What's the name of the website where you can input vague memories of a book you once read, and it tells you what it was called?

[MrsMuddle]

Does anyone know?

Oh, it's been driving me mad! I'm sure I've read it too. It's not HH Munro (or at least, not in my collection, or the library one).

So now TWO of us are being driven batty by it.

Lauriefairycake - any more details? Is dingling in my head!

Stripeymama,

the cover (without dustjacket, don't remember it having a dustjacket) was green.

The descriptions of the house, false rooms, priest holes was very exciting. The treasure was lots of gold plates, chargers, candle sticks and think they were on steps going down to the dungeon. I'm not even sure there were baddies - maybe just lots of treasure. The grandfather adopted her.

Totally clutching at straws - the typeface was not 'childish', no pictures. Fairly sure it was written by a bloke and remember no other books he's written.

I'm sure I only read it once which means it would have been at an elderly relatives house. It wasn't one I actually owned.

MrsMuddle your story sounds like an HH Munro plot, but the setting in Borneo or Malaysia could be Somerset Maugham. But you'd have to go through a lot of his stories. He probably wrote at least a hundred set in that part of the world.

just found this lovely thread - if anyone remembers a children's book about a terrible toddler (???called bodger) you would make half my family happy.
All we can remember is the line "one day he decided to find out What flushing loos was all about..something something something..help help I'm drowning".
Would love to find it, in order to 1) read it to ds1 and 2) give it to my brother for Christmas...

Myjobismum- the book about the holiday and the guy on the beach is by jenny eclair 'having a lovely time' - i read it and wasn't sure what to espect, but found it quite good, though not a laugh out loud type book IYSWIM

glad i could help!
I never seem to forget authors or titles, just the content of the books!

can anybody tell me if there is something like this to trace films? thanks

oh if anyone knows this one i would be eternally grateful.

all i can remember is girl in different place to usual and has a turret room with an ornately carved ceiling.

which is absolutely fuck all to go on, but all i have. i know i loved this book, but cannot remember anything else.

it is a childrens book.

Sophable - could it be "The little white horse", or "The princess and the goblin"?

All right I have one too! Childrens book from the 70's, and it's bugged me for years now.

Girl and little brother stumble on fairies, by a river? The fairy she makes friends with is a bit stroppy and called "Brec". Somehow her little brother gets enchanted by the less friendly fairies/fairy king and they have to get him to sing to break it, they end up singing "Frere Jacques" because he knows it and has to join in.

I had thought it was called "seven for a secret" as that song cropped up too but no amount of googling has brought up the right thing.

StripeyKnickers, could you mean Ride a Wild Pony, a book by James Aldridge? Mine had a photo of a ragged boy riding a palomino pony bareback down a dirt track on the front.

My query is: has anyone come across a short story in a book of ghost stories for adults which features a man walking up One Tree Hill in SE London, and going back in time as he does so? I got the collection out of my local library a couple of years ago, but cannot find it again, and nor can the library staff!

Or (even more vaguely), a children's book which included a pair of children on a train at one point, and the boy had a pet rat and was explaining how chocolate is bad for them - to a girl, I think. Not much to go on...

OHMYGOD 3LITTLEFROGS it IS the little white horse!@! cannot believe you got that from what i posted!!!!

hurray!

Ooh Sophable- I am so pleased - I have never had anyone's eternal gratitude before

you have it you really do

Love this thread!
I have one:
Its a childrens story about some mice who live in a mill. I think they are 'at war' with the millers cat. Then the miller decides to drown the cat in a sack, but the mice nibble through the sack and rescue him and they are the best of friends.

Any ideas?

I have one...I read a story in an anthology long time ago, some fairy tale collection. The story I loved was about a girl who was whisked off by the wind, or a wind god, or something, and was shown all the delights she would have if she was to marry him, and become immortal. But she chose instead to fall in love with a mortal boy, and so the wind had to give her back. I was so cross with this ending that I remember tearing out the offending page, and cannot remember the name of the book, author or story. I want to find it again and try and read it again and grow up!

This is a brilliant thread, I will try and think of some more.

xx

OMG Walnutshell , that is so spooky. I looked at the thread title and thought "I've always wanted to know what that book was that I read about the girl in the house and the stones outside - I bet it can't tell me that".

Frisbyrat, your one with the children on the train couldn't be Coot Club by Arthur Ransome could it? It starts with Dick and Dot meeting Tom Dudgeon on a train, and later on they meet the 3 Death and Glories one of whom has a pet rat.

ok this one was by a French author, quite weird and philosophical and about a man who invented a machine that could program your dreams. The corporate world tried to hijack it and put lots of adverts on his machine. I also remember some confrontation on a golf course at the end. I'd love to reread it but have no idea what it was called! I read it maybe 10 years ago.

I think the author had a double barreled surname.
Any ideas anyone??

Can't help with anyone else's books ... but can anyone identify a mid-20th c. children's book (author along the lines of Violet Needham, but I don't think it's her) set in 17th c, with a girl called Perdita and a boy (with dark red hair, I think) called Diccon?

Boo, could that be something by Alain Robbe-Grillet? (My brother read French and I vaguely remember him talking about something of the kind; also there is a book about him called The Erotic Dream Machine.)

I have one too! I always thought it was by Enid Blyton but I have searched every bibliography of hers I can find online and it's not listed.

It's on the lines of Famous Five or Secret Seven...but there are 6 of them and they call themselves the Sturdy Six. I clearly remember the conversation in the book where they decide a name - and dismiss things like Steadfast Six. Their club-house is in a chicken coop/shed...with a ramp leading up to it (I don't know how they fit through the door).

I have searched and searched for this book - to the point where I'm doubting my memory of it. There couldn't be an Enid Blyton book that only I have ever read, could there?

I've used the book search website you're talking about - will have a look on my faves and see what I find.