Retro Reads discussion

Judy wrote: "I also loved both E Nesbit and Edward Eager as a child.

I believe The Saturdays is by another EE, Elizabeth Enright, I used to be obsessed with it and read it about a million times."

Oh my goodness ... I LOVE The Saturdays! Also The Middle Moffat (or any Moffat book), by another E.E. (Eleanor Estes).

The House of Arden and Harding's Luck are my two favorite Nesbits. I was so happy when I finally owned copies of each.

I own nearly every Wentworth but I am trying to remember what happens in Latter End. Time for a reread, perhaps!

CLM wrote: "The House of Arden and Harding's Luck are my two favorite Nesbits. I was so happy when I finally owned copies of each.

I own nearly every Wentworth but I am trying to remember what happens in Latt..."

Latter End is a good one, I think.

CLM wrote: "The House of Arden and Harding's Luck are my two favorite Nesbits. I was so happy when I finally owned copies of each.

I think you’re the reason I added these to my TBR list. 😊

Latter End is the one where the new wife is trying to push all of her husband's family out of his life (and home) and ends up dead herself. I really loved it!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "This is out of our time period but this is something so exceptional I'm going to post a link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYot5...

Make sure you listen to the end.

If any off you belong t..."

What a treat to be able to listen to that recording!

It's utterly amazing, I think!

Abigail wrote about her experiences as a poll worker in this thread. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I'd like to leave her post where it is, as the posts always look so messy when they are c&p.

I live in New Zealand & we have just had our elections as well. Our elections were meant to be in September, but were postponed till October because we had another outbreak of Coronavirus in Auckland. At the time, Auckland went to Level 3 (our second highest level) & the rest of the country went to level 2. Labour postponed our elections till October, but Jacinda (it isn't disrespect that most NZers call her by her first name - it's a combo I think of an unusual Christian name & her approachable style) said she wouldn't postpone again. By the time advance voting started most of NZ was Level One (basically normal life without overseas travel) & Auckland was Level Two (social distancing, mask wearing on public transport & certain other situations)

We had online training & a half day of face to face training. I think officials with elections.org did an incredible job with having to rebook (& in some cases reprint) everything.

I worked the two weeks advance voting & election day

Aaaarrrgghhh, just lost my second post.

All polling stations were at Level Two. Enforcing Social Distancing was...difficult.

I was not meant to start until the first Tuesday, but ended up working at least part of every day, except the first Friday & the second Tuesday.

We had an unprecedented turnout and almost always massive line ups. This was not helped by someone on a popular social media site in our town posting that we opened at 9 when in the first week we opened at 10. Most of the time people waited less than an hour but one day it might have been more like two hours.

I worked with great people and saw people I hadn't seen in years!

Election Day was long - & at our station very quiet. Some people had to start at 7.30am & I didn't finish till nearly 10.30pm.

My lovely husband came down with dinner for me. I wasn't that hungry during my dinner break but was very thankful for the food later on as our count dragged on.

How I am feeling now is that I will be happy to work another advance voting, but unsure if I will want to work another Election Day.

Labour, the Greens & our main opposition National have all said they want to change to a four year term (currently we are on three years) I don't know if that can be changed before the next election or not.

I just had a story I wanted to share!

I've just had a birthday & been spoilt rotten!

On our way to The Tron (Hamilton) Marty spotted a Book Fair in a little village called Eureka.

Marty was very surprised when I came out after a few minutes with an armful of books.

"Didn't think you would be that quick!"

"This is just the freebies. I'm going back in!"

One of the books I got was The Scent of Water I'm hoping to catch up on our group read of that one really soon!

What a great birthday gift. Many happy returns, Carol!

How great is that?! I loved The Scent of Water.

What a fun bookish birthday!

Peggy wrote: "What a fun bookish birthday!"

It was - I also went to a very well known second hand book store in The Tron - Browsers. They gave me a very generous swap for some unwanted books.

& my son has given me a book token - yay!

Elinor wrote: "What a great birthday gift. Many happy returns, Carol!"

Ha, it was indeed! Normally my husband wouldn't have pointed out a book fair to me!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I just had a story I wanted to share!

I've just had a birthday & been spoilt rotten!

On our way to The Tron (Hamilton) Marty spotted a Book Fair in a little village called Eureka.

Marty was very..."

Sounds like a pretty perfect birthday! Many happy returns!

Anything going on with you ladies this summer? Boy, I have been off the radar for a while now. I used to enjoy some of these lighter reads with you all. I am looking around to see if there are any I might like to join in. Happy Summer!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I just had a story I wanted to share!

I've just had a birthday & been spoilt rotten!

On our way to The Tron (Hamilton) Marty spotted a Book Fair in a little village called Eureka.

That is one I have been thinking about reading. Yay for you!

Marty was very..."

debbicat *made of stardust* wrote: "Anything going on with you ladies this summer? Boy, I have been off the radar for a while now. I used to enjoy some of these lighter reads with you all. I am looking around to see if there are any ..."

Same to you! Made a few quick driving visits to family this month (after everyone was fully vaccinated) to check in, other than that, staying close to home - a lot of reading, puttering in the garden, walks at the park - don’t want to get caught up in all the frantic, post-pandemic rush to travel!

Susan in NC wrote: "debbicat *made of stardust* wrote: "Anything going on with you ladies this summer? Boy, I have been off the radar for a while now. I used to enjoy some of these lighter reads with you all. I am loo..."

I sure understand that, Susan. I am going out of town next week to see family. Otherwise, I am enjoying getting out and about again here around home. I didn't have much reading time during this last year bc work was overly busy. I am picking up some good reads now tho. I have been doing some painting in some of our bedrooms and a little de-cluttering. Nothing stressful tho. :-)

debbicat *made of stardust* wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "debbicat *made of stardust* wrote: "Anything going on with you ladies this summer? Boy, I have been off the radar for a while now. I used to enjoy some of these lighter reads wi..."

Smart, don’t overdo and stress yourself!

Good to see you debbicat!

It is Winter here - & for our area quite cold. We will be having a couple of days away quite soon - staying with our daughter who lives near a beach on Auckland's North Shore while we attend a family function & a couple of other nice things!

Oh, have a lovely time, Carol, and safe travels!

Do members of this group know about the Web site and publisher Slightly Foxed? They reissue forgotten classics of the twentieth century, both fiction and nonfiction, in nice hardcover editions, and have interesting blogs focused on the writers of the era we follow here. They have just released a podcast about Golden Age crime writers. I don’t listen to podcasts myself but some of you might enjoy it: https://foxedquarterly.com/golden-age....

I don’t do podcasts, but thanks for the website, I was unaware of this publisher!

Their books are a bit spendy but pretty good quality. They are currently selling a set of three children’s books by BB, whom I adore, with line-drawing illustrations, as well as Nancy Mitford, etc.

This is the first time in about four months that I have gotten through my monthly stack of group reads in time to read a book of my choice, and I’m going to spend it wisely: The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp.

Ooh, sounds like a good choice! I look forward to your review.

me, too, I have never read that author and maybe I should.

We read her first novel recently, Rhododendron Pie, and I loved it! And this one is supposed to be one of her best. I enjoyed her children’s books as a kid but this was the group that introduced me to her adult books. If you like Angela Thirkell you’d like Margery Sharp—similar but a little, well, sharper.

Margery Sharp is one of my favorites. Might be time for a reread of The Foolish Gentlewoman.

Peggy wrote: "Margery Sharp is one of my favorites. Might be time for a reread of The Foolish Gentlewoman."

oh, now I remember: she wrote The Rescuers, right? my Mom used to read that series to me when I was a kid. I loved them and might even want to re-read them.

Yes, that’s the author, Jackie. I have now finished The Foolish Gentlewoman and found it a bit of a disappointment—less energy than Rhododendron Pie, as if the author had settled into a comfortable writing rhythm and wasn’t trying very hard. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

I just finished erasing underlining, check marks, and comments in my new copy of The Warden (which, as I've just finished up all 15 of the Thirkells I own, is a style switch that has taken me about 50 pages to change gears from Thirkell's mid-century witty ramblings to Trollope's Victorian witty phrasing). Does it drive anyone else to utter distraction to have footnotes or comments in the main test of a book?

I actually love notes if they’re at the foot or in the margins, but not if they’re in the running text.

Karlyne--I'm with with Abigail. I like them, and usually read them, but they have a proper place--foot of the page, thank you very much.

Karlyne wrote: "I just finished erasing underlining, check marks, and comments in my new copy of The Warden (which, as I've just finished up all 15 of the Thirkells I own, is a style switch that has taken me about..."

Wow, that is a style switch, I went the other way years ago when I was on a Trollope kick - a kind fellow reader asked if I had read Thirkell’s books? I was so pleased to dive in!

Is that a used copy you have? If it’s new, I’d be steamed someone wrote in my book!

I agree, I don’t mind if along the edges, makes a used book feel well-loved! But the worst is an abundance of highlights- we have a wonderful used bookstore chain here in NC, but as my city has several colleges nearby, the kids often buy or sell books here. If you buy a book in the classical fiction or nonfiction section, you may be treated to a rainbow of colorful highlighter patches! The worst is Grinch Green, hot pink or blue - hard on the eyes! And sometimes, a previous reader has really highlighted the heck out of the book, it’s a bloodbath!😱

I just find them distracting, because my eyes automatically go to them first. I think people ought to take notes on paper, and then when they're all done reading, they can glue it on the back cover!

I will bracket a particularly pithy statement, like this one from The Warden: "He conquered his enemies by their weakness rather than by his own strength." (wow). Most of the time, I'll just reference the page and a word or two of what I want to remember on the flyleaf. But, good grief! underline every word that you've never heard of? I mean, isn't that what Google's for? (hahahahaha)

Karlyne wrote: "I just find them distracting, because my eyes automatically go to them first. I think people ought to take notes on paper, and then when they're all done reading, they can glue it on the back cover..."

Well, yes, I can’t blame you for being annoyed, that sounds like the students that treat books like coloring books, and go to town with their multi-colored highlights! All a bit much. That is a lovely quote, you’ve got me thinking I need to revisit The Warden!

Sounds like your book’s previous reader might’ve benefited from reading the ebook - then he or she could just highlight and “look up” those unfamiliar words.

I remember that as a kid I was "allowed" to read any book I wanted to read, regardless of where my vocabulary was. Were there words I didn't understand? Probably, but I seriously cannot remember even one. I think context is how you learn to identify and define words without losing interest in the story. Dictionaries are wonderful reading, but shouldn't be used to look up every single unfamiliar word. Over-analyzing is the surest way to lose a reader (or at least this one).

It’s a tough call these days for writers to use obscure words. I used to love books full of words I didn’t know—they kept me on the stretch to follow, and expanded my vocabulary. I love learning new words! But today, readers expect to understand everything right away and often resent writers if they use unfamiliar words.

I’m putting the final touches on a new book, and I defiantly decided to use the right word, no matter how difficult or obscure. I have created a Web site with a glossary so readers of the paper copy can look things up if they want to, and am looking into creating links in the ebook. Trying to find a compromise that’s not too distracting for readers, without dumbing it down!

For me it would depend.

Our local library provides a piece of paper stuck in the front of the book for people who want to record things/as a reminder that they had already read a book. (honestly, pre Goodreads I took so many Dick Francis books home, only to find two pages in that I had already read them!)

Example (not from a Dick Francis);

Abigail sent me Rhododendron Pie with her proofreading marks in it. (the proofreading standards in this copy just about drove Abigail crazy!!! I found it interesting to see how a proofreader works! & my sister has given me a couple of old books of my NZ grandmother where Grammie has written notes. I'm looking forward to tackling them.

I sometimes write notes directly in my cookery books where the quantities are wrong. I know it will decrease the book's value but I only do this if the book is a keeper.

I started out putting comment sheets in the books I put in my Little Free Library, but almost nobody commented. (Almost nobody returned books, either, but I have decided to take that as a compliment to my literary tastes! For lack of a better alternative; I didn’t want to be resentful all the time.)

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "For me it would depend.

Our local library provides a piece of paper stuck in the front of the book for people who want to record things/as a reminder that they had already read a book. (honestly, ..."

I write all over my cookbooks, started that years ago, my son was a very picky eater as a child, so I would make notes of what went over, what didn’t , changes I might make, etc.

Abigail wrote: "I started out putting comment sheets in the books I put in my Little Free Library, but almost nobody commented. (Almost nobody returned books, either, but I have decided to take that as a complimen..."

That’s the right attitude! I bet they thought the “free” meant take a book, not necessarily take and return it…let us further hope they lent it to another reader.

Karlyne wrote: "I remember that as a kid I was "allowed" to read any book I wanted to read, regardless of where my vocabulary was. Were there words I didn't understand? Probably, but I seriously cannot remember ev..."

Agreed, you can totally lose the thread if you have to pause to look up every word.

Cookbooks are in a class by themselves! My kids used to make baked goods to sell, and they would make notes on quantities for doubling or tripling the recipes, or whether it was worth making again. I think it's so cute to see their notes today. Plus, I would have to reallly hate a cookbook to get rid of it, so eventually they'll get a kick out of seeing their little selves, too.

I love the idea of a glossary (in the back or on the web) and comment sheets. I just realized that comments in the text remind me of going into a house where the TV is on. No matter how I try to ignore it, the eyeballs are drawn to it (I read a scientific article about why this is, but don't ask me to explain it!).

Ugh yes, Karlyne, you’re evoking date-night horrors, sitting at a table trying to focus on a conversation with a relative stranger and not let my eyes stray to a game on the telly above the bar, even when I wasn’t interested in the game!

Abigail wrote: "Ugh yes, Karlyne, you’re evoking date-night horrors, sitting at a table trying to focus on a conversation with a relative stranger and not let my eyes stray to a game on the telly above the bar, ev..."

Lol!

Abigail wrote: "I started out putting comment sheets in the books I put in my Little Free Library, but almost nobody commented. (Almost nobody returned books, either, but I have decided to take that as a compliment..."

Your meant to return the book???

Gulp. I don't & I don't think anyone else does even at the ones that are part of the official Little Free Libraries. We book swap instead. I always keep a couple of books in the car in case I visit one.

Karlyne; " I would have to reallly hate a cookbook to get rid of it."

I just sold one written by an Australian influencer a few months ago. There was a big quantity mistake in one recipe & a comment on another one (that I enjoyed) that she hadn't tried it herself as she didn't hold with using a blender. I did try a couple of her other recipes but I had lost confidence in the book by then & sold it on TradeMe (our Ebay)