I was cleaning up the house this morning, rushing through it as fast I could like I always do. In my haste, I knocked over a book that had been sitting on the kitchen counter. It had been sitting there for so long, actually, that I had stopped noticing it even being there. I could swear I saw little dust particles fly off of it when it hit the floor. Of course I picked it up and returned it to its spot (to collect even more dust no doubt), but it really got me thinking about how much I used to love to read, and the lack of time I have for it now. Even when I do have a moment to spare, I never think to crack open a book. Probably because I’m the type of reader that gets totally enveloped in the story, and then nothing else of greater importance would ever get done. Needless to say, I don’t read much anymore, aside from the occasional Dr. Seuss story. However, I came up with a list of books that I spent my childhood/early teenage years reading – and a few of the memories to go along with them.

• In a Dark, Dark Room… and Other Scary Stories – My best friend and I first discovered this book in our 2nd grade classroom. At the time we considered it quite an accomplishment to be able to read it. It had 7 different stories in it, after all. I remember the illustrations being very dark and creepy, but we would read the stories to each other every single day during the quiet reading time. There was an old, red stand-alone bathtub in the reading corner of the classroom, put there as a place to lounge while reading. The rules were clearly printed on the wall just above it: “ONLY 2 PEOPLE at a time in the bathtub”. My friend and I never got the bathtub. Usually, the bigger boys hopped into the stupid thing before we even had a chance AND would steal all the comfy pillows. So, we would hide all the good books from them. Behind the shelves, where only we knew where they were. Revenge was suh-weet, and hearing them complain about the crappy books was even sweeter.
• Nancy Drew – I’m pretty sure that every girl read the Nancy Drew novels at some point in their lives. From 4th to 5th grade, my friends and I competed with each other to see who could read them all the fastest. The ones at our school library had obviously seen better days. The cover art was mostly faded and some were even missing the spines.
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – I was first introduced to this series by one of my mom’s friends. I remember thinking it was odd that a grown up would like books like this, but now I think differently. The illustrations were so fascinating and creepy, and they still are to me today.
• Goosebumps / Fear Street – These books were by far how I spent most of my time from around the ages of 9 to 13. I started out with Goosebumps, buying and reading nearly every single one right after the other. I still have a box full of them, and have seriously considered reading them all again – if I can ever find the time!
• Dear America Diaries – I only had a few of these, but I loved them. Really my first experience reading historical fiction, my favorites involved the diary of a young girl in the middle of the civil war, and the diary of a young girl moving along the Oregon Trail with her family in the late 1800’s.
• Carrie by Stephen King – And finally, my memorable introduction to the horrific world of Stephen King. My friend’s mom bought this book for her when we were around 12 years old, and she reluctantly let me borrow it after a few weeks of nagging. Yes, the same friend I talked about earlier in the 2nd grade. This was the first time I’d ever seen a sex scene spelled out in a book, and I only knew about it because my friend had to point it out to me. Giggles and laughter ensued, if I remember correctly. Since then, Stephen King has become one of my favorite authors.

What were some of your favorite books growing up?

She finally crawled out from under her rock and showed her face on the interwebz once again. Collective sighs were heard all around.

So, um…hi. I’d like to welcome you to my new blog. Some of you may recognize me from kristiegirl.org, which was my home for quite some time. Deciding it was time for a change in my life, I took a break from the internet, went on a trip to Oklahoma, came back, worked hard at my job, managed to save some money, got a brand new haircut, and a better grip on our finances to boot. Needless to say, I felt a new domain name was in order. I’m rather proud of it, and I look forward to getting to know all of my visitors again!