What we are reading

Well it's not so common that you read something and you feel that you have to let the world know bout it. But it has happened to me and here goes: Mona Minim and the smell of the sun by Janet Frame. I'm reading a library copy but I have put it on my list of books to buy as soon as I have some spare cash!

The one I'm going to get is with the illustrations by David Elliot.

So the language is just beautiful, the pace delightful and it's full of detail. The best bit is that Martin is reading one chapter per night to the girls and I and at the end of each chapter there is a child-mind cliff hanger. I love it. I want the world to read it and know about it. I think I'll have to give it as gifts at Christmas time to some special little people.

BTW I appreciate that not being a born kiwi it's taken me until I'm 37 to find out about it. So apologies if this is a very well known fact and I'm preaching to the converted.

A word about the illustrations. They are just beautiful. A non reading child would be just as enchanted looking at the pictures. I'm becoming a bit of a David Elliot fan. His range is quite varied and the detail exquisite. If you read my blog and you have recommendations please let me know; especially if they are for books that would suit a very book wormy family that doesn't watch TV.

Take care

Reading group

My daughter Sofia said to me that she wanted to start her own reading group. I though it was very sweet but I wasn't sure it would be possible. I don't know another girl her age that reads as much as she does. I have belonged to one for most of my adult life (although I'm not in one at the moment) and thought she might have heard me talk about it.

Well her first meeting was yesterday, I baked biscuits and bought them some nice notepads and a pen each. Their first book to be discussed was The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. They had a great time and want to carry on doing it. they are going to meet once a fortnight and they will discuss five children and it by Edith Nesbitt next.

I have to confess that I'm slightly envious. I haven't been in a group for just over a year. I am reading lots but miss talking about them.

Incidentally I've just read Over by Margaret Forster. I think she's a brilliant writer. I read it in less than 5 hours today. I achieved nothing else today. It was so interesting and so well written. I am also reading the biography of William Blake at the moment which is also good but somewhat heavier going.

Well I'm off to re-knit my daughter's hat as it's too small. ...I definitely knit tighter in the round.