Enid Blyton: Five at the Office Christmas Party by Bruno Vincent (Review)

Enid Blyton: Five at the Office Christmas Party by Bruno Vincent

About the author

Bruno Vincent is the author of several humour titles, including The Famous Five Series, he has also written two volumes of gothic horror stories for children which were adapted for the stage.

Blurb

Join Julian, George, Dick, Anne and Timmy the dog as they try to prepare the perfect office Christmas Party, with no budget at all. Will they succeed, and make everyone happy? Or will all the emergency services be called before the night is out?

Review

I have read most of the Famous Five parodies by Bruno Vincent but I had been saving this one to read over the Christmas holidays and I was pleased I did. I read most of the Famous Five series when I was a child and have always enjoyed reading about the five’s adventures, especially George as I was also a tomboy when I was young.

The four children are now adults and are blundering along trying to get adult life correct. Timmy is now very mature and does not take such an active role in the adventures although he is still present, watching over the four. The story begins with Julian getting fired from his job and managing to get another job working with Dick, George and Anne at the business that their rogue cousin Rupert owns. None of them particularly enjoy their work apart from Julian who finds the simple data input work a lot better than his previous job as he used to over think that job.

Just before Christmas Rupert pulls the four into his office and asks them to organise the Christmas party to help raise morale in the company. This does not end well, especially when the workers sample Julian’s punch.

The story is hilariously funny and well written, Vincent has obviously done his homework and read a great deal of the original Famous Five books because he has each of the five perfect, their childhood characters come through in their adult life. Anne is still homely, petite and pretty, George is still stubborn, bad tempered and boyish, Julian a know it all but now has a drink problem, Dick who is always happy to follow everyone’s lead and is happy to just potter around playing Pokemon Go. Vincent has been nothing but respectful to Enid Blyton’s work and legacy and I think she would have rather enjoyed his version of the adult five.

The only reason this book did not get 5 dragons was because the ending was a little bit disappointing for me and it finished a bit too soon on a cliffhanger no less. This book was a brilliant read I would recommend for anyone who wants a good laugh over Christmas and who enjoyed the Famous Five series as a child. A big 4 out of 5 dragons from me.

Lady Book Dragon

New Book Rating System

Over the holidays I had a little think about my book rating system and I have decided to change it. From now on it will not be a star rating system but a dragon system. Yes, the rating will be out of dragons, 5 being the best, 1 being the worst.

One Dragon

One dragon will be given to books I have not managed to finish and really not enjoyed and would not recommend to anyone.

Two Dragons

Two dragons will go to books I have managed to finish but would definitely not want to read again and would not recommend to friends.

Three Dragons

Three dragons are for books I found enjoyable to read but not amazing and would not read again but would happily recommend to people.

Four Dragons

Four dragons are for books I really enjoyed but possibly had one or two annoying flaws or faults but would still read again.

Five Dragons

The big award! This is for the books I just could not put down, the books I adored and want to shout about from the roof tops. Mainly for the books I want to read again and again.

Lady Book Dragon

Bath

I thought I would share a few snaps of my trip to Bath. This was my third visit to Bath and will not be my last as I just adore the place. This trip I visited some of the haunts that Jane Austen would of also frequented when she lived there from 1801 to 1806. I wish I had taken more snaps but I just enjoyed taking in the history and beauty of it.

The Assembly Rooms

The Fashion Museum inside The Assembly Rooms

Georgian Dresses

The House Jane Austen Lived In!

Lady Book Dragon

Friday Poetry

On the 6th January it will be Epiphany when the Kings arrive to see Jesus, so I have chosen a poem to reflect this ocassion. This is also one of my favourites that I did at school.

Journey of the Magi

“A cold coming we had of it,

Just the worst time of the year

For a journey, and such a long journey:

The ways deep and the weathers sharp,

The very dead of winter.”

And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,

Lying down in the melting snow.

There were times we regretted

The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,

And the silken girls bringing sherbet.

Then the camel men cursing and grumbling

And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,

And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,

And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly

And the villages dirty and charging high prices:

A hard time we had of it.

At the end we preferred to travel all night,

Sleeping in snatches,

With the voices singing in our ears, saying

That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,

Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation,

With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,

And three trees on the low sky.

And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.

Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,

Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,

And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.

But there was no information, so we continued

And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon

Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,

And I would do it again, but set down

This set down

This: were we led all that way for

Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,

We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,

But had thought they were different; this Birth was

Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.

We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,

But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,

With an alien people clutching their gods.

I should be glad of another death.

T. S. Eliot

Lady Book Dragon

Happy Birthday!

On this day in 1892 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born and what a gift to the world of fantasy his birth was to us all.

I have read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy so many times I have lost count, in fact at one point, I read it every year without fail. It is my favourite trilogy and I doubt that will ever change. I also collect different editions of the trilogy from the very expensive to the cheap paperback, I have a dream of owning a signed first editon but that is definitely a dream as I will never be wealthy enough. In fact I collect anything Tolkien!

I also love the Peter Jackson films of The Lord of the Rings but sadly I did not appreciate what he did with The Hobbit.

Thank you Tolkien for giving us the gift of Middle Earth and all your other wonderful worlds.

“One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”

Lady Book Dragon.

Book Haul

First book haul of 2019 and it is a big one.

For New Year my husband and myself spent a few days in our favourite place, Bath. Bath truly is my happy place. I always go a bit Jane Austen crazy when in Bath. I know Austen was not very keen on Bath but the fact that she lived here is just amazing.

Anyway I went to two book shops yesterday. First Waterstones and then Topping and Company.

At Waterstones I bought 8 books, these are:-

The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things by Paula Byrne

I got this book because the hotel we are staying at has a copy and I started reading it and I’m really enjoying it but doubted that I would finish it before I went home.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Ashamed to say I’ve never read it so I thought it was high time I corrected this fault.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I want to read this but I’m also nervous about reading it as I find Plath’s poetry a little depressing.

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Love the film so decided to read the book. Hopefully it does not disappoint.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

I ordered a copy of this a couple of years ago from Folio Society and got Gentlemen Prefer Blondes instead. Hopefully this book does not turn out to be as disastrous as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes turned out to be.

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Not something I would usually read but to be honest I liked the look of the cover and thought it might be interesting.

Mythos by Stephen Fry

Looking forward to this as I do enjoy the Greek myths.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Another classic I have not read.

The Topping and Company book haul is as follows:-

Emma by Jane Austen

I already have a very worn paperback of Emma but I am collecting the Everyman’s Library series and this is the first Austen I have bought from the series.

Queen Mary The Official Biography by James Pope – Hennessy

I saw this and was intrigued, again not something I would generally read but I want to give it a try. Another reason was that I saw some of Queen Mary’s dresses at the Bath Fashion Museum.

The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young

Seriously, who does not want to read a book about cows?

Monty Python at Work by Michael Palin

This book is signed by Michael Palin and was the main reason I got it. I do love Monty Python as well so I’m hoping it will be a good read.

What If? by Randall Munroe

I mainly bought this for my husband but I must admit I want to read it as well. You can not beat a little bit of craziness in the world.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

I’m trying to read all of Neil Gaiman’s books and this is next on the list.

The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carre

My mother in law recommended this book to me and I’ve been meaning to get it for a while.

The last book is a special one, as I have mentioned before I collect Tolkien books and so I bought a hardback illustrated The Lord of the Rings. The illustrations are done by Alan Lee and the copy is signed by Alan Lee.

So here is my massive book haul. I can not wait to get reading them all.

Please drop me comment if you have read any of these books. I would love to hear your opinions on them. Thank you.

Lady Book Dragon.

2019

Happy New Year Everyone!

So I have come up with a few goals for my reading, I’m afraid I’m not a very structured reader and I always just go with what my mood chooses at the time but this year I’m going to try to do better. So here are my goals:-

I have set my Goodreads challenge to 65 only. This is mainly due to the fact I want to read some big books this year and so I do not think I will get the book numbers in.
Read more classics. I used to read a lot of classics but this past year I have neglected them somewhat and I find myself missing them. I especially want to revisit Austen as she is one of my favourites.
Try to complete the Book Bucket List poster my best friend gave me for Christmas. I’ve already read some of them so I’m hoping to tick off a few more. I’m also hoping this will make me read different books.
Finally discover a new genre to enjoy. 2017 I discovered crime fiction and loved it. 2018 I discovered climate fiction. Hopefully I discover a new love this year.

I also have a few books on pre order that I am very excited to read this year. They are the following:-

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Sutton

The Man with no Face by Peter May

The Winter of the Witch by Kathrine Arden

The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald

Romanov by Nadine Brandes.

Is anybody else looking forward to these books?

Wish me luck for my book goals.

Happy reading.

Lady Book Dragon.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope 2019 is a year full of good books for everyone.

Lady Book Dragon.

That’s a Wrap!

Well it is the last day of 2018! So what bookish things have I done in a year?

I set up this blog and have now been blogging for just over two months and I love it! I’m reading more books and blogs and discovering so many new books I would never have dreamed of reading before. Plus I’m talking about books on a daily basis, what is not to like?

I have read more books in a year than I have ever read before, 74 in total and I have enjoyed it immensely.

I have smashed my Goodreads reading challenge, my aim was only 60! Still undecided what 2019’s should be.

I have discovered some new authors I have never read before but definitely want to read more of:-

Neil Gaiman

Rosamunde Pilcher

Veronica Henry

Jeffrey Archer

Peter May

Mary Higgins Clark

My favourite books that I read in 2018:-

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Watermelon Snow by William A Liggett

The Blackhouse by Peter May

My worst books of 2018:-

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

The Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov

Newly discovered genres:-

Climate fiction

Favourite Poem:-

The Tyger by William Blake

Favourite Quote:-

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”

Italo Calvino

I believe that is a wrap.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year’s Eve whether it is partying, reading, sleeping or whatever you prefer.

See you in 2019.

Lady Book Dragon.

Review 22: Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien

Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien, illustrated by J. R. R. Tolkien

About the author and illustrator

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on the 3rd January 1892 in Bloemfontein. He moved to England when he was three years old and was home schooled with his younger brother and taught by his mother. Tolkien served in the First World War and after the war he established a distinguished academic career and was recognised as one of the finest philologists in the world. He is best known as the creator of Middle Earth and the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He was awarded a CBE and an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Oxford University in 1972. He died on 2nd September 1973 at the age of 81.

Blurb

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J. R. R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange spidery handwriting and a beautiful colour drawing. They were from Father Christmas, telling wonderful tales of life at the North Pole.

How all the reindeer got loose and scattered presents all over the place.
How the accident-prone Polar Bear climbed the North Pole climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of father Christmas’s house into the dining-room.
How he broke the Moon into four pieces and made age Man in it fall into the back garden.
How there were wars with the troublesome horse of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house!

Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humour to the stories.

Review

I got this book off my best friend for my birthday as she knows I love all things Tolkien and she knew I had not got this book. I am so pleased I saved this book for Christmas as it really put me in a Festive mood and made me smile from ear to ear.

The first letter in the book is sent in 1920 to John, Tolkien’s oldest child and we meet Father Christmas, the letter is only short but there is a beautiful drawing of Father Christmas that could easily be made into a Christmas card. There is then a gap and the next letter is in 1923, then basically from then on there is a letter until 1943 when Tolkien’s children are all too old for Father Christmas.

The first letters are sent to just John and then Michael and Christopher are added and finally Priscilla, although as each child reaches a certain age and they stop writing to Father Christmas they are dropped off the letters. Although good old Father Christmas always asks after the older children and pets in the house, so they are not forgotten.

Some letters are very short if Father Christmas is busy that year and some are very long, especially if Father Christmas has a tale to tell the children. Father Christmas has a helper called Polar Bear who is in fact a Polar Bear, a very special bear who does not age and is very strong but also rather clumsy and causes poor Father Christmas a great deal of extra work. Eventually Father Christmas also gets some Elves to help him get everything ready for Christmas.

The effort Tolkien put into the letters is amazing, the handwriting is unique to Father Christmas and is shaky like a very old man is writing and the illustrations are stunning. I loved reading all the letters and I can imagine how Tolkien’s children must have been so excited when the letters arrived each year. It really is like magic, Tolkien made sure his children believed in the wonder of magic and fairytales, the things all children should believe in and let their imaginations run wild.

This edition of the book is beautiful, it has all the pictures of the original letters so we can see all the handwriting Tolkien created and opposite is a typed up version so the reader can read the text with ease. Then there are also all the illustrations in colour with the letters. The fact that the book is also printed on excellent quality shiny paper is perfect for showing off Tolkien’s work.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because of the magic and beauty it had but it did not get the full 5 stars because it made me sad at the end when the children were too old for letters off Father Christmas. In my opinion you are never too old for Father Christmas and believing in the magic.

Lady Book Dragon.