The Forty-fifth Republic - Is there anyone there? Surely time for half term

[Staffdontblowitnow]

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If you come with a stick to goad us then that is not allowed in the staffroom and you will receive a detention

@JanFebAnyMonth

Do you still play *@Monkeytennis97* ?

Oh yes.

Sorry, kind of took over rhapsodising about DWJ.

I liked lots of other authors too! I was one of those teens who read a lot of Stephen King but I’m not sure I’d want my kids to. I recently read Michael Grant’s Gone series which is YA and heavily in the Stephen King line of things but without the weird sex stuff. Really enjoyed it.

@noblegiraffe

And a lecturer I had later in life was Dianne Wynn Jones' sister.

Those girls had a very strange upbringing. What did her sister lecture in?

English.

Yes, I think it must have been pretty interesting. For a start, they moved to Thaxted - which was a centre of all sorts of early C20th Bohemia and oddness.

My post-lockdown aim is to visit Thaxted and try and work out why it pops up so often in accounts of early-C20th left-field characters and movements.

I haven’t read the essay but will do so today. Thanks for the link, noble.
I read Neil Gaiman’s books because he was a fan of Diana Wynne Jones.

I didn’t read Couples, Rule, but had a similar collection of Sweet Valley High and Sweet Dreams. There were lots of Brads and Chads.

Oh, I should say, she was lecturing in English but also feminism-related subjects.

She was wonderful and still doing ballet up until retirement-age.

Susan Cooper isn't sci fi at all though. She was probably the only fantasy author I read and I had done them by aged 12 I'd guess.I was always an avid reader but can't recall anything specific after aged 13 or so but it was more realist ... Spark, McCullers, Hardy , Banbridge. The more miserable the better!

That picture made me think of the Sweet Valley High series I'd forgotten all about.

You know you're going to have filled up half a thread with book nostalgia right?

I went via HG Wells and Huxley to “proper” post-war/60s sci-fi, Arthur C Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Roger Zelazny, Philip K Dick.
As a result I couldn’t bear any TV series or films such as Dr Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, whatever. I thought the plot lines trite and the special effects unconvincing. 2001 A Space Odyssey was better but ultimately also a bit boring, though nice to look at.

@CarrieBlue

I still have all of the Chalet School books on my shelf, and every Agatha Christie - not quite sure what that says about me! I used to re read everything too, especially library books. I love a book series to this day so I have loads of series on my shelves - No1 ladies detective agency, Caedfal, Agatha Raisin, Morse, Rebus, Maigret (can you tell I’d also be excellent at murdering people if needed?)

Oh this is exactly me too. How lovely.

My post-lockdown aim is to visit Thaxted and try and work out why it pops up so often in accounts of early-C20th left-field characters and movements.

I think it was a bit like Brighton. Have you read Reflections? She talks about the conference centre her parents ran and the odd characters who lived there.

can you tell I’d also be excellent at murdering people if needed?)

Oh this is exactly me too. How lovely.

If we find out that Gav has been mysteriously killed in a locked room with no possible entry or exit for the murderer, we’ll need to have this thread deleted.

Oi, what's wrong with book chat? I wasn't much of a fantasy or scifi fan either though I loved some of the time slip stuff and also some supernatural stuff. Ooh, When Marnie Was There by Joan G Robinson. Now THAT was a great book. Also made into a Studio Ghibli film, like Howl's Moving Castle. I read The Clan of The Cave Bear series, too, at about 9/10. Got all my sex ed from there.

Anyone remember an American teen series set in Montana with horses? I remember that knocking around at the same time as the early Sweet Valley High and I read a few but mostly preferred Hardy and misery by then.

DWJ was decades ahead of the recent mythological- adaptations trend. ‘Eight Days of Luke’ is a retelling of the Norse Loki stories. All too often, historically, children’s authors, especially women, didn’t get the critical attention that they deserved for being innovative. I’m enjoying the books nostalgia, by the way, and I’m sure it’s one of the reasons that several republicans became English teachers, judging by the literary user-names on here. I’m looking forward to re-reading some of these old favourites at half-term.

@TheHoneyBadger I thought exactly the same about that cover - very SVH!

@namechangedyetagain my Y2 just did postcard in English this week. Based around Paddington. Lesson 1 they did some general comma/listing work and focus was on lists and commas and they had to correct some sentences.
Lesson 2 did some more sentences, watched clip from Paddington then write a few sentences using commas about Paddington
Lesson 3 think we had to write a descriptive paragraph (they looked at describing people by the outside (physical appearance/clothes etc) and the inside (kind etc...).

Lesson 4 think we learnt about postcards when you send them, informal writing what sort of things you write. Write draft.
Lesson 5 - received feedback and we had to add to and improve our postcard and publish it by handwriting it on template. Children could draw pictures of London on the front (they’ve been doing about London this half term and famous landmarks so it linked back to that from the other week).

@namechangedyetagain

What year again?

1. I’d probably add some giant speech bubbles/post it’s to your role play so HA (or more depending on age) could write some of what that would ask.
2. I’d focus on the setting as you tend to write about the place on postcards. Maybe include feeling in how the place makes the writer feel. I’d avoid describing characters as your postcard writing may become more like a description if they get mixed up.
3. Again depending on age, letting them explore example postcards at the start of the lesson and find out themselves some of what they need is nice.

@noblegiraffe

can you tell I’d also be excellent at murdering people if needed?)

Oh this is exactly me too. How lovely.

If we find out that Gav has been mysteriously killed in a locked room with no possible entry or exit for the murderer, we’ll need to have this thread deleted.

Too late, noble, too late..... 🔎 👀

@Fossie and @CarrieBlue That sounds like my shelves/boxes under the bed (and in the wardrobe and on top of the wardrobe and... I really need a bigger house! Preferably one with a library.) I do have a kindle these days but I can never part with real books. There's just something so delicious about curling up with a book. And if I can't curl up with a book I'm usually listening to an audiobook.

I used to have so many books but I loved to travel so they would get culled that way and then reaccumulated when I stayed still for a while. Now I've tried to stop accumulating. You accumulate so much stuff in such a short time I've found and when you've had to get rid of all of your stuff a few times you become a bit more careful. My house is still cluttered and I notice a few piles of books have snuck back in but I try to regularly put everything I've read on a local free stuff page.

The trouble is the books that I haven't read but intend to read any day now - they accumulate and I find them hard to let go of because I really do want to read them all.

I currently have three books on the go catering to different needs - I have 'the spinster and her enemies' by Sheila Jeffreys, the latest Robert Galbraith for fiction and 'When Things Fall Apart' for a bit of buddhist wisdom. I really need to focus on finishing one.

@Piggywaspushed

Yes that was it waving!!

Re FITA, my DSis was more into it than me but I certainly remember it.

I have an American mother so also read lots of Nancy Drew.

Loved Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Alfred Hitchcock Presents...,The Bobbsey Twins and The Lone Pine Club, though I hadn't clocked that wasn't American

In honour of this thread, I'm going to read The Witch's Daughter by Nina Bawden this afternoon. Bought it as a Faber Finds reprint a while ago. Loved the name Perdita ever since reading this and it definitely isn't a name associated with 101 Dalmations for me (thanks, Baby Name board).

The Witch's Daughter, When Marnie Was There and Tom's Midnight Garden were "just right" fantasy for me.

Now, there’s a book I did get told off for reading, Random! I suffered intense headaches (and a dislike of school) at one time so I was allowed to stay off and wait for an optician’s appt the next day on condition I didn’t read anything. I think my Mum had cottoned on to the fact it was 90% school refusal and 10% headache. She caught me reading it in bed and was very cross indeed. What can I say, it’s a fantastic book

I loved Tom's Midnight Garden! I have never read The Witch's Daughter but do remember loving Carrie's War. I might have to investigate.

If we find out that Gav has been mysteriously killed in a locked room with no possible entry or exit for the murderer, we’ll need to have this thread deleted.

They won’t be able to prove anything though

Love that story, Saucery.

Best moment ever in KW school last week. A reluctant reader year 8 told me he'd been in trouble with his Mum as she caught him reading at midnight. He was reading a book I'd recommended to him.