So... what are you reading?

[Ron Abbott]

I have!

I've just re-read all Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books within the last year.

The final book of the series Great Northern? is set in the Hebrides and features kilt wearers!

wow! That takes me back to school! You know what, I might just do the same as I recall liking the books.

(unlike many other books on the school reading list which I absolutely hated.....e.g. anything by Shakespeare, the Hobbit, Watership Down, Stig of the Dump, Toad of Toad Hole etc.etc.)

And there's a point......why at a Scottish school did we not get books by Sir Walter Scott, Robert L Stevenson, Muriel Spark, RM Ballantyne et. al. ?

I can't think of books by any Scottish authors that we were told to read. Even in January, not a word was spoken about Robert Burns.

[MacBean]

Late to the thread, but here goes: I am nearly finished with _Robert Falconer_ by George MacDonald (mid 1800s). I've been trying to complete this for 18 months now, using Nook on my phone (although I have at least one old hardback copy).

Nearly impossible to categorize, his adult fiction tend to the borderlands between religion and mysticism and philosophy wrapped in Scottish coming of age stories. He is better known for his fantasies such as _At The Back of The North Wind_ which were popular for children 80 years ago and are still in print today. He was a close friend and supporter of Lewis Carrol and an inspiration for C.S.Lewis and Tolkien. If you ever do read him, avoid editions converted to conventional English, as the Scots dialect is part of their charm. For more on MacDonald, try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_MacDonald

[ThistleDown]

Halloo, Mark. 'Back of the North Wind' was in my childhood with Diamond therein probably intended as a lessoner Later came 'Lillith'. I still have the copy I read then, with some marginals. I have never attempted 'Robert Falconer' and admire you for doing so. Best to Lori.

Rex

[GMan]

The Republic ~ Plato

[JonathanB]

And there's a point......why at a Scottish school did we not get books by Sir Walter Scott, Robert L Stevenson, Muriel Spark, RM Ballantyne et. al. ?
.

I've just read most of Sir Walter Scott, and take it from me he would be quite unsuitable for school nowadays - long books, convoluted prose style. Muriel Spark was born in Edinburgh and her best know book (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) is set there, but typically her books are set in London (The Ballad of Peckham Rye, A Far Cry from Kensington). I'd have thought Ballantyne would be regarded as hopelessly old fashioned and colonialist.

Stevenson would be a good idea though.

PS. I didn't read The Hobbit or Wind in the Willows at school - I read them for my pleasure and I still think Wind in the Willows in particular is a great book.

[frank_a]

I'm on the last of the Atlantis trilogy of novels by A.G. Riddle. Science fiction trash, but I love it!

Cheers!

Frank

[Tomak]

I just started "The Time Traveler's Almanac" a collection of time travel stories by various authors.

[Father Bill]

The series of "Inspector Gamache" novels by Louise Penny. They bear some resemblance to Agatha Christie whose work I have long loved!

[Jack Daw]

First time since High School (40 plus years ago) A. Separate Peace by John Knowles.

Wow! I had to read that in high school, too, and I liked it. I always try to "give it the old college try". Thanks for refreshing my old memory.

[Jack Daw]

Reading Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Fun read. Interesting references to "Heilanders". One person wears a sporran with pants, since the kilt is banned. Main character is a whig caught up with a Jacobite outlaw. I am amazed I have never read this.....

If you are reading this, you should also read the sequel, "Catriona".