Guest Post: Book Club Weekend Holly-Style!

Saturday, May 14, 2011
Note from Ada:  It's one late Book Club Friday, but I'd like to blame the delay on Blogger, who started eating all posts and comments on Wednesday and didn't stop until yesterday morning. (Epic fail!) I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to read Carissa's Small Town Traditions post before post Holly's Book Club Friday (weekend?) post. Holly writes over at Wuthered Window and shared some of her favorite childhood reads. Seems we've been talking about childhood favorites on Book Club Fridays a lot lately. Enjoy! P.S. Of Woods and Words regularly scheduled programming resumes on Monday. See you then!




Of Woods and Words


As part of my gap year I haven't been doing much structured written work or reading until a couple of months ago and therefore have not performed to a deadline in a long old time. BIG MISTAKE! (cue quote from Mystery Men)


After a lovely day helping my grandparents sort a new carpet out and watching The King's Speech with them, I drove home and was about to go to bed when I thought, I'm just gonna check my emails (it's something I do to pass and waste time – as I nearly always have signed up for spam). I saw to my horror (at 10:30pm) an email received yesterday from Ada saying very nicely, any time on Thursday would do for getting my guest post. Well I sure hope she meant that.

Books of my childhood (oh lord, what's coming next you say, a drivelling account of the fact you loved to read) is a topic focused on by Jayne Fordham in her post "Memories... books I read as a child.” And whilst a little bit of insight into her choices it opened up great memories for me. These sorts of posts are only ever interesting if you happen to like the same books and can revel in the stories with the writer, or it leads you on a trail entirely of your own reveling.


Such was the case in Jayne's post when she mentioned James and the Giant Peach and writing your name in the front of books. Having seen the film at around the same time (and later discovering David Thewlis was in it all along) as reading the book, it meant I didn't conjure up the world for myself but used the scenes from the film. This is half, if not more, of the fun in reading on your own and as a child, that you are the creator and the characters become your friends as you are drawn in. (I still always cry when my literary friends die – Akkarin!)

And now I have a terrible secret to reveal... I own a first edition paper back of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (you know, the edition before the illustrator realised Dumbledore was an old man), and like every small child, it was mine and I will make sure no one takes it, therefore I will write my name in large letters in the front and colour in the Hogwart's crest (wrongly). Rendering it now worthless to everyone else but myself. Hurray for childhood greediness and love of HP!

They were the first books that began me reading like a maniac every night till stupid o'clock in the morning (meaning I now need glasses, idiot), and the first ones where I had the characters, scenes and world firmly in my head and all as my own creation. It's a good job the films are so great else that would have been ruined.


(Yada Yada stop talking) Finally a quick fire round of other childhood and teen favourites that I will forever love and give to my kids/any child who will listen to my good sense and taste:

  • Artemis Fowl (I was seriously going to audition if the film had been made, for the part of Holly of course. Weirdly my boyfriend would have done the same thing for Artemis, meaning we might have met completely differently.)
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
  • The Magician's Guild.
  • Jedi Apprentice (cue laughter).
  • Wizard Apprentice.
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events.
  • Mister Monday series.
  • George's Marvellous Medicine.

And hand on heart not, never, never will be Twilight.

Holly

What were your favorite childhood reads? 

4 comments:

  1. Hi, My childhood reads was extensive, I'm actually compiling a list on good reads. My favorites are Little women and the 1,001 Arabian Nights. Great blog.

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  2. I hate Twilight too. couldn't get past page 21.

    I'm not really a Harry Potter girl either -- I was more into crime mysteries and romance. Not the dirty romance stuff -- just like young adult stuff.

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  3. I must be 'old' since none of the books mentioned came out till I was an adult! LOL
    childhood reading: Little House on the Prairie (or in the woods, plum creek, etc) Caddie Woodlawn, Harriet the Spy, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Charolottes Web, The Adventures of Katie John, (and sequels) all the books by Beverly Cleary, and on and on we go....

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  4. Childhood reading for me: Little House on the Prairie, Boxcar Children, Animorphs, Goosebumps, Charlotte's Web, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Ramona, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing..

    Late childhood: Harry Potter, Series of Unfortunate Events


    I love Twilight. I always tell people the first chapter is pretty awful, I almost put it down because it was so awful, but I usually try and give books a bit of a chance. I love them :)

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