Read: The Ralph S. Mouse Collection (#63, 64, 65-2022)

The Ralph S. Mouse Collection by Beverly Cleary

(The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph, Ralph S. Mouse)

I read through these as a series, so I will also write this as a compilation. 

I read these first when I was the target age and I think I've probably read them multiple times since then.  The idea of a mouse who yearned for adventure and a different kind of life somehow spoke to me as a child. I don't relate to it the same way as an adult, but it's still incredibly endearing

(#63, 64, 65-2022)

Read: Kristy's Big Day (#51-2022)

Kristy's Big Day by Ann M. Martin

(The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 6)

The last book in the first Baby-Sitters Club Book Collection tin is the ending we were all looking for.  Kristy's mom is marrying Watson. And while not everyone in the family is entirely excited about all the changes that the event brings, they do manage to make it through the weeks leading up to the big day with minimal disruption.  And the Baby-Sitters Club remains intact. 

(#51-2022)

Read: Dawn and the Impossible Three (#50-2022)

Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin

(The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 5)

Dawn is the newest member of the Baby-Sitters Club. She also might be hated by the club President. But Mary Anne is her friend and Dawn is willing to work, so she takes on a new client, whose kids just might be impossible.

Read: Mary Anne Saves the Day (#46-2022)

Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin

(The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 4)

Mary Anne saves the day in more ways that one in this novel.  The Baby-Sitters Club is falling apart due to a disagreement between friends. Mary Anne is left to fend for herself at school, and while babysitting. When her charge gets sick, she's left to her own devices, and maybe to a new friend that she's met along the way. 

Read: The Truth About Stacey (#43-2022)

The Truth About Stacey by Ann M. Martin

(The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 3)

Stacey is hiding something. Not just that she has diabetes, but her parents aren't handling it well, and won't let Stacey learn to live with it before bringing her to every doctor they can find who might magically fix everything.  Stacey's tired of it.

Read: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (#42-2022)

Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls by Ann M. Martin

(The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 2)

The second book in the original Baby-Sitters Club series has Claudia going through what every babysitter goes through at least once in their sitting career.  Not that everyone got hangup calls, but everyone let their imagination run away with them in scary ways. The resolution of this is cute, and very middle-school appropriate. Still a fun story.

(#42-2022)

Read: Kristy's Great Idea (#40-2022)

Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

(The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 1)

I read this series, fairly religiously, when I was a middle-schooler.  So when I found the collector's tin with the original 6 books in the series, in their original format I was absolutely going to buy it. 

The story actually still holds up quite well - except that technology plays NO part in these stories. It was a big deal that Claudia had a phone of her own in her room!

Otherwise, the themes and ideas are still relevant. I'm enjoying the re-read down memory lane. 

(#40-2022)

Read: Bunnicula (#34-2022)

Bunnicula by James Howe, Deborah Howe

I was reading an online forum earlier this week and someone mentioned having re-read this recently and how funny it is.  I remember the book as a child, but I didn't recall it having any particular effect or impact on me.  

So, of course, I had to find it and re-read it myself. Such a cute book. And this version - the 40th anniversary - has a red velvety cover that just makes the reading experience even better. Holding the book makes my tactile self happy. 

(#34-2022)

Read: Archie & Friends Forever (#18-2022)

Archie & Friends Forever 

Another fun jump through the nostalgia of childhood.  This collection contains new stories, written and illustrated in the style that I remember as a kid.  It's cute, it's quirky and it was just a super fun selection to read. 

(#18-2022)

Read: Everything I Need to Know About Family I Learned from a Little Golden Book (#15-2022)

Everything I Need to Know About Family I Learned from a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow

Cute compilation of thoughts and images from vintage Little Golden Books representing what everyone needs to know about family. Love the images because they bring back memories of reading the old Little Goldens when I was young. And yes, they were already vintage then. 

(#15-2022)

I Read: Esio Trot & Billy and the Minpins

Esio Trot and Billy and the Minpins by Roald Dahl

Finishing up the Roald Dahl box set, with two that I've read before. I really do kind of love Esio Trot, because it's sort of a sweet story. (I also love the wordplay of the title.)

But really, how does he live with all those tortoises?

Billy and the Minpins is kind of a fluffy story for me. There's not much spectacularly interesting about it, though it is an enjoyable read. I'm sure parents don't love the idea that this proves it's not always important to follow the rules, but overall it's also a cute story. 

#95-2021 & #96-2021

I Read: Matilda

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Another Dahl that I remember from childhood. Strangely, I didn't remember as much about this as I thought I did, but something about this story really does catch me in a different way. There's a sentimentality to it, maybe? Or maybe it's the way it wraps up tidily. I don't really know, but I do think I may have to remember to read this again in a few years. 

#93-2021

I Read: Boy & Going Solo

Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl

(Two parts that become a significant portion of Dahl's autobiography)

I decided to post about these together because they easily could have been just one book. There's not really a close to the first piece and an open to the next. It's just a continuing memoir. 

Boy is Roald Dahl's story as a child. Or rather, his stories as a child. It's the start of his journey to becoming the crazy children's author he's known for, and it's easy to see where a lot of his inspiration comes from. Even the tiniest details became fodder for one thing or another. It's really interesting to read the autobiography after having read most of the novels because you can pick out the little bits that have become something bigger. 

Going Solo is the continued story, once childhood is passed and life has become more serious. He's gone to his first job, he's away from his family, and later he goes to war. His experiences are still extraordinary, but there's less to be pulled for amusing children's stories. There is definitely trauma and drama and it's amazing that Dahl was able to come through these experiences at all, never mind with his imagination and wonder still intact. 

#88-2021 & 89-2021

I Read: The Anthropocene Reviewed

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

How do you "review" a book that's about reviewing the world we live in?  Super great question. The book's whole premise is what I'm doing here; it's entirely made up of John Green's perceptions, connections, and impressions of things in our current world.  Sometimes it's quirky, sometimes it's random. Sometimes you can't help but see where it's coming from and agree completely. 

I Read: Canada

Canada by Mike Myers

A comedic biography wrapped up in a Canadian history textbook with a (non-) cultural manual sifted over top. I enjoyed reading Mike Myers perspective on Canada from the twenty years he spent here. 

There were a lot of things I could relate to, but also a number that I couldn't agree with. Knowing how his experiences had shaped his comedy and his career was very interesting. How he reacted to history and incorporated it into his life gives a new edge to how I view his characters and the direction he's gone. 

It's unfortunate that Canada loses many proud Canadians because there are bigger opportunities available to the South. But if everyone can keep their Canadian pride the way Mike Myers has, then maybe the Americans can start to better appreciate their neighbours to the North. 

#10-2021

I Write: Assignment - Childhood Memory

Assignment in Creativity for Writers: Write a 250 word description of your most vivid and earliest memory.

We were getting ready to go somewhere, my dad, my mom, and I. It was late afternoon or early evening and it was summer. My mother was in the shower; the bathroom was around the corner from my bedroom and I could hear the water running. I was in my bedroom, trying to be independent. My dresser was several drawers tall, four or maybe five. For some reason, my socks were kept in the top drawer. The top drawer was above my head, as I was then, and still am, fairly short.

I read: The Best of Archie Americana: Bronze Age 1980s - 1990s

The Best of Archie Americana: Bronze Age 1980s - 1990s

This one won't really be any kind of review. I read Archie comics when I was a kid, the way that I drink water now. It was constant.  Every time I was anywhere that had a new one I wanted to have it. I devoured them.

Somewhere along the way, despite my voracious need to hoard all things books, I chose to give my Archies away. I didn't own ANY of them anymore. So when I came across a few compilation books I got a little bit excited. I remember how much joy I found in those silly stories.

This one, in particular, includes my precise era of reading, and so I had to pick it up. The completist in me says that I need to also get the rest of the set, as this is actually the third book, but I really only read Archies in the 80s, so this is the book that means something.

I really did enjoy it. The jokes are awful, and repetitive, but it's perfectly mindless fun to read, and that is exactly what I needed right now. I'm tucking this away on my shelf for another moment when I just need some simple joy and nostalgia.

#11-2020