Favorite Books of My Youth

When I was little, I loved to read.  I would mostly read at night, because I just couldn’t sleep. Mexican jumping beans don’t need much sleep. It probably didn’t help that my mom put me to bed as soon as it got dark. We took our baths earlier than any of the other kids in the neighborhood. As soon as the sun was setting, the Mendenhall kids were in the tub. She really liked it when there was a total eclipse. Off to bed we went. Ok, I’m lying about that, but she probably thought about it.

 I shared my bedroom with my sister, who was a nightmare. She had temper tantrums that would make Mike Tyson seem like a marshmallow. But, she fell asleep fast. So, that’s when I would turn on my lamp and read away.

I’d have to say that when I was very young, my favorite books were Go, Dog. Go!  and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. I liked books that had pictures with detail. I could stare at those pictures for hours.

1.  Go, Dog. Go!  was a book about dogs having a great time. Dogs knew how to have a party. I stared at each page for a long time before going to the next. There were two pages that I studied intently.

One was of an emormous bed with many dogs. One dog had his eyes wide open.

I found this to be the coolest picture ever. I always worried about the dogs under the bed and on the floor. They couldn’t possibly be comfortable. I thought the blue color was great. I loved the detail. The other picture I liked in the book was the dog party. Everyone got to go to this party…in a tree. Which is weird. Now that I think about it, I’m wondering what the author had in his coffee cup.

But, it was a great book with a great lesson. Everyone should be able to climb a tree and have a party. It doesn’t matter if you are a yellow dog or a blue dog.  Big dogs and little dogs…They all got along.

This was my favorite page of all. I don’t know why, but it still makes me laugh.

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2. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

 I’m sorry, but Dr. Seuss was a weird bird. But, so was I, so I loved this book. I think my mom had to go out and buy a second book, as I looked through this book so much, it fell apart.

Ok, this page scared me. But, and there is always a “but” with me, on the other hand, I really wanted to find a Clark to bring home. What disturbed me when I became a mother and read this to my kids is the fact that they found Clark….in a park…..in the DARK.  So, the mother here let the kids go monster hunting in the park, in the dark, with no adult supervision. Well, you shouldn’t go monster hunting anyway if you are a kid, but that goes without saying. I’m thinking the mom deserved to get the hell scared out of her.

Stealing a quote from the great movie, Jaws, and mutilating it….”We’re gonna need a bigger bottle.”

This one just pissed me off. Yes, some were just bad. But why?  “I do not know. Go ask your Dad.”  So I did. He pointed to him and said  “He’s a communist.

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3.  Nancy Drew- As I got older, I put my Dr. Seuss books away, and took up the Nancy Drew books. I loved reading her adventures. I had a lot of the books. I only have four, because my mom gave away all of my books and toys to the church when I was in high school. Came home one day and everything that was packed away was gone. I’m still mad about this. Anywho, I had some favorite stories:

    

    

   I loved the inside cover of the books. I would circle all of the books that I owned. That really made me feel like I was something special. And it was also to show my mom which ones I did not have. Whenever I finished a book, there was always one waiting for me. My mom said  because I had such a short attention span, it was great to see me staying on task with something. Oh, please. I read these at bedtime. First she wanted me to quit reading and get some sleep, then she was force feeding me books to keep me awake. Make a decision, you loon.

I really don’t remember how many Nancy Drew books I have read. But, they were all good and a part of my childhood I will always remember.

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4. Snow Treasure- I don’t remember how old I was when I read this book. I believe that it was my brother’s book first, and then I took ownership of it. It did seem like a book a boy would enjoy. I loved this book. It made my heart pound though. An action packed movie on pages.

 

    I believe my mom bought this from school from scholastic. Their summary is great, so I will borrow it to share with you.

“In 1940, the German army invades Norway and 12-year-old Peter Lundstrom’s life is changed forever. His father is the local banker and his Uncle Victor is captain of a sea-worthy fishing boat. They, along with the other leaders of their community, conspire to aid Norway by smuggling over nine million dollars worth of the country’s gold bullion to America, where it will be safely kept out of the hands of the German army. But first they must get the gold from the town bank down the snow-covered mountainside to the fjord (a narrow inlet of the sea) below where Victor’s fishing boat awaits its valuable cargo. It is up to Peter and the other children of the town to take to their sleds and sneak the gold brick-by-brick past German sentries.

Snow Treasure is based on events that were said to have actually taken place during World War II. The book includes a brief account of a Norwegian freighter that arrived in Baltimore in 1940 with a cargo of gold bullion, reputedly smuggled past the Germans by children on their sleds. From this rumor, Mary McSwigan tells a riveting tale of adventure and courage that gives young readers a taste of life inside the Artic circle, and simultaneously teaches an exciting history lesson.”

It was a great book. I guess I could go on and on because I read so much when I was little, but these were the ones that I really enjoyed. Others I remember off the top of my head were Charlotte’s Web,  Little Women, and  Patches, (Which I can not find).

 When I had children, I really enjoyed reading Cricket in Times Square, The Indian in the Cupboard, Ralph the Mouse, and The Secret Garden. I really enjoyed reading my kid’s books.

Nowadays, I read Dean Koontz. I finally found An American Tragedy, based on the Elizabeth Taylor/Montgomery Clift movie, A Place in the Sun. I have S*it My Dad Says on my coffee table and just purchased a book called You Might Be a Zombie, as a friend informed me that “YOU of all people need to read this book.” Seems that he thought of me and his drunk buddies while reading this book. ???? I guess when they are sober, I’m just in a class all by myself, aren’t I?

I’m reading that book now. It IS  a Vickie book. You guys should read it.

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