Author Topic: Talking Heads: Twenty Questions (Read 43305 times)

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #120 on:** September 24, 2011, 02:53:36 AM »

Talking Heads #15 - Twenty Questions

This discussion will be open from September 19 through September 30.

Library Bar in Auckland NZ

"It occurred to me that nothing is more interesting than opinion when opinion is interesting..."
Herbert Bayard Swope, creator of the Op-Ed page.

TWENTY QUESTIONS

Remember '20 Questions' on TV or better yet, remember when we were very young Teens and we set up a black marble composition book to list our classmates 20 favorites - Let's have some Teenage fun and share our favorites.

Your memory is probably chucked full but please just share one choice for each question. - Think, carrying your own luggage aboard a flight to a mountaintop or ocean isle - What do you pack?

Please keep the conversation in a separate post from the post where you simply with a few words list your answers to our 20 questions. I wonder how many new books and places we will learn from each other.

Here are our Twenty Questions...!

1. What is your favorite fiction book?
2. What is your favorite nonfiction book?
3. Who is your favorite author?
4. What is your favorite children’s’ book?
5. What book have you intended to read but haven’t yet?
6. What movie made from a book is your favorite?
7. Where is your favorite place to read in winter?
8. Where is your favorite summer reading spot?
9. What made for TV interpretation of a book is your favorite?
10. What is your favorite time in history to read about?
11. What library any place in the world would you like to visit?
12. What author’s house would you like to visit?
13. What is your favorite cookbook?
14. Over the years, what desert cookbook did you use the most?
15. Did you ever read a book that you had to hide with a fake cover?
16. What is your favorite book blog?
17. What is your favorite holiday book? (any holiday)
18. What is your favorite quote from an author?
19. What is your favorite memory of reading to someone?
20. What is your favorite memory of someone reading to you?

Contact: BarbStAubrey

Steph · « **Reply #121 on:** September 24, 2011, 05:59:13 AM »

OK.. so damper corresponds to almost all other cultures bread that is done over an open fire with few ingredients. There is indian bread from the southwest..,tortillas,dough for dim sum, matzoh, etc.
Oh, I love the King Arthur quote and had forgotten it.. Churchill had such a way with words. A great gift.
Cookbooks. I have collected them all of my life and am just now trying to get down to a reasonable number. I also asked for and got for last Christmas a book that was great.. What we Eat.. and it was from all over the world. Each page a different person with what they ate that day along with a picture. Great book. I adore it.

Babi · « **Reply #122 on:** September 24, 2011, 09:45:44 AM »

(sigh) I could only answer a few questions on my own. Then,reading the posts, I'd think "Oh,
yeah, I loved that one, too?" But, was it my favorite or just the stirring of my sluggish memory by someone else's favorite?

Let me go ahead an put down the few answers I've got....and don't make me swear eternal
fealty to them, please!

2. What is your favorite nonfiction book?- Does the Bible qualify? Actually, it s
a library itself.
3. Who is your favorite author? Jane Austen 4. What is your favorite children’s’ book? "Anne of Green Gables", but only after MARYPAGE brought it up.
6. What movie made from a book is your favorite? Pride and Prejudice
7. Where is your favorite place to read in winter? Recliner
8. Where is your favorite summer reading spot? Same as above.
10. What is your favorite time in history to read about? 16th-18th Cent. England
11. What library any place in the world would you like to visit? Boston Public Library
12. What author’s house would you like to visit? Emily Dickinson13. 15. Did you ever read a book that you had to hide with a fake cover? No
16. What is your favorite book blog??Who remembers blogs?
19. What is your favorite memory of reading to someone. I was reading Elizabeth Goudge's "Blue Hills" and paused to read a section to my daughter Sally. She liked
it so well she sat down and asked me to read more. Andy walked by, stopped to listen a minute and was hooked. The Valerie joined us. I wound up reading, over a period of several days, the entire book aloud.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #123 on:** September 24, 2011, 12:01:10 PM »

Steph I bet this is your book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets although, he wrote several book on what folks around the world eat and how they live - facinating - thanks for introducing us to him.

Babi so glad you gutsed up and wrote it out - Babi the story of your reading by accident a whole book to your daughter and son is one of the most precious experiences I have heard - what a wonderful warmhearted memory to pull up from time to time - Babi just special and thanks for bringing it to us -

Looks like a trip to New England would be a perfect goal for you with a chance then to see not only the Emily Dickinson house but the Boston Public Library as well. Certainly a place where the early churches are preserved and where this nation had its beginnings as folks wanted among other incentives religious freedom.

I wonder what the earliest Bible is that was printed in North America - oh we know of some of the ancients and some libraries including here in Austin have a copy of one of the earliest beautifully illustrated Bibles but I wonder where the first Bible was printed in North America and for that matter in what city or town it was printed. Anyone have any clue?

salan · « **Reply #124 on:** September 24, 2011, 12:39:06 PM »

Thanks for posting this discussion, Barb.....you have sent me spiraling down memory lane. Some answers were easy and others I am still pondering...

19. Favorite memory of reading to someone. I read to my daughter every evening for 30 minutes. I let her chose which book she wanted me to read. Her tastes were eclectic and it was interesting to see which book she would choose. She was reading before she started kindergarten and by the time she was in 3rd grade, she usually read on her own. When we travelled; she & I would chose a book that we thought my ddh would enjoy listening to (those were the days before books on tape). Some of our favorite travel books were, Owls in the Family, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
Another great reading aloud memory was the summer my 9 year old nephew spent a week with us. He had trouble reading (auditory discriminatory & was slightly ADD). I read Winnie the Pooh to both of them; and he absolutely loved it and kept giggling all the way through the book. He and I were talking at our last family reunion (he's now 44 years old, 6ft 3in, 200 lbs. and a police chief). Imagine my pleasure when he whipped out his IPad and showed me that he had downloaded Winnie the Pooh and said he re-read portions of it all the time! Truely a memorable moment!!
Sally

mabel1015j · « **Reply #125 on:** September 24, 2011, 02:09:16 PM »

I just remembered another favorite children's book, one i had read to me before i got to Nancy Drew - Black Beauty! I remember, vaguely, having it read to me over and over.

Jean

MaryPage · « **Reply #126 on:** September 24, 2011, 02:54:11 PM »

I read to my children right up until they turned 13 each. This because it had become a nighttime ritual and because they loved being read to and because I am a very excellent reader aloud. Each was more than competent to read to themselves.

We still talk about the night I was reading to my youngest from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. He was about six and his next to oldest sister was home from her Freshman year at college and their high school age sister was with her in the bedroom next to his. When we got to the end of a chapter, I announced that was all for that night, but before Chip could complain and beg for just one more, these loud groans came from the other bedroom; these two girls had been listening to every word and wanted it to go on and on!

There is always a little kid within each of us.

I love the story of the police chief who still cherishes Winnie Ther Pooh. (That is what Christopher Robin called him.) I, personally, have never outgrown those books by A.A. Milne. When We Were Very Young is my all time fav!

JoanK · « **Reply #127 on:** September 24, 2011, 03:11:11 PM »

BARB: you are more perceptive than I am. I loved the "Push-me-pull-you" as a child, too, but never thought to equate it to humans. I can think of some good examples.

Anyone notice that "Mr. Poppers Penguins" is just out as a movie?

JudeS · « **Reply #128 on:** September 24, 2011, 03:45:08 PM »

Marypage

Yes! Winnie The Poo is a book for all ages, not just for children.A.A.Milne wrote it as a soldier in WW1 as letters to his son at home.

Another book for all ages is The Little Prince by Antoine St. Exupery.

Barb:
The movie version of Dr. Dolittle was , in my opinion, terrible.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #129 on:** September 24, 2011, 04:41:14 PM »

Sally - You also with a wonderful memory and to think it was your nephew's seminal memory or else it would not be on his phone. Just think, a policeman with the memory of an aunt reading to him Winnie the Pooh - hopefully. Pooh and all his friends from time to time gives him the sage advise we all need.

Hehehe you also MaryPage with your older children thinking they were just too big to listen to Mom read a story. Love it...

Ah yes, Black Beauty- I hated that bit where he was the ill treated work horse - so much so that I did not want to go to see the movie when the next door neighbor offered to take me. Inwardly I shuddered and that scene unfortunately became for me the center of the story. I think back and the things I experienced as trauma hearing and seeing golly most kids today know about and have seen these things by the time they are age 2.

I still remember at age 6 standing before a colorful poster of frightened running Chinese men women and children with bombs exploding in the background - something about the Japaneses invasion of China - I couldn't move - I couldn't even come up with words to ask questions -

Mom pulled me away as they were walking on and I was standing there - that scene stayed with me for so long with my feeling just numb and rooted to the thought 'how could this be' and there is no escape because as I recall in the left, bottom, smaller, that I was supposed to know it was a separate vignette however, at that young age I only saw it as part of the whole, there were a group of soldiers with those bindings on their legs, rifles raised with knives attached to the end that I could only think these fleeing masses of terrified people were all going to be killed front or back.

I guess what astonishes me to this day is how I felt and how many years till I finally learned what was real in a poster - I sure didn't need a movie did I - I laugh at myself now as I realize I have an active movie in my head all the time.

OK decided to leave my story because I think it reminds us of how kids can see things that we take for granted and probably why so many of these childhood stories and experiences stay with us - as children we seem to form a stronger attachment to what goes on around us - good or bad. Parents have to do a lot more explaining today don't they...

What a great suggestion Jude - The Little Prince - so many wonderful quotes - I remember working at Girl Scout Camp when my oldest were camp age and the unit leaders printed out on the dinning room blackboard each day a new quote from The Little Prince. Oh you know we just need a few here don't we...

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction

Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

He who would travel happily must travel light

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #130 on:** September 24, 2011, 04:54:51 PM »

Joan I could be dead wrong here - but for the life of me I am just not remembering penguins in the book and I even have the book of Mary Poppins Comes Back - I wonder if they made a bigger story of the penguins that Hollywood put in the dance routine with Bert and now they have created a storyline that will be the basis for a new children's movie. After all that movie about the penguins dealing with pollution on their land so that the younger one who is different goes off to find answers was a surprise hit a couple of summers ago. I can almost see the wheels turning - penguin stories make money...

MaryPage · « **Reply #131 on:** September 24, 2011, 08:38:01 PM »

Barbara, I think you were born with a very large Empathy gene. Not every human being is, you know. In fact, many are born with no ability to empathize whatsoever, and what's more, many never acquire a scintilla of compassion.

So good on you. Me? It takes one to know one.

Stuff like that hurt me when I was little, too. And like you, I still remember. People hurting people, people hating people. It still tears me in tatters.

CubFan · « **Reply #132 on:** September 24, 2011, 09:26:20 PM »

I would expect that they movie if taken from

Mr. Popper's Penguins the 1938 book by Richard and Florence Atwater.

I remember it was in every school & public library children's room. Because it was an older book, it was not picked by the children, but was often a teacher read aloud. It was a Newbery Book Award runner up in 1939. I think it is available in paperback now.

Mary

nlhome · « **Reply #133 on:** September 24, 2011, 09:47:55 PM »

Mr. Popper's Penguins - another memory of reading to my children. What fun.

I'm still coming up with answers.
7. My favorite place to read in winter? The recliner in the living room, with a cup of tea and a cat next to me.
8. My favorite place to read in summer? The deck in back, under the sun umbrella, with my feet up and a blas of ice tea beside me. Very peaceful.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #134 on:** September 24, 2011, 10:02:44 PM »

Aha - if I just read correctly

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #135 on:** September 24, 2011, 10:09:27 PM »

My goodness look - among other publications there is a Study Guide for Mr. Popper's Penguins
http://tinyurl.com/3cjfkek

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #136 on:** September 24, 2011, 10:10:20 PM »

MaryPage

PatH · « **Reply #137 on:** September 24, 2011, 11:14:18 PM »

Study guide to Mr. Popper's Penguins? Good grief. I loved that book when I was little, but I can't imagine what you could say about it to justify asking people to pay money for a guide.

Steph · « **Reply #138 on:** September 25, 2011, 06:11:59 AM »

I read to my sons for years, but my older son is a very very straight line thinker. He only wanted true stories..Used to drive me nuts. Thank heaven, the younger loved Babar and The Little Prince and even the Oz series..
I must be an optimist, not am empathist. My only memories of WWII.. Being so excited when my Mom came home with groceries. She used to solemnly give me the margarine bag. It was white stuff with a red button. You pressed, broke the button and then squashed away until the whole bag was yellow..She hated margareine, but during the war, that was what you got. The war simply did not impinge on me except my Dad and Uncles were all in various types of uniforms. My Dad was blind in one eye, so he was in reserves, so he never went away , but wore the uniform once a week for reserve training..Coast Guard yet, I have a picture somewhere in a 6 year old with long blonde pigtails (me) perched on his knee when he was in full uniform.. But posters.. No,, gave my money each week for saving bonds..Remember that at school. We filled up a card and then turned it in.. War bonds.. not saving..Sorry.

Babi · « **Reply #139 on:** September 25, 2011, 08:50:42 AM »

Love the story about your nephew, SALLY. Isn't it a marvel the impact those early
experiences can have on people. You never know what is going to 'stick'.

BARB, you remind me of a very different sort of reaction. My aunt told of taking
my cousin, when she was quite young, to see 'Godzilla'. She was horrified when the
scene came of the monster picking up a human being and popping it in his mouth.
She looked quickly at my cousin, afraid she had traumatized the child for life!
My cousin, however, simply popped some more popcorn in her mouth, remarking, "Well,
he got one."

MARYPAGE, I remember reading "The Glass House of Prejudice" when I was in high school.
On one occasion I was doing some quick reading while waiting for gym class to start.
I read something that so angered and upset me that I threw the book, yelling, "They
can't do that!" Needless to say, I got a lot of stares.

MaryPage · « **Reply #140 on:** September 25, 2011, 11:57:12 AM »

In rereading this morning I realize Sally mentioned The Best Christmas Pageant Ever back there, and I failed to comment that I had forgotten about that book (with about a bazillion others!), but it WAS a wonderful, very best book I ever read when you finish it, sort of book. If you've missed it, there is Still Time!

JudeS · « **Reply #141 on:** September 25, 2011, 12:29:51 PM »

Steph
You reminded me of Oleo during the War.
I was so traumatized by the "red stuff" pouring out into the "white stuff" that I have never eaten margerine or butter on bread till this day!

I think it reminded me of blood and all the horrors of war. Weird what children's imaginations will do.

ANNIE · « **Reply #142 on:** September 25, 2011, 12:35:35 PM »

When we lived in Atlanta, GA, our next door neighbors invited us to join them for the Christmas program in their Baptist church. They gave us 4 tickets and off we went---my daughter and I plus her two children, ages 5 and 7. The first part of the program was "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and we all loved it. Never knew about the book so it was all new to us. Wonderful story!
I am changing or adding to my 20's list:
Favorite fictions: All of Thomas Costain's novels which were Historical Fiction. I cut my HF tooth on his writings.
Another favorite non-fiction: "The Wild Trees" by Richard Preston---

http://www.richardpreston.net/books/wt.html

When you go to this site, you can listen to excerpts from the book. The book made me crave to see those trees and their canopies but getting into the forests is probably a little too much for this old lady. He did take his grandparents up into the canopy of one of the wild trees. I am so green with envy!

Well I tried to listen to the excerpts but ended up clicking on the interviews with author as my Mac with Quicktime couldn't open the excerpts. But the interviews are quite interesting also. Try them!

MaryPage · « **Reply #143 on:** September 25, 2011, 02:30:58 PM »

I share your love of Thomas Costain's historical novels. My very favorites were the 4 books that made up the quartet titled together "The Last Plantagenets." Blood and gore, gore and blood. And all true!

JoanK · « **Reply #144 on:** September 25, 2011, 03:21:48 PM »

STEPH: our father had one eye, too. He didn't even make it into the reserves (he was near the top age for being drafted).

I hated those red buttons as well.

FlaJean · « **Reply #145 on:** September 25, 2011, 03:55:40 PM »

I loved mixing the margarine--made me feel so grown up.

We lived near an army/air force base and we always had several servicemen around visiting my oldest sister (13 years older than I was and very pretty) and staying for dinner. My mother was a wonderful cook and, having three daughters and no sons, she loved cooking for the young servicemen.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #146 on:** September 25, 2011, 05:01:35 PM »

Babar - you reminded me Steph - Still have my large paper copies of both The Story of Babar and the one I liked less Babar the King. I was in the hospital when I was 7 and these two books along with doll I named Francis for the Hospital were gifts and when Mom was allowed in to see me she sat next the bed and read to me The Story of Babar And then when I got home not only did she finish these two books but my father brought home a copy of Robinson Crusoe which was at that early age the first chapter book read to me.

Talk about backwards because Mom found her copy of the Bobbsy Twins and read it after she finish Robinson Caruso. She made all stories sound exciting and would stop to explain or compare the scene to something in my life so the difficulty of the story was never an issue for me.

I never thought till now I bet those Babar books are valuable - they are the 1930s copies - I should root them out and see the copywrite and publisher - something of value to pass on to my grands...

Babi that is what I mean about kids being exposed to fantasy and understanding it as fantasy at such a young age - Heck I didn't see my first movie till I was 7 and we only got a radio for Christmas when I was 5 going to be 6 in another month. And so at times I wonder if we have coarsened childhood so they are numb to what is real and what is fantasy.

There was a few years there where it seemed to me every church group in town and every other middle school was doing a stage version of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Now that everyone is so politically correct about the only Christmas plays we see are the few churches that do these outdoor dramas with farm animals telling the story of the birth of Jesus. I hear of high schools doing Broadway shows, usually musicals but do not hear about grade schoolers or those in middle school performing anything any more.

Ha looks like several of us have the memory of mashing the red button into the oleo - I guess that was the first packaged spread because I am remembering when butter was available it was in a large round wooden barrel just like a wheel of cheddar cheese so that the store keeper cut into and measured out on a scale the amount of butter we wanted and then it was wrapped like meat was wrapped almost like doing Origami in front of us. As I recall the Oleo tasted nothing like butter so that mom ended up using it to cook with and we just went without on our bread.

The two thick tomes that came in the mail when I belonged to that book club where you purchased 6 books a year and got 4 free was Constain's Tontine - I was as riveted as ever whenever reading his books.

Yes, my father was too old for the service during WWII as well - he was just of age when WWI wound down but he was also the only one bringing in money - my aunt did get to go to school and his father was a drinking man who could not hold onto a job and so my father was their sole support from the time he was 10. He had some harrowing tales to tell of his early days earning his wages.

There are so many children's books - surprisingly good literature that I have fond memories of reading - the two Kate Seredy books The Good Master and The Singing Tree were favorites - I loved the illustrations and the older published jackets are of colorful Polish cutouts -

And then we had a neighbor clearing out and asked if I wanted a wonderful set of 12 books called My Book House, edited by Olive Beaupre Miller - chuck full of wonderful wonderful stories - somehow I am missing Book 2 and every so often I remember and go on a search mission - but I read from this set to my grands taking the appropriate book for their age when I visited or we would vacation down on Aransas.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #147 on:** September 25, 2011, 05:20:56 PM »

Ah Flajean you posted while I as busy typing away and so I missed and just saw your post -yes, WWII was heady times weren't they - I had cousins who were dating age and there was mail on those onion skin approved paper mailers and the bands from the sailors hats naming the ship or simply saying US Navy hanging from their vanity mirror and all the giddy chatter with make up being applied and pencil seams so they could go to this or that dance -

I'm remembering the swapping of stamps that women did in order for some to get shoes and others to get more sugar - Mom was one of those after more sugar since she did so much preserving and jam making - I am remembering my father borrowing a car and getting enough gas so that we, my sister and I, plus my Mother and our next door neighbor all went to a farm with a huge apple orchard with no menfolk to pick apples. The women gave permission to anyone who wanted to take the apples to do so - in a couple of hours we filled up the entire inside of the car so that on the way home in the front seat was squeezed my mother, the neighbor, my sister on her lap since she was closest to the door and I got to sit on top of all the apples with my head bent over as it hit the roof - after we had apple sauce, apple butter, apple jelly, backed apple, apple Kuchen, sliced apple and raisin pie - that was the year of the Apple in our house.

ANNIE · « **Reply #148 on:** September 25, 2011, 06:10:38 PM »

Quote

Well I tried to listen to the excerpts but ended up clicking on the interviews with author as my Mac with Quicktime couldn't open the excerpts. But the interviews are quite interesting also. Try them!

No one looked into these wonderful excerpts?? What I say above is not right. I was able to listen to the excerpts if I clicked on the correct link to them.

Barbara,
Not only were we exposed to "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" that evening but we saw our first Living Christmas Tree done by the choir on a borrowed tree. And after that their orchestra played some wonderful classical music interspersed with Christmas hymns that we all sang along with smiling and tearstained faces.
Our Christmas pageants were always held for the school and the women's club! My first one was about the birth of Jesus and I was was one of the three kings dressed in a heavy chenille maroon bedspread(trimmed down, I was only 7yrs old) with a corded tieback as my belt. Can't remember what Mom came up with for the crown, probably gold painted cardboard. Man, I was really weighted down in that costume!

salan · « **Reply #149 on:** September 25, 2011, 06:27:33 PM »

#4. My favorite books as an older child were definitely the Nancy Drew mysteries. At one time, I had the whole collection. Every Christmas I would get the latest books in the series. Later on, I gave them to my oldest niece and she added to the collection. Umm, wonder what she did with them. I also loved Black Beauty, the Bobbsey Twins, Anne of Green Gables, and many more. When I was younger I liked the fairy tales, like Cinderella, Snow White, Snow White and Rose Red. I did not like Hansel and Gretel. It was too disturbing to me.
#20. My favorite memory of being read to as a child. Every Christmas my mother would get out her copy of Turkey Trott and the Black Santa (not politically correct today). It was her special copy and it only came out in December. She would sit down and read to my younger sister and myself. My older sisters would linger around the corner and listen. Mother loved that story and we did too. It was heartwarming and forced us to think of others who were in a worse situation than we were. Both of my parents worked full time and grew and canned their own vegetables to make ends meet. We lived out in the country and kept a milk cow and chickens. Mother's outside job, and cooking, canning, cleaning and washing gave her little time to read to us. My two older sister's read to my younger sister and myself. Later on, I read to my little sister until she was able to read for herself. The special time Mother took to read to us was as important as the book itself!

Sally

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #150 on:** September 25, 2011, 07:04:37 PM »

Well I can't keep up with all the wonderful children's books mentioned these past few days - and so I think I will simply print out what I have - the other list I really want to print out is all the books we have not yet read and are on our TBR pile -

That to me would be facinating and may even give us some ideas of books to consider when we are making our choices - we used to have more than one book going at a time -

I know I am always reading more than one book at a time - I wonder if we are to the point we would consider reading together more than one book at a time -

I would think though to do ourselves a favor if we did make that choice that the one book ought to be something meaty and maybe even something current and meaty where as a lighter story would be lovely to read and discuss -

I know we have a mystery group but I do not think they actually discuss a book - or wouldn't it be fun to discuss a cookbook especially now that the weather is cooperating so that turning on the kitchen oven is not like turning on a blast furnace in the middle of a heat wave - but to choose a cook book and try at least one recipe a week sharing the experience and results - could be fun.

OK next post will have the list of most of the children's books we have fond memories of reading NOT including the Holiday books that for many of us are Christmas Children's stories.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #151 on:** September 25, 2011, 07:22:37 PM »

Caddie Woodlawn - Carol Ryrie Brink
Caddie Woodlawn
Caddie Woodlawn
http://tinyurl.com/3cw5ra2
Magical Melons
http://tinyurl.com/4yby9wy
Wind in the Willows
http://tinyurl.com/3rgmhx6
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anna of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
http://tinyurl.com/3vje7c5
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of The Island
Anne of Windy Poplars
Anne’s House of Dreams
Anne of Ingleside
Rainbow Valley
Rilla of Ingleside
http://tinyurl.com/432x8xa
Nancy Drew books
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
http://tinyurl.com/3g7rycp
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie The Pooh
http://tinyurl.com/3hwxgmy
Wizard of Oz
http://tinyurl.com/3v5qnx3
Misty of Chincoteague
http://tinyurl.com/3o3skb2
Where the Wild Things Are
http://tinyurl.com/3wq4yl4
Shel Silverstien Poetry
http://tinyurl.com/3tjq6jl
Carry on MR. Bowditch
http://tinyurl.com/3lprfez
Bobbsey Twin books
Bobbsey Twins
Bobbsey Twins
http://tinyurl.com/43pfrf2
Boxcar Children
http://tinyurl.com/3trqkms
The Great Pie Robbery Richard Scarry
http://tinyurl.com/3khau92
The Long Winter - Laura Engels Wilder
http://tinyurl.com/3g32lvf
Dr. Doolittle
http://tinyurl.com/3qwrhku
Black Beauty
Black Beauty
http://tinyurl.com/3r9gm4a
The Little Prince - Antoine St. Exupery
http://tinyurl.com/4xoycb7
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins
http://tinyurl.com/3omocqo
The Deerslayer
http://tinyurl.com/6h69zlq
The Pathfinder
http://tinyurl.com/3pjqb6d
Robinson Crusoe
http://tinyurl.com/3lmccmb
Fairy Tales
http://tinyurl.com/438unmd
The First Book of Fairy Tales
http://tinyurl.com/3fqktax

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #152 on:** September 26, 2011, 03:30:24 AM »

Barb - I think it would be great to discuss a cookbook, preferably one that has plenty of narrative as well as the recipes. I don't know many American ones, and I'm not sure if I'd be able to get them, but I'd try. I'd love to do the cooking as well, so long as the recipes aren't too complicated/expensive.

Some UK ones that come to mind are Elizabeth David, Constance Spry (a real picture of 1950s-60s upper class living, but probably too long to read together) and the Barbara Pym cook book (which has refs to her novels and recreates the food from them) - but as I am sure I will already have mentioned, I have very fond childhood memories of an American book, James Beard's Delights & Prejudices, with its stories about life in Portland (I think) in the early 20th century. I so wish I had bought that book when the library no doubt sold it off (they certainly don't have it now).

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #153 on:** September 26, 2011, 06:20:28 AM »

I was a big James Beard fan, so have that book and quite a few others of his. Beard on Bread has always been my bible for bread making.
Thomas Costain, on me, I had forgotten him and I loved his stuff. The Tontine.. The Plantaganets.. Wow.
But I opened up Southern Living yesterday and found the perfect quote for me at this point in my life.
Carson McCullers.. The Heart if a Lonely Hunter.
"And how can the dead be truly dead when they stlll live in the souls of those who are left behind?"

Babi · « **Reply #154 on:** September 26, 2011, 08:35:42 AM »

You remind me, BARB, that we had a 'victory' garden. So many people were planting
food to help take the strain off resources. I remember cutting potatoes so each
piece had an 'eye' to take root. But most of all I remember waiting impatiently
for the first watermelon to ripen, only to find the kids next door had swiped it!

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #155 on:** September 26, 2011, 10:22:43 AM »

Ouch - kids do that as a prank but oh if it is the only one or one of just a few it does feel meanspirited. As a kid I was one of those kids that took but not from a garden patch - one of the neighbors had several fruit trees and nearest to our back fence so that some branches just barely went over the property line was of all things a cherry tree - a tree that does better further north - well my friend from across the street and I were in the tree eating cherries when my mother came out and saw us -

Wow, wow, wow - we both were scolded good a proper and I was grounded for a week. I had not ever remembered seeing my Mother so angry and scolding a neighbor child but she laid into both of us and walked her across the street to her mother scolding in a loud voice all the way - the whole neighborhood heard her with folks popping out their front door to see what the commotion was all about.

I smile now because it would make a great cartoon - more so than a movie since I have not seen a movie in forever where the parents showed any backbone expecting certain behavior.

I can't believe the memories that are coming up as we share with each other our own memories -

With so many today starting to kitchen garden again or create 'Victory' gardens it brings back memories of our youth - our family didn't have a cow like Sally but my father did have chickens and I still remember a couple of times the Doctor coming to the house and my father payed him with eggs.

Sally were you one of the milkers or was that a job for you mother and father? Did you have a shed for her or was there enough land so that you actually had a barn? And did anyone ever tease and send a stream of hot milk toward kids watching the milking?

Have you noticed so much of this self-sufficient attitude is in the characters of the books we loved as children - there was none of this 'the world and universe is greater than my ability to affect our life'. No fear was left untouched and a bully got his comeuppance - a fantasy world for sure but one that I think many of us believe in as we keep trying to bring it about for ourselves and others.

MaryPage · « **Reply #156 on:** September 26, 2011, 10:22:53 AM »

No one seems to have read the Oz books. I think there were close to 32 of them all together, and when Frank Baum died his daughter Ruth continued them. At least, that is what my memory tells me. I read them ALL! And adored them and my mental picture of the Land of Oz! Purple country in the north, red in the south, blue in the east (my favorite) and yellow in the west. Green in the center, and that was The Emerald City.

I spent hours and hours and hours of my childhood with those books. A lot of it in live oak trees!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oz_books

http://thewizardofoz.info/

And then there were TWELVE collections of fairy tales, each a different color books. These took hours, as well and all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lang's_Fairy_Books

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #157 on:** September 26, 2011, 10:43:22 AM »

Sounds like trying at least one month of a cookbook has some takers - what fun we could have - being practical - the holiday months sound like a good time and yet, most of us are either busy or we have family recipes we are busy preparing - I wonder if either January or February would be a time to make a stab - I could see us doing one cookbook every season - but y'all may have some ideas and who knows - it may not be more than the one time but it is worth a try to see how we enjoy the experience.

Now January is usually our coldest month but for those that join us from Australia it is their warmest month - I guess we will just have to play it by ear - but if there are at least 5 of us interested we can make a go of it -

So far James Beard has been mentioned and again, since we are in different parts of the world to find a cookbook we can all share would be the challenge - but how much fun since not only will we learn what books are available to all of us but, in addition we will learn about the various ways we measure and various foodstuff that is available to us - I am smiling already thinking about reading like a novel the cookbook itself.

OK here is the US version of the Amazon page for James Beard - seems to me Amazon is available to order from in Britain - I do not know how that works for Scotland but since even we can order from the English site and simply pay the extra postage I bet Rosemary you can do the same and more, the book we choose, as long as it is available on the UK Amazon site it may very well be available in a local bookstore.

Here are the James Beard Cookbooks available to us...Not saying at this point he is our chosen chef but it is a start and based on interest here we can set something up to gather interest and offer a choice of cookbooks to vote on for either January or February after the holiday season leaves us with a bit more time on our hands.

http://tinyurl.com/3boc9mm

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #158 on:** September 26, 2011, 11:05:28 AM »

MaryPage - you are so right - the Oz books are not a favorite for most of us - one mention was made of the book we all know because of the movie - and that cast of characters was perfection along with a song that still brings tears to our eyes. But the other books in the series hmmm may be worth looking into. Again, some of these so called children's books beat some of the fiction pumped out for our enjoyment today.

Oh and the Fairy Tales - that is a study in itself isn't it - I remember being enchanted when I saw in Paris the statue to one of the better known Fairy Tale authors - Charles Perrault. Every nation has their fables and Fairy Tales - what a treasure trove you have linked for us - thanks.

MaryPage · « **Reply #159 on:** September 26, 2011, 11:06:34 AM »

I am going to opt out of any cookbook discussion. I have a very small wooden motto board attached to the kitchen cabinet nearest my fridge. It says quite simply, but with the most deeply sincere of sentiments:

COOK IS A FOUR LETTER WORD.

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