Seewalds 20 - Fashionably Modest and Baby Curls

[PennySycamore]

5 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

I loved All of a Kind Family.  Trixie Belden anyone or am I really dating myself?.....

I loved Trixie Belden!  I still have a couple of my books.

ETA:  I was reading this afternoon that Dame Ellen MacArthur, record holder for fastest solo circumnavigation by a woman, got turned on to sailing by reading Swallows and Amazons.

@Playagirl, there is some old sci-fi movie from the 50s where the outline of the lead actress's sanitary belt was clearly visible.  It might have been Wasp Woman or it might not have been.  The actress is about to get killed and, if that weren't bad enough, she has her period.

[Karma]

47 minutes ago, Playagirl said:

But then you missed the fun of hiding under your blankets with a flashlight late at night trying not to get in trouble for being awake way past bedtime.

Nah, I used to spread my dressing gown along the bottom of my door and read with my light on  . 

Another Anne of Green Gables, Enid Blyton, Trixie Beldon, Heidi and Katy fan here.  And then there was the period of time when I desperately wanted a horse so read all the pony club type books.  

[Carm_88]

20 minutes ago, VixenToast said:

As did I. Then the movie came out brutally butchered it. they got it wrong, they got it all wrong!!! It makes me so damn mad. They took an incredible book and ruined it. Ugh. I'm gonna go watch EE hate vids on YouTube now.

The movie doesn't exist, I don't know what you are talking about!  

[WhoompThereItIs]

For the longest time my favorite genre was time travel romance. I loved Jude Deveraux (A Knight in Shining Armor, Legend) Caroline B. Cooney (Both Sides of Time series), Karen Marie Moning (Highlander series), and of course, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. 

Then I discovered (good) harry potter fanfiction and that was all she wrote. How could I resist free.99?

[Fascinated]

17 minutes ago, Karma said:

Nah, I used to spread my dressing gown along the bottom of my door and read with my light on  . 

Another Anne of Green Gables, Enid Blyton, Trixie Beldon, Heidi and Katy fan here.  And then there was the period of time when I desperately wanted a horse so read all the pony club type books.  

Are you me?  Am I you?  

A few years ago my husband and I were invited on a trip to St. Moritz. Trip of a lifetime. We SLEDDED from St. Moritz to the next town, the name of which escapes me at the time of this entry. (It'll come to me at about 3am, I imagine.)  At night. In the Alps. All I could think of was: I am Heidi.  It was exactly as I had imagined her life. It was incredible. 

[Karma]

Oh, what a magical experience, @Fascinated.  I read and re-read the Heidi books when I was young. The set of three were my mums when she was a child. She loved them, I loved them, and I was so disappointed that my daughter didn't love them. My books have a few lovely colour illustrations in them, and I loved the pictures in the alps.  I could never get rid of them. My mum's stepmother was not very nice to her (although she was a fabulous nan to us), but she did make sure mum had good books.  I've also got her whole Anne of GG set, and my daughter did enjoy them. (Actually I've got the whole set except the first one, which mum lent to her friend's daughter when I was about 20.  She never returned it, and when asked, responded that she had thrown it away because it was old and she didn't like it.  I was devastated.) 

[nausicaa]

5 hours ago, patsymae said:

[Fun fact: After ereaders came out sales of Romance books skyrocketed. Theory being that since no one could see what someone was reading they felt OK about having them).

I've read that that also contributed to the success of Fifty Shades of Grey--women could safely read it on the subway or waiting to pick up the kids with no one being any the wiser. 

[Leftitinmysnood]

6 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

I loved All of a Kind Family.  Trixie Belden anyone or am I really dating myself?.....

No, I loved them too! I just finished reading All of a Kind Family Uptown to my kids. 

I always feel a little bad when people here mock fundies for their faux Judaism fixations (and they do have them!), because I was a little obsessed myself for a while, but it was because of AoaKF.

[Fascinated]

8 minutes ago, Karma said:

Oh, what a magical experience, @Fascinated.  I read and re-read the Heidi books when I was young. The set of three were my mums when she was a child. She loved them, I loved them, and I was so disappointed that my daughter didn't love them. My books have a few lovely colour illustrations in them, and I loved the pictures in the alps.  I could never get rid of them. My mum's stepmother was not very nice to her (although she was a fabulous nan to us), but she did make sure mum had good books.  I've also got her whole Anne of GG set, and my daughter did enjoy them. (Actually I've got the whole set except the first one, which mum lent to her friend's daughter when I was about 20.  She never returned it, and when asked, responded that she had thrown it away because it was old and she didn't like it.  I was devastated.) 

Isn't it amazing the impact these books have on us?  For me: Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, What Katy Did, The Little Princess and all of the glorious Fairy books, red, blue etc., which are why I want to live in your garden. And, maybe most of all, Pooh. I have books signed by Robin Milne, which I have passed on to my grandson. Because his dad loved them as much as I did. 

[Leftitinmysnood]

11 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

My Mom was a fourth and fifth grade teacher in the mid to late 60's, before I was born, so I had the bonus of reading her classroom library books. When I was four, she read Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright, which became my favorite chapter book. I decided to learn to read because she wasn't reading it fast enough! It was the story of Portia and her brother, Foster, who spent the summer with their cousin, Julian Yarmen. While exploring in the woods, Portia and Julian happen upon an old resort town around a dried up lake. They meet the two inhabitants, a sister and brother, Pindar and Minnihaha and spend many summer days hanging out with them.

I also read the Carolyn Haywood "Betsy" series.

I read all Elizabeth Enright's books obsessively.  I read The Saturdays every Saturday for a year when I was 10. I longed to be allowed to even go to the neighborhood store alone, much less run loose in NYC! I still loan my Gone-Away Lake books to friends. Those were awesome. My favorite story was Pindar's tale about the Philosopher's Stone. And didn't they have a mounted moose head for their club? Shades of Rufus!

[Playagirl]

1 hour ago, Karma said:

Nah, I used to spread my dressing gown along the bottom of my door and read with my light on  . 

Another Anne of Green Gables, Enid Blyton, Trixie Beldon, Heidi and Katy fan here.  And then there was the period of time when I desperately wanted a horse so read all the pony club type books.  

Wouldn't have worked for me as I shared a room with my sister who was a stickler for going to bed early and getting a full night's sleep. Some of our biggest fights were because I loved to stay up late so reading under the covers was the only way to keep the peace and avoid her telling mom and dad that I wouldn't let her sleep.

Also loved Anne, Trixie and Katy. I read What Katy Did more times than I can remember. I was obsessed with the Little House series of books for awhile. I so desperately wanted to be Laura and live in a little house somewhere on the prairie.

[apandaaries]

3 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

The reprinted the Pippi books a few years ago. Kind of annoying though, I'm sure they made some changes.

 

Didn't Pippi smoke a pipe in the original books?

Several years ago, I purchased a lot of Babar the Elephant books for my daughter, who loved them.  We got them used, thanks to the Internet.  We got a copy where Babar's family visits France.  Babar is shown smoking, and when they show the family at lunch, everyone has wine.  Even the three young elephants -- their glasses had red wine, too.  

Probably couldn't find that stuff newly printed these days. Poor kids don't even know what they're missing.  

[nastyhobbitses]

6 minutes ago, amandaaries said:

Didn't Pippi smoke a pipe in the original books?

Several years ago, I purchased a lot of Babar the Elephant books for my daughter, who loved them.  We got them used, thanks to the Internet.  We got a copy where Babar's family visits France.  Babar is shown smoking, and when they show the family at lunch, everyone has wine.  Even the three young elephants -- their glasses had red wine, too.  

Probably couldn't find that stuff newly printed these days. Poor kids don't even know what they're missing.  

My parents weren't very big into letting me read the Babar books because some of them have some rather unfortunate messages/implications about colonialism and imperialism. Same reason my dad NOPE'd out of reading a chapter of Little House on the Prairie where Laura's dad sings an extremely racist song and the lyrics are printed in full. They didn't want to shield me from the existence of such things, but they didn't want me to be exposed without context, especially as a young kid with limited critical thinking skills.

[VelociRapture]

7 minutes ago, amandaaries said:

Didn't Pippi smoke a pipe in the original books?

Several years ago, I purchased a lot of Babar the Elephant books for my daughter, who loved them.  We got them used, thanks to the Internet.  We got a copy where Babar's family visits France.  Babar is shown smoking, and when they show the family at lunch, everyone has wine.  Even the three young elephants -- their glasses had red wine, too.  

Probably couldn't find that stuff newly printed these days. Poor kids don't even know what they're missing.  

I read "The Story of Babar" to my daughter yesterday. First time I've read it since I was young. Did anyone else feel like it's got some racist undertones at times? Maybe I read too much into it, but it made me a little uncomfortable.

Well. That and the fact he married his cousin after being reunited with her all of three or four pages. 

[Leftitinmysnood]

True confession time. I lived in books from about 10 to 18. We lived in the middle of nowhere, joined a fundie church when I was in junior high, and I never fit in. (Not that I wanted to).  My friends were book characters. Anne, Louly, Caddie, Laura, Betsy, Mona, and Francie weren't only interested in talking about goats and being a missionary. They had lives beyond their own front doors, and friends. I read the Betsy -Tacy high school books constantly (even the forbidden Heavens to Betsy with its Ouija board). I envied their friends, their fun, their clothes, their casual conversations with males. Mona in The Saturdays had me so close to cutting off my long hair. Anne gave me confidence for being my own person.

I snuck a lot of books I wasn't supposed to read: Judy Blume, the Anastasia Krupnick books, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. My dad surreptitiously gave me others. I learned about birth control from a bio of Churchill,  sexual predation from a history of England, homosexuality from a bio of Oscar Wilde. I suspect he and my mother disagreed about how much I should know.

I also want to throw Lois Lenski into the discussion. Her portrayals of realistic home life in different regions had a big impact on me. Also her unflattering portrayal of the puritans in Puritan Adventure.

I remember being so excited when a fundie family with boxes of books moved to our area, until I figured out that their books were all bowlderized.

[apandaaries]

My parents weren't very big into letting me read the Babar books because some of them have some rather unfortunate messages/implications about colonialism and imperialism. Same reason my dad NOPE'd out of reading a chapter of Little House on the Prairie where Laura's dad sings an extremely racist song and the lyrics are printed in full. They didn't want to shield me from the existence of such things, but they didn't want me to be exposed without context, especially as a young kid with limited critical thinking skills.

There were definitely some interesting and much more complicated moments than I had previously remembered. We weren't above editing as we read aloud, to be honest.

[Bad Wolf]

I remember an Enid Blyton short story where the character collected cigarette ends to make a whole cigarette!!!

 

[apandaaries]

I read "The Story of Babar" to my daughter yesterday. First time I've read it since I was young. Did anyone else feel like it's got some racist undertones at times? Maybe I read too much into it, but it made me a little uncomfortable.
Well. That and the fact he married his cousin after being reunited with her all of three or four pages. 

We often skipped and edited as we read. It was more than odd to revisit a childhood favorite and find things I never remembered. By the time she was reading on her own, she selected different books (Boo and Baa, two Swedish sheep, were HUGE favorites by the time she reached reading age).

[laPapessaGiovanna]

1 hour ago, VixenToast said:

and one other book I read the crap out of was Catherine, Called Birdy by Caroline Cushman (iirc) Def. recommend that to everyone who is interested. Yay medieval teen repeatedlythwarts fathers attempts at arranged marriage. Very good.

Me too. Loved it! And another titled La Bambina col Falcone (the girl with the falcon, it's an Italian book I don't think it was ever published abroad), the theme is a bit similar. This girl,  the daughter of the emperor's falconiere (how do you say someone who practices falconry?) wants to follow in her father footsteps, a big no no in that society. The historical context is very accurately represented and I loved loved it.

[nickelodeon]

10 minutes ago, nastyhobbitses said:

Same reason my dad NOPE'd out of reading a chapter of Little House on the Prairie where Laura's dad sings an extremely racist song and the lyrics are printed in full. They didn't want to shield me from the existence of such things, but they didn't want me to be exposed without context, especially as a young kid with limited critical thinking skills.

IIRC, Pa straight up dressed in blackface and performed in a minstrel show. It's a mess.

[Leftitinmysnood]

@Playagirl, my sister tried the same thing with my reading at night. My dad spend his childhood  reading with a flashlight under the covers, so he installed a directional reading lamp on my bed, told me I could read as late as I wanted, as long as my schoolwork didn't suffer, and told my sister  to stop complaining. 

[Gillyweed]

1 minute ago, nickelodeon said:

IIRC, Pa straight up dressed in blackface and performed in a minstrel show. It's a mess.

I have that annotated first draft of Little House, and there's A LOT of... not very PG things. For example, Laura saw the town drunk die by lighting a match because he was covered in booze (or something like that, it's been a while since I've read it)

[SilverBeach]

2 hours ago, melon said:

VineHeart,those belted sanitary pads were awful.Sorry,for the TMI but that is what I used when I started at age 11.

I hated both of them.My monthlies and the belted sanitary pads...so uncomfortable.

Somewhere on FJ I posted a picture of a sanitary belt, which is what I used when I came of age. These discussions have a way of circling back to the same topics every few months. The belt and the old pads were horrible. Like before pantyhose when we had to use garter belts, although I detest pantyhose too. I must be comfortable in my old age, LOL.

[Smoochie]

Wow, this thread drift brings back some great memories.  I love to read and have since I was very young.  

Once of the things I remember the most was getting the Scholastic  (think I'm remembering this right) book flyer/orders from school.  I grew up in the US and on USAF bases and I want to say we got them about every 2-3 months(?)  

When ever we would get one, my parents would give my sister and I a budget and we would pour over them, agonizing over our decisions, what we would order this time, next, etc.  

I see so many of my favourites mentioned; Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Encylopedia Brown, the LHOP series, Pippi, Beverley Cleary, Judy Blume, etc.  I had forgotten about the Betsy books by Caroline Haywood, until I saw it in the thread here!  I read the Sweet Valley series too, even though I was a little older then, but, I just loved reading.   

As i got older I would haunt the bookstores waiting for new editions/publications.  I spent a LOT of money on books before home computers and e-books.  Ahhhh ... memories

[send*the*ferrets]

11 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

... I may or may not have floated Anna Belle as a potential name for our daughter... husband may or may not have said no... because he read the poem too and knows I adore Poe... that bastard... 

We have 3 girls. I finally wore him down on the 3rd. 

Actually, all 3 of my girls have literary names  putting all 3 in one place just seems like a bad idea though haha