7/26/2007

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Many of my fondest childhood memories surround books. I have been a bookworm since I first learned how to read, something my parents both encouraged and nurtured and for which I will be eternall grateful to them. Reading has become such a source of joy in my life that I can't possibly fathom what it's like for people who don't love it like I do. (This is something that is, apparently, contagious. Tim is not what one would consider "a reader". He likes to read now and then, but he is not continuously toting around at least one volume of something or other as I am. When we were first married this was a continual source of confusion for me, so I started throwing books his way - and while he's still not as voracious as I am, he's holding his own these days. Like all young newlyweds, we had no cash. Our solution to wanting to go out involved of a lot of evenings out that consisted of a shared value meal at Taco Bell (cinnamon crisps if we were feeling flush) and then as many hours as we could at Barnes and Noble. I think it was this that got him more on board with the greatness behind reading. In fact...we would often choose a book and then sit in their comfy chairs and just read for a while together. Then write down the page number, reshelve the book, and go home, picking up the story right where we left off the next Friday.)

Anyway, one of my best friends in elementary school was our school librarian. Mrs. Williamson always had a recommendation of a fantastic book that I should try (if I didn't already have a list from mom, who has a degree in Children's Lit.) She introduced me to Hildy & The Cuckoo Clock, Go to the Room of the Eyes, The Return of the Twelves, The Mummy Market, The City Under the Back Steps, and The Boxcar Children Mysteries - among many others. Periodically I browse around looking for an affordable ex-library copy of these sadly out of print books. So far I've captured the Twelves and The Room of the Eyes. I can't quite bring myself to pay the $110 they're asking for Hildy...though it's terribly tempting as the cheapest I've seen to date is over $200.

However, the other day at Amazon I chanced across The Boxcar Children...which it seems have been recently reissued. I found volumes 1 - 4 and 5 - 8 packaged up as box sets and happily snapped them up. Of course, there were 19 written in total, so I need to sort through the titles and see if all have been reissued and complete my set, but there's time. As soon as they arrived I pulled out the first one and sat down to read. It was a lovely little jaunt back in time - the story certainly holds up well and it doesn't seem that they've abridged or edited the books at all in the reprint. I imagine I'll be zipping through the remainder of the 8 very shortly (they're for ages 9-12, so they don't take long to read.)

So it begs the question...are there books you grew up with that you remember fondly? Have you found and read them again as an adult? How'd they hold up?

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:44 PM

    The Anne of Green Gables series is timeless, to me, as is Little Women. Love those!

    By the way, I just finished the sequel to Enchanted Inc. last night--Once Upon Stilettos. It was really good! Much better than the first book. You might give it a shot since I thought it did tie up some loose ends. :)

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  2. I'm a big fan of Anne as well - though honestly, I came to her much later in life (I think after the PBS series, honestly.) Never did care much for Little Women - I'm not sure why. :)

    Thanks for the tip on the sequel, maybe I'll see if I can find it used as I'm also still stewing about trade paperback sizes (and consequently prices) for books that don't warrant the treatment. :)

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  3. Lots of books that I read, I still would read (if only I had time hehe). Missed our daily chat today Beth! :)

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  4. We had a fabulous librarian – not at our school, but at the Concord [N.H.] Public Library – when I was growing up. She could pretty much size you up and assess your reading ability and interests within just a couple of visits. Our entire family was one of voracious readers – we were without a television for many years and then, when we did finally get one, we were so far out in the country that there was no cable, just an antennae, which provided only limited choice. Although I cannot remember the librarian’s name, I can still picture what she looked like – and she did not fit the stereotypical image at all – she was young, she was pretty, and she dressed in the style of the day… back in the 70’s!

    Best of all, though, she introduced me to books like The Pushcart War, Harriet the Spy, The Boxcar Children, Sounder and Old Yeller [cannot read animal stories – too heartbreaking, always!], The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and one about an Indian – the title of which for the life of me right now I can’t remember…

    Today? I am still a reader and go no where without a book – you might have to wait somewhere and then what – with no book??? I read in the car, I’ve taken a book to a baseball game, I read if I’m on the treadmill, in the tub… before bed – cannot imagine going to sleep without reading – and usually I am immersed in two or three or four books at the same time.

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  5. Sabra, all the ones you mentioned were additional favorites of mine (well, except the Indian one since I'm not sure which one it is ;) ) Where the Red Fern Grows is the animal book I love but hate, if that makes sense. So sad. Our reading habits sound similar. :)

    Rach - I know! I got busy and didn't get to the computer til late.

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