Category: Pastime Pleasures

Pastime Pleasures #13 – Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling

Posted August 8, 2014 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 4 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #13 – Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago.   Harry Potter is amazing. What else is there to say? There’s magic, ghosts, strange lessons, weird sweets and owls deliver their mail. I’m still patiently waiting for my letter to Hogwarts. After all I could be a late developer, right? Each of the three main characters are relatable. We all have a bit of Hermione, Ron and Harry in us. Hermione starts off as a prim and proper, know-it-all scholar but by the end she is the most loyal of friends. Ron may have little money and spates of jealousy but his abundance of loving family and loyalty more than make up for it. Harry start off as a nobody, becoming a celebrity overnight […]

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Pastime Pleasures #12 – The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien

Posted July 25, 2014 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #12 – The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago.     The Hobbit is a charming adventure story. Often heroes are depicted as strong, large, handsome figures. But here we get Bilbo, he is tiny and because he is a hobbit he is fat. It is also probably safe to say that he isn’t particularly strong. He has, after all, lived a very sheltered life, where his biggest worry is if he has enough pocket handkerchiefs and what to have for supper. Bilbo is an ordinary hobbit forced (although with some willingness on his part) by Gandalf to go off on an adventure. Yet despite appearance Bilbo processes characteristics which we should attempt to stand by. Bilbo is humble and caring. He does not care for wealth […]

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Pastime Pleasures #11 – Lady Daisy by Dick King-Smith

Posted July 11, 2014 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #11 – Lady Daisy by Dick King-Smith

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of Lady Daisy by Dick King-Smith. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago.   Ned is a nine year-old boy who finds a doll in his Grandmother’s house. Intrigued he takes the doll downstairs. When he lifts her out of the box Lady Daisy, the doll, speaks to him. I’m surprised Ned doesn’t drop Lady Daisy in shock, I know I would. But Ned’s relationship with the doll arises through the shared bond of loneliness. Lady Daisy has been asleep for 100 years and Ned is an only child. Ned is able provide both a tough exterior as he holds his own against the school bully, who also happens to be his football team-mate, and shows a warming tenderness to his charge. By having a male protagonist interacting with a doll, King-Smith suggests […]

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Pastime Pleasures #10 – Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy

Posted June 27, 2014 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #10 – Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago. This is a heartbreaking and incredibly sensitive story. Looking for JJ will make you reconsider your immediate reaction to condemn the antagonist. Through the eyes of Alice, you can see the reasons for the murder, what happened on that fatal day, and the build-up that lead to that event. Looking for JJ will pull you quickly along, as the story weaves between the past and the present. Compelling the reader to read on, to find out  what happened and why. To find out what happened to create a child who would kill her friend. This is about second chances and the fact that who were as a child is different to how you how are as an adult. But […]

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Pastime Pleasures #9 – War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Posted June 13, 2014 by Charlotte in Pastime Pleasures / 0 Comments
Pastime Pleasures #9 – War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Welcome to my  feature, Pastime Pleasures, posted every other Friday. Today is the turn of War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. Here I will look at books that have given me great pleasure in the past. These are books I can read over and over again. The only rule is that the book must have been published five or more years ago. War Horse is a beautiful, moving tale told from the perspective of Joey the horse as he moves from a sleepy village in Devon to part of the Cavalry in World War I before being used in the German army. While aimed at a younger audience (9-12 years old), this is a book that can be enjoyed by anyone. Told in a way that is engaging War Horse is not only a brilliant story but also is informative about what happened in World War I, that is appropriate for the reader age it is aimed for. Joey is someone who is a caring, loving and loyal character, who you cannot help but hope for him to survive and return to Albert, […]

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