Hello friends!
So on my theoretical ‘I’d like to reread this in March’ list, I have Of Bees and Mist, but I’ve just not been feeling it so instead of starting that book, I have decided to reread… The Famous Five Volume 2! I really like this 3-volume series because they use the same illustrations I had when I read the books growing up.
Since I’m working today, I’ve only managed to finish the first mystery – Five Go to Smuggler’s Top. It’s a pretty interesting mystery and Blyton does a very good job at misdirecting the reader (either that or she has decided to typecast all scientists as grumpy people). I suspected the wrong person for quite a large portion of the book and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t so.
And while looking up the character Sooty (who appears here but not again, it appears), I found this really Blyton-centric blog called World of Blyton. If Enid Blyton was a huge part of your childhood, I think you’ll adore the posts there (Smugglers Top got three long posts, which I was so happy to read).
This book also reminded me that I’ve got a book that centers around food found in children’s books and I’ve only made a few recipes from it! But I’ve also got new recipe books that I’ve not touched so… it’s a happy dilemma about what I should bake next!
(Well actually, I’ve got a bread proofing in the fridge right now because I wanted to see if it was as easy and tasty as the recipe intro said)
If it’s cake you’re looking to bake, may I recommend Nigella Lawson’s recipe for chocolate gingerbread? It’s a rice, treakley cake which is so warming, keeps well, and tastes great hot with icecream too. Personally I don’t tend to bother with the icing – it’s great without. Not book-related, but very delicious! Happy baking.
Oh this sounds great! And I love cakes that don’t need icing – my family doesn’t like too much sugar so I normally have to omit it. Thank you for the recommendation!
I haven’t re-read the famous five in so long!!! I had all 21 books in individual editions and loved them so so much as a kid!
They were such a huge part of my childhood!
Thank you so much for telling us about that Enid Blyton-focused blog! I was hooked on those books as a kid, and even though I reread the Faraway Tree and didn’t love it (as I thought I would), I’d still like to check out more of her books. I haven’t reread them since I was a kid.
I meant that I reread the Enchanted Wood, smh. The title flew out my head as I was typing the comment.
I’ve not reread The Enchanted Wood (I think Farway Tree works for me because I still want to visit some of those lands haha) but have you read her myth retellings? I thought those were fun!
I haven’t, or, I don’t think I did. I really can’t remember which ones I read, but the Enchanted Wood jogged my memory as I was reading it, so I think that’ll happen with the others. I’ll look them up.
I just don’t like the illustrations in the most recent editions.
Same! I only got these because the illustrations were the same as those I read as a child