molly Hazeldene's Schooldays' by Maud Forsey, which I read over the holidays, but I felt it should be noted that one of the other school girls is named, rather magnificently, Leah Venus Sheepwash.

Looking back, my favourite Girls Own books read in 2014 were The Scholarship Girl at Cambridge by Josephine Elder, Dimity Drew's First Term by Nancy Breary and Mullion by Mabel Esther Allan. I also loved Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens (and look forward to more Wells and Wong cases) and enjoyed rereading The Chalet School and the Lintons.

Ah, the crisp, unique sound of Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

Last night, I arrived home just before the switchover to BBC Two, ( Read more... )

I had hoped to type up and post a review of The Scholarship Girl at Cambridge before Wimbledon started and sucked up my free time, but it wasn't to be.

I meant to post this sooner, but things have been rather busy.

( Featuring The Peal Book of Girl Guide Stories, Deeanne Gist's Love on the Line, Olive L. Groom's Holly of Swanhouse, Josephine Elder's Erica Wins Through and Angela Brazil's An Exciting Term )

I had a good book shopping expedition yesterday, and after a few wasted expeditions, I needed one. Two girls own books and one annual (with a contribution by Josephine Elder), a few murder mysteries and the next book in a series I'm reading that I'd have been happy to pay full price for, but didn't have to, because charity shops can be wonderful.

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You: Ally Carter Orchard Books 2009

The first in the Gallagher Girls series has definitely left me wanting to read more. Cleverly, the promotional blurb in the opening pages doesn’t quote other writers, but girls from the target audience. And what girl wouldn’t love to read a story about a boarding school for girls who are training to be spies? I would have, and though I’m not a girl any more, I enjoyed this.

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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!

I'm reading Girls Gone By's republishing of Evelyn Finds Herself - what an absorbing book, and I definitely join the readers who rate it highly. I'm partly writing this to defer reaching the ending, partly to get these thoughts down now. I read some of the introductory stuff - some I left to read after finishing the book and some for after I've read a non-fiction book that I have about girls' education (don't hold your breath about when that'll be). ( Read more... )