tamzin
Pony Clubber
Posts: 110
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Post by tamzin on Jul 16, 2013 9:29:27 GMT 1
I thought it would be a good idea to move over from the SRC and start a new thread. What really surprises me about MEA is that she doesn’t appear to have an appreciation society. I could be wrong about this, so please correct me if you know differently. An appreciation society seems obvious when she wrote so many books and has lots of fans. It would be helpful if (like the Noel Streatfeild society) readers could vote on their favourite books.
My experience has been a hit and miss affair. I like the Drina books, although I was disappointed with Drina Ballerina. In fact I like all her ballet books and all the Chiltern ones I’ve read, but I don’t like most of the school ones e.g. North Barrule, Cloud Edge, Snowdon etc. I was so glad I didn’t buy the Wyndhams, and only borrowed it from a friend, as I found it entirely tedious.
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Post by Claire on Jul 16, 2013 10:22:01 GMT 1
I haven't actually read many of her books. I've had loads of the Drina books pass through my hands in my bookseller persona but never been tempted to read them. The only ballet books I've read are the Noel Streatfield and Lorna Hill ones and that was only cos I liked them as authors rather than the ballet content. But I may give the Drina ones a try now.
It does seem a shame if she doesn't have some sort of appreciation society as she was both talented and prolific.
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Post by susanb on Jul 16, 2013 13:57:32 GMT 1
I haven't really read the school stories, they're her earliest books and the most difficult to find (and school stories don't really interest me much), so I couldn't comment.
It does seem odd that there isn't an appreciation society....her early books are very collectible and expensive, so obviously people still read her!
Not sure what a "vote on favorite titles" would look like.....her work is so diverse that I think many could like some books and despise others, which are equally good but REALLY not to their taste!
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tamzin
Pony Clubber
Posts: 110
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Post by tamzin on Jul 16, 2013 14:31:50 GMT 1
Not sure what a "vote on favorite titles" would look like.....her work is so diverse that I think many could like some books and despise others, which are equally good but REALLY not to their taste! Good point, but I'd like to see votes for favourite ballet, favourite school, favourite theatre, favourite general children's and favourite general adult books. It would also be helpful to have an appreciation society website with a synopsis for each of her books. As you say, she is a popular author and as both GGBP and Fidra have republished (and continue to republish) her books, plenty of people must want to buy them. |
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allyk
Pony Clubber
Posts: 184
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Post by allyk on Jul 16, 2013 14:44:44 GMT 1
Well, most such things have started in just this manner  "I can't believe no one has done x!" "Well, why not me?" I do wonder though if the sheer breadth of her works worked against her. There are school stories, there are ballet stories, there are pony stories, there are mystery stories, but she isn't terribly important in any one category. That said, there certainly is an abundance of material to cover and a relative lack of currently available information on the web and it is probably past time for someone to do a better job with it. |
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Post by Charlotte on Apr 25, 2014 17:50:07 GMT 1
I liked her one school story I read, Over the Sea to School.
Someone had uploaded it, won't name
the site here. Think I'll create an MEA
section on my forum, still wondering
how to get people posting there...
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Post by Claire on Apr 25, 2014 18:49:46 GMT 1
Just joined your forum Charlotte. You have quite a lot of members but you're right not many posts. Maybe you could start a facebook page or group to link in with it? I do find that posting tends to vary a lot, if you do something special, like we have a summer reading challenge each year, you get lots more posts than normal. Also consider having a reading group like we do on here (I'd join in!)
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Post by susanb on Apr 26, 2014 15:06:37 GMT 1
Love the idea of a general childrens book forum, my reading was (and still is) awfully eclectic. I hesitate to mention it here (ok, go ahead and hit me, Claire*), but I just finished New York for Nicola and am reading Strangers in Skye, both by MEA.
(*Of course, I'm SUPPOSED to be reading Sweet Rock, which I do want to get to. Also a book a friend's daughter gave me for Christmas....I'm going to see her next month, so it's a MUST....and here I am in the throes of a MEA kick!)
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Post by Claire on Apr 26, 2014 20:23:39 GMT 1
(*Of course, I'm SUPPOSED to be reading Sweet Rock, which I do want to get to. ) lol susan it really is worth reading. Its a very different sort of pony book and we've been having a good discussion about it over on the reading group thread - but we need a few more people to get involved in it. BTW can you open the scans OK as some folk have been having probs. |
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Post by susanb on Apr 27, 2014 0:06:17 GMT 1
Oh, it's a re-read for me Claire....I've read all her books except Special Delivery (which I don't have). I really enjoyed it the first time round, and want to read it again, it's just the siren lure of the fabulous books in the tbr pile that's distracted me |
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Post by Claire on Apr 27, 2014 15:22:03 GMT 1
Oh didnt realise you had read it before susan! Oh well you could always join in the discussion without a full re-read.
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Post by Charlotte on Apr 27, 2014 18:14:22 GMT 1
Just joined your forum Charlotte. You have quite a lot of members but you're right not many posts. Maybe you could start a facebook page or group to link in with it? I do find that posting tends to vary a lot, if you do something special, like we have a summer reading challenge each year, you get lots more posts than normal. Also consider having a reading group like we do on here (I'd join in!) Thanks, I was considering a monthly discussion of a book to begin with. |
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