Girlsown books for the Kindle No.1: Susan Coolidge

[callmemadam]

How I loved What Katy Did when I was a child! I read it so often I must know it by heart. I also read at School and Did Next but it was many years before I found out that Clover and In the High Valley existed. Not so very long ago, people were prepared to pay *lots* of money for these two books; they really were at a premium. Then they were reprinted by Girls Gone By and prices went down. Now, all the Katy books are FREE for the Kindle. Coolidge’s scarcer books are also available free. Last year I read A Little Country Girl for the first time and wrote about it here. I’m currently dipping into Nine Little Goslings, a series of short stories. The first one is about Johnnie Carr. What a feast! You could even splash out £1.98 on eleven books by Coolidge.

Needless to say, in spite of having the Katy books on the Kindle, I’m hanging on to my hard copies. The idea that having a Kindle will reduce the number of books piling up all over the house is a myth.

Comments

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is fab, thank you. These were among my favourite books as a child. I was probably about as influenced by WKDAS as I was by any other book.

Have just got them all except WKDN, which is not currently available. I will keep checking. Thanks so much.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

My pleasure!

Strange, WKDN was unavailable when I looked a while ago, but seemed to be back today. I hope they sort it.

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

Also, Rose Red is a sociopath, although she is not quite in the same league as Posy Fossil. coughingbear and I started trying to make a list of sociopaths in children's books, but ran out quite quickly after this.

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

Hah!

[coughingbear]

I have just been looking (turns out I already have most of these for Kindle, but they hadn't all re-downloaded to the new one) and found this review of WKDN:

'It is a interesting book with great detail and scripture.'

Rose Red is terrifying.

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

Maher Shalal Hash Baz.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

How about Margot Maynard?

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

She's got a filthy temper but I'm not sure if she's sociopath level. She doesn't set out to harm people as Rose does, and she doesn't lack all regard for their humanity as does Posy.

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

Lawrie Marlow. She does not believe other people have feelings and is utterly ruthless in pursuit of her own goals.

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

Rose Red?

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

No, living it down. I always knew that Rose Red was evil, although I didn't know how evil until I was grown up.

[widgetfox.livejournal.com]

And, to a lesser extent, picking people up by the right handles.

[dorianegray.livejournal.com]

They're all on Project Gutenberg in various formats including Kindle.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Excellent, I have snagged What Katy Did, which by some oversight I don't own in dead-tree.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Oh? ISTR giving you a spare copy I had, same edition as the one in the picture. Oh well, it's handy on the Kindle.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Nope - At School and Next, but not the original!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Glad you've got those :-)

[auntyros.livejournal.com]

I have read Clover but not In The High Valley. Off to download now!

[ramblingfancy.livejournal.com]

Ah but you have beautiful copies and enough room with your lovely chalet so you can have the best of both worlds. Ooh that reminds me, I'm dumping all my M M Kaye ppbks as have replaced them with Kindle copies. Should I save them for you over charity shop or do you have them all as well? I must say I love the Kindle editions of GO type fiction esp if it's free or too precious to take out and about or falling-apart-paperback and am actively replacing things like the Carola Dunns and Georgette Heyers when I can spot a deal. I really wish though the Greyladies and Persephones would come out on Kindle at the same time as new paperback reprint as they're the sort of books I don't want to reserve shelf space for now. Not gaily jacketed enough for my tastes I guess :)

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Those live in the bedroom with other favourites!

I have a couple, but I would like Berlin, if you have it. That's the one I liked best.

You're amazingly strong willed over this dead tree v. Kindle thing. I'm forever clicking the 'tell the publisher you'd like to read this on Kindle' button. I get annoyed by the variation in prices: sometimes Kindle is cheaper, sometimes more expensive. And I haven't wanted one of their daily deals for ages.

[gwendraith.livejournal.com]

How wonderful they are on Kindle. How I loved What Katy Did all those years ago. I wonder if I would still enjoy her? Can't go wrong with a free Kindle downloads :)

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

As you say, nothing to lose! My favourite chapter in WKD is St Nicholas and St Valentine. I also love the scene in WKDAS where they open the Christmas hamper from home.
I certainly haven't grown out of them.

[coughingbear]

Jumbles!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Yum.

[sea-weed.livejournal.com]

I loved these books too and still enjoy an occasional re-read. I was staying in my grandmother's house years ago at the age of 8 for my grandfather's funeral and my mother gave me her old copies to read when I had nothing else to do and I loved them. And like you only later on found out there were 2 more, but didn't enjoy them or WKDN as much as the first 2 in the series which I must almost know off by heart as well. Must get those copies for my kindle too.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I agree the last two aren't so good, but once you know they exist, you have to read them! I'm far more likely to re-read WKD yet again.

[sea-weed.livejournal.com]

Oh yes I had to read them and will probably re-read them too, even if they weren't such favourites. I haven't read A Little Country Girl or Nine Little Goslings yet, but I really must. Johnnie Carr was such a lovely character.