Would you expect to see a People’s Friend annual 1998 in an expensive holiday home?

[ThePieceHall]

As per the title, DD2 and I are staying in an expensive holiday home on the coast in North Yorkshire. The bookshelf is the tiredest and saddest I have ever seen. There is actually a People’s Friend annual from 1998. The weather has been glorious and we have been on the Blue Flag beach for hours every day so we have not had to open the really tired and dated jigsaws. Thankfully. Would I be unreasonable to point out to the hosting company that a little bit of investment and a little bit of respect for paying holidaymakers would not go amiss?

Nor can you understand sarcasm.

Got a teen and a pre-teen. Believe me, I live sarcasm.

Also, your user name is very interesting. I think we may be neighbours.

I think the o.p was trying to do a "light hearted thread" but failed miserably

Fisrt World problems.... are you being forced to read it? Didn't you take your own books? Others might find it interesting!

As you said it was old then
You could have an individual fruit trifle to go with it.
The lonely lady that works in the shop
Chewin the fat Scottish comedy show.

I would pop to the nearest charity shop, buy a fivers worth of paperbacks and stock the shelf for the next occupant, I think as a PP that the stock is probably what the previous occupant left behind. (And I know everyone will say 'why should you do this, its you holiday, you've already paid, blah blah etc.' but I think it would be a good thing to do)

Also I always take my own books when I go away, and when the kids were young took games with me, don;t leave it to chance.

But most of all I'd happily read the People's Friend, it was my late MIL's favourite magazine (and she was very much the demographic, she would have been over 100 now if still alive) but I used to nick her people's Friend when I visited her just because it was pure escapism, ditto her Mills and Boons. I spent a happy couple of hours recently reading an old 'Judy' annual I found free outside a charity shop, I'm probably very weird, I certainly don't care.

I usually take 3 or 4 books on holiday and when I have read them I leave them behind. Occasionally I take some in return if they have some in the accommodation.

Love People’s Friend. I’d have spent most of my holiday reading it.

Yes, I have already done this. I’ve left a stack of magazines, a few books and a fully complete Lego set as finished by DD2. I’ve also refreshed the basket of information leaflets and added some new, more current ones.

Thanks for confirming it is expensive

Well, it’s all relative, isn’t it? How do you know that our usual holidays aren’t camping or YHAs? How do you know that the holiday has not been funded by a tiny inheritance after the death of a parent? How do you know that we have not experienced a turbulent family breakup that has resulted in my primary-age child requiring significant therapeutic input? What’s expensive to me may be cheap to you. You don’t know me, I don’t know you. But I do know that I don’t make sarky, class-warrior and sanctimonious comments to people on the internet.

WHO GOES ON HOLIDAY TO READ BOOKS? What?!? Everyone surely??

I'm always very disappointed if there is no Lee Childs on the holiday shelf because I'm trying to read all of them with my only supply holiday cottage book shelves. I'm doing quite well actually.

In a holiday cottage in Whitby once I read the schlockiest historical series about a family of whalers, twas brilliant. I'm envious of your people's friend annuals.

Brilliant - well done

Now, I would love the series about the Whitby whalers; Whitby is one of my favourite places in the world. We are actually staying not a million miles away but went there for the day on Wednesday. It was so hot that we ventured into the town’s museum to cool down. What a revelation, that museum definitely punches above its weight in terms of its fossil collection and other fascinating artefacts. My teen DD who has not accompanied us on the trip was jealous that we got to see Bram Stoker’s signature in the Victorian visitor book as her special interest is Dracula. DD2 loved the Hand of Glory (I think that’s what it’s called) which is a severed hand cut from a felon hanged on the gallows. I bought a replica Hand of Glory candle from the museum shop to put away for DD1 for Christmas; she will absolutely love it. I can however confirm that the fish and chips are a billion times better in Scarborough than Whitby (The Magpie Cafe vs The Lifeboat Cafe).

No Lee Childs on the shelves here, by the way.

DM would say it belonged to the maid

As a self-catering provider, I would have to increase my tariffs to pay for current magazines. They’re expensive and it would be impossible to cater for all interests.

This is absolute vintage fabulousness. I’d love to read some old weird crap like that when I’m away.

I found a collection of National Geographics at a tiny hotel in Peru last year. Some from the 1960s. Absolutely fascinating.