Posted on by Cathy

📘 What are you reading…. – July

Questions Questions Questions……honestly you can’t leave home without family wanting to know all the things you’re doing
Used to be parent – child……now it’s become child – parent
Where ya goin’ – Where’ve ya been- Whatcha doin- Whatcha readin’. Talk about role reversal 😊🙁

So here goes ……we’ll keep them happy
and also let you know what I’ve been reading over the past month.

(I’m sharing this with the What’s on your Book Shelf Challenge).
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One’s a new one to me – short stories by a well known but unread by me author, then there’s ‘catch up’ on one I mentioned ages ago that has been sitting around waiting its turn, plus a ‘laundry room’ find here at the park.

I tried out a couple of very old children’s classics from years ago as well as an often talked about YA (young adult’s) I’d heard of but had never got round to reading.

The Long Weekend – Judy Nunn 2023

Australians love their long weekends, an extra day off work and if a Friday away can be wrangled it makes it all the more special.  And when you find a book with that title you know it’s going to be extra special. Not one of Judy Nunn’s novels but several short stories under one cover – I read them all but will tell you about just two.

* The first of them – The Long Weekend – follows 5 very different female friends – colleagues in a publishing company – preparing for a longed for post Covid restrictions weekend away at one’s grandparents cabin in the bush……with none of the digital privileges they live with on a daily basis.  But it doesn’t all go to plan which results in a very surprising ending.
*****
* I was drawn to The House on Hill Street for no other reason than my Grandad Thompson, his siblings and many of his cousins were all born in a house on Hill Street, Lurgan, Co Armagh during the 1800s.
Let’s just say that some interesting things went on in this one. A neighbour- a professor – his wife – the police were all involved when the dastardly deed happened. Did insanity play a part…..some said yes – others weren’t so sure.

Also some of you might also be interested in this podcast – put the kettle on, settle down for 30 mins and listen to:- https://www.betterreading.com.au/podcast/podcast-judy-nunn-on-writing-short-stories/.
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Where the Crawdads sing – Delia Owens 2018.
There are times when I should do things as they arise and then I won’t be disappointed……this book has been waiting its turn for quite a while – I knew I was very late to the party where reading it was concerned and I was very eager to see what all the hype was about but…….Sorry to say this was a DNF.
I even had my own little ‘beachside book club’ one morning talking to The Golfer about it, mentioning I had no interest in what was happening to the characters. He’s a ‘finisher’ and just said do what I thought best, so much to his surprise when I got to the page where Tate says goodbye as he’s going to college much earlier than planned, that’s where I said goodbye 👋

*****

The Walled Garden – Catherine Dunne 2000.
Beth flew the coop as soon as she could,…James, her dutiful brother, stayed in Dublin….not far from their mother, Alice. Now Alice is dying and Beth has returned to the shabby grandeur of her childhood home to keep vigil by her bedside.

Set in Ireland late 1990s, a story about a family, changing lives, changing circumstances, changing relationships…mother-wife…..father-husband….mother-daughter….mother-son….sister-brother….
Told as recollections/flashbacks by various characters – following a series of letters written by Alice to the ‘children’ after a medical diagnosis – a very emotional book to read. One that made me think about life and ageing, one I thoroughly enjoyed even though I shed bucketloads of tears!
*****

Goodnight Mister Tom – Michelle Magorian 1981.
Sometimes there are events/things you’re doing that you wish would never end. Reading this little book about a young evacuee and the old man he was billeted with was one.
I just wanted it to keep on going – to learn more about their life together after the war had ended, how he coped in a changing world and developed as a young man.
If you are able to get a copy, enjoy this story of a young boy’s growth during stressful times, yes, it included pain and sorrow but also fun, laughter, and most of all love.
My copy came from the library but I did discover it available (free) online HERE.
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Dot and the Kangaroo – Ethel C Pedley 1899
Available at Project Gutenberg HERE

Little Dot had lost her way in the bush. She knew it, and was very frightened. She was too frightened in fact to cry, but stood in the middle of a little dry, bare space, looking around her at the scraggy growths of prickly shrubs that had torn her little dress to rags, scratched her bare legs and feet till they bled, and pricked her hands and arms as she had pushed madly through the bushes, for hours, seeking her home.

The story of 5yr old Dot befriended by a Kangaroo and their journey to reunite her with her family, read through an adult’s eyes, not having read it as a child….

….I found it a very confronting/emotional story, quite forthright and gruesome in parts.
A book for reading to children, as it was much too wordy for young ones to read themselves and appeared geared towards older children who could absorb ‘the message’

Reminding me part of Alice in Wonderland plus Grimms Fairy Tales – quite scary in parts (for young readers) yet humorous in parts (for adults)

Fantasy with berries allowing humans and birds/animals to talk to each other…..late C1900 racial undertones – by today’s standards – with aborigines (blacks) shown in very bad light – ‘white humans’ not much better……much emphasis on being kind, respecting others and caring for the bush (environmental care before it became ‘trendy’)

Asking Australian friends how much they remembered about it – ‘oh, our teacher read it to us……a lovely little story about how Dot was lost and all the animals helped to get her home’. No one seemed to remember ‘the message’ though!

Illustration by Frank P Mahony

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Just begun

Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome 1930.
All 12 in series available here at fadedpage.com as a free download

Looking for something with a ‘holiday’ feel to it I started this unread children’s classic……but I’m not sure how far I’ll get with it. Another one that’s very ‘wordy’
Four chapters in – my thoughts so far

1930s – Middle class – bit of money – have nurse/nanny for baby – holidaying away from home – able to do in a grander scale than other children – loads of nautical terms – father in navy so learnt but possibly a bit over powering for town and country children not living on coast – shades of class distinction- lots of ‘outdoor’ stuff

  • Children on holiday, father away at sea….. mother sent letter asking if they could camp on a nearby island. Mother (a fun loving Australian) happy to give them the freedom to do so, started preparing things (making tents and bedding! ) so they could sleep out in the open either on the island or near the house.  
  • Sail to island- make camp – disappointed (annoyed) others had been there before them –
Illustration by author

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallows_and_Amazons
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How about you – what have you read recently, did you enjoy it, give up on it, wonder what all the fuss was about?

(To comment please click on post title and scroll down)

33 Replies to “📘 What are you reading…. – July”

  1. I don’t know if you know or remember the Miss Read series….a single,headmistress of a village school. I remember a super recipe for an egg mousse which was in ‘Miss Reid’s cookery book’ so looked for it online. Did not find it, of course, but found all the others…a couple actually free…and have been enjoying a trip into the rural past.

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      1. Thank you! The one book it doesn’t have is the recipe book…my copy disappeared years ago and it had some super recipes…the egg mousse for one, a super syllabub and a honeycomb pudding which was mother’s favourite. Younger, I could remember the details, but, alas, no longer.

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  2. My aAustralian neice sent me The Long Weekend. It was a good read and it’s still on my book shelf for another day. I’m happy that I have actually read one of the books you mention

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    1. Aw that’s nice Linda – bet there’s lots on your bookshelf I’ve never read either.
      I’m a fan of short stories and these were good ‘uns.

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  3. I agree with you about the Crawdads. I finished it, but won’t rush out to read any others she writes.

    And echo Helen Devries about the Miss Read series. I enjoy Swallows and Amazons – but you are right. They are definitely privileged children.

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  4. I didn’t enjoy Crawdads but I did finish it. So much about the narrative was annoying and not believable. As to reading old kids’ books, I’m reading Famous Five series. Talk about privileged and lacking any sense of class consciousness. Still, if you put on a young child’s perspective, plenty of adventure and escapism. I did enjoy Swallows and Amazons for the same reasons.

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    1. ooh I forgot about Famous Five – this’ll age me but my eldest son (now in his 60s) loved them as well as Secret Seven. Must see if I can find them.
      Here’s a little fun read for you. I’ve never heard of the Five Found Outers, have you?
      One daughter has all the other Enid Blytons we bought over the years. They might be interesting as well

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      1. I don’t think I have read, or even knew about, the Five Found Outers. Thanks for the link – something for me to follow up after finished the FF series.

        As to not finishing books – I’m with you as finally accepting life is too short to struggle through books. There’s no winning in having completed a book you are not enjoying. I’d turn the tele off if I didn’t like a show. So I’ll shut the book – even if I’ve paid for it.

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        1. A hunting we will go – and here’s what I found (late last night!)

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Five_Find-Outers&diffonly=true

          Now I often use this free site to look for ‘old publications’
          https://thenovelorange.com.

          Search for an author and you’d be surprised what you find. No bookmarks so have to remember what page/chapter you’re on. Also the books don’t seem to open on page 1 so you have to select it to get to the beginning.

          Here’s what came up for Enid Blyton. Those beginning with Mystery of are the Five Outer ones – don’t think they’re all there but refer to the wiki article for the running order.

          https://thenovelorange.com/search?q=Blyton

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  5. Hi, Cathy – Thank you for joining us at What’s On Your Bookshelf. I agree with you about reverse parent-child roles. I’ve been experiencing them myself lately – from both directions.

    It’s interesting that you did not enjoy Crawdads. It was one of my favourites. But that is what I love most about books. They each speak to us differently.

    ❤

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    1. Oh dear Donna – I’ve heard the sandwich generation is a difficult one.
      Good job we don’t all like the same isn’t it. The world would be a very boring place

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    1. Was the only thing I could do Joanne. I’ve finally come to the conclusion (after years of ‘I must finish this) that life’s too short and accept I don’t like it

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  7. Reading on the beach sounds lovely. I heartily endorse the idea of setting aside a book that you aren’t enjoying. Every book is not for every reader. The Walled Garden sounds like a novel I might enjoy reading.

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        1. Can’t help you with that one Juliann….. this one was in ‘drop&swap’ book exchange here in the caravan park. You find all sorts of interesting reads there that people have taken along on their travels then passed them on as they’ve picked up others.
          You never know – a copy might turn up online somewhere

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  8. Hi Cathy, lovely to see you joining in the What’s On Your Bookshelf? link up. I haven’t read Judy Nunn for quite some time so will look out for The Long Weekend. I’m going through an ‘Irish’ phase at the moment so The Walled Garden will fit in nicely. Thanks for the recommendations and have a lovely weekend. #WOYBS?

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    1. So many people have recommended the film and I’ve just found out it is on YouTube- not very often that happens. So I’ll settle down one evening and watch it sometime. Did you read the book at all?
      I’ve not read any Marian Keyes so will see what my library has. My list is getting longer by the day 😊

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  12. Hi Cathy, I was intrigued about your points on Dot and the Kangaroo, I’m not sure I’ve read it. But I was thinking it could be a good one for my granddaughter (Dottie) who lives in England but maybe not now!! We read Seven Little Australians recently for bookclub and as an adult reading it, I found it was very different than when I read it a young teen. I know it was written in a different time but the messages and storyline were quite confronting. Interesting isn’t it??

    Thanks for joining us for #WOYBS, it’s always good to have your reviews.

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  13. Haha…my girls haven’t gotten there with me yet…but probably soon enough. I’ve yet to read “where the crawdads sing. You’ve got an interesting collection. I’ve never heard of any of the others.

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