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Post by questa on Jan 31, 2018 22:12:43 GMT
Biggles and Worralls (female equivalent) books by W E Johns flew me around the world. Ethel Turner and Mary Grant Bruce gave me Australian settings and adventures. Ngaio Marsh beat Agatha Christie any day until Conan Doyle came along. John Wyndham was best read under the blankets with a torch for extra creepiness.
I was told I would read the back of a bus ticket, which I did.
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 1, 2018 7:14:19 GMT
Biggles! I forgot Biggles!
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Post by questa on Feb 1, 2018 8:50:22 GMT
You. Forgot. Biggles. W E Johns researched his locales scrupulously and included lots of local information in his storyline. I missed school for some time and never caught up on the South American geography segment. I managed to get an exam pass based solely on the Biggles books descriptions of the features and peoples of the region. Useless factoid:- When T E Lawrence applied to join the Royal Air Force, the officer who handled the admission, examination etc was Capt W E Johns.
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Post by mickthecactus on Feb 1, 2018 8:56:05 GMT
And he was born in Bengeo which is just 2 miles from where I live.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 1, 2018 19:00:31 GMT
I have books that I enjoy reading again and again, old friends so to speak that give me a lot of pleasure. However I wouldn't fight my way through Catch 22 or War and Peace again. I also find that some books that I enjoyed years ago I now find naive or unreadable. I suppose that I have become old and cynical or just more demanding. Tastes change, twas ever thus (she said wearily).
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Post by questa on Feb 1, 2018 22:33:05 GMT
I suppose that I have become old and cynical or just more demanding. Tastes change, twas ever thus (she said wearily). Thank Heavens for that, Cheery! When I remember some of the rubbish stuff I have read, I'm glad my tastes have changed. BTW Has anyone read the current best sellers for kids "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series? Each book tells of the ups and downs of the family adventures, e.g. on a road trip, (The Long Haul) or a resort holiday (The Getaway) and other normal family events where everything goes believably pear-shaped. Written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney, the books have cartoon type illustrations on each page and run to about 210 pages. Published by Puffin, they are very, very funny. They are classed as Juvenile Fiction but my 11 year old grandson has loved them for a few years now.
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