Theme this week for Weekly Geeks Three is fond memories of childhood books.
My top memory is of The Chronicles of Narnia. WOW – did I fall in love with these. And I read them all, one after the other. I think I may have even bought the little cardboard set of the paperbacks.
I read them again a few years ago and they tended to lose just a slight touch of the magic, unfortunately, so I have discarded THOSE second set of ‘re-read memories’ and returned my original love for these precious books to my book-bank in my head. I gave the set to my cousins kids.
I don’t remember reading The Velveteen Rabbit (my adult review of it here), nor the Little Prince (My review of the author’s memoir Wind Sand Stars here.). I don’t even have reminisces about my parents reading to me! (Mom! please do share YOUR memories on this?)
I can tell you that my middleschool age years, once I caught that LOVE of reading, I read like no tomorrow. I read every Agatha Christie book [ooo! I felt so adult!], I read the Nancy Drews and whatever those boy detective ones were. (boys, blech) I never read Black Beauty. “I was much too smart to read THAT.” I read those English veterinary book with the long titles OH! All Creatures Great and Small!! James H? herriott? …. Later, much later… I’m just letting whatever bubbles up, reveal itself here…. I remember being told NOT to read any Updike JOHN IRVING – “he writes trash.” It must have been when the World According to Garp was such a hit. ***SEE COMMENTS: BIG OOPS**** [yea, I realize this is not a kids book but things we hear AS kids stay with us sometimes beyond other things that should have - does that make ANY sense? It is a childhood memory of a book. I've still never read any Irving nor any Updike, to show you how powerful that 'advice' was!] I am definitely skewing my grade school year memories with my high school years…. Oh well. I read Danielle Steele. Of course, Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret and a few other Blume books. And VC Andrews… eek!
POINT IS? I am extremely excited about Prince Caspian the movie! 
For more, and to help me find the buttons again…. : http://deweymonster.com/?page_id=686
I also loved The Chronicles of Narnia, I haven’t read them in a while but hope to get back to them at some point…soon.
You know, I never finished “The Chronicles of Narnia.” I wonder why? I know I was enjoying them, though.
I had a friend who read the Nancy Drew books over and over again. We even had to play Nancy Drew, and I never got to be Nancy!
I think I am one of the few people who has not read the Chronicles of Narnia; I never even started. However, I did love the velvteen rabbit.
Oh yeah, I do remember reading FLowers in the Attic (which if I remember correctly, was pretty darn creepy)! Hm, maybe I should give it another try!
Hey THATSTHEBOOK! what happened to your link back? do I have you in my blogroll? (I can’t find ya – pls tell me where you are cuz I’ve forgotton…)
Chartroose – oh well – wait and see all the movies!
Beastmomma – hold out – too many books to read already, right!? I can proudly say I’ve only read ONE Harry Potter.
Yes, Stephanie – Flowers in the Attic! scary, scary.
AND, I just remembered a childhood book that I loved that I didn’t mention in the post. CHARLOTTE’s WEB! How could I forget that? Love it. I wish I knew how old I was when I read that….
I’m not sure I’m understanding your sentence right, but are you saying Garp is by Updike? Because it’s one of my favorite books, so I just want to tell you it’s by John Irving. Soooo if you still have an Updike is trash feeling, you’ll be safe reading Garp.
Although Updike is considered pretty highbrow. Maybe whoever told you he was trash had read one of his um, naughtier books. 
Dewey, THANK YOU for spotting and pointing out this error in my thinking! I probably should put both of these authors on my list for some day… -Care
THANKS DEWEY! I’m embarrassed and/or confused… BOTH! I suppose (yes, shame on me) I should have looked it up! golly gee…
I know it was The World According to Garp book that was supposedly ‘trash’ and I have no idea if I’ve been thinking all these years that Updike wrote it or I just typed/confused/mismemoried Updike as Irving.
I hadn’t read any of the Narnia books until last year. My oldest had gotten the set as a birthday gift. I read all 7 right through. There was one I didn’t like, but I loved the rest.
I loved the Narnia books too. I reread them constantly, even into adulthood. They’ve never lost their appeal for me. I imagine if I’d come back to them as an adult without having reread them so often, though, it might not be the same.
And how funny you should mention The World According to Garp. My parents never censored my reading in any way… except for that book. My mom didn’t want me to read it, I believe, because of the scene in the car where he gets his, um, y’know, bitten off. And I never did read it, though I saw the movie.
Have to confess I never read the Chronicles of Narnia, but…
Pre-reading, really young child books..did anyone else love the “Harold and the Purple Crayon” series by Crockett Johnson??
Also, I have to give up my vote for all “The Little House” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder..read them, reread them, read them again…even had the prairie skirt and bonnet.
Also how about Shel Silverstein’s classic, “The Giving Tree”?
I just have to tell you that I saw Prince Caspian today. And it was good.
Paul Zindell’s “My Darling, My Hamburger” has stuck with me through my life. The voice of his characters sounded so much like me and my friends at that time, and I remember thinking that I felt as awkward and stupid as his characters expressed feeling.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Kim
Horrors..to think that you were not read to as a child!! You most certainly were. I don’t specifically remember any childhood “classics”, but we had lots of those Golden Books around. (*I think they cost a quarter back then, now probably worth a fortune on e-bay.)