Obsessive Book Lover's Month of Books - Day Four

[idiosyncreant]

Day 4

What books are the first you remember reading for yourself?

I remember very clearly reading the books where I was learning to read, the little books for the program, and feeling it coming together in my head.

Soon after this I had my first encounter with sneaking books. That's right...right from my first little reading-program readers I was sneaking books to read more stories. Rereading the books my mother had read aloud to me and my brother Dan took up a lot of my reading time as a young child, so the Hobbit and some of the Chronicles of Narnia, and the Little House on the Prairie books were revisited often.

Here's the other kinds of things I read that I remember, though:



I don't remember reading many picture books--my tiny little town had a tiny little library where the kids books were kept in the basement.
I remember reading those series books from an early enough age I was puzzled by many of the words and missing great swathes of what was going on. Nancy Drew had very interesting settings that changed every book, so that was awesome. I got tired of the formulas eventually, though. I hated not being able to find THE FIRST ONE of a series, and things not moving on to a great wonderful ending that was THE END.

I more clearly remember checking out all the books they had in the A Very Young... series by Jill Krementz, many, many times. "Ballerina" and "Gymnast" were my favorites, though Rider was always checked out and had the allure of being rare.

Reading about people who were excellent in their field was awesome--though it also made me want to be a dancer and gymnast, and think that if you weren't awesome by 13, it was over for you, cupcake.

When I discovered this awesome book I got out called The Writer's Desk was created by Jill Krementz, I nearly shrieked with joy at finding work tailored just for me, as an adult, the same way her children's books had felt.

Comments

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

Cherry Ames! Doesn't she have some srs lesbian side plots? Or was that something else with a 1940's nurse named Cherry? Hmm. I'm pretty sure it's the same dealy.

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

I think I only read the one--in that one she attended a shell-shocked soldier, and I really wanted them to get together, but they didn't so I was all like "Meh, forget this."

Even though I didn't like the guy that much. I was 8, I didn't get the idea of how chemistry can lead to interest in a book, but then not resolve.

I still am not a fan, but at least I know how it works in real life and why an author would do that... XF

[fabricalchemist.livejournal.com]

(its because Cherry Ames likes girls! this is starting to sound similar to what i read)

[topayz4.livejournal.com]

I loved the A Very Young books. They rereleased A Very Young Rider a few years ago and it's now sitting on my bookshelf. And no, my Penny pony was not named after Ready Penny :D

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

I'll have to see if my library here has any I haven't read already--and maybe get some of the old ones I loved. Though in a way they're good and bad memories all mixed up--I never got to be an awesome athlete of any kind, but I *did* get pushed into writing about girls who could do all those things...

[beth-shulman.livejournal.com]

Hey! I found you through jade_sabre_301 and I love your month of books theme! I've also honestly never met another person who's read Cherry Ames or A Very Young Rider (guess I still haven't, though). Do you mind if I friend you? I'd love to follow the book discussions.

[idiosyncreant.livejournal.com]

Hi! Come right on in!

And if you want to hop into the meme, too, it's early-days yet...

It's funny, I had no idea other people would know about the Cherry Ames book, I just remember it very clearly--maybe one of my first times being disappointed by a book?

Anyway, apparently there are at least three of us here! fabricalchemist knew what I was talking about, too...