View Full Version : What books did you read?
My earliest memories of going to the library are of "Ant and Bee" books (I think it was before I started school) Later I liked the Molesworth books (chiz) and Jennings and Darbyshire (my cat is called Jennings!) My sisters read the famous Five books by Enid Blyton and What Katy Did, What Katy Did Next etc. I also read Biggles books and every Christmas we would choose which annual we wanted.
John
The first all-text books I read were the Secret Seven ( Blyton ) ones when I was about 11. Up to then it was comics - every time my parents went shopping I got the Dandy !
Ladybird books of all the fairytales you can think of - the Princess and the Pea, Rapunzel, Three Billy Goats Gruff to name a few - oh and the Enormous Turnip, anyone remember that?
Yes, the Ladybirds ! Rumpelstiltskin was my favourite, he got a bad deal of it .
Oh yeah, I remember him. Can't remember much of the story now but didn't he sleep for years?
That was Rip Van Winkle - Rumpl span straw into gold for the girl, in return for her baby, she wouldn't hand him over.
Oh yes, I remember now. He was a nasty old thing wasn't he? I should have remembered Rip Van Winkle because my mother used to call my boyfriend Rip because he slept all the time! Thanks for that.
I can remember getting a copy of Heidi once when I was ill...great story. I loved that book..until I threw up on it!
I was also a huge fan of The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton......in fact I have a copy still and a dvd....sad I know.
80s_Chic
10-09-2006, 14:09
At first I was HOOKED on Enid Blyton.... The Famous Five was always my favourite... The Secret Seven not far behind.
Anything Roald Dahl.... The BFG, The Witches, Danny, The Champion of the World, Matilda... etc
Then I graduated into Choose Your Own Adventure.... Trixie Belden.... then the Point Horror teen books (eg RL Stine, Christopher Pike).
Last but not least moving from Virginia Andrews, Flowers In The Attic series, Heaven series, My Sweet Audrina, (I didn't like the "new" Virgina Andrews & stopped reading them after Dawn.) and then eventually to Jackie Collins, Lucky, Chances, American Star, Hollywood Wives etc etc.
I think that about sums it up. :)
80s_Chic
10-09-2006, 14:14
I was also a huge fan of The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton......in fact I have a copy still and a dvd....sad I know.
No way.... not sad at all.... they were fantastic books & I still have my collection too. What I really liked about the Enid Blyton books is that you were REALLY in there, in the book with the characters. The Magic Faraway Tree & other books like The Wishing Chair were so exciting! I really enjoyed growing up reading these books. :)
I just really hope they don't change the names, as I heard on a newscast a few weeks ago, changing the names such as Fanny, Dick etc. It won't be the same.
loved roald dahl and sweet valley high and point horror
i loved any books when i was younger always reading dont get much time to now
The ladybird books i read at school, then Harry and the woman next door about a dog, Green smoke(?) bout a dragon, Digby the Biggest Dog in the World, Dr Who and the Daleks were my first paperbacks.
- Enid Blyton - I had a set of Famous Five hardbacks that my mum had when she was a kid. Faraway Tree, Pip the Pixie, Shadow the Sheepdog, Those Dreadful Children, Six Bad Boys - in the last couple of years I found copies of those again, except for Pip the Pixie.
- Someone earlier mentioned Ant and Bee - I also found a couple of those recently. I loved 'And and Bee and the Doctor' and all things they did to pass the time
- Fairy Tales - The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sinbad the Sailor
- Lots of old hardbacks - Peter Pan, The Waterbabies, something called "Forty Goodnight Tales" which I'd love to find again, but no luck so far;
- Ladybird books - the Peter & Jane books, and there was one about a robin who accidentally flew into a house, and hid by perching on the Christmas tree
- Pony books - My Friend Flicka, Black Beauty, the Black Stallion, the "Jill" series
- Hundred & One Dalmatians, and the sequel The Starlight Barking
- Bambi
sixtyten
03-02-2007, 19:00
Anyone read Susan Coopers Dark is Rising series??
Heather74
03-02-2007, 22:48
I to had 21 famous five books
Secret Seven
The Five findouters
Magic faraway tree
Mr Medel
wishing chair
Naughtiest girl
St Clare's
All the mstery series e.g mystery of the invisable thief and The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/enid-blyton/mystery-of-spiteful-letters.htm)
Actually there so many and all by Enid Blyton take a look
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/enid-blyton/
I enjoyed them all, If fact thinking of them,I would like to read them again.
I remember at primary school reading something like "Three Pirates" books. These were split up into Red, Green and Blue Pirates stories I think.
Also I vaguely remember a book with a Golden Griffin on the front. I think we read through these stories at our own pace.
Anyone else remember these?
Biggles, Luck of the Leigion, Tarzan and the like( and my annuals) lived next to the Town Library and was always in there.
The Target Dr Who's, this was before video.
My annuals too.
The Star Trek Log books.
Moomin books,
The Wombles.
Henry the helecopter i think, adventures of a red helecopter, books, from the local library, and some about a tugboat too.
Harry and the lady next door, about a dog.
Hey Jason, you're the only person I've come across who has heard of these..One of the first questions I asked on the forum was about the griffin books..glad you remember them too ! :)
think the first books i had where the Mr Men books, the first proper book was james and the giant peach....a classic
At my infant school we used to read books about the village with three coreners. Some of the characters were Roger Red Hat, Jennifer Yellow Hat, Billy Blue Hat.
When I was a teenager i used to love The secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, by Sue Townsend I think.
At school I read ladybird books, Peter and Jane?, Topsy and Tim, and a book about a green dragon, Green Smoke, I think it was kool anyhow, and a bit later a reading, writing, english system called SRA, but no one seems to have heard of that.
As a teenager I moved on to Sci-fi and Horror any one remember "The Pan BooK(s) of Horror" some great stories in these often recited around a fire when camping. Also got into John Norman's Gor books. They have been in the news recently as inciting slavery and were banned in America for a while. Though when your 15/16 those issues never clicked, they were just a good read.
Heather74
06-02-2007, 10:02
oh wow I remeember Topsy and Tim, we started on Janet and John, and I think there was a Jack and Jill series,I remember the teacher reading us My naughty little sister.
I also remember taking out There was an old lady who swallowed a fly,from the school libarary more than once, because the holes in her tummy got bigger and bigger.
I'd forgotten the Pan horror books, they were creepy, and kool and my nan bought me the Piccalo book of monsters and the Making of Doctor Who, Jon Pertwee as was.
The Malaory towers set by enid blyton, they were all about a girls boarding school, famous five - used to play that and when i was younger, topsy and tim and peter and jane with the red setter dog.:p
MommaMystique
12-02-2007, 15:09
I was a precocious reader as a child and started on the classics quite early Jane Eyre and Macbeth b eing favourites.
BeetleBug
12-02-2007, 20:29
I remember at primary school reading something like "Three Pirates" books. These were split up into Red, Green and Blue Pirates stories I think.
Also I vaguely remember a book with a Golden Griffin on the front. I think we read through these stories at our own pace.
Anyone else remember these?
OMG!!!!!!! yeah i remember these can you remember the pirates names, Roderick the Red Pirate, Gregory the Green Pirate and Peter the Blue Pirate.
Do any of you remember the Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston books where you had to make desicions on what to do next and turn to that page to see if the spider ate you or you managed to run away from it. Deathtrap Dungeon was one of the titles i know of can you think of any others??
Yep i had a few of those before i got a computer, seemed fun at the time.:p
dean80's
13-02-2007, 11:12
I used to love reading books about volcanoes and natural disasters when I was a kid .... was that normal?? lol
I used to love reading books about volcanoes and natural disasters when I was a kid .... was that normal?? lol
well, if it wasn't, then I was abnormal too :D. Gotta admit, I still read that sort of book.
MommaMystique
01-03-2007, 20:23
well if we are going onto weird reading.... I suppose Laurell K Hamiltons Anita Blake and her Merry Gentry series should feature in here some where. Vampire executioners and faeries
Very embarrassed but used to lovr the Mrs. Pepperpot stories:o
Remember them?
Buzz
I recall the Mrs pepperpot stories being read on Jackanory, but not who read thm, and loved the little Nose, The Moomins and stig of the dump too.
Heather74
01-03-2007, 20:52
LOL mum use to call my brother stig of the dump, coz he'd never cleaned his room.
Ooooooooopa, but does he now? :o
Heather74
01-03-2007, 21:12
god knows I dunner live with him.
Okies, sorry i'm just nosey :o
Heather74
01-03-2007, 21:16
;) I had noticed
As a teenager I moved on to Sci-fi and Horror any one remember "The Pan BooK(s) of Horror" some great stories in these often recited around a fire when camping.
I still have my copies of pan horror. I was a big sci-fi and horror fan too (still am)
I loved the Pan books and the horror anthology books, all escapism really, sci fi too :D
Wow ! Just reading through these brought back so many memories !
Griffin books, faraway tree, Famous Five, Secret seven , all among my reads........
Can anyone remember the short story sheets that you would have to read then answer questions on? Then work your way through a series ??
Came in an A4 style pamphlet
Primary school - Mid to late 70's
Wow ! Just reading through these brought back so many memories !
Griffin books, faraway tree, Famous Five, Secret seven , all among my reads........
Can anyone remember the short story sheets that you would have to read then answer questions on? Then work your way through a series ??
Came in an A4 style pamphlet
Primary school - Mid to late 70's
Was it SRA if thats what it was called, i mentioned this on a thread before, it sounds the same........?
My faves when I was about 9 or 10, were all the Enid Blyton school stories - Mallory Towers and St Claires - the girls always had midnight feasts with ginger beer - they knew how to party alright !:D
I still have all my copies of mallorey towers and the st clairs. I loved Enid Blyton, magic far away tree, the wishing chair, and the Mystery Of ones.
Enid Blyton. Famous five series. And the ones mentioned in above post They were Really good Stories.
Black Beauty.
And I always bought a comic called Misty all ghost stories. did anyone else Read it?
Jue x
MommaMystique
16-03-2007, 13:04
I still have all my copies of mallorey towers and the st clairs. I loved Enid Blyton, magic far away tree, the wishing chair, and the Mystery Of ones.
I spent a few years after my eldests birth trying to find one of my favourite Enid Blyton stories from childhood... The Secret Island. Imagine my delight when I found a copy at a second hand bookstall on holiday a couple of years ago. Judging by the frequency I find it in the bathroom... looks like Ratbag enjoys it too.
I've still got my earliest book purchase (that I can remember, that is). It came from my primary school book club thingy called Chip Club (anyone else have that?) and was The Flight of the Doves which was a film at the time with Jack Wilde, I think.
I've recently been reliving some of my 'school' book reads in the form of Logan's Run (much better than the film and much, much better than the tv series) and finally getting through Eric Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods :)
We used to (at primary/junior school in the early 70s) have a rack of books outside the headmaster's office. They were A4 (maybe a bit bigger) sized reference books on a variety of subjects (I can remember a dinosaurs one and maybe a fossils one). Fairly thin, paperbacks with lots of pictures. You could buy them (although for how much I forget - 15p sticks in my mind from somewhere) but I never did. They all came under the same series header but I'm buggered if I can remember it. Maybe something like Look and Learn?
Anyone got any ideas?
"the Chip book club", now that brings back some memories from junior school :) , i used to get the chip club diary every year!
my fave books used to be the fighting fantasy books by steve jackson & ian livingstone, the first one i bought was deathtrap dungeon followed by forest of doom & city of thieves. the only one i didn't like in the series was the space theme one (starship traveller?)
sixtyten
17-03-2007, 01:31
Not much of a reader as a kid,I didn't stop buying comics till early 90's!
but.on thread,I remember collecting the Alfred Hitchcock books,as he was and still is one of my heroes. I'm also getting Famous Five and Hardy Boy vibes,but I think (hope) that was my sister:)
The 70's to me now is a half remember mush of the great and the awful.
I'd love to bring back prime Bowie (Hunky Dory,Diamond Dogs,etc), but balk at Gary Glitter,T-Rex (although a few good songs) and rubbish like Flintlock,Our Kid and a million and one bandwagon jumpers,
looking back..nothing has really changed:rolleyes:
Flintlock rubbish?!! Surely that's heresy? Especially to a Tomorrow People fan.
sixtyten
17-03-2007, 12:47
:p
i always read my big sisters judy blume books,like "are you there god its me margaret" and "otherwise known as sheila the great"
blumes books were mainly about teenage girls and the antics they got upto.i remember reading them and dreading growing up!!!!!!!!
my sister still has no knowledge i read those books, big age gap between us so when she was out on a saturday night i would seize the chance!!!!!
anybody else come across judy blume books???
I remember starting off on the Ladybirds, things like Janet and John, then Rumpelstiltskin.
There was also the books we read at school that featured pirates, each had a different colour as a name.
My absolute favourites were Enid Blyton's Famous Five, i had the full set and without fail got the annual each Christmas from my Gran :) Infact i could probably still list the entire series in order.
Also liked the Narnia books, and also a book called The Silver Sword about a Polish boy in the 2nd world war.
Mulletino
27-04-2007, 07:23
Not much of a reader here either but I do remember buying a boxset of 3 books when at Primary School of the first 3 books in the Fighting Fantasy (http://www.fightingfantasycollector.co.uk/book_covers.htm)series by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingston.
I then collected them up to issue 10 then stopped. I know they've re-released them but I managed to pick up some of the originals on eBay the other year, really must get round to "reading" them again!
I remember reading Z. For Zachariah at school. A young girl (Ann) living on her own in the only non-radioactive valley left in America after a nuclear war. Her family have gone off to search for other survivors. Then a scientist in a radiation suit turns up. At first she's happy to have company but he turns out to be a psycho so she steals his suit and leaves the valley. Thought it was great stuff.
wildbird
25-05-2007, 12:58
enid blyton.My favourites were the enchanted forest and magic faraway tree.Read them again a couple of years ago :)
Mulletino
28-05-2007, 05:48
I remember reading Z. For Zachariah at school.
I remember watching the TV version of that at school.
Our teacher read us this book when at junior school (I think):
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Bottersnikes_and_Gumbles.jpg
:D
DoubleAgent
28-05-2007, 20:23
Apart from the obvious Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and CS Lewis
Gobbolino The Witch's Cat - Ursula Moray Williams
The King Of The Copper Mountains - Paul Biegel
The TV Kid - Betsy Byers
The Vardo books
and Dumpling - a story about a girl called Annabelle who buys a pony but wants the fattest most clumsy one there....Dumpling is ridiculed but had 2 bumps on each side of her head which are her "wings" - and goes on to win. It was my Mums when she was a child but I loved it. Can't remember the author though, it's in the attic somewhere
Heather74
03-06-2007, 16:42
On a trip out today I saw a Kestral, which made me remember us reading the book Kes at school, all the lad's could not wait to get to the page, with swearing on it,The day finally came and the teacher made us skip the page. :)
Bren41882
07-06-2007, 06:49
I loved Dr.Seuss especially Green Eggs and Ham as I got older I read Judy Blume,Beverly Cleary, and I loved The Babysitters Club
Heather74
28-07-2007, 17:02
I remember starting off on the Ladybirds, things like Janet and John.http://www.readingonline.org/international/abc/janetj.gif
karenbrown18
24-01-2008, 16:04
The Magic Faraway Tree and the rest of the set were my all time favourites and loved reading them again when my own children were small. Can still imagine eating one of Mr Moonface's "popping" biscuits"!!
Heather74
24-01-2008, 16:37
Can still imagine eating one of Mr Moonface's "popping" biscuits"!!
:D Me too!!!:D
I can also hear Mr.whatizname snores , and Imagine dodging Dame Washalots dirty water, spent many a happy hour lost in their adventures.
karenbrown18
24-01-2008, 16:56
how about clumsy poor Mr Saucepan Lid (I think that was his name), wish I had such exciting summers as a kid, visiting all those places at the top of the tree!!
Heather74
24-01-2008, 17:12
:o I use to imagine and make up my own lands to visit(wether it be by Tree or chair), I also loved Mr.Saucepanman and lets not forget Silky the fairy:)
karenbrown18
24-01-2008, 17:17
I can still picture in my mind's eye the tree and all the characters the way I did 35 years or so ago! nothing has changed I can bring them to mind anytime I like!! SAD lol
Heather74
24-01-2008, 17:21
Well if you are sad,then lets be sad together ;)
karenbrown18
24-01-2008, 17:27
I will have to sort out my precious "Faraway tree" set from the loft and read them to my grandaughter, she's only 2 so I will get more fun out of them than her LOL........mmm sounds like a good idea
Heather74
24-01-2008, 17:29
The Magic Faraway Tree, The Wishing Chair, Mr Meddle, The famous five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find Outers, St Clairs and Malory towers, will always have a place in my heart.
Fancy a Midnight Feast with Lashings of Lemonade and Ginger Beer ?:)
karenbrown18
24-01-2008, 17:38
as long as I can have some Vodka in the lemonade?? lol
Heather74
24-01-2008, 17:39
:D Deal
Strange, I am still reading, or re-reading the same books I have read for years. LOTR is the current one, for the umpteenth time and David Eddings Belgariad, Elenium and Mallorian books. My next will be bobby charlton's bio.
karenbrown18
01-02-2008, 17:21
:o I use to imagine and make up my own lands to visit(wether it be by Tree or chair), I also loved Mr.Saucepanman and lets not forget Silky the fairy:)
Just found this!!
751
752
Had a few books growing up that I loved.
The first one was something called "1000 questions and answers". Think the cover was brown. Remember on page 30 was a picture of a 2 headed snake.
This one is alittle vague, it could have been called spy`s handbook but thats just a rough guess. I know it came out before 1985 as I took it into primary school the last years so between 1984 and July 1985 and it could have been second hand. All I can remember was there where some pictures about spy sign language like pointing to your nose would mean meet me at 8 with the secret formula. Also had pictures on how to look around corners without getting seen. These pics were drawn if thats any help.
Just remember some more. Read it yourself books with stories like the shoe maker and the elfs. Also choose your own adventure books. Had the one were the boy travelled through time when he entered a cave. Be honest, who cheated with them and always when back when the story was over and go to the other page??? LOL
Oops sorry, didn`t see the book thread. My bad. Thanks for moving.
Heather74
29-03-2008, 00:10
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P2SH6S76L._SL500_AA240_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0746036809/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books)
OMG thats the one. I remember the way they drew the spy in it. Heather your amazing.
Heather74
29-03-2008, 00:17
:o Cheers:) :D
You can buy it from amazon
Also looking on the front cover the small pictures are inside the book and remembering them. I loved that book, took it everywhere.
Heather74
29-03-2008, 14:02
:) you might find the 1000 questions and answers one here too.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=1000+questions+and+answers&Go.x=11&Go.y=12
I had a look through the catergories but was dissapointed to find no place for those wonderful story books.
My personal favourites have to be by the author Enid Blyton, especially.....
The faraway tree collection
The wishing chair
The children of cherry tree farm
I have fond memories of these books and have passed them on the my grandaughter now, i hope she appreciates them as much as i did.
My favourite books as a child were mainly horsey ones
The silver brumby
Black Beauty
Follyfoot
But also I liked the cat in the hat by Dr seuss, ladybird books, beatrix potter and the little black sambo which these days is very Un PC.
Well if you are sad,then lets be sad together ;)
Well ill make 3 of us ... i loved em too!
salemsmine
18-08-2008, 00:41
The first grown up book i read was my dads copy of Jaws, its so much better than the movie, i was 11 at the time and it scared the jeepers out of me, i then went on to read Croc, Gator, Slither, Squirm, The Rats,Lets Go Play At The Addams, i must have read that book about five times over the years, lost my copy on holoday years ago and cant buy a new one anywhere. I then started on my mums Catherine Crookson novels but stopped reading them when i found a copy of a Jackie Collins novel, they made all the other books so tame in comparison, i still read any horrors i can find, the more gory the better.:eek: salemsmine
I had a look through the catergories but was dissapointed to find no place for those wonderful story books.
My personal favourites have to be by the author Enid Blyton, especially.....
The faraway tree collection
The wishing chair
The children of cherry tree farm
I have fond memories of these books and have passed them on the my grandaughter now, i hope she appreciates them as much as i did.
I've just been sent back to my childhood! The Faraway Tree - the most amazing story book ever for children - I know my mum has that stored away in her loft - must go rumaging - may have to read it again :p
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