A new book genre: the ‘big family’ genre

When I was a kid, I loved reading books about big messy families.  Being an only child, it was a window into a life I would never have and one that I yearned for.  Now I look back, I unconsciously gravitated towards friends who had big families.  I loved getting to stay over at their houses and feeling like one of the kids.

I think I liked the idea of having a ready-made gang to go on adventures with.  One of the families I was friends with, they had a huge garden which backed onto farmland and I remember we would just wander out into the countryside with their dog and spend the whole day exploring.  It was like stepping into a novel for me!

Here are some of my favourite ‘big family’ (yes, it’s a genre!!) books.

The “What Katy Did” series by Susan Coolidge

I had to google these ones.  I had an idea in my head that it involved a large family but I couldn’t remember exactly- and yes it does!  I really adored Katy and her adventures.  Despite being written in 1872, Katy was relatable and I loved the journey her character goes on.

“Seven Little Australians” by Ethel Turner

This is Katy’s Australian counterpart.  This story has more than a few similarities.  I remember harbouring quite a crush on the older brother, Pip :)  This story follows seven (Australian) children in their adventures around their house and estate wonderfully called Misrule.  It is honestly such a fantastic book- but is seared into my young mind as having the most traumatic thing to ever happen in any book ever.  The ending is a tearjerker to say the least.  At least if you read it, you will be forewarned.  Just picture little 10 year old Laura reading a cute book about children having fun, not aware that something awful will happen at the end of the book, and then BAM!  Definitely a life changer!

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Whilst not a large family by the standards of the previous books, the Pevensie children do hold a special place in my heart.  Unlike the other children who had adventures around their house, the Pevensie children went on adventures in another world!  I spent many hours in Narnia, by reading the books and indulging in some INTENSE make-believe sessions.

The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton

I really loved these books, mainly because I saw a lot of myself in the character of George.  She was an only child who got to be part of a family bunch of crime-solving kids.  And she had a dog.  And whilst I wasn’t as much of a tomboy as her, I certainly wasn’t going to be stuck doing the dishes like old Anne!

(I now really want to re-read Famous Five books and drink lashings of ginger beer whilst I do so)

Can you think of any “big family” genre books that I missed that I might like?  There is one omission in my mind: Little Women.  I just couldn’t get into that book at ALL.  The movie with Winona Ryder and Christian Bale is FANTASTIC though!

Great Big Books Q&A & Something Else

Sidenote: I am over at Suzy’s blog today.  Come and say hello so that I am not a sad person with zero comments on her blog.  And then come back and read this that I stole from her blog…

These are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover
3. Answer the questions below
4. Tag a few people to pass the Q&A on to: I have a few ‘booky’ people who follow my blog and I’d love to hear their thoughts :)

Favourite book cover:I don’t think I have one.  There’s nothing jumping out at me off the top of my head.  Instead I offer you this- I have a very small collection of books with me and this is the one I like the best. 



What are you reading right now?
I’m reading ‘Heart’s Blood’ by Juliet Marillier .  It’s just what I need right now.  A nicely written, easy to read YA fantasy novel.  Pure escapism. 

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
I put ‘Black Out’ by Connie Willis down to read the book I’m currently reading.  ‘Black Out’ has amazing reviews and has won a ton of awards… but I just can’t get into it.  But I will persevere! 

What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got round to?
The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are
“The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusack (thanks for the reminder Suzy!)
“Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel García Márquez

What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?
I never buy magazines as I think they’re such a huge waste of money.  But I think there’s a copy of Frankie in the living room courtesy of Girl Roomie.

What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?
Um… the worst book I’ve ever read..?  I can’t think of one but I can tell you a story about one.  I was reading this book (‘Affinity’ by Sarah Waters) and it was SO boring and weird and there seemed to be so much subtext going on that I didn’t understand (and I hate feeling stupid!).  I nearly put it down… but then it became the BEST story ever!  Beautifully written and an amazing ending.  And then I read it when I wasn’t a naive 17 year old and it made a whole lot more sense, haha!

What book seemed really popular but you actually hated?
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series.  Not that I ‘hated’ it exactly.  I read all the books and they were ok.  Just ok.  I don’t see why they were SO popular.  I read a lot of crime/thriller books and I didn’t think the plot or characters or writing set this series apart from any other book in the genre.  Don't understand why the entire world went gaga for this particular series.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
'The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman.  It’s a hundred times better than the movie.  And the movie is the best.

What are your 3 favourite poems?
I really like ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling.  And I tried to learn ‘Seal Lullaby’ by Kipling off by heart.  I’ve never been a big fan of poetry though. 

Where do you usually get your books?
I’m quite cheap when it comes to books.  They are SO expensive over here in Australia compared with elsewhere.  $19 compared with something like $7 in the US.  I nearly died when I went to the US recently and saw how cheap the books were!!  I very rarely buy books and if I do, I’ll get them cheaply online or from a second hand store.  I am a HUGE library girl!

Where do you usually read your books?
In bed.

When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?
Not really.  My dad used to read to me when I was about nine or ten before I used to go to sleep.  I could read for myself but it was a nice bonding experience.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
The Hunger Games trilogy.  I just *had* to know what was going to happen!  I really fell hard for Katniss’ character.

Have you ever “faked” reading a book?
I originally said no but then I remembered.  I have faked reading ‘Little Women’.  I’ve tried but it’s just so boring!  I love the movie and so I can talk knowledgably about the storyline.  And so people believe I have read the book and I just haven’t corrected them…

Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
I’ve also *not* brought a book because of the cover too.  I like fantasy books but some of them have really silly covers!  A book I know that I bought for the cover (and by ‘bought’ I mean, saw it for sale, fell in love with it and then got it out from the library') was.

Wow, it’s even lovelier than I remembered!  It makes me want to read the book/series all over again!!  It’s so gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!  Don’t you just want to be an archer and wear a red dress and swan about whilst the wind blows through your hair?!

What was your favourite book when you were a child?
Anything that had a horse in it.  I really loved the Narnia series and there was a book where the main characters were horses, ‘The Horse and His Boy’.  I’d say that one was a favourite for quite some time.  And also anything by Jacqueline Wilson.  She was the best!

What book changed your life?
I remember having a ‘wow, you can do that?!’ moment when reading ‘Catcher in the Rye’.  It was the first book I’d ever read that was written in that informal style and I loved the freedom it offered, both as a reader and a writer. 

What is your favourite passage from a book?
I can’t think of one exactly but my favourite parts of books are always those parts where you realise you’ve been totally blindsided.  Here I go referencing a movie whilst talking about books, but I love those moments in books which are like the final moments in ‘The Usual Suspects’.  Everything comes together and your world shifts.  You realise that the writer is a master and you have been played a fool and you are reading so fast that you’re skimming words and you *HAVE* to know what’s happening right this very second.  As a reader, I just love those moments! 

Who are your top five favourite authors?
These are five authors that I like, in no particular order, off the top of my head:
1. Dean Koontz
2. Kate Morton
3. Kate Robinson
4. Val McDermid
5. Peter Goldsworthy

What book has no one heard about but should read?
Oh, I don’t know… um… “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie.  Such a good book.  I know a lot of people dismiss her but she is the bee’s knees and this book is such a good thriller.  I have been dying for a good movie or BBC adaption or similar of this book for YEARS!

What are your favourite books by a first-time author?
I was so stuck on this one so when I saw Sarah’s answer, I knew I had to steal it because I wholeheartedly agree with it: ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer.  Beautiful book.  And so sad that the author died just as the book was being published and never got to see how many people loved her story. 

What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?
Ah, I can’t think of any.  I’m definitely an “evangelist” for “The Princess Bride”.  Also probably anything written by Kate Morton because she’s a local girl and I love her books.   

What is your favourite classic book?
Since I got this from Suzy and she said ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ which would be my usual answer, I’d like to pick something different, ‘Jane Eyre’.  I think it’s fairly easy to read for a classic and I love Jane as a heroine and her story.  And I think Mr Rochester has a lot to answer for when I consider the type of men I like!

5 other notable mentions?
I have absolutely run out of steam and MUST go to bed.  My eyes are falling out of their sockets, I’m so exhausted.  Therefore I am bypassing this question.  BUT knowing myself as I do, I will think about this question and probably come out with ten or fifteen other books that I am kicking myself that I didn’t mention.  So I’ll probably edit this later :)

I hope you made it all the way to the end and I doubly hope you fill this out yourself!!

An UnManic Monday

As much as I love school, I’m not looking forward to going back on Wednesday. I just looked at my next few assignments and they sure are doozies. Dude, the 1950's called and they want their vocabulary back.

I have grown accustomed to being on holidays. Like today, I spent the morning on the Internet and then in the afternoon I caught up with an old friend and ate icecream and saw a movie. Why can’t all days be as lazy and fun as that? Life would probably get boring quickly. Maybe those kind of days are only fun because they are so far and few between.

I am looking forward to going back to work though. I want to hear if Maverick’s still around and the funny things Jenny’s kid says. I love love LOVE work. I know it’s not all playing with kittens but at the moment, it really is!

The second episode of ‘Game of Thrones’ is up online. I am itching to get my paws on it. I wasn’t quite sure about the first episode, it’s so dark and, well, horrible. Besides, I *hate* watching something before reading the book... and then the last five seconds happened and I was hooked. I’ll be telling myself that I’m watching it for direwolf cubs (and I believe I was promised dragons) but I’m lying. I love me some royal backstabbing and shenanigans and awesome costumes (and Sean Bean). I am getting the audiobook version of the book (all 33 hours of it!) next weekend and I’m excited.

Speaking of which, the lovely Helen and Olly from one of my fave podcasts “Answer Me This” have a great offer with Audible.com. Click here to receive a free audiobook. I did it last time and you really can get a free book! Just cancel your subscription within 14 days, even though you do have to give credit card details, and you don’t get charged a thing. Or if you’re anything like me, you cancel yours the second your audiobook has finished downloading :) It gives Helen and Olly (and Martin) some much needed money. And also listen to their podcast because you learn lots of (useless) things.

End of advertisement- and blog post.