A little bit embarrassing...

[Poppy]

I know it sounds really stupid but I hardly ever read any books by authors other than Enid Blyton. Even then I never choose to, I only read other authors if I have to or if they are old fashioned and look really good... Is anyone else like this or is it just me? To be honest I don't think anyone else will be like this (I'm a bit batty!) ... I'm just to engrossed in my Blyton world! Anyway, who wants other authors when you've got Enid Blyton!?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Enid Blyton wrote such a variety of books, and so many, that it would be possible to read almost nothing else. I'm sure you're not the only one who feels like that, Poppy. It's worth trying other authors from time to time though, because you never know what you might be missing. If you like the old-fashioned feel of Blyton books you might also like some of the following authors, Poppy, if you haven't tried them already:

C.S. Lewis - Narnia series.
E. Nesbit - various titles but my own favourites are The Enchanted Castle, The Story of the Treasure Seekers and The Story of the Amulet (the latter is the third in a trilogy which begins with Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet).
Noel Streatfeild - lots of titles but I particularly like Apple Bough, Ballet Shoes, Tennis Shoes, The Circus is Coming and the four Gemma books.
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the Prairie series.
Philippa Pearce - Tom's Midnight Garden.
Penelope Farmer - Charlotte Sometimes.
Joan G. Robinson - When Marnie Was There.
Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden and A Little Princess.
Malcolm Saville - lots of books including the Lone Pine series and the Jillies series.
Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons series (I think you said in a recent post that you had just bought Swallows and Amazons).

[Danger Bird]

No, I like to read books by many different authors. I've got my favourites of course, but if I just stuck to a few authors I'd feel I was missing out on a wealth of great literature.

[joanne_chan]

Tribizion -Anne Digby might appeal if you like MT and St Clare's (most of books are out of print so you'd have to get used copies but all are available via Kindle)

.

[Poppy]

Hi everyone!
Thanks for that list of authors Anita. Here are the non-Blyton books I have:

The Secret of the Buzzard Scar (Malcolm Saville)
The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnet)
Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Little Men (" ")
Jo's Boys(" ")
Alices Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carrol)
Swallows and Amazon's (Arthur Ransome)

That's all I am afraid to say...

[Anita Bensoussane]

If you do find a non-Blyton book you like, it's worth trying other titles by the same author. Some books won't appeal to you but if you persevere you may come to love a few other writers as well, even if Enid Blyton is still number 1! As a child I used to borrow books from the library to see if I liked an author before buying any of his/her books.

[Poppy]

That's what my mum tells me to do... (library)
I did quite like the start of that Malcolm Saville book...
I didn't finish it though!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daisy]

That Malcolm Saville book is the 4th in a series and to my mind the least interesting as some of the main characters from the earlier books are not there, but "Christmas at Nettleford" and "Spring comes to Nettleford" are very nice family type stories.

[Poppy]

Yes they sound good Daisy.
I'll ask my granddad to keep an eye out for them!

[Darrell71]

I read others too. But nothing beats my Blytons, tho Rick Riordan comes very close!

[Francis]

One always goes back to one's first love - nothing can quite compete with that first
reading experience.

[7upromana01]

I did used to be obsessed about Blyton but then I found the hunger games. Poppy, read them! They are AMAZING!

[Daisy]

Great if you can cope with the bloodthirstyness! I don't think I would have enjoyed them when I was only 11 or 12. I read them earlier this year, but they aren't books I would want to read again.

[Danger Bird]

Yes, they're certainly a far cry from Kirrin Island!
I thought they were very good although I wasn't that keen on the last book.

[7upromana01]

I don't mind the grewsome bits.