Maybe the Banshee votes are for sentimental reasons?
My favourite Find-Outers book,
Tally-Ho Cottage was bought for me by my Mum, and that fact along with the story which had me laughing out loud when Fatty started 'Larkin' around probably has a lot to do with it.
I'm re-reading the whole series right now and can't believe how enjoyable I'm finding all the books again.
I finished
Tally-Ho Cottage yesterday and still found a few things that I didn't recall reading.
The Find - Outers apparently had their own special whistle to summon/alert each other. It's mentioned in a few books including Tally-Ho.
I'm starting
Missing Man today. I'm reading all the books out in the garden in a comfy but battered old Ercol chair (similar to the one above) with mismatching cushions under a large (state) waterproof garden umbrella.
I love it when the rain is lashing down and I'm wrapped up under a scarf and cap like Old Larkin himself, snug and protected from the persistent rain!
I have a little table next to me for snacks and a large mug of tea - reading is energetic work!
Over to the right is our bird feeder, and it's lovely as I sit quietly reading to see beautiful birds coming to feed on the seeds and fat balls hanging there.
A little black bird with an orange beak has now become quite friendly and I often find it almost at my feet whilst I am busy reading, hopping up and down as if to say 'Look at me!'.
So,
Missing Man next and after I have read the last book,
Banshee Towers I still have the first five books to read as I started my re-read on book six,
Hidden House.
I love the way the children treat Ern in
Tally-Ho Cottage. He loves the Find-Outers too and it has been lovely to see their friendship develop and deepen after they first got off on the wrong foot with each other.
Thinking Ahead:
I've enjoyed re-reading the whole series so much that I have decided to do the same with another series of Enid's books.
Which series to read again? I thought of
The Barney Books, but I've not long read
Rockingdown and a few others. Then I thought of
The Secret Series. I decided that I did not want to read about so many exotic places after
Peterswood!
The Secret Seven - maybe, but I would like something with more depth.
Then I thought what about
The Adventure Series? This seems at the moment to be my best choice.
I have read
The Island Of Adventure very few times for some reason.
Also, this was one of the very few series that I did not read in the correct order. I remember reading
The River Of Adventure & Castle Of Adventure first, I think.
Also, I'm aware that many hold The Adventure series in very high regard, whereas I'm a bit of a
Famous Five and
Find - Outers freak myself.
So, Spring 2019 May be a good time to redress the balance and reappraise the whole of the Adventure series from a fifty one year old's perspective.
I always make a small note at the beginning of every Blyton book of the date and my age every time I read them - I have just checked
The Island Of Adventure and I note I have written :
Feb 2013 age 45 .
So, it's six years since I last read the book - that seems a reasonable amount of time to start reading the series again!
But, hey, yippee! - it's off to the garden first to complete
The Mystery Of The Missing Man with some chocolate buttons and a large mug of tea!