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#1: Recommended reading for Chaletians Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:43 pm
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What would Chalet Girls/mistresses have read in their spare time, other than JMBs and back issues of the Chaletian?

#2: Author: Lexi, Location: Liverpool

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:48 pm
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Miss Annersley gets a copy of Simon the Coldheart in Prefects doesn't she? And I'm sure she's shown reading a Just William book at one point.

I think there are a few more mentioned in CS Headmistress

#3: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:07 pm
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John Buchan is mentioned two or three times. Wintersmoon and The Isle of Sheep are mentioned by name, and Jo comments somewhere that "...if it is by John Buchan is it sure to be worth reading."

Jo reads the 'Elsie' books, but doesn't really reccomend them - they are best read under circunstances of extrame boredom with a sprained ankle.

I think 'The Bell Family' was also recommended to one of the MacDonald twins, so Noel Steatfeild was probably acceptable.

Anton Lang fairy tales are reported as very popular with the Juniors in 'Changes', as is 'The Girls of St Brides'.

Jane Austen and Charles DIckens come up as both literature and general reading.

Wuthering Hights and 'Nutty's Father' are both mentioned in 'Ruey'.

ALice in Wonderland must have been well known, since they did a sale themed on it.

'At the back of the North Wind' is mising from the library at the end of 'Problem', along with two of the 'Daneswood series'. Angela Thirkell is mentioned a few times during 'Problem' as well.

Len does not enjoy Ruskins 'Sesame and Lily's', but loves 'The King of the Golden River', as do a coiuple of other people.

Naomi reads, but does not particulary enjoy, Humphry Clinker. Mary Lou loves mysterys, but no specified author.

No good chalet girl would ever read 'Gone With the Wind' or 'Forever Amber'

For a list of the top of my head, that seems a slightly embarassing collection. I have to admit though, that I used to look for books mentioned in the CS, and take that as a recommendation to buy them. Rolling Eyes

Last edited by Miriam on Tue May 01, 2007 7:26 pm; edited 3 times in total

#4: Author: macyrose, Location: Great White North (Canada)

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:51 pm
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Threre's also Martha Finley's Elsie books. Aside from Jo buying and reading them and writing an Elsie story, various other characters read and mention them (the girls reading the books to find out about the KKK in Rivals, as well as other characters not wanting to be as pi as Elsie is). And Althea also says that Jo's family is like a Charlotte Yonge family so those books must have been read too.

#5: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 8:54 pm
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I think Gwensi has EJOs and DFBs on her shelf along with the JMBs at the beginning of Goes to It/ War.

#6: Author: JayB, Location: SE England

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:14 pm
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The library has some of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances. I expect the mistresses read them as well as the girls. I can see the mistresses enjoying classic detective stories - Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers et al.

Oh, and what about PG Wodehouse?

#7: Author: Ally, Location: The land of the fording oxes

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:20 pm
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There is a list of books and plays mentioned in the books here

#8: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:24 pm
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Oh wow, that's fantastic! I started to compile my own list a few years ago but didn't get very far.

Thank you very much, whoever worked hard on this list Very Happy

#9: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 6:04 pm
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Most of the staff seem to read Richmal Crompton's "William" series!

#10: Author: LizzieC, Location: Canterbury, UK

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 6:53 pm
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Joey is reading The Forsyte Saga in New House on the night there's a thunderstorm and Alixe sleepwalks Smile

#11: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:19 pm
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Looking through the 'Newsletters' there are quite a few authors that she reccomends in various places. John Buchan is a clear favourite, and she also recommends all the Miss Read books.

For poetry she likes:
Tennyson
Jean Ingelow
Christina Rosetti
Masefield
Rupert Brooke
JAmes ELroy Flecker

Beatrix Potter is good for younger children.

ETA I've looked through more newsletters, and found some more authors:
Conrad
Chesterton
Shaw
Daphne du Maurier
Winston Churchill ("His english is a delight to read" - it wasn't when I tried it Evil or Very Mad

)
R L Stevenson (the inspiration for Margia and Amy's father?)
Trollope
Cynthia Harnett
Julians Horatio Ewing
Anna Buchan/O'Douglas (John's sister)
Jules Verne

I wonder what she would think of HArry Potter.

#12: Author: Lisa A., Location: North Yorkshire

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:35 pm
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In Camp, Miss Nalder asks if anyone has read "The Carved Cartoon", declaring it "a delightful story - based on Grinling Gibbon's [C17th English woodcarver] life. It gives a vivid picture of the Great Plague and of the Fire of London." She offers to send home for it and several girls jump at this - Joey was quite overcome and "slipped into a happy dream" at the thought of historical reading and started planning her own historical story. A rather enthusiastic response to a rather uninspiring recommendation - perhaps historical tales were popular in general.

#13: Author: Lisa A., Location: North Yorkshire

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:38 pm
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I think the CS would disapprove of Harry Potter because of all the witchcraft and dark arts things.

#14: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:14 pm
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I don't think that part of Harry Potter would be a problem. They don't have any problem with, say, George Macdonald, and HP pits good vs. evil in much the same way. If they were going to object, it would probably be to the sort of things put in to attract small boys (e.g. the details of the fight with the troll), or the boy-girl relations in the later books.

#15: Author: Sugar, Location: second star to the right!

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:22 pm
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Once when I was reading through - I wrote a list of every book mentioned in the series .... I *think* I might have the list but I'm not a 100 % sure, It was when I was still living at home and at school, so 10+ years ago. I do remember it went over more than one sheet (front and back) and I wasn't going too badly at reading some of them! I have a copy of 'Queechy' for example. Personally, I love the sound of the carved cartoon and ALOE

I shall have a look for it.

#16: Author: Tamzin, Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:53 pm
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Sugar wrote:

Once when I was reading through - I wrote a list of every book mentioned in the series .... I *think* I might have the list but I'm not a 100 % sure, It was when I was still living at home and at school, so 10+ years ago. I do remember it went over more than one sheet (front and back) and I wasn't going too badly at reading some of them! I have a copy of 'Queechy' for example. Personally, I love the sound of the carved cartoon and ALOE

I shall have a look for it.

I always wonderd what on earth a book calle "Queechy" could be about. Is it a name? Or a place? Or what? Confused

#17: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 6:41 am
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There is an article in The Chalet School Revisited about the books mentioned in the series. I can't remember any of it now though, but it's very interesting.

#18: Author: KB, Location: Melbourne, Australia

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 7:42 am
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Tamzin wrote:

Sugar wrote:

I always wonderd what on earth a book calle "Queechy" could be about. Is it a name? Or a place? Or what? Confused

Queechy is indeed the name of a place - Queechy Run is 'a little village - a very little villate - about half a mile from Mr Ringgan's house.' If you wish to read Queechy by Elizabeth Wetherell (Susan Warner), you can do so here.

As for ALOE (Charlotte Maria Tucker), she writes gorgeous stories, too, but they are very preachy. You can read a chapter of The Crown of Success here or on the Chalet School Transcripts site.

#19: Author: Mrs Redboots, Location: London, UK

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 10:05 am
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KB wrote:

Hmm, I see it's by the same author as The Wide, Wide World which I'm sure we all remember Jo March crying herself into a headache over in Little Women, but which I always found rather irritating, although the ending did make me cry!

#20: Author: alicat, Location: Wiltshire

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:43 pm
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I always thought the staff would have read the English newspapers, and those in other languages....as well as ladies magazines to get craft ideas from!

#21: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:52 pm
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Yes, EBD reccomends reading the leader artilcles in the newspapers. It seemed rather suprising to me that she would advise young girls to do that, given the general attitude of sheltering girls when she grew up.

The staff certainly took the Times Educational Supplement - it got lost in the Junior Common Room once Shocked

.

Other newspapers and magazines were around both in common rooms and in the library. Whoever is Library prefect during 'Summer Term' hopes that if the library is chosen they can add a separate room for newspapers/magazines, to prevent them being lost.

#22: Author: Nina, Location: Peterborough, UK

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 2:28 pm
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I'll confess to buying "Bevis -the Story of a Boy" because I knew it had been mentioned in a CS. I think it was Sybil reading it in "Rescue"? I didn't enjoy it all that much, but as it was only 50c in an op shop along the Great Ocean Road it doesn't matter Smile

#23: Author: Loryat,

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 3:55 pm
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Lisa A. wrote:

In Camp, Miss Nalder asks if anyone has read "The Carved Cartoon", declaring it "a delightful story - based on Grinling Gibbon's [C17th English woodcarver] life. It gives a vivid picture of the Great Plague and of the Fire of London." She offers to send home for it and several girls jump at this - Joey was quite overcome and "slipped into a happy dream" at the thought of historical reading and started planning her own historical story. A rather enthusiastic response to a rather uninspiring recommendation - perhaps historical tales were popular in general.

Actually after I read that I always wanted to read it! I think the title attracted me. Smile

#24: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 4:33 pm
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Loryat wrote:

Lisa A. wrote:

Actually after I read that I always wanted to read it! I think the title attracted me. Smile

So did I. I still do, in fact.

#25: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 7:15 pm
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Nina wrote:

I'll confess to buying "Bevis -the Story of a Boy" because I knew it had been mentioned in a CS. I think it was Sybil reading it in "Rescue"? I didn't enjoy it all that much, but as it was only 50c in an op shop along the Great Ocean Road it doesn't matter Smile

Whereas I'm on the lookout for that because it was Arthur Ransmoe's favourite book as a child

At one point I inteded to start collating all the books they read and try and read them Embarassed

- but I keep getting side tracked with GO stuff instead Rolling Eyes

#26: Author: jennifer, Location: Taiwan

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 6:20 am
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Okay, I got obsessive again.

http://cscharacterguide.googlepages.com/bookshelf.html

The Chalet School Library, with links to Gutenberg editions, if available, which they are for about 3/4 of the books.

If an author was mentioned, but no work given, I give one or two at random.

#27: Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 9:42 am
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Oh how excellent Jennifer! And how handy - no need to trawl for copies etc. I had no idea Angela Brazil was on Gutenberg.

#28: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 2:18 pm
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Wow, that's impressive!
Thanks especially for the links.

#29: Author: Mona, Location: Hertfordshire

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 2:28 pm
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Thanks jennifer!

#30: Author: macyrose, Location: Great White North (Canada)

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 4:04 pm
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You're amazing, Jennifer! I love all your guides. Very Happy

Just one little thing, the Elsie books were written by Martha Finley not Eleanor Farjeon. I know that since I have all of them (plus all the Mildred books), though I can't remember if I got them because I read about them in the Chalet School books or had started collecting them before I ever read EBD.

#31: Author: patmac, Location: Yorkshire England

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 5:16 pm
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Dawn wrote:

Nina wrote:

Whereas I'm on the lookout for that because it was Arthur Ransmoe's favourite book as a child

I read Bevis before the CS and was thrilled when it turned up in CS and was ARs favourite.

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