Wonderful to see this here. His Dark Materials is so inventive, thought provoking, surprising… Makes the Narnia books look pretty simplistic.

Fun and quick, but REALLY dated.

The War of the Worlds might have been great when it was written, but feels very dated now.

I found the Little Prince a little silly – but it isn’t long and everyone should read it. Suggest maybe to read and discuss with a n older child, maybe 9 to 11. The discussion brings out the book.

Really a lovely book. It reveals itself very slowly but is paced well. My mother didn’t like it because she is the same age as the two characters and she didn’t like the descriptions of them in the late stages of their lives.

It is very interesting to revisit The Tin Drum in light of the revelation that Grass was in the Waffen SS as a young man. Grass’s defense of that time in his life is completely credible, but knowledge of that period of his life puts a different twist on the book.

I think that the Rabbit books may have been more relevant for my father – always a huge fan of Updike – than for me. The suburban life described is far from my own reality and feels stifling to me. The books are well written however.