Mysticpuma Posted November 2 Share Posted November 2 Growing up, there weren't that many books I read at school that stayed in my memory but, there were a few. Out of those, some really made an impression, and some 50-years later I thought I would share just 3. Starting with my favourite book ever, one that I read every year as it brings back memories of my childhood. Written by Penelope Lively "The Ghost of Thomas Kempe" follows the story of a young lad who unknowingly becomes the victim of a mischievous Poltergeist and then has to solve the problem. Written beautifully and descriptively, it captures wonder, fun and fear and hopes of childhood, all wrapped up in words that capture the atmosphere of the era, while we follow James solving the issues the Poltergeist is causing. Love this book immensely! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_of_Thomas_Kempe "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" by Alan Garner. Another fantasy novel that follows two children as they discover a hidden world, lost for centuries as it encroaches the current day. Again beautifully written, the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, but not before the most incredibly claustrophobic chase in a cave network that gets steadily tighter and tighter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weirdstone_of_Brisingamen Finally "The Machine Gunners" by Robert Westall, set in World War II, it follows a gang of boys (not thugs, just lads who hang out together), who love collecting bits of shrapnel from the raids they face from the Luftwaffe. One day they hear that a bomber has crashed overnight and they decide to get some prizes memorabilia....only to find the rear machine gun is still completely intact. They decided they need to remove it and use it to fight the Luftwaffe from their home made den. Will they succeed? A fantastic book that deals not only with childhood adventures, but the consequences that cascade from one simple decision. A brilliant, brilliant book. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Gunners 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper117 Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 What really got me interested in books whilst I was in school was ''Lord of the Flies'' by William Golding... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysticpuma Posted November 5 Author Share Posted November 5 7 hours ago, Trooper117 said: What really got me interested in books whilst I was in school was ''Lord of the Flies'' by William Golding... Yes, we read that too. Fascinating when considered years later. We also read "Kes". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Lee Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 Typee: a Peep at Polynesian Life, by Herman Melville. I remember having a conversation about literature one cold morning during basic training at Fort Benning with another trainee as we waited for the Drill Instructors to start in on us that day. Never thought that would topic would come up in that context... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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