“People who spent the war in prison camps have written a lot of books about what a bad time they had,” she said quietly, staring into the embers. “They don’t know what it was like, not being in a camp.
A Town Like Alice
My all time favourite novel is A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute, which longtime readers will recognise as having been mentioned before.
I first read it in 1981, just after the BBC had released a hugely popular adaptation. Mum produced her extremely battered copy (I think it was a PAN original) and I read it so many times, it finally fell apart. I then was given a new edition, with Helen Morse and Bryan Brown (stars of the BBC adaptation) on the front cover; I still have that copy. I also have three copies in hardback, sadly without their original dustjackets, picked up over the years from charity shops.
A Town Like Alice is a sweeping tale of love, war, fortitude, bravery and immense courage that takes us from West London, across the Malay peninsula and into Australia’s Northern Territory.
This West London Life 
I have read The Great Gatsby so many times, I just love it. I can quote certain passages that I find touching. The other book I have read and re read is Beloved by Toni Morrison. It really is my most favourite book for so many reasons. I also taught it for an A Level set text, luckily for me the students loved it, it ruins the memory of a book if students don’t like it or even engage with it. Jane Eyre was a fave of mine but I had some poor experiences of trying to teach it to a less than enthusiastic or appreciative group.
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I remember really enjoying The Great Gatsby (and the film from a few years ago – was that Baz Luhrmann?). I haven’t read The Beloved so that is another I’ll be looking up.
I can imagine it’s fairly easy to lose your love for a book if you then have to teach it to less-than-interested teens!
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My favourite read & re-read has been The Thirteenth Tale By Diane Setterfield; I have not enjoyed her other books. For some reason, in a good way, The Thirteenth Tale haunts me, I often wonder more about the characters than any other book I’ve read. For a long time it was The Hobbit & Lord of The Rings that I re-read. My most recent re-read (about the 4th re-read) was The Keeper Of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan; her other books are OK.
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I don’t know The Thirteenth Tale, so that’s a title I’ll be looking up. I have also never read The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings and have no desire to. 🙂
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The Human Comedy by William Saroyan. First read it in Jr. High School. Have read it at least a dozen or two more since.
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I don’t know that one at all, but I’ll be looking it up.
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Am I strange in only reading a book once? I’ve never read A Town Like Alice but feel that I should!
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Would it be rude of me if I said yes? I hope you do read ATLA.
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The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven-Sherman Alexis
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That’s a collection of connected short stories, like an anthology, right? Can’t say that would be something I would ever choose to read. 🤗 That’s the joy of reading – there’s something for everyone.
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This book is amazing
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Plz visit my blog once
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! Soooo good even though the ending isn’t what I wanted. I could read it endlessly
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That’s not a title I know, but I shall be looking it up. 🙂
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One of my favorite books is The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown. The title is perfect for the story. But I’m currently rereading all the Amelia Peabody novels by Elizabeth Peters.
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I don’t know either of those authors, but I will be looking them up. Thanks for stopping by. 🤗
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