Lauren St John

[Moonraker]

I am loving the follow-up book to Dead Man's Cove, by Lauren St John, Kidnap in the Caribbean. The characters, Laura Marlin and her Bangladeshi 'best friend' Tariq are developing well, and I find it almost impossible to put the book down! Has anyone else read the latest story in the series yet?

[Julie2owlsdene]

Yes, I'm reading it too, Nigel. Thoroughly enjoying it. I love the way Lauren St John writes. It has a Blyton feel to it for me. Easy to read, and leaves you wanting more!

[Icecream342]

I have the first 1. I got it out the library. Did you know, it has one the Blue Peter book awards 2011 for favourite story... I love the first sentence

They came for her at 6.51am

Dosn't it make you want to read more?

The quote on the front from the times

A great story for fans of Enid Blyton

That is what we are

[Julie2owlsdene]

I loved reading both of these books. They're really good. My preference if I have to be really honest in the first one, Dead Man's Cove, probably because it was set in St. Ives.

[Moonraker]

I loved reading both of these books. They're really good. My preference if I have to be really honest in the first one, Dead Man's Cove, probably because it was set in St. Ives.

Yes, definitely, Julie! Anything that is set in Cornwall is off to a good start!

I think the second book would have benefited from a bit of a résumé. I had forgotten about how Tariq's(sp?) became so friendly with Laura. Mind you, my memory is pretty well shot away!

[Tony Summerfield]

I think the second book would have benefited from a bit of a résumé. I had forgotten about how Tariq's(sp?) became so friendly with Laura. Mind you, my memory is pretty well shot away!

I think this is the case with so many books written as series nowadays, many of which come out a year after the previous book (and my memory is in the same place as yours! ). Sometimes authors leave a two or three year gap - I think J K Rowling did with one of the Harry Potter books. I have got the second Lauren St John book but as yet haven't read it. I am currently reading Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy and this is the way I like to do it as all three books have already been published.

[Matthew Roberts]

Oh, The Hunger Games is a brilliant series. I loved them. Not so impressed with the trailer for the film, though. Actually, I got somewhat addicted to dystopian young adult fiction a while ago; if you enjoyed the Hunger Games, then Scott Westerfeld's Uglies and James Dashner's Maze Runner books are highly recommended. Michael Grant's Gone series was good, too, though I didn't find it as gripping as other books.

Other recent favourites include Julia Golding's Cat Royal and Eleanor Updale's Montmorency, which are great historical children's books (there are even audio books of the latter read by Stephen Fry). But my current obsession is Alex Scarrow's TimeRiders books. Really captivating time travel/alternative history books.

I think I shall have to put Lauren St John on my to read list, too. Blytonesque adventures set in Cornwall? Perfect.

[Tony Summerfield]

We are definitely on the same wavelength, Matthew. My parcel from Amazon this week had Plague (I have got the other three, but have only read the first two so far), The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore - I have just read I Am Number Four and thought it was great, though I haven't seen the film - and Angel, as I have read all the other Maximum Ride books. I have also recently read People's Republic by Robert Muchamore - I have read all his books and I think I even prefer them to the Alex Rider books. I have even got Anita hooked on M G Harris with her Invisible City series, four books so far and one more to come next year. The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens was also an interesting start to another projected series - both of these last two are good if you like time travel books and Linda Buckley Archer is on the same lines.

And yes, I have read all the Cat Royal books except the last one and I also enjoyed the Darcie Lock books by Julia Golding (Anita hooked on her as well!). Finally for now I have all the Montmorency books and Alex Scarrow ones - I'm afraid that I have an awful lot of books!

[Anita Bensoussane]

We are definitely on the same wavelength, Matthew.

No wonder you've slotted straight back in as an administrator, Matthew. You've read all the right books!

I have even got Anita hooked on M G Harris with her Invisible City series, four books so far and one more to come next year.

A fascinating series. I've got Dark Parallel in my bag to read on the train tomorrow.

I have read all the Cat Royal books except the last one and I also enjoyed the Darcie Lock books by Julia Golding (Anita hooked on her as well!)

Yes, Julia Golding is amazing. Her stories are full of drama and wittily written, with some wonderful characters. Such a versatile writer.

I'm afraid that I have an awful lot of books!

And that's an understatement!

I haven't read Dead Man's Cove or Kidnap in the Caribbean but I did enjoy Lauren St John's The White Giraffe, which is imaginative and transported me to another world.

[Moonraker]

We are definitely on the same wavelength, Matthew.

No wonder you've slotted straight back in as an administrator, Matthew. You've read all the right books!

Before we know it, Tony will be doing his housework, singing along to Back in the USSR!

[Tony Summerfield]

Before we know it, Tony will be doing his housework, singing along to Back in the USSR!

I am not so sure about the housework, but I do have all the Beatles LPs! I wonder how many others here can say that they bought Abbey Road on the day it was released!

[pete9012S]

Before we know it, Tony will be doing his housework, singing along to Back in the USSR!

I am not so sure about the housework, but I do have all the Beatles LPs! I wonder how many others here can say that they bought Abbey Road on the day it was released!

Didn't buy Abbey Road on the day it was released-but it was the 1st record I ever bought.I didn't even own a record player-had to take it to my Nans house to play it on her old fashioned stereogram which was next to her Singer sewing machine...good old Nan....incidentally she passed on every single Agatha Christie/Westmacott book ever published to me,which I still have today!

[Matthew Roberts]

I am not so sure about the housework, but I do have all the Beatles LPs! I wonder how many others here can say that they bought Abbey Road on the day it was released!

Yet another thing I want to see – Tony's Beatles LPs! Abbey Road is my favourite Beatles album. Are/were you a fan, Tony, or was that the collector's instinct showing in the young Tony?

Also, pete9012S, I am very jealous of your Agatha Christie/Mary Westmacott collection! Do you collect these, Tony? Incidentally, I have always wondered if there are other Tony Summerfields researching and cataloguing the works of other authors, or is the attention that Enid gets a unique phenomenon?

[Katharine]

Also, pete9012S, I am very jealous of your Agatha Christie/Mary Westmacott collection! Do you collect these, Tony? Incidentally, I have always wondered if there are other Tony Summerfields researching and cataloguing the works of other authors, or is the attention that Enid gets a unique phenomenon?

Yes, I noticed the Agatha Christie comment, are they really old ones? I've dropped massive hints to my father that if he ever decides he hasn't room for his 1960s/70s paperback Christies, I'm sure I could find room for another pile of books on the landing

I don't know if there are any other authors who have someone like Tony dedicated to research, but I do think it's a shame there are no museums for Enid Blyton (at least none that I know of). I was reading a book today which mentioned the Roald Dahl museum, and I'm fairly sure there's one for the author of the Wind in the Willows. I know Viv tried to get something up and running a few years back, but encountered various problems.

[Loony the Dog]

Lauren St. John is probably my favorite author except for EB. I've only read Kidnap in the Caribbean but I've got all the White Giraffe Quartet on my bookshelves and have read them quite a few times. Currently, I'm reading The Last Leopard. Has anybody else read the White Giraffe books? I don't think I saw anybody saying anything about them?