Just saw a thread about harry potter and the thought occurs to me that in ten years time there will be many who list harry potter as their great literary influence. While I enjoy reading HP as a "don’t need to think in this warm safe place", this worries me a little.

Still I would imagine that there will be more people claiming a literary influence (and actually knowing what this means) and if HP starts kids off on the journey of reading then that has to be good. Just not sure where it will lead them.......

Anyway - curious which book was everyone else's first great read? The one that opened your eyes to greater world (oops starting to quote obi one kenobi in a new hope there).

Although I do think it is a progression and you read one and advance to another - I would not pretend that some of the novels I read and thought were great are actually that good upon reflection. (Hell I used to think Total Recall was a great film - can’t stand watching it now - ahh I was so young!).

I think mine would have to be (the great and mighty, we are not worthy) roald Dahl’s BFG, Robert C O'Brian's Nimh series or when a little bit older (I think 11 or so) the Lord of the Rings (its "cool" to admit it now which kind of annoys me!).

Anyone else? What about books in adult life that had a big impact (for me ende- a diary of the end of the third world war, a brave new world, to kill a mockingbird, and many more.....)?

Pity I can't choose more than one option - I read every single Roald Dahl childrens book and I think nearly all the Enid Blyton books - certainly all the Famous Five, Secret Seven, Mallory Towers and St Clare's series'!

I'm doing an English degree at the minute, certainly my love of reading as a kid (kickstarted by Roald and Enid) influenced me in this choice.

I was very much an enid blyton kid... but she got me into trouble once. I was about 9 and told a kid in my class who kept picking on me that "everyone knew he'd been dragged up not brought up". I said this because Gwendoline in Mallory Towers said it to Daryl. However when his mom came round our house to shout at my mom and I used this as my line of defence I couldn't ever ever find it in any of the mallory towers books.

Worst trouble I ever got into my childhood.

Originally posted by absynthfairy
I was very much an enid blyton kid... but she got me into trouble once. I was about 9 and told a kid in my class who kept picking on me that "everyone knew he'd been dragged up not brought up". I said this because Gwendoline in Mallory Towers said it to Daryl. However when his mom came round our house to shout at my mom and I used this as my line of defence I couldn't ever ever find it in any of the mallory towers books.

Worst trouble I ever got into my childhood.


Lol absynthfairy! I loved Roald Dahl books personally and remembe reading The Twits to my little Sister at bedtimes which used to make her laugh. Aaaaawwww!

I loved Enid Blyton books as a kid. I'd read them all so many times, but whenever I got poorly, my Mom would always dig them out to keep me amused.

Whenever I'm poorly as an adult I'm tempted to dig them out of the attic once again for a bit of pure escapism.

Quality stuff!

I bought the compilation edition of all the Magic Faraway Tree books not so long back...

You know what? It wasnt the same...

I felt quite sad...

Originally posted by absynthfairy
I bought the compilation edition of all the Magic Faraway Tree books not so long back...

You know what? It wasnt the same...

I felt quite sad...


I've been trying to find those for our itchie titchies! I was glued to those, I know it won't be the same but I'll be mortal disappointed if the kids don't get the same buzz out of them I did.

Roald Dahl is superb

I love the Harry Potters but post this thread again in a few years.... they've only been around a short while

But Tolkien was the eye opener for me....those are the books that travel with you for the rest of your life, I'll still be reading those when I'm old and grey

*thinks....older and greyer anyway

It's great having kids (2 great nephews) in my life again, I get to read to them all the oldies but goodies

Call for the Doctor.......Seuss that is!

Ah, Michael Ondaatje's astounding novel In the Skin of a Lion. And his poem White Dwarfs, which I have pasted in the flyleaf of the former.

Keri Hulme's The Bone People is pretty important, too.

Lastly, Mike Ondaatje's mate the late bp Nichol wrote a fantastic poem called Blues. It's a grid really, of interlocking words. It points out that LOVE written backwards spells EVOL. A valuable lesson.

Originally posted by Kristian
I loved Enid Blyton books as a kid. I'd read them all so many times, but whenever I got poorly, my Mom would always dig them out to keep me amused.

Whenever I'm poorly as an adult I'm tempted to dig them out of the attic once again for a bit of pure escapism.

Quality stuff!

Yep, Enchanted wood was a big favourite of mine as a kid.

Originally posted by davus78

What about books in adult life that had a big impact ?

"Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson. I read it around 1963, and it had a profound effect on my outlook, and helped shape my view on environmental issues.

Originally posted by Lickszz
Yep, Enchanted wood was a big favourite of mine as a kid.

They were terribly influential. I still use the stoat and weasel rhyme from The Children of Cherry Tree Farm today:

The stoat can be easily told from the weasel
by the simple fact that its tail is blacked
and its figure is slightly the bigger.

Strange that this sticks in my head, but I can't remember where I left my car keys. Hmm...

I found the cherry tree farm books very educational. I imagine there is an entire generation of people out there that would know if their horse gets colic you must walk it around in a circle all night wearing only a duffle coat until someone comes to help just as dawn is breaking.