Turning eighteen has sparked some severe nostalgia in me over the
last week, so I've turned to the one thing I know will make me feel
better: my books. Because even though sometimes I find it hard to be
okay with the fact that my life is changing, my books will always be the
same. Sometimes I just need that, need something to be totally
the same, even if it's only the SummerHill girls, or Trixie Belden and
her crazy gang of friends, or the same old rabbits having the same old
adventures on their way to Watership Down.Here are the books that I've grown up with, the ones that bring me instantly back to being twelve years old again. They're my mac-and-cheese comfort food reads, and I've been meaning to share them with you guys for a while, but I couldn't figure out exactly how.
So, without further ado --
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Trixie Belden
It is the great sadness of my life that I was born without an older brother (those of you with older brothers, stop laughing.) Trixie, on the other hand, has two, and I've always loved picking up one of the mysteries and being part of her gang for a couple of hours.
SummerHill Secrets
These books are timeless. When I sat down to read them a few days ago, Merry was exactly the same as she'd been when I read about her for the first time. She's just a normal girl trying to navigate the world of high school and boys and friends while also juggling church and faith and the struggles of family life. (She has an older brother, too...I'm seeing a trend.) I love that she 'gets' me... love that these books were written in a simpler time, when technology was less common, and yet they don't feel dated at all.
The Penderwicks
These four sisters are always getting themselves into hilariously sticky situations -- and I love having the chance to slip into their summer adventures anytime I need a little something to make me smile.
Dancing Through the Snow
I think I've mentioned this book on the blog before, but I couldn't do this post without mentioning my favourite Christmas book. I read it every year in December, and it's always like saying hello to an old friend. Min and her foster mother, Jess, used to calm me down when I was upset....this book was my comfort blanket; it was impossible to be worried while I was reading. It still has that effect on me.
Watership Down
I think maybe I've mentioned this one before, too...maybe not? I read it for the first time when I was around seven or eight years old, and even though I don't re-read books very often, this was one I kept coming back to. I love the friendship and firm bond that the rabbits share, and I love that every time I start to read, I picture Watership Down the same way. It's like going to visit my grandparents' house - every time I read a new paragraph I think, 'oh, I remember this tree! Gosh, it hasn't changed a bit.'
What are some of the books do you read when you need a little extra comfort? What makes you feel at home?
xx
Olivia
p.s.
I realized as I was posting this that my Trixie Belden books are not in correct numerical order!! (alas!) This is because I had to select the most photogenic book for the top of the stack. I promise that when they go back on my shelf, they will be ORGANIZED. Correctly.
Such a sweet idea for a post. I tend to return to books in times of uncertainty and change as well. My favorites are A.A. Milne books (Winnie The Pooh and his poetry) and Jacob Have I Loved by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I don't know why, but those books really helped shape my childhood. I also don't reread very often, but I could read those books again and again and again.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have two older brothers and am definitely not laughing. It is my firm belief that every girl deserves a couple of big brothers, be it biologically or through community/church. Seriously though... I don't know what I'd do without them.
Thank you, Susanna! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who clings to my books in times of crisis. :p haha. I love A.A. Milne as well! We have a giant book of all the Pooh stories...and a few smaller volumes of poetry, too. I haven't read Jacob Have I Loved (at least, not that I remember!) but I've definitely heard of it.
DeleteIt's so neat that you have a good relationship with your older brothers... most people seem to underappreciate them (in my uneducated opinion, of course.)
Watership Down...! That's like my father's favorite book, and I've yet to read it. I've been wanting to for a long time though, so that will have to be on my summer to do list. And I know exactly what you mean about a book feeling like home, that's the perfect way to describe it! For me I'd probably say The Boxcar Children series (so much childhood loves <3) Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Narnia, Ramona and Beezus.
ReplyDeleteOh, KATE. You must read Watership Down! Funny story - I grew up with all of the books on your list, too! We have almost all of the Boxcar Children books downstairs, and I've always loved the Beverly Cleary books. <3 Klickitat Street is like home to me. That's so neat, I'd forgotten all about them. :)
DeleteThis is L O V E L Y. I love how books hold memories.
ReplyDeleteSome of my childhood favorites are: Little Women, Five Children and It, the American Girl books, and the Mandie Mysteries.
I totally agree, Hannah! Re-reading is like visiting an old friend. :)
DeleteI never read the American Girl books (or was ever really aware of them...maybe it's a Canadian thing? We had 'Dear Canada,' and 'Canadian Girl,' and I read those...haha) but I loved Mandie Mysteries! I used to check them out in stacks from our church library. :)
Gah, books feeling like home. <3 I know what you mean. And they absolutely MUST be in book form, or else 87% of the nostalgia is immediately wiped off the table, just saying. (Sorry Kindle.) I've always wondered what Trixie Belden books are like. I've heard them compared to the Nancy Drew series? (Which I love.) I'd have to say my favorite comfort books are the same Katie listed, although I think I was too small to remember Ramona and Beezus. (A good reason to reread, I daresay.) I'd also have to concur with Hannah, the American Girl series will always hold a special place in my heart. <3 and Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. Books like this make me think of summertime which makes me think of all imaginable happiness.
ReplyDeletelove,
abbie/beezee
Wanna know something strange? I've never read a Kindle book. No one in my family owns a Kindle, and I've just never picked one up. *whispers* So I know nothing about them at all, except that generally people prefer 'real' books. :p haha. And yes! Trixie Belden has exactly the same feel as Nancy Drew - I personally like them better, but that's just because I read them more than I read Nancy books. :) And you definitely have to go back and re-read Ramona and Beezus!! They're some of my favourite books of all time.
DeleteThese photos are GORGEOUS. I think I only ever read like 3 Trixie Belden's but I own a whole heap of them and I really liked those first ones. xD Part of me wants to go back and read more, but I'm kinda worried I'd be more critical now, as opposed to my 14-year-old-self enjoying them. *le sigh* I don't reread a lot, but sometimes I just sneakily read chapters of old favourites. It's awesomeness. :')
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
I know this post is a bit old, but I wanted to say that I read L.M. Montgomery for comfort, especially The Blue Castle. I recently reread The Story Girl and the Golden Road, which I loved when I was twelve. (And I haven't read Trixie Belden in ages, but I still remember the time she was sleeping over at Honey's and she snatched a cup of coffee and then took a cold shower to help her stay awake and catch a thief.)
ReplyDelete