N is for Nostalgia
I've decided to take a little self-indulgent walk down memory lane and reminisce over the books that were special to me growing up.
The Monster at the End of this Book
A Little Golden Book range was so special to me, I remember The Rolly Polly Puppy and many others, but Grover's interactive book was my absolute favourite. I still have it! I even used this book as a reference for an essay on post-modernism, comparing it to Heart of Darkness.
According to Wikipedia, this book is the best selling of the Sesame Street series. From a marketing point of view, this suggests if you can evoke nostalgia with your book, you will increase sales.
Enid Blyton provided my first novels to read at about 8 or 9. I would have my face glued inside the cover of the Faraway Tree books every day.
I bought this book (it had a different cover then - much less obvious) at an airport when I was 11! I wanted something to read on the plane for my first flight and boy was it an eye opener. Not something I'd recommend for my children, but it was a certain kind of rite of passage, seeing as I'd been reading Enid Blyton before that.
Trixie Belden covers Then and Now
After being slightly mentally scarred from my introduction to sex through the novel Lace, I decided to switch back to something a little more child-friendly and collected the whole series of Trixie Belden mysteries. I could not get enough of them. The first cover is the one I had as a kid and the second is the one I bought for my daughter this year. She is yet to want to read it.
What are your favourite memories of reading as a child? Have you re-purchased those books out of nostalgia, can you think of ways to interweave nostalgia into your novel?
Don't forget to enter the book giveaway competition! In just a few days I'll be drawing the lucky winner! Click on the picture below to go to the entry form :-)
My favorite childhood book was "Summer of my German soldier", by Betty Greene. I read it multiple times! Great post and I boy how times have changed, huh? :)
ReplyDeleteI, too, loved Trixie Belden (as well as Nancy Drew). But the first books I remember reading in elementary school were the Boxcar Children books.
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny - I was just telling my man about The Monster at the end of this Book. He'd never heard of it before or read it as a kid. This was absolutely one of my favorite books to read to my kids. I'd still enjoy reading it now. Maybe I'll pick it up for my man ;)
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I think I read every Nancy Drew book. In fact, I think at one point, I owned the entire series.
Great post - and thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I loved the Monster at the End of this book! I loved the Ramona books when I was really young, then Anne of Green Gables became my alternate reality. I still read that series and find immense pleasure in them.
ReplyDeleteI like N for Nostalgia!!
Nice blog! :)
ReplyDeleteLike Charity, I loved the Anne of Green Gables series. I have reread them since.
I need to track down some other books I read obsessively as a child.
Hi, I have a story about a Little Golden Book called "The Big Joke" and it was a favorite of my oldest daughter when she was three years old. She would carry it around and beg to have it read to her. When I was expecting my youngest daughter, that was the book that Carol wanted to be read to her. My sister, Margaret, would read it to her several times a day. I don't remember the author, but I ordered the book on Amazon and bought it for Carol a couple of years ago. It was used, of course, and I guess it is read to her grandchildren when they come to visit her.
ReplyDeleteBooks are so very important, aren't they>
Ruby
I've got nearly all of the Trixie Beldon series. Such great books. I didn't realise they were still being sold. :o) My twins weren't interested in reading them, I'm hoping Miss7 will when she is older.
ReplyDeleteChicken Little, the first thing I read in school, The Magic Faraway tree (the first book that surprised me)and Warrior Scarlet (the first book that made me cry) are huge favourites of mine.
ReplyDeleteWow. Some titles I remember and some I want to hunt down to find out more :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Far Away Tree books were some of my favourites! A very nostalgic post indeed.
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm a little behind in reading your great alphabet blog posts. This one is great. I loved reading the grover Monster book with my kids. It's all worn out. In my drama, the girls sing oldies. Nothing brings back memories like a good song.
ReplyDeleteI am elated and exhilarated to learn that Enid Blyton was one of your childhood inspirations as a child. I too was inspired by Enid Blyton's books. Thus, as a result of my affection for Enid Blyton and her books, I decided to write and publish a book on her, titled, The Famous Five: A Personal Anecdotage (www.bbotw.com).
ReplyDeleteStephen Isabirye