What Is It About That Author?

This week's Weekly Geeks asks:

• Tell your readers what is it about "an" author that you are most passionate about, that have you coming back for more from them, following their every blog post – literally blackmailing people to read their books?

• Who are some of your all time favourite authors?

• And what is it about them that makes you keep going back for more?

My absolute favourite author is Enid Blyton. I attribute my love for reading to her. Most of my childhood reading was Blyton, and on a bad/rainy day, I still yearn to curl up with one of her books. I strongly believe that children should read her books, and while lately, there's been a lot of criticism about her racist and sexist, I personally think it's the politically-correct police working overtime - much like the whole "Baa Baa Black Sheep" being racist, and changing it to "Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep," which incidentally has homosexual connotations...

I digress.

Moving on to authors of adult books...

There are a number of authors I've enjoyed reading since my mid-teens, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Milan Kundera. I'm slowly working my way through all their books, and am enjoying taking my time.

A couple of years ago, I discovered J.M. Coetzee. While I love the three works by him which I have read, and think he's immensely talented, I'd still be reluctant to call him an all-time favourite.

Just last year, I discovered Angela Carter, an author I've enjoyed acquainting myself with. Not only are her works surreal, brilliant and original (well, I've never read anything like her books), but her book covers are so incredibly striking, that you just want them sitting on your shelf, to look pretty!

So, what keeps me going back for more? Well, it's different things about different authors, and in some instances, it's hard to nail down. I haven't listed Sarah Waters as a favourite, yet, I want to read all her books to see if any of them compare to Fingersmith.

With Marquez and Kundera, it's kind of hard to pinpoint what I love. I've almost taken it for granted that if I pick up one of their books, I'm bound to love it. The language is beautiful, the story thought-provoking, and I genuinely feel as though I'm gained something after reading their works. On the other hand, reading Carter is a hell of an experience. I'm sorry, but there's no other way (that I can think of) to describe it.

How about you? Do you have any authors that you're just drawn to, more than others? What keeps you going back for more of their works?

Doing the Impossible#1 : My Top Five Enid Blyton Books

I absolutely love Enid Blyton. I've practically grown up reading only her, and I actually feel like I've had a better childhood as a result of it. So, I set out to do the impossible: name my five favorite books by her. Nope - not series, books! As I'm writing this, I already have about fifteen books in mind - how can one limit themselves to only five favorites, when they've probably read over a hundred and fifty? Right, I'm going to do this... 5. Noddy Goes To Toyland

This is the first Enid Blyton book I read, and I was absolutely captivated. A land of toys? People can buy bricks, and build their own house? A doll can befriend a brownie? And have a teddy bear as a neighbor?

Honestly, it's the kind of things dreams are made of - at least, for a five year old. As soon as I finished this, I made my mum reach out and get the second book in the series : Hurrah For Little Noddy!

4. The Secret Of Spiggy Holes

This is the first book I read in the "Secret" series, and while all five of them were vivid, imaginative, and could easily be read independently, this is my favorite (only marginally).

Four children are on holiday in Cornwall, with almost no parental supervision, and staying at a place called "Peep Hole". Who wouldn't envy those kids?! Across them is "Old House", a place where a prince from a distant land is being kept prisoner, and it's Jack, Nora, Mike and Peggy to the rescue!

And, of course, the book leads us back to 'The Secret Island'...

3. The Naughtiest Girl

This one, I've actually struggled with. I loved all the school series: Malory Towers, St. Clares, and of course, The Naughtiest Girl. And I've sat her, drumming the table with my fingers, contemplating which was my favorite, and this one edges it, mostly because, while I really wanted to be like Darrell from Malory Towers, I was always more like Elizabeth from Whyteleafe: I always tried to be really good, and always did something or the other, which resulted in the aftermath not being great!

Elizabeth has all the qualities: fun-loving, good at sports, good student, etc. And most importantly, she always had a trick up her sleeve, and she was, all said and done, an angel at heart!

2. Five Run Away Together I know, you aren't allowed to have a favorite Famous Five book. I mean, you can't choose between Five On Treasure Island, or Five On Kirrin Island again, right? Well, this one's always been mine. I think I know it by heart. Read it so many times, that the book's in pieces now - probably one of the three books I possess which is in such a terrible condition. And I can still pick it up and read it, and lose myself in the adventures of the Famous Five.

The four children go to George's for the holidays, only to find that Joan, the cook, has been ill, and sour-faced grumpy Mrs. Stick has taken her place. Then, poor George's mum falls very ill, and when she is hospitalized, the Five decide to run away to Kirrin Island, rather than spend their holidays with dour Mrs. Stick, her lazy husband, and rude son.

1. The Magic Faraway Tree

How cool would it be, to move from the city to the countryside, next to The Enchanted Wood, right in the heart of which stands, The Magic Faraway Tree - a tree where magical creatures live, and where, a new land is atop the tree every few days: be it The Land Of Do-As-You-Please, or the Land Of Goodies. There's the Land of Spells and the Land of Presents as well.

Characters like Moon Face, Silky, The Angry Pixie, Saucepan Man, Dame Washalot, and Whatzisname befriend the three kids who move nearby, and they all join in the adventures together - be it to find the medicine needed to cure the children's ill mum, or to indulge themselves with something nice.

Honestly, at the age of twenty-four, if I could do it now, I would! I'd give up a whole lot, just to spend one day in this magical faraway land.

0. The Ship Of Adventure

You didn't honestly think I'd be able to end this at just five, did you?! Well, sorry!! I promise though, this is the last one, and it's the only one that actually led me to have a hobby outside reading - collecting ships in bottles. I have twelve now, and they're my pride and joy!

So, the children board the Viking Star to tour the Greek Islands with their parents. LucyAnn gets a ship in a bottle for Pip as a birthday present, and when that accidentally breaks, the children discover a map. You can imagine what ensues - with the bad guys wanting to know there the treasure is, and the children wanting to do the "right" thing.

I live in constant hope that if and when one of my ships in bottles break, I'll find a treasure map snuggled comfortably inside.

So, are you an Enid Blyton fan? Do you have a favorite five, or ten, books by her? Do you think she influenced much of your childhood?

Unauthorized Sequels

There's an article on BBC today (and some other newspapers) about a Swedish author publishing the sequel to one of my favorite novels of all times, Catcher In The Rye. I don't know why, but I love the book, and I absolutely loved the hypocrite that was Holden Caulfield, I don't understand how someone can't love him. 

Sorry, I digress, because, this isn't a post about Caulfield. If it was, I could rant on and on, for about two hours, and still have a lot to say. Instead, I find that it really annoys me that someone decided to write a sequel to one of the most controversial books of our times, without Salinger's permission. And then, then, he ends up referring to the legal action as a little bit insane. 

This isn't the first instance of someone picking up characters created by a genius, and trying to make a quick buck by riding on their success. I've seen it happen with Enid Blyton, where someone tried to extend The Famous Five, and recently, while I was walking around in Selfridges, I came across something called The Famous Five Case Files. I picked one of them up, and almost gagged at how commercial it sounded... 

Someone did the same with The Naughtiest Girl series, and I actually purchased one of the non-Enid Blyton ones. I was mortified, and said a silent prayer for poor Blyton, who must be turning in her grave - it was honestly cringe-worthy. Whatever next?

The thing with Catcher is, Salinger has made it very clear that he doesn't even want Holden Caulfield to be played on the big screen. He's withdrawn from the public eye, and whatever little I know seems to indicate that, at the age of ninety, he doesn't want to battle some bright spark who thought it was a good idea to figure out how Caulfield was doing some sixty years later. His defense is, he always wondered about it... But, didn't we all? And wasn't that the beauty of the ending - that all of us could let our imagination run away with us, and figure out how Caulfield was doing. Honestly, in my head, I envisaged two or three different endings for him, and I still can't choose my favorite. I'll leave that for another day. 

If you're interested in reading more, The Guardian has a slightly more informative article on this. 

What do you think? Should the sequel be allowed? Or, do you hope Salinger wins the court battle, and we never have to witness this travesty?

Musing Mondays - Early Reading

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? Was it from a particular person, or person(s)? Do you remember any books that you read, or were read to  you, as a young child? (question courtesy of Diane)

The first book I read was The Little Red Hen. I still remember sitting on the couch in my parents' room, as my mum made the three-year-old me read it out loud. I had inherited a great collection of Ladybirds, from my older brother, so I lapped them up pretty quickly, with my mother helping me out.

As soon as I was done with the Ladybirds, I was introduced to a series and an author that pretty much got me addicted to reading, and I think I've almost read practically every book by her, over the years. Yup, you got it - it was Noddy's adventures in Toyland, and Enid Blyton.

I mean, as a five-year old, how can you not love a fantasy world, called 'Toyland', where a nodding doll drives a yellow car, and lives next to a family of bears? I was completely enthralled, and for the longest time, I actually believed that I could catch a train to Toyland someday. I also believed in the tooth fairy, and Santa Claus, so....

And then there was the Amelia Jane series, the Faraway Tree books (which is probably my favorite series from my childhood), the Galliano circus books, and a couple of more 'real' books like Those Dreadful Children, The Put-Em Rights and The Three Naughty Children.

Giving a little child a series like Faraway Tree is surely the best (and worst) thing you can do to her (in my case!). I spent ages imagining myself as one those kids, and going to The Land of Do-As-You-Please, and having friends like Silky and Moonface. I envied those fictional characters, and sometimes asked my mum why we didn't live near the Enchanted Wood. I think she got quite annoyed with me by the end of it...

I moved on to The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find Outers, The Secret series, Snubby's Mystery series, Jack's (and Kiki's) Adventure stories, and I think that led to more fantasy adventures. I would've done anything to be a part of The Famous Five, to know a dog like Timmy, and to know someone who had their own island, or their own lighthouse!

And finally, I read all of St. Clares, Malory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl. I tried modeling myself on Darrell from Malory Towers - she was just so.... perfect! I think I learnt a lot from them, and quite wanted to go to boarding school, just to re-live some of their adventues - like playing pranks and having midnight feasts.

So, I guess I have Enid Blyton to thank for my love of books, for 'til I was eleven, that's all I read (and re-read). I haven't re-read a single book by her in about three years, but I still remember the characters and the books, and it still makes me so blissfully happy.

I should also mention Roald Dahl, for I think as I started running out of Enid Blytons to read, and was in denial, my mum took me to the library, and checked out  The Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both were amazing, and I recently bought the box-set of Roald Dahl books, just because they were very enjoyable.

So yea, I actually remember most of the books I read while I was growing up, and I think I have my mum to thank for getting me hooked! Wouldn't have it any other way. :)

How about you? Who were your favorite authors / books while you were growing up? Any you read and re-read over and over again?