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How many of you still re read, and even buy, books you loved as a child

24 replies

Vintageclock · 24/09/2013 11:33

After finding some of my old childhood books in my mother's attic and re reading them I started ordering more from Amazon and Abe Books. Mainly Noel Streatfeild and some of the Lorna Hill and Drina books. I really love reliving my childhood in this way but I don't think any of my friends do this. Am I odd or do lots of you enjoy collecting and reading old childhood favourites?

OP posts:
MisselthwaiteManor · 24/09/2013 11:34

I do, I love reading my childhood books.

cornflakegirl · 24/09/2013 12:34

I have some of my old books that my parents saved, and I often borrow books from the library for DS1 that I loved as a child. I have some free classics on my phone too, for odd moments when out and about - I'm reading The Secret Garden at the moment.

cornflakegirl · 24/09/2013 12:36

Have A Little Princess downloaded too Wink

Titsalinabumsquash · 24/09/2013 12:36

Me!

I have the Famous Five on my kindle and I'm currently re reading 5 Children and It. Grin

DeWe · 24/09/2013 13:00

Oh yes. Noel Streatfield, Monica Edwards, Malcolm Saville, John Putney, Arthur Catherall, Elizabeth Goudge, Elinor Brent-Dyer, Stanley Mason... perhaps this explains why we never have enough bookshelves?

cornflakegirl · 24/09/2013 13:51

DeWe - we also have the problem of insufficient bookshelves. Clearly not of too many books, as that would be impossible!

BlueChampagne · 26/09/2013 11:14

I had to buy and read "The Stones of Green Knowe" and re-read my boxed collection of ooh, 35 years ago.
Read Narnia, The Little White Horse and Stuart Little last time I had flu.

tumbletumble · 26/09/2013 11:26

Last year I tracked down Swish of the Curtain and The First Step, bought them and re-read them. Yy to Noel Streatfield. Also Anne of Green Gables, Diana Wynne Jones and Arthur Ransome.

LetsGoCena · 26/09/2013 11:36

I do, just re read Malory towers. Dd tells me someone has written another 6 so may look at getting them :) I have to say some I love, but others have been a bit of a disappointment - milly, Molly, Mandy and my naughty
Little sister especially. They just seem too old now and dd didn't like them.

I got down all my judy blumes this wk, not sure what age they are actually aimed at (and probably not listed as classics either!)

MrsBungle · 26/09/2013 11:40

Me! I have bought books and pretended they're for dd who can't even read yet

I've bought:
The secret garden
The Narnia books
Mr pink whistle
Quest for a kelpie

I might look up 'my naughty little sister'. I loved those also.

MotherOfSoupDragon · 26/09/2013 11:46

I have all the Sadlers Wells books by Lorna Hill Smile Keep meaning to reread them.

I love reading my favourite books from when I was a child. I've been reading a lot of them to my 12 yr old dd at bedtime (while I can still get away with it!).

Arabesque · 26/09/2013 17:28

I re read Tennis Shoes by Noel Streatfeild recently and was Shock at how harshly Nicky was treated by the family. Even as a child I thought it a bit unfair but as an adult I found it unbelievable that a child would be punished by not getting a birthday or christmas present for two years; or that she would receive no praise for getting a prestigious sponsorship because her parents didn't want to upset their older daughter.

NomDeClavier · 26/09/2013 17:30

I've just bought all the swish of the curtain books. I kept a lot of mine but sadly all my school stories are boxed in the attic :( I've got some Rumer Goddens on kindle though and might try to get my favourite Streatfields now...

PestoSwimissimos · 26/09/2013 17:35

Yes me too, I couldn't wait to have the excuse of DDs to re-read all my childhood favourites again.

I especially enjoyed the Laura Ingalls series, all the Swallows & Amazons books and the 3 Carbonel books. Smile

BeaLola · 26/09/2013 17:35

Before my DS arrived last year my DH one Christmas bought me the 30th anniversary edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and also a beautiful hardback illustrated Puff the Magic Dragon book as they were on my Christmas wish list. ... I just loved the idea of owning them ... Hopefully that doesnt make me too strange ?

I also have a lovely version of the Velveteen Rabbit. I am trying to find a hardback copy of Little House on the Prairie .

My kindle has a little princess on it too ....

OrlaNuttin · 27/09/2013 13:23

Oo I don't think it's odd at all! I buy copies of Louisa M Alcott books because I don't like the idea of them being unloved for my dd and niece. Same for L M Montgomery.
I lovr rereading the Trebizon books and Mallory Towers too. Oh and Ballet Shoes must be read at least once a year!

DeWe · 27/09/2013 13:43

Arabesque I think the thing with Nicky, is that she doesn't act sorry. She keeps saying "Who needs the stupid umbrellas anyway?" and she doesn't admit straight away until they say they're going to the police, and the cook (?) directly accuses her.

I remember thinking the instead of a present was mean, but then if you look at the other presents her siblings got instead, then an umbrella was similar price-I think Susan got a book, which also seems mean in today's world.

Nicky's an interesting personality. I don't think anyone would deny she is "difficult", she does deliberately irritate her siblings, jeers at particularly the youngest, but generally wangles her own way. I remember being very irritated when I first read it, when she wangles membership of the tennis club, when she's been told not until she's 10yo, which is younger than when the twins were allowed to join-it also then seems mean on the littlest boy(David?) who presumably will then have to wait until he's 10yo, and then would be at boarding school for term times.

I think the thing with the tennis scholarship, is that tennis has bolstered Susan's image of herself. And Susan is very lacking in confidence. Nicky otoh is brimming with confidence.
Also when Susan has done well, Nicky is, if anything, a bit cross about it. When Nicky does well, Susan is very supportive.

It is a very good character study of a child in a large family who is trying to not be insignificant. In the end, when she truly isn't insignificant due to her talent, she starts to care more about her family, and is a nicer character.

I prefer Party Frock and White Boots of the similar stories.

kernowal · 29/09/2013 19:46

I've put all the Little Women, Anne of Green Gables & What Katy Did series on my Kindle. They're officially in a collection called "stuff DD might like" but she prefers Agatha Christie, so I've been forced to read the whole lot. Shame! Now I'm off to look for White Boots....

CMOTDibbler · 03/10/2013 16:04

Me too.

If you read Noel Streatfields autobiography, then you often see her in her books. Nicky is her for sure!

I'm loving revisiting lots of my books with ds, though alas he won't countenance the Sadlers wells books.

TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 03/10/2013 16:06

All the time
I call it comfort reading
Mainly Monica Edwards, Elinor Lyon and Arthur Ransome, plus a few others.

SorrelForbes · 03/10/2013 16:24

I re-read my Noel Streatfeilds (I think I pretty much own them all now and have moved onto collecting her adult novels) and my Lorna Hill Sadler's Wells books all the time. I probably read Ballet Shoes at least once a year I can and do quote huge swathes of it

Other 'go-to' re-read choices are A Little Princess, The Lost Prince, the Narnia books, Charlotte Sometimes, Rebecca's World and the Beverly Nichols series (Mountian of Magic etc.)

SorrelForbes · 03/10/2013 16:26

Tennis Shoes, White Boots, Curtain Up, The Painted Garden and The Circus is Coming are my favourites, after Ballet Shoes of course Grin

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TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 03/10/2013 16:27

I read charlotte sometimes again last week
And cried... Again

BigBoobiedBertha · 03/10/2013 16:29

I've bought Marianne's Dreams as I want to see how scary it to read again. I really must get round to reading it.

I got my boys the Paddington books to re-read them myself and also Carrie's War which neither of them liked that much but I wouldn't let them change books because I wanted to read it. Blush

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