The Thursday Three

And the list for today is...

My Three Favorite "Children's" Book Series

The reason I say "Children's" is because most of these are favorites to this day, and I haven't been called a child for a while. At least not that I'll admit to. I'll thank you all to keep your opinions to yourself please. Play nice!

#1. The Little House on the Prairie series. Let's just start with the one of longest of my book love affairs, shall we? Oh my god, I adore these books, every single one of them and reread them regularly. Which one I read is usually a reflection of my mood. If I need a little kick in the butt I read The Long Winter. If I'm really upbeat I go for Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years. If I'm hungry I read Farmer Boy, because the food descriptions in that one do me in. (Clearly they were written by a woman who lived most of her childhood on salt pork and dried beans). My husband, who doesn't understand the appeal, calls it Little Disaster on the Prairie, claiming it's one locust horde and blizzard after another. What does he know? Several years ago, on a road trip back home, we actually made a stop in De Smet, South Dakota, the real little town on the prairie. The feeling of actually being on the homestead that I'd read about so much was incredible, and I can't wait to do it again.

#2. (Sorry, Mom) Nancy Drew, girl detective. I can't count the hours I spent as a kid reading all about Nancy and her sleuthing adventures. The fact that the gal can do anything was appealing to a kid, although as an adult I know people like her and I just want to slap them. She could play all sports and instruments, speak many languages passably, was naturally "trim", and had a cute little roadster to boot. Granted, she was motherless, but like all the Disney heroines, this was designed to increase her pity appeal and make her seem vulnerable. It didn't work though. That chick was bullet proof. Even as an adult Nancy has given me hours of entertainment. After the (sorry again, Mom) kibbutz caper, I set about replacing my collection with a vengeance. There are three editions of Nancy Drew - the early 1930's versions, the 1950's and the 1970's. (I'm not counting the paperback slop that's out now). Most of what I had was the 30's and 50's, so I haunted rummage sales and out of the way places for years. They were too expensive in the used book stores. For years I had this dream of finding a paper shopping bag of ND's at a garage sale and they were all marked a quarter. I would wake up so happy. Then one day when I was in college I was at this junk store on Colorado Blvd. that no longer exists and it happened. There really was a paper shopping bag of old ND's and they were a dime apiece, since these people obviously didn't know what they had. I have them still, but don't reread them that often, since as an adult she tends to tick me off with her know it all ways.

#3. Harry Potter. What can I say about Harry Potter? I'm equally anticipating and absolutely dreading July 21st when the last book comes out. If she kills him off I think I'll just cry. Seriously, I know more adults who are into this series than I do kids. What is it exactly? Each of the main characters is so appealing in their own way, and so believable in their actions as they age. Hogwarts is a place I would kill to spend time at, especially as a young wizard. There's the eternal theme of good vs. evil, and the allegiance you feel to this fight. I am continually amazed at J.K. Rowling's imagination. Where does she come up with this stuff? My favorite is the howler. Every time I even think about a howler I crack up. You can tell the woman has kids, can't you? And speaking of kids, I absolutely love Mrs. Weasley. That woman kicks some serious teenage wizard butt. In anticipation of the last book Sasquatch and I are about to start re-reading the series. This is a ritual we've done for the last few books, and we really look forward to it. The last time we did it I was so immersed that I actually had Hogwarts dreams. Of course this project gets longer each time, but it's a lot of fun. Go Harry!

At this point I normally encourage all of you to throw in your two cents, but I haven't been getting much feedback on this. Do you people not understand how much fun it is to throw your opinions out there into cyberspace and let the devil take the wheel??