There's a chill in the air tonight ...

[MissWinnie]

as we wave goodbye to summer and the cool autumn nights greet us with their presence. Oz has lit the log fire in the Tavern, and as it's a little quiet here, I'm curled up on the sofa with a book to take me away to magical places ...

So I'm just wondering what, if anything, you are reading at the moment ...

Today it's "Brida" by Paulo Coello ...

I'm also curious as to any favourite books of childhood ... One of mine was The Secret Garden. I so wanted to be able to have somewhere like that to go to ... I made do with a pretend gate and the power of imagination instead ... I also loved "The Phoenix and The Carpet". I longed to have a carpet that would take me to wonderful places. My cousin told me that if you sprinkled talcum powder on the rug and said a magic spell, it would fly. We tried. We just got into trouble with our mums for making a mess. :blue : When I was a little bit older, it was Born Free. I read it over and over again ...

What about you?

[VillaRosie]

Winnie

It's a good murder mystery book for me. I don't mind gore as long as it's not too graphic. I enjoy a wide range of authors Kate Brady, Harlan Coben, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Higgins-Clark and Peter James. However, if I read a synopsis and it sounds ok generally I will give the book ago. Kindle one of the best inventions ever.

One of my last reads was the excellent The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. There is a film being released in October which says based on the book so will give that a miss.

Childhood favourite would have to be (the now politically incorrect) Enid Blyton. Secret Seven, Famous Five, St Clare's, Malory Towers and The Five Find-Outers which I thoroughly enjoyed. Seem to remember Anna Sewell's Black Beauty as well.

Just a thought perhaps Yubby could hold his stag or should I say bucks party in the Tavern.

[MissWinnie]

Hi Rosie

You've got similar reading taste to my mum - she loves a good murder mystery too. I've never been able to get into them for some reason ... I sometimes pick up a book when I'm staying with her but never get very far ...

I know what you mean about not wanting to see a film of a book that you've really loved - it's never how you imagined it ...

I've usually got a few on the go at any one time though if I'm really into a book I'll end up reading it til it's finished - sometimes at 5 in the morning! Makes for a tired next day Brida's about a young girl in Ireland who longs to learn about magic; it's about journey she takes, the people she meets, and the gift she has, as she discovers her destiny - and finds her soul mate. Kind of a mix of romance and spirituality ... It turned out to be a "I have to read it to the end" so a very late night!

I loved the Enid Blyton books too though at the time I had no idea they were so un pc. I just loved the adventures they went on. My brothers, cousins and I used to pretend an "island" close to one set of grandparents was Kirrin island and used to look for gold bars, smugglers, and dungeons. Sometimes I was Anne and sometimes I was George depending on the age of the cousin playing with us. We roped in one great aunty's long suffering doggy to be Timmy

Yes I think the Tavern will be perfect for Yubby's stag do. I think you, myself, and LMV should be invited as honorary stags too. Make sure Yubby gets home in one piece after this lot have finished with him!!

[MissWinnie]

Ooh one film where it did live up to my imagination was the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I cried my eyes out over Aslan ...

As a child, I loved the thought of venturing into another world through the back of the wardrobe. More time spent making my way through coats desperate to find Narnia. Only to be unceremoniously locked in the wardrobe by my horrid brothers ha ha!

[bongosdad]

I never really enjoyed reading but I did enjoy professor brainstorm, Topsy and Tim and the Cat in the hat.

[MissWinnie]

I liked Topsy and Tim too. I remember going searching for sticklebacks, taking jam sandwiches for a picnic lunch on the basis of one of their stories. I used to love reading my brother's Cat in the Hat books too. I never read Professor Brainstorm though.

[stateside]

I am 3/4 of the way through Black Count by Tom Weiss. It is a biography of General Alex Dumas the father of novelist Alexandre Dumas and inspiration for many of his books like The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. He has a larger than life reputation and if some of the stories were to be believed he would have be the strongest human in the history of mankind. Oh, how legends are born. The most eye opening of his achievements was how he grabbed a branch while on horse back and lifted not only himself but his horse with his powerful thighs. Amazeballs!!!

[yubbywelch]

Does my bible count Winnie?

[MissWinnie]

I imagines the horse's eyes would have opened wide too, Dad! Ouch!

[MissWinnie]

Does my bible count Winnie?

It certainly does, Yubby.