I think my first encounter with the character of the Scarlet Pimpernel was via Leslie Howard’s portrayal of him in the movie of the same name. I quickly followed that up with Anthony Andrews’ interpretation of him. At the time, the bookstore I was working in stocked the book, as it was being used in schools, and I quickly purchased it. It immediately consumed me. It is one of those books where, in spite of the fact that most is told from Lady Blakeney’s point of view, the book is all about Sir Percy and the reader knows it from […]

The next writer who has influenced me? A certain woman who created a memorable, red-haired heroine. I can remember being introduced to Anne of Green Gables when I was about ten. At the time, it was the longest book I’d ever tried to read, and I think it took a couple of goes before I got through it. However, once I had, I became obsessed with Anne, particularly with her relationship with Gilbert Blythe. In my first case of these-characters-must-get-together-or-I’ll-hate-this-series-forever, I did what has sadly become a habit – I peeked ahead to check out whether or not a later […]

Now for the second author who inspired me – Walter Farley. I can’t remember now whether I read The Black Stallion first or saw the movie first. I think it was the book first. Being a long-time horse lover, I was drawn in by the story of the beautiful, wild, black stallion, to such an extent that black remains my favourite colour for horses. The story was so beautifully crafted, so amazing and so engaging. It’s one of those books I wish I could go back and read again for the first time just to experience it all over again. […]

A friend recently mentioned that writing about authors who have influenced me was a good idea. I had a think about the ones that have and decided that the first to do so was this lady: Enid Blyton Can anyone out there relate? How many times did you read the Famous Five series? I can remember trying to collect them all, only managing to find number 18 (I think that was the last one I got) just as I started to grow out of them. They gave me so much reading pleasure for years. I don’t think I can underestimate […]

This is a quote from author Amy Joy. I’ve been pondering what she meant by it. I’m not 100% sure if I’m right, but I’ve found a meaning that applies to me. I’ve always found I’m more reluctant to do anything (read a book, see a movie) if someone continually harangues me about doing it. I think some people can relate. After all, often our worst book memories are from those we were forced to read in school. They usually weren’t to our taste but were considered the ‘right’ ones for use in school. Let’s face it, they also usually […]