Top Ten Childhood Favorites

Today the Artsy Reader Girl's topic is.... top ten childhood favorites!

I didn't realize this before, but boy howdy did I read a lot of science fiction as a kid.

1. The Henry Huggins/Beezus and Ramona books. Beverly Cleary was my first 'favorite author'. I think I began with a book about Ribsy getting lost.  I was nuts for dogs as a boy, and I think I read everything my library had after that.

2. The Boxcar Children.  Introduced to me through a scholastic book fair,  I found both the initial book -- about four orphans doing a My Side of the Mountain type thing in the woods, using an abandoned boxcar as their home -- and the mystery series that Warren later developed of interest.  The series got a little odder after the...fourteenth one, I think? That's when the children suddenly reverted to their early ages and were then stuck like that as the decades rolled on, so whoever followed Warren could just write mystery after mystery without having to fuss with age drama.

3. Bruce Coville's SF,  namely the series that grew off of Aliens Ate My Homework! One of the sequels was The Search for Snout.    Want to guess what that was based off of?   Conville's worlds were bizaare to me in a fun way at that age.

4. Goosebumps, Goosebumps, GOOSEBUMPS!   Everyone at school read these, but I had the plots and front-cover taglines memorized. There's a lot you can do as a kid when you don't have TV.  I started with Let's Get Invisible,  in which turning on a mirror's lamp seems to make persons in front of the mirror invisible.   Stine was known for his end-chapter twists, but especially his end of book twists.  The Monster Blood and Haunted Mask series are probably the most memorable, but no one can forget Slappy!

5. ST TNG: Starfleet Academy.  These novels were stories about the TNG crew when they were younger. Meant for junior readers, they and the adult novels were my primary exposure to Star Trek as a kid.  I saw the show for the first time when I dislocated my elbow and was in traction for three weeks, but since we didn't have a television I just read the books. A little later on we did have a television -- local stations only --  so I was able to watch Deep Space Nine, mostly as it aired.

6. Wishbone
Um...mysteries solved by a dog?  A dog recreating old novels? I can't actually remember despite having a shelf full at some time.

That's all the series I can remember from childhood. If we count middle school and beyond, then OF COURSE we'd mention...


7. California Diaries.     I mention this series a lot, and last year I did a full post on them.  Suffice it to say...at a school in fictional Palo City, California, children are required to maintain journals. The series follows a year at the school, experienced through the lives of five kids -- four  eighth grade girls and one 10th grade guy -- who all have their personal drama, in addition to the stuff that happens to them.

8. Animorphs.  Another series I loved, this one had the added appeal of rebellion: my parents didn't like the idea of them, so I came up with ways of buying the books without their knowing,  and traded paperbacks  so I could read more without having to buy more.   I also managed to buy a couple of VHSes when the shows became a series, but those were much harder to enjoy without parental knowledge. I think I had to watch them early in the morning when my mom was at yardsales.

9. Roswell High.   I've also given Roswell High its own post,  and like California Diaries it gets mentioned incessantly.


10. Fear Street. My sister collected these, and I don't know if my parents knew what they were about. For a sheltered kid, I wound up reading an awful lot of grisly murder stories thanks to this series.  Oddly, they inspired me to write fiction of my own -- stuff in the same genre, mostly monster, slasher, and ghosts.   The only one I remember clearly involved a monstrous spider living in a swamp.



Countdown.   I'd like to read this series again, actually: it was the most 'mature' series I read in my youth, following the aftermath of all the adults and kids turning into buttles of goo when the new millenium began.   So...it's a world run by teenagers, who have to rebuild society and figure out WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED.

Top Ten Couples Redux

Eight years ago, in another Top Ten Tuesday,  I almost managed to think up ten literary couples I liked. I've read...more books since then, so can I think of ten more?

1. Jayber Crow and Mattie. Jayber Crow (Wendell Berry)

I'm really hesitant to write anything here, because the Jayber-Mattie relationship of Jayber Crow is not a conventional love story. In my drafts is an essay called "Love Can Mean More", and it's about this relationship, which is so unique.  Suffice it to say,  it demonstrates love is more a giving of self to the other's benefit,  rather than just being hormone-drunk about someone's smile or caboose.

2. Jack and Joy, Becoming Mrs. Lewis

This is cheating a bit, because though Mrs. Lewis is a novel,  (one I finished only yesterday, in fact),  it's closely based on the true story of Joy Davidman and her dear friend, C.S. Lewis -- "Jack" to his friends.  I utterly enjoyed this account of their becoming friends, bonding over discussions of literature, philosophy, theology, the beauty of life -- as well as the slow deepening of their friendship as they became wedded to one another in thought, in work, and then finally -- in fact.   As with The Shadowlands, a movie based on the same relationship, it's become an instant favorite.

3. Tobias and Rachel, Animorphs

Tobias and Rachel are another atypical couple, though more in the romcom sense. Rachel is your high school queen: beautiful, popular, talented, etc. Tobias...is not. Tobias was on the margins even before he got stuck living in the body of a hawk who regularly dined on mice and rabbits.  And yet these two don't just come together just for some trope;   Rachel is a little more complex than she appears, and their relationship develops from that, in part. Rachel is wild in her own way, feral in battle, and is far more serious about the war the kids face against Earth's alien infiltrators than she lets on.  I think their seriousness and isolation links them.

4. Arthur and Molly Weasley, Harry Potter

I loved every bit of the Weasleys I saw in the HP books, and these two must have been incredible parents to have so many strong characters as kids.

5. Parzival and Art3mis, Ready Player One

I thought Ar3mis was cool from the moment Wil Wheaton described her (I first experienced RPO as an Audible presentation), and of course their relationship -- along with Parzival's  friendsihp with Aech --  is one of the most important elements of RPO, reminding them that relationships are far, far more important than glory or wealth.


6. Jane Eyre and Lord whathisname, Jane Eyre

They look so happy, don't they?

   

Rochester! That's it.  Jane really is the more memorable of these two, at least for me.  I still like this quote from the novel:

“I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad — as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth — so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am quite insane — quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."

Rochester who really tests Jane's decision to hold to those principles, so they as a couple definitely warrant mentioning.

7. John and Abigail Adams, First Family

Okaaaay, so they're not a fictional couple. But since 2011, I have read an awful lot about the Adams,  and they were an example of iron sharpening iron.  Adams was a formidable figure in the revolution and an admirable -- if not widely admired -- president,   but I doubt could he could have been so resolute had he not had the good fortune to marry his greatest ally and intellectual equal.

8. Howard Roark and his Skyscraper, The Fountainhead




Theirs was a pairing more doomed than Romeo and Juliet, because the mob had to meddle.  They'll always be together, though, in that Big Apple in the Sky.

More seriously,  I remember All Other Nights as having an incredibly powerful relationship between a Jewish man serving as a Union spy in the Confederacy, and a southern belle who proves to be a master of intelligence gathering for her own side, but I can't remember her name.

9. Robin and Marjorie, Come Rack! Come Rope!

Robin and Marjorie are a young couple in love, seriously intent on creating a life together. But then Robin, an ardent Catholic, realizes a call to the  priesthood, despite the mortal peril this will put him in as a resident of Elizabethan England.  After leaning on Marjorie for advice, she does the utterly noble thing  and supports him regardless of his decision --  even though if he becomes a priest they'll have to be chaste friends instead of husband and wife. 



10. Bertie Wooster and Honoria Glossop, Code of the Woosters

So...Berrtie and Honoria aren't a couple, but Honoria was the funnest by FAR of Bertie's intended fiances -- those women who Bertie's wife intended him to marry, anyway, since Bertie was far more interested in drinking and playing the piano than consorting with the fairer sex -- and I loved that she made an end-series appearance (dancing!!) on the TV version of the Jeeves and Wooster stories. Unlike most of the women in the series, Honoria has the good sense not to take Bertie seriously --- to appreciate or laugh at him just as he is, rather than  fancying him as raw materials for a respectable husband like his aunt and various other personalities do.



And that's ten! I...mostly made it. I could have dropped John and Abigail and stuck in another purely fictional couple (Hannah and Nathan from Hannah Coulter), but that would have been two from Wendell Berry, and I wanted to avoid duplicating authors.   I really don't read a lot of fiction.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Recent Additions to my To-Read List

Today the Artsy Reader Girl is hosting top ten lists on recent additions to TBR piles. These are books which are either on my to-read Goodreads list,  are Amazon bookmarks, or were books I took a photo of in the bookstore so I could look for reviews later.

Them: Why We Hate Each Other -- and How To Heal, Ben Sasse

Sadly relevant and badly needed, going by the premise. I looked inside while shopping and it had chapter on the decline of civic culture and institutions, meaning it doesn't just blame social media. (That's part of the problem, but I'm eager to see what Sasse says. )

How the Canyon Became Grand and In the Hands of the Great Spirit: The 20,000-Year History of American Indians
Spotted at the Grand Canyon Visitor's Center. I'd arrived early to watch the sun rise over the Canyon (an experience I recommend, but DRESS WARMLY!), and was waiting for my helicopter flight over the canyon.(Also an experience I recommend. It's absolutely unforgettable.)

The City of Tomorrow: Sensors, Networks, Hackers, and the Future of Urban Life,  Carlo & Ratti

Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy
Although facebook has its uses, it and social media make stable democracy and accurate-enough-to-be-useful news extremely  difficult.

Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness, Peter Godfrey-Smith
...I've given embarrassingly little thought to octupi.  Usually when animal intelligence comes up, it's always dolphins and chimpanzees.

Human Scale Revisited: A New Look at the Classic Case for a Decentralist Future, Kirkpatrick Sale
The original Human Scale was one of my favorite books of 2014, and I look forward to seeing its updated edition.

Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution
One of my favorite segments of Planet Earth II was the episode on animal life within major cities, and this seems to be devoted to that topic.

The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
I probably don't need to read this given that it will just validate something I already believe (that power is unfailingly corruptive), but it may have new angles beyond the usual ones.

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World in Search of the Good Death, Caitlin Doughty
A thoughtful reflection on global traditions about death and dying, I think. I was very much impressed by Doughty's memoir of how she overcame her own fear of death by working in the funeral service.

Top Ten Books To Be Read....Someday?

This week the Broke and the Bookish- well, now Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl -- are discussing books that  have been on  our to-be-read lists for the longest time. Here are the top ten oldest books on my 'to-read-eventually' list, based on my Amazon wishlist and my Goodreads to-read shelf.



1. The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World

One of the first books I ever added to my Amazon wishlist in 2005,  it has not gone under $25-$19 in thirteen years.  I will keep waiting. There are many books and I am a patient miser.

2. Greek Ways: How the Greeks Invented Western Civilization, Bruce Thornton

I keep not bothering with this one because I figure Who Killed Homer?  and The Echo of Greece have covered the area fairly well in my head.

3. Skylab: America's Space Station, David Shayler
"I want to read something about Skylab again", I apparently said at one point in 2006.  I've read a lot of human spaceflight books since then, but not this one.

4. How to be a Gentleman, John Bridges

I used to be obsessed with manners  in high school, something that came in handy when I graduated uni and started getting invited to dinner parties.   This did make me painfully formal for most of my teens and twenties, but now that I'm trekking into my thirties I have decided that I'd rather be a cowboy, instead. 

5. ST Voyager Spirit Walk, Book One: Old Wounds

...nah....

Added this one back when I experienced Star Trek through its books, not re-watching the television episodes. It's the first attempt at a Voyager relaunch, but it's practically never mentioned favorably at TrekBBS.

6. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Annotated and Explained

Added December 2008, which was right about when I was starting to learn about Stoicism.  This one that would be read if there wasn't so much competition.


7. The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi

Added early 2010, when I was intently getting into reading Buddha and Gandhi.

8. Anarchism and Other Essays, Emma Goldman
Added Sept 2010.  I'd already read Red Emma Speaks in February of that year.

9.Coming of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris

One of the first books added to my TBR shelf on Goodreads when I joined it, based on their  reccomendation. This one that has a better-than-even chance of making it into the "read" pile some day, given that it's a history of science.

10. The Moral Animal: Why We Are  The Way We Are, Robert Wright

This is one I almost-buy twice a year.


Of this list, the last two have the most chance of actually being read, and a few others have a shot if they're cheap and I'm in the mood.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Meant To Read But Didn't Actually

This week the Broke and Bookish are tackling books they meant to read last year, but didn't. Well, so am I.

1. India: A History & China: A History, John Keay

These were on the short list for last year's Asian history review, buuuut I wound up reading about modern China and India instead.  Their time will come.


2. Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How,  Ted Kaczynski

So...early last year Ted Kaczynzki's publishers asked if I would like a free copy of Ted's new book in exchange for a review.   Once I recovered from the sheer weirdness of being asked to review the Unabomber's book, I said...well, sure!  I figure they used Goodreads readers of Ed Abbey's Monkey Wrench Gang to find prospective reviewers, since that novel is about eco-bombers.

And er, for the record, I don't endorse sending people bombs in the mail.   It's against the nonaggression principle and everything.  Also, the postage on bombs is through the roof these days.

3. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress,  and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies; Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee

This is a Kindle Unlimited book I checked out in..May? June?  Eesh. 

Related: Rise of the Robots,  something still on the "Get around to it" list. Not to mention Nicholas' Carr's The Glass Cage, and a lot of other tech books..

4. The Gulag Archipelago, Volume III

This is the shortest and least depressing volume, which ostensibly would make it the easiest to read.  When its time came around, though, I was trying to make  up for  falling behind in one of my challenges.

5. Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ
and This is Your Brain on Parasites

Both of these were purchased during a science sale for Kindle books, along with Kingpin, I Contain Multitudes,  Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, and Survival of the Sickest. I'm not sure why Kingpin (a book on cybercrime) qualified, but a sale is a sale.

6. The Great Famine and The Cultural Revolution, Frank Dikotter

I kept accidentally alternating books about Soviet misery and Chinese misery and decided "Yep, I am not reading any more Frank Dikotter this year. Too many dead people."

7. The First Family: The Birth of the American Mafia, Mike Dash

I read half of this before the digital loan ended and it went poof.  I'll go after it again.

8. Ring of Steel: Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918, Alexander Watson

I checked this out in October, but there was too much going on, and...well, as with Dikotter I'd just had my share of mass murder for the year. 

9. Bikin' and Brotherhood, David Charles Spurgeon

Bikers are inherently cool, but I'm also interested in gang psychology. The "brotherhood" part of this title keeps me pondering buying this one now or later. So far it keeps getting pushed to "later".

10. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, Sherry Turkle

This one has been on my "to read eventually" list ever since it came out.   Maybe this will be the year.

Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To in 2018

This week le Broke and le Bookish are doing books they're looking forward to in 2018, either as new releases or just-getting-around-to-reading-it titles.

1. Frank Sinatra: The Chairman,  James Kaplan

This has been on my to-read list since ...er, September 2016. I love ol' blue eyes, having been a collector of his music and movies since 2004.  It's time to read the sequel to The Voice!

2. 1906:A Novel, James Dalessandro

I've read several factual histories of the San Franscisco earthquake and fire of 1906, and this one has been on my to-read list for a while.

3. The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future,  Gretche Bakke

You know I love reading about power lines.

4. Door to Door: The Magnificent, Maddening, Mysterious World of Transportation, Edward Humes

Roads are also cool.

5. Munich, Robert Harris

"Robert Harris". Sold!


6. Fools and Mortals, Bernard Cornwell.

"Bernard Cornwell"...SOLD! Wait, is this about Shakespeare?  Who do I see about er, getting it a little early? Know whatimean,  nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more? 

7. 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America, Brion McClanahan

Ahhahhahhah, finally! Someone who doesn't worship Teddy Roosevelt. Probably written in the same vein as Recarving Rushmore. Honestly, I like this most for the title..I don't know that I really want to read about politics at the moment.  We'll see.

8. Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City

Amsterdam! It has bikes, and canals, and very pretty houses.  Apparently it also has a reputation for legalized weed and prostitutes. But who has time for that when you can bike by canals and look at the pretty houses? 

*wolf whistle*

9. A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and A Great War, Joseph Loconte

This one has been on the list for a while, and I recently snagged a copy on sale. 

10. This is Your Brain on Parasites, Kathleen McAuliffe

This checks all the boxes, doesn't it? Science, brains, mind control...can't miss it!