Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Armchair BEA - Blast from the Past

Since I'm stuck at home during the week of Book Expo America, when Bookblogville becomes eerily quiet, I figured it would be fun to participate in the Armchair BEA adventure. Do not ask me why the above image is so large. I can't figure it out. Must be a Blogial Anomaly.

Blast from the Past, aka "Books I Fell in Love With, Way Back in the Time of Dinosaurs":

Jiggers by Joy Muchmore Lacey is the first book I remember falling in love with, the story of a cute little puppy who goes missing. I remember the puppy bounding happily through the snow and into the little girl's arms at the end. I thought that little girl looked a lot like me (substitute bright blonde hair for the reddish-blonde) at the time. 1963 is the date of publication. Wow, that was a long time ago. My original copy probably went into one of my mother's infamous bi-annual garage sales, but Huzzybuns bought me a copy off eBay, a few years ago. He got something on the order of 50,000 brownie points for buying that little gem. It's still in the plastic bag. It's so special I haven't yet touched it, apart from a single reading when it arrived.

In The Trouble with Jenny's Ear by Oliver Butterworth, young Jenny develops the ability to overhear the thoughts of people around her. I don't actually remember this book as well as I used to, but I happened across a copy of it in the library sale, a couple years ago, and snapped it up. I remember thinking it was funny and trying to will myself to hear the thoughts of the people around me (#fail). I'm almost positive I checked the book out from my library more than once, but other than that . . . . I really don't remember much. It seems like Jenny is due for a reread.

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

When I was in my early twenties, it occurred to me that it was about time I caught up on all the classics I'd missed out on reading because I chose to substitute other courses in high school and college for the typical lit courses (Journalism, Writing About Film and The Geography of Music . . . all were valid substitutes for English Lit, which I'm pretty sure I feared). To that end, I went shopping at a small local store and found this "classic tale of romantic suspense". I recall sitting on the porch outside our apartment, practically inhaling the book while my eldest son was in kindergarten. Could. Not. Put. Down. Is it a true "classic" of literature? I'm not certain. But, Rebecca was most definitely an excellent starting point for leaping into the classics.

Désirée by Anne-Marie Selinko is a book I snitched off my mother's shelves when I was in junior high. Désirée is the story of Désirée Eugenie Clary, Napoleon's first love. I'm not certain, but I think Désirée may have been my first foray into historical fiction and I loved it so much that I eventually walked off with my mother's copy, bought three more copies and gave two to friends. My mother eventually said she didn't mind that I'd kept her copy. I assume that's because I read it repeatedly (had it not been read regularly by someone, it likely would have gone into one of the infamous bi-annual garage sales). Désirée is one of the most re-read books I own.

A few other books that encouraged my early love of reading (in no particular order):

The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (père)

Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster, Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins-Clark, and A Separate Peace by John Knowles (all borrowed from my sister's shelf during our school years)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett - Also due for a reread. I'm careful with my books, but I've nearly read my childhood copy of A Little Princess to tattered shreds.

My thanks to Book-a-rama Chris (whom I mentally call "Chris-a-rama") for drawing my attention to the Armchair BEA posts with her hilarious fantasy panel post, "I See Dead People".

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for the shout out! I should change my name to Chris-a-rama. lol

    I loved Rebecca when I read it in my 20s too. I could relate to that poor girl.

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  2. Anonymous8:40 AM

    Bookfool: I think you and I are the only ones who chose to blast into the past, so naturally I had to see what you had to say. Surprisingly, I've actually heard of some of these books. ;) For example, A Separate Peace was one of my favorite books that we read in high school. I've always wanted to read Rebecca, but have yet to get to it. Maybe someday...soon?

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  3. Great picks. Little Princess and A Wrinkle in Time were some of my favorite childhood books.

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  4. I'm totally giggling because it's "Chris-a-rama" in my head too ;-)

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  5. I would call Rebecca a classic now, but had not heard of it (only the movie) until about 5 years ago!
    Fun list.

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  6. Chris,

    Thanks for informing me. Heh. Your name's already been mentally changed by at least two of us, I see. :)

    I don't remember relating to anyone in Rebecca, but I do remember thinking that was the greatest opening line: "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." I still love the sound of that line. The ending shocked me. Loved that, too.

    Unfinishedperson,

    Well, since you and I are the only ones who chose Blast from the Past, I'll have to dash over and check yours out. I recall my eldest son hated A Separate Peace and I thought he was crazy. It turned out he pretty much hated anything he had to read for school. I'm glad I managed to sneak it off my sister's shelf. :)

    Definitely read Rebecca right away. It is all kinds of awesome wrapped up in a shiver.

    Julie,

    May I say you have excellent taste? I do believe you do. I was very fortunate to get to hear Madeleine L'Engle speak at a library in Tulsa, back when we lived there. She was just as amazing as expected. :)

    SuziQ,

    Well . . . it fits. LOL And, the other Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made On is Stuffster. You're just "Q". I think that means you're clever and inventive and should be introduced to James Bond.

    Care,

    I hadn't heard of Rebecca till I went out looking for classics and I'm sure it was just the fact that the word "classic" was on the cover that caught my eye. I do think of it that way, now, but I don't know what the experts think. Who are the experts in literary classics? We should call them up.

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  7. I've had Rebecca in my TBR for ages, hoping to get to it this summer!

    When I was a teenager, I read so many of my mom's books (it helped that they were mostly romances; and ummm...sort of educational :-P ). but one book of hers that I read many, many times was "The Thorn Birds". I recently found this at the library book sale and plan to revisit it soon.

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  8. Valerie,

    I'm forever trying to light a fire under people who say they've yet to get around to reading Rebecca, so watch your feet (or hurry and pick up the book).

    My mother mostly read history, but I managed to walk off with two of her books and both are books I've read repeatedly, over the years. Reading moms make reading kids. Just before my mother died, I asked her if she had a favorite time period and any favorite titles she could mention. She said the Revolutionary War was one of her favorite things to read about and a little book called Spies of the Revolution was a long-time favorite. I found it in her garage, so that makes 3 books I walked off with. I've yet to read it, but it's in a special place. :)

    Okay, so now it's your turn. I've got a copy of The Thorn Birds and haven't read it, yet. Got a match?

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  9. Are You My Mother? is probably one of my favorite children's books ever!! Love that one!!

    And, can I just say that Chris's post still makes me laugh and I read it days ago!! :)

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  10. Tif,

    Are You My Mother is a wonderful book. It took a while before I managed to find a copy, when I had my first child, but both enjoyed it.

    Chris's post was hilarious!

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  11. Du Maurier has been on my list for far too long! I have a copy of My Cousin Rachel from the library sitting on the table, waiting for me!

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  12. Lydia,

    You should definitely hurry up and give Du Maurier a try. I've read about a half dozen of her books, now. Some are wonderful, some so-so and one was boring. My Cousin Rachel is a good one. Rebecca, Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek are my personal favorites. Have fun reading!

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