Enid Blyton was a big part of my childhood. I still adore her and don't think she negatively impacted my intellectual development or love of reading. Quite the opposite.
I totally agree about the famous five. Reading them now they seem so twee. But I loved them as a child . My mum read me swallows and amazons but at the time I LOVED ff. I think the apparent independence from adults ( a bunch of 11 year olds camping on an island in a storm) and the collectibility helps . The 21 numbered books to collect :-). Although my daughter when she was 6 collected the rainbow fairies there are over a hundred of them!!!
There is a girl in my chemistry class that looks uncannily like you, but alas, not nearly as intelligent. My biased expectations are squashed everyday =(. Atleast she's nice.
I can remember the day my parents bought me my first Famous Five book so clearly. My Dad was really excited for me to start reading the series. And read I did! Couldn't get enough!
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS is amazing. And I like it much better than the Famous Five. I went to the Lake District last year and I was staying right where a lot of S & A takes place - it made me very happy :)
I love Swallows and Amazons! I read the Famous Five/Secret Seven as well but I don't think I liked them as much. Another one I remember loving is Mud Pies and Waterbombs. The Machine Gunners was another great kids book.
Yay! Swallows and Amazons! I highly encourage you to read them all, as while the main story focuses on the two groups (the Swallows and the Amazons) there are in further books stories that involves other groups. I'd also encourage you to read them in the order they were written, as by skipping books you can miss a lot of back story (in WDMTGTS the ship is called the Black Cat, which is completely unrelated unless you read the other books!)
so far out of the past, i dont know, ten books i have read, i have known the ending to at least five of them before i started reading, but they were still brilliant
I unknowingly took part in this challenge today by relaxing and getting a lot of reading done, it was nice to step away from everything for a while :)
WHAT IS CATERPILLAR CAKE?! Is it Collin the Caterpillar Cake? Is it just a cake shaped like a caterpillar? I have spent the past fifteen minutes trying to figure it out. What is my life?
Also, I really love your videos! They're great and make me think about things I can do in my life that make me branch out or get creative.
I've read 'Five Go Off In a Caravan' countless times! Always feel a bit uneasy about how racist alot of it is though... just have to take into account the times with a pinch of salt I guess.
I was more of a Secret Seven girl when I was younger anyway :)
my favourite childhood series is 'The Worst Witch' they are fantastic, the tv series didn't do it justice at. all.
That's weird, I just had a conversation with someone today about the Famous Five and how the crime rates on Kirrin Island must be RIDICULOUS. I loved those books, apart from Anne and her "ooh no George, let's stay home and let the boys hunt the scary criminals!" attitude...
Gosh, I loved the Swallows and Amazons series, I remember demanding my mother find me every one. It's a play/musical at the moment down on the Strand. Tickets are a little too expensive for me sadly, otherwise I'd go. I relaxed by not getting up til 12. It was lovely. And Rosi, I know it's been said but these videos are amazing, I'm very glad you're doing this revolution. I love hearing you talk about the challenges, you're so articulate and thoughtful and intelligent. Wonderful.
I grew up on Swallows and Amazons, and absolutely love them to bits- they were the first "long" books that I had read, and I still go back and enjoy them, even today as a 'grown up'. my favourite was Swallowdale :) Loving these videos Rosianna - keep up the good work! :)
I used to love famous five! When I was little my dad used to read them to me and my sister every night. I can't remember what any of them were about at all but I remember loving them!
Relaxed by sitting down and watching Birdsong for an hour and a half! Really impressed by it! Surprised you haven't talked about it at all Rosianna - did you watch at all?
I feel like all the the nostalgic feelings ever have just been dumped on me and I feel like weeping or something because OH MY GOD. Famous Five. I haven't thought about those books in so long. They were my entire life. All I need right now is to reread at least one. I remember my friend used to always prefer Secret Seven so I had no one to talk to about how much I loved Famous Five. I was probably only six or seven but I felt so alone in my love for those books. Ahahahaha.
Caterpillar cake is a family tradition in this house. We have it on everyone's birthday. For my 18th my mum was all like "He's grown up now! He'll want something more adult!" and my Dad said "I wouldn't risk it." He was right. Still a lovely cake though.
I'm still remembering how Enid Blyton would describe meals in her Famous Five books, and how there were gingerbread or something made of ginger in every meal... always. Me and my sister loved her books so much that they somehow were a huge influence when writing stories for school. We also read the Malory Towers and the Twins at Sainte Caire...and even Little Noddy...
I grew up with the Ransome books courtesy of my mother who was born in England. I loved them and still enjoy reading one on the rare occasion I find any here in Canada.
Gah, our taste in books seems so similar. I started off reading lots of Enid Blyton too- St Clares and Malory Towers- became a Harry Potter addict, then began reading more 'serious' literature alongside teen fiction when I was about 14. I'm studying english at uni next year :D I adore Sylvia Plath too. Are you a Virginia Woolf fan by any chance?
These daily videos and getting to know you through them, have really inspired me to not only read more fiction, but also read up on things i'm vaguely interested about, to hopefully give myself a better platform on which i can think critically, and become more engaged in my world and community. I do enjoy learning and I thank you being a catalyst allowing me realising I don't have to learn for exam or academic sakes.- Cheers, Ches :)
The only fan fiction I've ever written is about the famous five from when I was, like, ten or eleven. I still have it. No comment on that. Today, I relaxed properly with some yoga. Ohyeah.
@missxrojas I loved him as well! It was not slash fiction. I basically recreated an adventure (something with a cave) that already existed, changed some details and shortened it down to about four pages of comic sans.
Talked to a friend today on Skype for about 2 hours about TFiOS--which was simultaneously relaxing and really mentally stimulating. I love that about books--how they can bring a sense of calm, but also challenge your thinking.
Today I revised for around 6 hours for a biology exam, coming here and watching your videos was my relaxation time :') GUuhh i love you soo much :D <3
I loved the famous five as a kid, and they were definitely what built up my courage and enthusiasm in reading. Also, I reject the notion that a story has no value simply because it is formulaic.
Thank you for giving me a bit of a trip down memory lane. ^-^
I was always more of a "Girls of St.Claires" girl than famous five. I took a while before I realised boarding school wasn't all adventures, fun and midnight snacks...A realisation that wasn't helped at all by mallory towers...
So many TV and book series are written to a repetitive formula (especially mystery stories), which is perfectly fine. I read the Mallory Towers series (also by EB), and I liked knowing what sort of thing to expect (i.e. a couple of pranks on teachers, drama, discovering the 'culprit', etc). It makes it easy to imagine yourself in the story, because you start thinking of your own pranks and dramas etc. Now I feel like re-reading Swallows and Amazons :)
omg..! i picked up your kirrin island reference in a previous video and i JUST (as of wednesday!) finished collecting my famous five collection! (i live in america, so it's harder) my collection's intermixed with a lot of new editions, along with old editions from the 60's and 70's from my mom and other relatives; it means the world to me. (aside: i used to think her name was gnid blyton because of her sig!)
i relaxed by watching this amazing as always video, in the mist of writing an essay which when i started i was bouncing of the wall with ideas but now my feelings towards it at best can be descirbed as "Enthusiastically lukewarm" (Halse 2012).
Great video as usual Rosianna! :) I love that you've totally kept up with these challenges, you've done really well so far! I have to be honest and say that I have (as many may admit) failed my New Years Resolution... :( You are right in saying that this was more than likely the case for people trying stick to some grand scheme. Oh bother... well, at least I've been ridiculously productive this month :D Hope all is well!
Ahh, it's nice to hear some love for the Famous Five! I hate hearing them constantly slated, as (before Harry Potter) they were really the books which shaped my childhood and got me reading, and certainly as a child there was nothing about them which felt formulaic in the slightest, which I guess means they achieved their goal :) (Secret Seven were never as good, though...)
I agree with you on The Famous Five. Those books had especially helped me to build up my confidence in reading in English when I had just moved to the UK from the Netherlands and they were massively enjoyable too. :)
Baths are for heroes. Why stand when you can sit?
Did you read the adventure series books too? I think those were always my favourite of the Blyton books as a kid especially as there was a tv adaptation of castle of adventure around the time I was reading them.
I have to say thank you, Rosi. These videos have definitely made my January (which hasn't been the best start to the year) a lot more bearable and enjoyable.
Porridge t-shirt please
theflorgeormix 1 week ago
DFTBA Shirt :)
JAMBO4358 3 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
Enid Blyton was a big part of my childhood. I still adore her and don't think she negatively impacted my intellectual development or love of reading. Quite the opposite.
splicegrrl 4 weeks ago
"Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression." :D (I Capture the Castle FTW)
DJAustay 1 month ago
Swallows and Amazons was one of my favourite books when I was younger!! I still have it and love it:)
dropofjam 1 month ago
I totally agree about the famous five. Reading them now they seem so twee. But I loved them as a child . My mum read me swallows and amazons but at the time I LOVED ff. I think the apparent independence from adults ( a bunch of 11 year olds camping on an island in a storm) and the collectibility helps . The 21 numbered books to collect :-). Although my daughter when she was 6 collected the rainbow fairies there are over a hundred of them!!!
rachelloveschocolate 1 month ago
What is caterpillar cake?
lucyedgehill 1 month ago 3
@lucyedgehill A cake that looks like a caterpillar :) Its a thing.
WhisperOfTheTotoro 1 month ago
I LOVED SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS
littledumbled 1 month ago
Love the phrase: "Enthusiastically lukewarm"
cptncatholi 1 month ago
Gahhh stop distracting me when I have one week until mock exams....Any tips btw? Finding it really hard to sit down and just revise Shakespeare? x
itsjustchloethatsit 1 month ago
Love the Famous Five! They got me into reading!
Redthewarrior 1 month ago
argh, caterpillar cake... I've had that every year for my birthday since I was five. It is truly the best chocolate cake ever. IT HAS A FACE
TheCurlymop 1 month ago
There is a girl in my chemistry class that looks uncannily like you, but alas, not nearly as intelligent. My biased expectations are squashed everyday =(. Atleast she's nice.
lidiluvu 1 month ago in playlist More videos from missxrojas
I can remember the day my parents bought me my first Famous Five book so clearly. My Dad was really excited for me to start reading the series. And read I did! Couldn't get enough!
SeahorseyPrincess 1 month ago in playlist More videos from missxrojas
My seven year old sister has read nearly every single rainbow magic book there is, which means that I get to read them to her. Over. And Over. Again.
I have passed the state of dread, now all I want is the end...
saveginnyweasly 1 month ago
My heating broke yesterday so I don't even have lukewarm water at the mo. URGHH.
And I never liked the Oxford Comma either -_-'
InHonorOfRowling 1 month ago
Your videos make my day. :)
KimsGlitterChatter 1 month ago
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS is amazing. And I like it much better than the Famous Five. I went to the Lake District last year and I was staying right where a lot of S & A takes place - it made me very happy :)
MJLongman 1 month ago
I love Swallows and Amazons! I read the Famous Five/Secret Seven as well but I don't think I liked them as much. Another one I remember loving is Mud Pies and Waterbombs. The Machine Gunners was another great kids book.
kassad2056 1 month ago in playlist New Year Revolution /// Try Something New
I preferred the Adventurous Four... and the Magic Faraway Tree.
darth3pio 1 month ago
Yay! Swallows and Amazons! I highly encourage you to read them all, as while the main story focuses on the two groups (the Swallows and the Amazons) there are in further books stories that involves other groups. I'd also encourage you to read them in the order they were written, as by skipping books you can miss a lot of back story (in WDMTGTS the ship is called the Black Cat, which is completely unrelated unless you read the other books!)
mjones01423 1 month ago
Hahaha the rainbow fairy books.....
Elosabeth 1 month ago
so far out of the past, i dont know, ten books i have read, i have known the ending to at least five of them before i started reading, but they were still brilliant
jamreaper 1 month ago
Also I forgot to say, I relaxed by sitting in bed and watching YouTube. Boring, but nice.
maggiehanna 1 month ago
Comment removed
maggiehanna 1 month ago
Can something be enthusiastically lukewarm?
maggiehanna 1 month ago
I unknowingly took part in this challenge today by relaxing and getting a lot of reading done, it was nice to step away from everything for a while :)
paperwishingstars 1 month ago
question: Have you ever read Sophie's World?
bollywoodfangirl 1 month ago
I could listen to you say "Book" all day.
VicMorrowsGhost 1 month ago
"enthusiastically lukewarm" oh man you have a way with words
projectrunwei 1 month ago
WHAT IS CATERPILLAR CAKE?! Is it Collin the Caterpillar Cake? Is it just a cake shaped like a caterpillar? I have spent the past fifteen minutes trying to figure it out. What is my life?
Also, I really love your videos! They're great and make me think about things I can do in my life that make me branch out or get creative.
Beniqwa 1 month ago
Oh btw, I really liked the Nottercast you & Melissa did for TFiOS. It was just what I needed after reading it.
doodlehh 1 month ago
I've read 'Five Go Off In a Caravan' countless times! Always feel a bit uneasy about how racist alot of it is though... just have to take into account the times with a pinch of salt I guess.
I was more of a Secret Seven girl when I was younger anyway :)
my favourite childhood series is 'The Worst Witch' they are fantastic, the tv series didn't do it justice at. all.
Kezipoo 1 month ago
I have the exact same problem with my hot water. Such a frustration in my life.
AlannahSH 1 month ago
That's weird, I just had a conversation with someone today about the Famous Five and how the crime rates on Kirrin Island must be RIDICULOUS. I loved those books, apart from Anne and her "ooh no George, let's stay home and let the boys hunt the scary criminals!" attitude...
sacmagiquesacmagique 1 month ago
Gosh, I loved the Swallows and Amazons series, I remember demanding my mother find me every one. It's a play/musical at the moment down on the Strand. Tickets are a little too expensive for me sadly, otherwise I'd go. I relaxed by not getting up til 12. It was lovely. And Rosi, I know it's been said but these videos are amazing, I'm very glad you're doing this revolution. I love hearing you talk about the challenges, you're so articulate and thoughtful and intelligent. Wonderful.
houseofel27 1 month ago
I LOVED the Enid Blyton books i got them when i was 6ish from my British cousins and I absoloutely adored them
dancingsofia34 1 month ago
A Series of Unfortunate Events is very repetitive.
Hazzoufc 1 month ago
watching missxrojas
iamaproudnerdfighter 1 month ago
I just lay in bed for an extra half hour this morning and thought. It was good for me I think.
HazzaPistheDocsBFF 1 month ago
Sylvia Plath, Nostalgia, and Porridge.
Sincerely,
The Oxford Comma
littlesarahhh 1 month ago 71
@littlesarahhh booo, never liked the Oxford Comma!
missxrojas 1 month ago 23
@missxrojas But the Oxford Comma likes you! :D
littlesarahhh 1 month ago
@missxrojas I approve this comment. Down with the Oxford Comma!
italktosnakes 1 month ago
@littlesarahhh You didn't by any chance see the front page reddit post on the Oxford Comma today did you?
Conundric 1 month ago
@Conundric Nope! My punctuation nazi of a boyfriend is rubbing off on me.
littlesarahhh 1 month ago
@littlesarahhh That bastard.
Conundric 1 month ago
I grew up on Swallows and Amazons, and absolutely love them to bits- they were the first "long" books that I had read, and I still go back and enjoy them, even today as a 'grown up'. my favourite was Swallowdale :) Loving these videos Rosianna - keep up the good work! :)
stripeysocksify 1 month ago
Swallows and Amazons were some of my favourite books when I was younger, and I still re-read them regularly!
lupie3011 1 month ago
I used to love famous five! When I was little my dad used to read them to me and my sister every night. I can't remember what any of them were about at all but I remember loving them!
HardhatJelloXenon 1 month ago
Relaxed by sitting down and watching Birdsong for an hour and a half! Really impressed by it! Surprised you haven't talked about it at all Rosianna - did you watch at all?
olliezlol 1 month ago
I feel like all the the nostalgic feelings ever have just been dumped on me and I feel like weeping or something because OH MY GOD. Famous Five. I haven't thought about those books in so long. They were my entire life. All I need right now is to reread at least one. I remember my friend used to always prefer Secret Seven so I had no one to talk to about how much I loved Famous Five. I was probably only six or seven but I felt so alone in my love for those books. Ahahahaha.
amyevekeegan 1 month ago
Caterpillar cake is a family tradition in this house. We have it on everyone's birthday. For my 18th my mum was all like "He's grown up now! He'll want something more adult!" and my Dad said "I wouldn't risk it." He was right. Still a lovely cake though.
FlailingAxes 1 month ago
I was more of a "Faraway Tree" kind of kid :)
MissEmziWemzie 1 month ago 2
@MissEmziWemzie The Faraway Tree was awesome.
HannahIsUnoriginal 1 month ago
I'm still remembering how Enid Blyton would describe meals in her Famous Five books, and how there were gingerbread or something made of ginger in every meal... always. Me and my sister loved her books so much that they somehow were a huge influence when writing stories for school. We also read the Malory Towers and the Twins at Sainte Caire...and even Little Noddy...
GatitaMica 1 month ago
I grew up with the Ransome books courtesy of my mother who was born in England. I loved them and still enjoy reading one on the rare occasion I find any here in Canada.
seurat2 1 month ago
Gah, our taste in books seems so similar. I started off reading lots of Enid Blyton too- St Clares and Malory Towers- became a Harry Potter addict, then began reading more 'serious' literature alongside teen fiction when I was about 14. I'm studying english at uni next year :D I adore Sylvia Plath too. Are you a Virginia Woolf fan by any chance?
bloodbuddy7 1 month ago
I relax by reading. It makes me concentrate on one thing. One thing to give my whole attention to. One thing thing to enjoy.
completeidiot19 1 month ago
FAMOUS FIVE FTW
rachelisdobbysfriend 1 month ago
These daily videos and getting to know you through them, have really inspired me to not only read more fiction, but also read up on things i'm vaguely interested about, to hopefully give myself a better platform on which i can think critically, and become more engaged in my world and community. I do enjoy learning and I thank you being a catalyst allowing me realising I don't have to learn for exam or academic sakes.- Cheers, Ches :)
tomorrowcantknow 1 month ago
The only fan fiction I've ever written is about the famous five from when I was, like, ten or eleven. I still have it. No comment on that. Today, I relaxed properly with some yoga. Ohyeah.
Linawk 1 month ago
@Linawk was the fan fiction about Julian? He was my first love...
missxrojas 1 month ago 14
@missxrojas I loved him as well! It was not slash fiction. I basically recreated an adventure (something with a cave) that already existed, changed some details and shortened it down to about four pages of comic sans.
Linawk 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@missxrojas haha mine too! (along with Prince Eric and Aladdin)
ladadidah 1 month ago
I relaxed by sleeping in and going to the science museum in London! It was lovely!
tomorrowcantknow 1 month ago
I relaxed by reading Paper Towns by John Green, along with cooking lasagne and apple pie. MmmmmmmmmmmmmLasaTownPie.
djpj22 1 month ago
Talked to a friend today on Skype for about 2 hours about TFiOS--which was simultaneously relaxing and really mentally stimulating. I love that about books--how they can bring a sense of calm, but also challenge your thinking.
allystandsforawesome 1 month ago
Ah jeez, now I'm wanting me so caterpillar cake too. Midnight feast anyone?
xmadaboutmusicxxx 1 month ago 3
@xmadaboutmusicxxx I made myself get into my pyjamas to stop myself from going to the supermarket and buying one.
missxrojas 1 month ago 2
Today I revised for around 6 hours for a biology exam, coming here and watching your videos was my relaxation time :') GUuhh i love you soo much :D <3
mrdonehead 1 month ago
I loved the famous five as a kid, and they were definitely what built up my courage and enthusiasm in reading. Also, I reject the notion that a story has no value simply because it is formulaic.
Thank you for giving me a bit of a trip down memory lane. ^-^
Nedinud 1 month ago
I was always more of a "Girls of St.Claires" girl than famous five. I took a while before I realised boarding school wasn't all adventures, fun and midnight snacks...A realisation that wasn't helped at all by mallory towers...
gracesmileyface 1 month ago
So many TV and book series are written to a repetitive formula (especially mystery stories), which is perfectly fine. I read the Mallory Towers series (also by EB), and I liked knowing what sort of thing to expect (i.e. a couple of pranks on teachers, drama, discovering the 'culprit', etc). It makes it easy to imagine yourself in the story, because you start thinking of your own pranks and dramas etc. Now I feel like re-reading Swallows and Amazons :)
Fireworkbug 1 month ago
I want the winter to end but I don't want January to end :( These daily videos have been such a treat! Except you always make me hungry!
dftbageff 1 month ago
omg..! i picked up your kirrin island reference in a previous video and i JUST (as of wednesday!) finished collecting my famous five collection! (i live in america, so it's harder) my collection's intermixed with a lot of new editions, along with old editions from the 60's and 70's from my mom and other relatives; it means the world to me. (aside: i used to think her name was gnid blyton because of her sig!)
anteggma 1 month ago
i relaxed by watching this amazing as always video, in the mist of writing an essay which when i started i was bouncing of the wall with ideas but now my feelings towards it at best can be descirbed as "Enthusiastically lukewarm" (Halse 2012).
benjibunny14 1 month ago
Great video as usual Rosianna! :) I love that you've totally kept up with these challenges, you've done really well so far! I have to be honest and say that I have (as many may admit) failed my New Years Resolution... :( You are right in saying that this was more than likely the case for people trying stick to some grand scheme. Oh bother... well, at least I've been ridiculously productive this month :D Hope all is well!
RyanMurphyTube 1 month ago
Ahh, it's nice to hear some love for the Famous Five! I hate hearing them constantly slated, as (before Harry Potter) they were really the books which shaped my childhood and got me reading, and certainly as a child there was nothing about them which felt formulaic in the slightest, which I guess means they achieved their goal :) (Secret Seven were never as good, though...)
Now to give Blyton some long-overdue rereading.
Rantpodder 1 month ago
I agree with you on The Famous Five. Those books had especially helped me to build up my confidence in reading in English when I had just moved to the UK from the Netherlands and they were massively enjoyable too. :)
hystericalfangirl 1 month ago
Baths are for heroes. Why stand when you can sit?
Did you read the adventure series books too? I think those were always my favourite of the Blyton books as a kid especially as there was a tv adaptation of castle of adventure around the time I was reading them.
Ironballs69 1 month ago
Some x box . Battlefield 3
Hombrelobo666 1 month ago
:)
AnnabellaTS 1 month ago
I love caterpillar cake so much. I always wanted it as my birthday cake.
mouseandpie 1 month ago
"Enthusiastically lukewarm". I just laughed so much.
I read some of Return of the King, and watched some Broadway.com videos. That counts as relaxing, right?
kira902k 1 month ago
Yay early!
dob1997 1 month ago
next time you get caterpillar cake i'd like to see it. wondering if it's the same caterpillar cake google image presents.
kimkuhn 1 month ago
Rosi, your videos are just incredible I wish the daily videos would continue forever! Thanks for making January a little brighter!
accioboooks 1 month ago 68
Yayayayay new video! :D
TheMortalMuse 1 month ago
'Enthusiastically lukewarm' is now my favourite phrase.
phoenixfeathered 1 month ago 76
@phoenixfeathered Mine too famous five! I don't think my box set lasted with the love.
amyrowe85 1 month ago
@amyrowe85 *my childhood books have a habit of being over loved and falling to bits
amyrowe85 1 month ago
FIRST!
Though seriously, I highly enjoy your videos. You seem to always have something interesting to say. :)
TheWeasleySweater 1 month ago
@TheWeasleySweater Fail lol
dob1997 1 month ago
I have to say thank you, Rosi. These videos have definitely made my January (which hasn't been the best start to the year) a lot more bearable and enjoyable.
CrazyPurpleLady 1 month ago