Saturday, July 5, 2008

Sometimes I Read

I used to read constantly as a kid. When I sat on Santa’s lap at the Ohio Valley Mall, every year I asked for the same thing for Christmas- books. (I’m sure there were additional items on my list, but none come to mind except for Fruity Pebbles cereal.) Now, I’m not saying I was demanding Dickens or anything- at age 10 it was mostly Sweet Valley Twins and The Babysitter’s Club for me; I absolutely adored them! I begged and pleaded with my poor mom to get the newest ones as they were released- she must have spent a fortune at B. Dalton, but I had to have them! I’m sure I read at least 30 or 40 of each series, and a lot of those were read and re-read. When I found these pictures of the original cover art on Amazon, I was blown away by the flood of memories they brought back! Not memories of me as a skinny, nerdy kid with no friends, but memories of Sweet Valley, where Jessica joined the Unicorn Club with Lila Fowler, and where Elizabeth redecorated her room in navy blue and beige, and of Stoneybrook, where the Babysitter’s Club met at Claudia’s house and talked about their “charges” and Kid-Kits and wrote a journal about their experiences… I got totally lost in those worlds, and I remember so many of the details! It’s amazing how things like that can still be lodged in my brain after 20 years! I can barely remember what I had for breakfast, but I can still conjure these vivid scenes of an imaginary middle school from the 80’s… I continued my love affair with literacy all through middle school, when I tried to go through the entire fiction section of the school library in alphabetical order. (I didn’t succeed, don’t worry. I’m not a total freak.) I especially loved Ellen Conford, Mabel Esther Allan, and Paul Zindel. Sadly, though, high school hit and books all but disappeared from my life. My reading habit has never fully recovered. As an adult I’ve gone through a few periods of heavy reading, but they’ve been pretty short-lived, and even then it’s been more non-fiction than anything else. In the last couple weeks I have read four fiction books (I’m pretty proud of myself) and I’m starting to realize how much I’ve really missed it! I miss fiction! I just finished The Jane Austen Book Club about an hour ago (it wasn't earth-shattering, but it held my interest), and I’m going to make an effort to keep this little bookworm ball rolling by diving right into something new tonight! I’ve got a few books on the shelf waiting to be read, but when those are done I’ll be looking for suggestions, so if you’ve just read something fantastic, please leave me a note in the comments! Gotta run! It’s time to go get cozy with a cup of tea and a new adventure! See you at the library! =)

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Yay books!

Barbara said...

"Pigman"! I'd forgotten all about that book! And Sweet Valley Twins! That takes me back. Yes, you always had your nose in a book. You would rather read than eat! :D

Recommendations: "Pillars of the Earth", "The Other Side of Midnight", "Kane & Abel"

I love the kitty link! I has a money, too, and I knows what to do wif it!

Sarah said...

Haha! You found the secret lolcat! =) You iz so smarts! =) You always tell me to read that pig book, Pillars! Maybe someday...

Sarah said...

Hey- which Kevin is that?!

QueenMab said...

Oh my gosh...I was OBSESSED with "SVT" & "BC." Remember how all the Unicorns had to wear purple? And when Dawn's mom married Mary Ann's dad? Oh geez...I might have to buy some of these used on Amazon...

Sarah said...

When I was in Qu'bec I bought the first three BC books again- in French! =) I was looking for something easy to get me back into French. When I was writing this post I did think of maybe picking up a couple of SVT in English, though... Memories...