Author Archives: Fiona

Monday #302

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Fiona

I treated myself to the Enid Blyton edition of This Is Magazine and it arrived this week. It has a lot of freebies with it and I plan to review it all soon. Christmas and birthday present round up and … Continue reading →

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The Famous Five covers through the years, part 2: 1990s-2018

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Fiona

Last time I started at the beginning with Eileen Soper, and on to Betty Maxey and the TV tie-in covers. Now we have the 90s covers and the dreaded modern ones. My era of Famous Fives Technically in my era … Continue reading →

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December 2018 round up

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Fiona

We are in 2019 if you can believe it, so this is the last 2018 round up chronicling what I got up to in December. What I have read My total number of books was 98 for the year, so … Continue reading →

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Monday #301

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Fiona

Happy New Year, everyone! I took a longer than anticipated break over Christmas, but I am back now! I had intended to start again on the 31st but being in that strange limbo between Christmas and New Year I lost … Continue reading →

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Inscriptions in books 4: Books given with love

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Fiona

These are some of my favourite types of inscriptions – ones where a book is given as a gift. There are lots of lucky children here, given books by their aunties, uncles, parents and possibly even friends. There are books … Continue reading →

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What would Enid Blyton’s characters be unwrapping for their Christmas?

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Fiona

When I wrote my Enid Blyton Gift Guide I started wondering what the children in her books would be unwrapping on Christmas day. It was a very different world in the 1940s, 50s and 60s especially in the idyllic bubble … Continue reading →

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Monday #298

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Fiona

Just one more week until Christmas! What would Blyton’s characters get for Christmas? and Inscriptions in books: books given with love It is no good going down a factory chimney, because there are never any children below with stockings to … Continue reading →

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Five Go to Smuggler’s Top, part 2

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Fiona

In part one we saw Kirrin Cottage crushed by an ash tree and the children packed off to the mysterious Smuggler’s Top where they meet the Lenoirs and Block. The problem of Timmy Up until now Timmy has been hidden … Continue reading →

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Enid Blyton Christmas gift guide 2018

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Fiona

The Enid Blyton brand has really been growing lately, with ‘new’ books coming out and there have been some tie-in products over the last few years as well. Here’s a guide of what to get for your Blyton-loving friends and family, … Continue reading →

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Monday #297

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Fiona

Just two weeks till Christmas now! Enid Blyton gift guide and Five Go to Smuggler’s Top part 2 [The tree] stood in the hall, with coloured candles in holders clipped to the branches, and gay, shining ornaments hanging from top … Continue reading →

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The Famous Five covers through the years, part 1: 1940s-1990s

Posted on December 8, 2018 by Fiona

The Famous Five books have been in print for nearly 80 years now, and along the way they have appeared with a lot of different looks from the original Eileen Soper covers to TV tie-ins and famous illustrators. We will … Continue reading →

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Monday #296

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Fiona

It’s December now, and you know what that means. It’s time to get festive! A guide to all our Christmas posts and The Famous Five covers through the years, 1940s-1990s “Now let me see,” said Father Christmas, taking out a … Continue reading →

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November 2018 round up

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Fiona

What I have read I have achieved my Goodreads target (again!) I’m on 84 books, so now I will see how many I can get. I’m not going to up the goal this time though, as I know I’ll be … Continue reading →

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Inscriptions in books 3: It’s not her book, it’s mine!

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Fiona

My previous posts looked at books with one clear owner, be that evidenced by a nice prize giving label or hand-written names and addresses. I have, however, lots of books whose ownership isn’t quite so clear. Sibling arguments or second-hand … Continue reading →

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Monday #295

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Fiona

This Wednesday marks the fiftieth anniversary of Enid Blyton’s death. She died on November 28th, 1968 at the age of 71. As a child I just assumed she was still around, still writing, as I received new books for birthdays … Continue reading →

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Five Go to Smuggler’s Top

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Fiona

Here we are at book #4 in the series and, as I’ve probably said a hundred times or more, this is my absolute favourite Famous Five book. It won first place in my list of favourite Blyton books, and unsurprisingly … Continue reading →

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Inscriptions in books 2: this book belongs to

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Fiona

I’m not one for writing my name inside books. I’ve done it on a few over the years, or for a while I had little stickers, but I rarely felt the need to declare ownership. Perhaps I would have if … Continue reading →

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Monday #294

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Fiona

Inscriptions in books: this book belongs to and Five Go to Smuggler’s Top Dick Kirrin on seagulls: If they can mew like cats, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t bark like dogs. – Five Go to Smuggler’s Top (seeing as … Continue reading →

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Inscriptions in books 1: Introduction and prize giving labels

Posted on November 17, 2018 by Fiona

Inscriptions in books are a divisive topic, or so I’ve found. Some people absolutely hate them, to the point of refusing to buy an otherwise perfect and affordable copy of a cherished title just because it says ‘Mary Smith’ inside … Continue reading →

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Jack Arnold, part 2

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Fiona

Previously I looked at Jack’s origins and all his clever ideas for running away. Jack the captain Being the oldest and most responsible Jack is quickly declared captain of the little group. The children obey him without question and, in … Continue reading →

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