book adjacent, Children's books, film, not a book

Book Adjacent: Bedknobs and Broomsticks

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Angela Lansbury would have been 100 last month, so today I’m talking about one of my favourite childhood movies – Bedknobs and Broomsticks – which had magic and witches and is thus perfect for a post-Halloween autumn afternoon.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is loosely based on two books by Mary Norton, who also wrote the Borrowers books. In this Disney version it’s 1940 and three orphans, Charles, Carrie and Paul, are evacuated to the village of Pepperinge Eye on the Dorset coast where they are billeted with the very reluctant Eglantine Price. They try to run away to London but change their mind when they discover Miss Price is a witch. When they try to blackmail her about this, she turns Paul into a rabbit and says that she’s learning magic to try and help fight the Nazis. When her correspondence course writes to say it’s closing down, they head to London on a flying bed to track down her teacher to try and get the final spell on the course. But it turns out the teacher is Emelius Brown, who is a street magician who has no idea his spell work when it’s Miss Price using them. And that’s only got you to the halfway point. The second half has a trip to a magical island and a Nazi invasion to thwart.

As well as Angela Lansbury as Miss Price, it has David Tomlinson (aka Mr Banks in Mary Poppins) as Emelius Brown, Reginald Owen (Admiral Boom from Poppins) and for Brits of a certain age Bruce Forsyth as a spiv. Like Mary Poppins it has a mix of live action and animation sequences and music by the Sherman Brothers. As is often the case the song that got the Oscar nomination (The Age of Not Believing) is not my favourite in the but Beautiful Briny, Substitutiary Locomotion, The Old Home Guard and the Portobello Road songs are singalong bangers.

Like so many Disney films, it was adapted into a musical a few years back and I saw it on tour in Northampton. That was ok rather than brilliant, it was great to hear the songs from the movie but I didn’t love the new additions and I can see why it never went into the West End. My sister and I recorded this off the TV (one Christmas I think) and watched it in rotation with about four other videos on Saturday nights while we were eating dinner in front of the TV (our weekend treat). Even now if I happened across it on TV on a weekend afternoon I’m pretty sure I would stop and watch it to the end.

Have a great Sunday.

books, stats

October Stats

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Books read this month: 32*

New books: 27

Re-reads: 3 (2 audiobooks)

Books from the to-read pile: 7

NetGalley books read: 6

Kindle Unlimited read: 11

Ebooks: 3

Audiobooks: 4

Non-fiction books: 4

Favourite book: Probably What You Are Looking For is in the Library

Books bought: lets skip over this…

Most read author: Jill Churchill – two more Jane Jeffreys books

Books read in 2025: 314

Books on the Goodreads to-read shelf (I don’t have copies of all of these!): 802

So after the progress of September on the NetGalley and pile front, October wasn’t quite as strong. The bright side is that the six NetGalley books I did read include all of the October releases, so for once I’m keeping pace with that, but the list is being somewhat propped up by novella and Kindle Unlimited. A lot of them were me trying new mystery series – and not always to great success. But if you don’t try them you don’t know, and I guess at least I’m getting the value out of my KU subscription!

Bonus picture: After the clock change, I’ve got sunrise on the train again – as opposed to dark until London – for a week or two. And this week the colours were amazing, although the frost in the fields is a sign of the weather to come…

*often includes some short stories/novellas/comics/graphic novels – 9 this month!

Fantasy, series

Series: Midnight, Texas

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For the last couple of years around Halloween I’ve written a series post about a Charlaine Harris book and this year I’m completing the set with the the last series in what turn out to be the connected worlds of her paranormal books.

In Midnight Crossroad, Manfred Bernardo has just arrived in town looking for somewhere quiet to live and work. But the seemingly quiet one stop light town has secrets hidden behind its doors and he’s about to discover what they are. If you’ve read Harris’s Harper Connelly series, you’ll have met Manfred (and his grandmother) there and if you’ve read Lily Bard you’ll have met fellow Midnight resident Bobo in those books and these are not the only points were the books crossover with other Harris worlds. Midnight and its environs are populated by vampires, were-creatures and the supernatural and given that Manfred himself is a psychic, he’s soon drawn into the drama that is going on.

In fact looking back at my BotW post for Midnight Crossroad I remember how hard it was to describe the plot there – and the trilogy as a whole is like that too. Although each book does have a plot of its own, it’s all very much building towards the climax in book three. Which is where my problem with the series was – because after all that build up, the ending was actually a bit anti-climatic – more of a whimper than a bang although the references back to other series in the final book are good. And given that Harris hasn’t returned to this extended universe since – she’s written six books in a YA series called Gunnie Rose that is set in an alternative history magical US – it’s a shame that that is the final moment and not something more explosive. But then there’s a bit of a history of the last books in Harris series being a bit of a disappointment to fans – see the brouhaha when the final Sookie Stackhouse book was published!

Any way, if you’re a Harris reader they’re worth a look and if you saw the TV series based on the books back when that was around (or have watched it on a streamer since) then it’s interesting to see what they did or didn’t change.

Have a great Halloween.

Book previews

Out This week: New Blessings book

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The twelfth – and seemingly final – book in Beverly Jenkin’s Blessings series came out on Tuesday. Calling all Blessings is promising one storyline about Tamar, the town matriarch, having to come to terms with her past and one about Devon, who first appeared in the series as an eight year old foster child, and is now a teenager and is still struggling to figure out who he really is. I really love this series – I first heard about them when Ms Beverly was on Smart Bitches Trashy Podcast years and years ago, and then started reading them when the library I was a member of in Virginia had copies in their e-book lending programme. I read nine of them in about two months, and since then have bought the new ones as they’ve been released. I had this one pre-ordered and traditionally read this very quickly after release, but if it is the last one, I may try and save it because I don’t want it to be over.

Book previews, Recommendsday

Recommendsday: Halloween 2025

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I had lofty plans for my reading for a Halloween post this year, because it’s been a couple of years since I have done a Halloween Recommendsday post. But due to my extreme flakiness when it comes to reading, I only finished one of the books that I was planning to read – and that was yesterday’s BotW. But I’m turning that to the good, and instead of giving you reviews, I’m going to tell you what I’ve got waiting to be read that fits a Halloween vibe, but appeals to me and my reading tastes.

I’m starting with Olivia Dade‘s ZomRomCom. I bought this at Saucy Books in the summer and I think the fact that it’s in paperback is the reason I haven’t read it yet – because I’ve been away from home so much. Anyway, as the name suggests this is a Zombie Romantic Comedy where two neighbours team up to try and prevent the Zombie apocalypse. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Dade’s style and sensibilities transfer over into a paranormal romance, if I can just find some time at home to read it…

Also in paranormal rom-coms, I have Rosie Danan‘s Fan Service on the pile. I mentioned this back in March when it came out, and it had a price drop this month so here I am with a Kindle edition of this novel about a star of a werewolf detective TV show who has just discovered that he might be a werewolf for real.

Among the books waiting on the monster to-read pile are three Virago Designer Classics that look beautiful, but that I’m a little afraid may be too scary for me. The first a book of Daphne DuMaurier’s Don’t Look Now, has five short stories that are described as “haunting and evocative” and the second is The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton, where the problem is clearly in the name. Finally there is The Talented Mr Ripley, which I don’t think counts as Halloween-y, unless you count psychological thrillers as Halloween reading, and I’m pretty confident that that one is too scary for me, given that as as a teenager I failed to make it to the end of the movie version!

And finally, I’m confident that I will have finished The Murder at World’s End by this time next week – but that of course is too late for this post. It’s got a remote mansion, the passing of Haley’s Comet, a seemingly impossible murder in a locked room and a new servant who arrives the day before the murder and finds himself in the sights of Scotland Yard. I’m not sure if it’s actually Halloween-y per se though – but it’s certainly mysterious, and from where I have got to so far (about a third of the way through at time of writing) it has good potential to get really creepy.

Have a great Halloween if that’s your thing, if it’s not I hope you manage to escape the madness and in case you haven’t read it yet this season, I present my second favourite* McSweeney’s article ever: It’s Decorative Gourd Season.

*My favourite is of course I Regret To Announce That My Wedding to Captain Von Trapp Has Been Cancelled. You’re welcome.

Book of the Week, mystery, new releases, reviews

Book of the Week: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Solving Murder

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It’s Halloween week, and so today’s Book of the Week has ghost in the title, even if it’s not so much spooky or scary as mysterious. You’re welcome.

It’s the end of 1914 and Alma Timperley has just found out that she had an aunt that she didn’t know about, but also that her aunt has died and left her a hotel in her will. The Timperley Spiritualist Hotel is in Cornwall, and caters to a very specific clientele – those who wish to communicate with the dead. And as the first Christmas of the war approaches, there are more people than ever looking for comfort in hearing from their recently departed loved ones. As if that wasn’t enough, soon after Alma’s arrival at the hotel, one of the maids is found dead and there are suggestions that there is a German spy in town. And then there is the fact that Alma can talk to the dead, just like her aunt could.

The spiritualist craze that happened during and after the Great War pops up in a few books – notably (in my reading life anyway) in Dorothy L Sayers’ Strong Poison, where Miss Climpson uses her experience of fraudulent mediums to help Peter Wimsey – but in this case, the mediums (or some of them at least) really can talk to the other side. And in terms of the mystery that needs solving, as a newcomer Alma is able to ask plenty of questions about the hotel and it’s inhabitants without arousing too much suspicion. I have a somewhat mixed relationship with books with supernatural elements as you all probably know by now, but I really, really enjoyed this – it’s a great idea and an interesting twist on a wartime spy mystery and not too heavy on the actual ghosts – I wouldn’t even really say it was haunted. This is F H Petford’s first novel (at least as far as I can find) and the end of the book suggests that there is the possibility of a sequel – which I would read with great pleasure.

My copy of A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Murder came via NetGalley, but it is out now in Kindle and Kobo, where it is £1.99 at time of writing, as well as in paperback.

Happy Reading!

books, stats, The pile, week in books

The Week in Books: October 20 – October 26

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Another incredibly busy week, where I went down to Essex and then up to Carlisle as well as work and a trip to the theatre. The list is looking pretty good though, even if the still reading list doesn’t seem to be coming down much. But I can work on that!

Read:

The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters

Nightfall in New York by Katherine Woodfine

A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Solving a Murder by F H Petford*

Soyangri Book Kitchen by Kim Jee Hye*

From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

Murder at the Grand Hotel by Isabella Bassett

War and Peas by Jill Churchill

Started:

The Will of the Standing Stones by A G Barnett

The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery*

Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch

Still reading:

You Had to Be There by Jodie Harsh*

Ritual of Fire by D V Bishop

Pet Shop Boys, Literally by Chris Heath

Two secondhand books acquired and I think that’s it.

Bonus picture: thank you flowers from my trip to Essex, and a glimpse of the to-read overflow pile…

*next to a book book title indicates that it came from NetGalley. ** indicates it was an advance copy from a source other than NetGalley.

film, not a book

Not a Book: The Sting

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It’s Sunday and I’m back with a film recommendation today. Robert Redford died just over a month ago and this is both my favourite film of his and possibly my favourite heist film too.

The Sting is the story of two professional grifters who team up to try and con a mob boss. The plot is very complicated and I’m not even going to try and explain it more because I’m not sure I can. It’s got twist after twist after twist. Robert Redford is Johnny Hooker who is out for revenge on Lonnegan who has murdered one of his partners. Paul Newman is Henry Gondorff, an older conman who he recruits to help him. Lonnegan is Robert Shaw who you may also have seen in Jaws but also as the Spectre assassin in From Russia With Love. And it’s also the movie that caused a resurgence in Scott Joplin and ragtime music when it came out.

I don’t want to say too much about it all because I don’t want to ruin it. I knew very little about it the first time I watched it and i was on the edge of my seat for a large amount of it not knowing where it was going and how it was going to work out. It’s just so cleverly put together. And the good news is that you can watch the whole thing for free – legally – with ads on YouTube. It’s a perfect Sunday afternoon movie. Enjoy!

bookshops, Christmas books

Books in the Wild: Daunt Marylebone

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Yes I’ve been wandering again, and today’s post is mostly about their windows, because I’m always interested to see what they have picked – there’s always at least one that I haven’t seen before.

The Boroughs of London is – as the name suggests – a book of maps of London’s boroughs complete with commentary and trivia about them. There’s almost always a local or at least London related book in the Marylebone window. It looks like it would make a great coffee table book either for yourself or as a Christmas gift.

This is even more local than the previous book – you can practically see Regent’s Park from the shop front. This is a children’s book about a fox. All the details I can find about this suggests that it’s a small press release, very new and that this is possibly the most publicity and prominence it’s had so far!

From a Christmas children’s book to a Christmas book for adults. Advent is apparently an Icelandic Christmas classic about a man rescuing sheep in the run up to Christmas time and this is the first time in 90 years that it’s been translated into English.

And finally here’s the mixed books window – featuring Small Bomb at Dimperley in paperback, The Wedding People, Voyage around the Queen and the Glass Maker which I have waiting to be read and a mix of books I e seen around and others that I haven’t.

And that’s your lot. Have a great Saturday!

Children's books, children's books, series

Children’s series: Taylor and Rose mysteries

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Happy Friday everyone, and it’s another mystery series today, but this one aimed at middle grade readers. And I do love a good middle grade book. And sometimes a bad one if you look at some of the terrible lesser known Girl’s Own books I’ve read over the years!

So the Taylor and Rose series is the follow on to Katherine Woodfine’s Sinclair Mysteries and features the same main characters, Sophie and Lillian, who are running a detective agency but also doing work on the side for the secret service agency. It’s in the years running up to (but not reaching) the First World War and the overarching plot that runs across the series is around a shadowy organisation who are trying to disrupt the world order and even maybe start a way by sowing discord between nations. Thus means there is plenty of scope for international travel as you can see from the titles of the books.

I really enjoyed the original series and this is a great continuation, that widens the world out and feels like it’s for slightly older readers in the same way that the main characters are slightly older. These are adventure capers more than mysteries and probably do need to read these in order to get the most out of them because of the over arching storyline with the secret society. I read the first two a couple of years ago and the last two over the last month or so and it worked really well.

You should be able to get these really easily in bookshops with children’s sections – and the first one (or even the set!) would make a great Christmas book for the 10-12 year old in your life.

Have a great weekend!