Hey everyone, sorry to have been AWOL lately. Quarantine has really been messing with me. Some days, I feel like I can get so much done. But most days, I just want to escape into a book or a TV series to try and forget about what is happening to the world. It seems I lost the energy to continue this blog. But! I am ready to turn things around, and try to regain a sense of normalcy.
In the spirit of remembering the good ol' days when I was a kid full of hope, without a care in the world (and not the pessimist I currently am), let's travel back to my childhood. These books were there for me when I needed them, and many rereads have occurred. When I see these books, I think of simpler times, and the freedom that comes with innocence. To me, these novels are timeless. They bring a bittersweet feeling to my chest. I know I will read them over again in the future, and the memories and emotions they inspire in me will never fade.
Are there any stories from your childhood that, even when you just see the cover, bring you back to simpler times?
Elsewhere: I have read this book countless times, and each time I learn something new about it. When I think of my childhood, this is the book that comes to mind immediately. There is just something about it that really resonated with me then, and still does. I remember I had lost my well-worn and loved original copy, and immediately had to get my hands on a new one. I can't imagine my bookshelf without this novel on it. If fact, it may be time to show that newer copy a little more love.
*Standalone
Harry Potter: Bet no one saw this coming, huh? Just kidding. Who hasn't read Harry Potter, or at least heard of it? I love this magical world Rowling has created that provided so many people with the escape and hope they needed. J.K. Rowling changed the literary world with this series. I will always remember my sister and I in bed, our mom between us, reading the start of this series to us. She always got the voices down perfectly, even if we all horribly botched the pronunciation of Hermione's name.
*7 book series
Percy Jackson: When I was a kid and people asked me what superpower I wanted to have, I always said: "I want to be like Percy Jackson." And here I am, a decade later, still saying that. Rick Riordan is a master storyteller, and even as an 'adult' I still love his work. The first novel in this series may have been a school assignment, but I quickly got my hands on the rest of the series. I still remember finishing the finale during a beach vacation one summer, quickly reading each page, needing to know how everything was wrapped up. Quick shout out and thanks to my brother for having me read The Heroes of Olympus series. I would have gotten to them eventually, but he gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get started.
*5 book series, lots of spinoffs
**Disney+ is going to remake the series into a TV show and I am so stoked!!!
Alex Rider: This was just the coolest series when I grew up. A teenage spy, with all the gadgets and gizmos! Anthony Horowitz always had some wicked spy device and awesome action scenes, and I loved every second of it. The best part was, I grew up with Alex Rider. As he got older in the books, I got older in life. It was pretty cool feeling like we were getting older together.
*12 book series
Artemis Fowl: Shout out to my sister for telling me to read this series when we were kids! I remember going into her room and seeing the paperback copies for this series, and thinking, what are those about? I'm not sure why I was so timid to start this series, but once my sister gave me that first book, I couldn't stop reading. Magic, fairies, and a genius main character? I was enthralled. *I am curious to see if the 2020 movie does this series justice!
*8 book series
Growing Wings: The weird thing is with this novel, I don't really remember what happens. I know I read it a bunch of times when I was a kid, but I haven't recently. I still have the worn book in my room, tucked between some older books I haven't read in ages, but I know exactly where it is. And when I see that cover, I am transported. My head may not remember what happens, but my heart certainly does.
*Standalone