1970 Club, hosted by Stuck in a Book and Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings, starts on Monday and we will all be reading and writing about books published in that year. It seems to have been another great year for publishing – I have previously read and reviewed six books on my blog and thought I would list them before the week begins. If you haven’t decided what to read yet, maybe you can find some inspiration here!
Fifth Business by Robertson Davies – The first book in Davies’ Deptford Trilogy. This one is set in a small Canadian town and follows the sequence of events triggered by the innocent act of a boy throwing a snowball. I still haven’t read the other two books.
Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer – There’s usually a Georgette Heyer novel suitable for the club, no matter what year it is! This one from 1970 is not one of my favourites, but I still enjoyed it – Heyer is almost always fun to read.
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart – As a fan of Stewart’s romantic suspense novels I wasn’t sure if I would like her Arthurian books, but I actually found them equally enjoyable. This is the first of her three novels about Merlin and I loved all of them.
Ibiza Surprise by Dorothy Dunnett – Dunnett is better known for her historical novels, which I love, but she also wrote a series of contemporary mysteries featuring portrait painter Johnson Johnson and his yacht, Dolly. This one, as the title suggests, is set in Ibiza.
The Embroidered Sunset by Joan Aiken – This is an entertaining modern thriller with a plot that isn’t to be taken too seriously! It also has an ending that took me completely by surprise.
The Child from the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge – I love Elizabeth Goudge and this was the first of her books I read. It tells the story of Lucy Walter, a mistress of King Charles II, and is beautifully written, with some lovely descriptions of Wales.
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Have you read any of these books? What else have you read published in 1970 – and will you be taking part in 1970 Club next week?
She Reads Novels 
Some great titles! The only one I have read is The Crystal Cave, but that was decades ago – though I do want to get onto Robertson Davies sooner rather than later!!
I liked the Robertson Davies, although not enough to move straight on to the second book. I’m sure I’ll finish the trilogy eventually, though!
I have the same edition of The Child from the Sea and will read it if I have time. I read The Crystal Cave and its sequels as a teenager, borrowed from the library. I have the first two in an ugly book club omnibus and the third in a tatty paperback, but I doubt I’ll reread them for the club. I have other 1970 books on my TBR…
I loved the Merlin books, but read them quite recently so didn’t consider rereading The Crystal Cave for the club. The Child from the Sea is a lovely book – I hope you have time to read it.
I remember visiting Roch Castle, Lucy Walters home, in the days when you still could. I loved The Child from the Sea too. It’s a hotel now(the castle) but not much else you can do with castles these days:)
I’ve never been to that part of Wales but I loved Goudge’s descriptions of Roch Castle and Lucy’s life there.
I’m aiming to read The Crystal Cave for this year’s club! Really looking forward to it—I have loved her romantic suspense novels too and glad to hear this is just as good even if totally different.
I hope you like The Crystal Cave! It’s obviously very different from the suspense novels, but it’s just as beautifully written with the same strong sense of place.
I like her writing and atmosphere a lot, and have always loved the Merlin/Arthurian legends, so am expecting to enjoy!
As you know, I’ve also read the Stewart novel (but not the sequels) and the Davies title (as well as the rest of the Deptford Trilogy, which I thoroughly recommend). I was pleased with your reminder of the Aiken novel, as I’d forgotten you’d reviewed it in the last year!
I’ll finish the Deptford Trilogy eventually, I’m sure! And yes, the Aiken was quite a recent read for me. I’m hoping I can fit in another of her books in time for Witch Week.
Rereading Charity Girl is on my list for next week. Like you, it isn’t a favourite but her books are always fun. I love the Crystal Cave and the rest in the series but reread them all not too long ago. I haven’t read the Dorothy Dunnett though so I might see if I can track that one down
I hope you enjoy whatever you read for the club. Heyer is usually a popular choice, but it hasn’t been that long since I read Charity Girl so I didn’t feel it was time for a reread yet.
Someone recommended The Child from the Sea recently, but I took one look at the prices on Amazon and decided not to bother. It sounded good, though.
It’s a shame it’s so expensive. Most of her other books seem to have been reissued in much cheaper Kindle editions, but not that one!
I kept myself to three this time because I’m trying to do that Century of Books. However, two of mine were Charity Girl and Fifth Business! I have also read all of the others on your list except Embroidered Sunset.
I stuck to three this time as well, although there are others I would have liked to read. I hope you enjoyed Charity Girl and Fifth Business.
Yes, I did! My other was Agatha Christie, so this was a good club for me this year, even though the Christie was not one of her best.
I had to double-check that Ibizia Surprise’s other title is Dolly & the Cooking Bird – which is one of my favorites of that series. Johnson is very kind to Sarah in that one, and I really enjoyed the setting.
Yes, the Dolly books have all been reissued recently under the newer titles and with modern covers. I’ve only read three of them but that one is my favourite so far. I loved the Ibiza setting too!
Interesting set of books from 1970. I loved The Crystal Cave and have read it a few times. I like it the best of the series, and I am a hardcore Mary Stewart fan.
I still have a few of Mary Stewart’s books left to read, but I think The Crystal Cave is one of her best. I’m glad you love it too.
I love that there’s usually a Georgette Heyer novel no matter the year! 😀 There’s a bunch of her books that I still need to read.
I still have a lot of unread Heyer novels too. I usually try to read one for these club years, but it’s not long since I read Charity Girl and I didn’t want to reread it just yet.
I last read The Crystal Cave as a teenager & loved it. I’ve been thinking it’s time for a reread & the 1970 Club might just be the cause.
I loved all three books in that trilogy. I would like to reread them one day, but not yet.
I think I’ve read all of these but maybe not – I get those Dunnett mysteries mixed up. Charity Girl is one of my least favorite Heyers and although I wanted to like Robertson Davies, I did not enjoy his books. But you can’t go wrong with Mary Stewart, Goudge, or Aiken!
I’ve only read Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and although I didn’t love it, I liked it enough to want to try another of his books. I doubt he’ll become a favourite author, though. I agree with you on Stewart, Goudge and Aiken – always reliable!
Thanks for the suggestions! And yes, wonderful that Heyer is such a reliable.
I would often read the Heyer option for whichever year it is, but I’ve just read that one relatively recently so decided on different books instead!