Childhood Classics

                       

The summer holidays are almost here so it's the perfect time to reflect on those books which meant so much to you in your childhood.

Which books speak to you of those long summer holidays? Maybe you even have treasured, if somewhat battered copies, still on your bookshelf at home somewhere?

What would you choose :

·         Tom's Midnight Garden or Mary Poppins?

·         Treasure Island or The Famous Five?

·         Anne of Green Gables or Winnie the Pooh?

·         The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or the BFG?

Join us in a nostalgic look back at those timeless treasures from the days of our youth.

This month's moderator: Val

Books we'll never forget...

This month we thought we’d tell you about our favourite books, so here are three of mine:

The Re-invention of Ivy Brown is like a jigsaw – set in the past and the present, with the hint of a mysterious happening which is not fully revealed until the end.  

Carry on Jeeves – any Jeeves title takes the reader into a world of country houses, landed gentry and Bertie Wooster, well-meaning gentleman about town who regularly needs rescuing by his manservant, Jeeves.

Oliver Twist – have you seen 'Oliver!' but never read the book? You’d be surprised how much more happens to Oliver. I was also surprised how much humour there is in it, despite it being the story of a mistreated workhouse boy.

Share your favourites with us and introduce others to books they’ll never forget by clicking on 'comments' below. 

For more reading choices try the Read and Relax pages on Bex-L. 

Next month, in time for the summer holidays, we'll be chatting about books we loved as children.

This month's moderator: Jill

From page to screen

What do you think about books that have been adapted for the screen?  Was your favourite book ruined or did you actually prefer the film version?

Here are a few examples of books which have appeared on the big screen recently:

• Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodie Picoult
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

And we can also look forward to adaptations of:

• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
• One Day by David Nicholls
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Are you a fan of film adaptations or do you avoid them at all costs?  Did a favourite book work well on the screen?  And how do you feel when screen writers change the ending?

Let us know what you think by clicking on the ‘comments’ link below!

This month’s moderator: Rachel            

Top of the Cops

                          

Top of the Cops
or the Body in the Library...

Who would win the vote for your favourite fictional detective?

We've put on our thinking caps  (or deerstalkers) and come up with our Top Ten fictional detectives (click on the names for details of the books) :

• Jackson Brodie
• Inspector Brunetti
• Sherlock Holmes
• Miss Marple
• Inspector Morse
• Hercule Poirot
• Madame Ramotswe
• Lisbet Salander
• Matthew Shardlake
• Wallander

But we’ve had to leave out lots of other Top Cops too, including :

• Dalziel & Pascoe
• Stephanie Plum
• Falco
• Rebus
• Frost
• Kay Scarpetta
• Simon Serrailler
• Rumpole

So when you find a Body in the Library – who you gonna call?

We’d love to hear what you think - join in the debate by clicking on 'comments'  below. Let us know who's your favourite. It's elementary my dear Watson!