Books I read and loved as a child. Old friends that I hope you will love as well.
#1 – Fairy Tales
I did and do adore fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Aesop’s Fables, stories from other lands (Wikipedia has a lovely bit of information on Aesop’s Fables origins and a number of variations). Professor Copper Giloth at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has had her students compile, image, and animate an e-version of Aesop’s Fables and provides a traditional and modern version which you might like to check out. Huh, maybe this is why I enjoy the urban fantasy and paranormal books so much…?
And don’t restrict yourself to just these well-known fairytale authors. Every country has their own folktales and are a wonderful way to teach kids about other country’s customs and beliefs.
#2 – Georgette Heyer’s Regency Romances
I used to browse the bookshelves at Kohl’s looking for something interesting to read, and I picked up a Georgette Heyer, Regency Buck. It was fascinating. Heyer writes the most incredible stories of drama and humor with extremely restrained love scenes. She pays attention to the mores, manners, dress, home décor, architecture, travel, lifestyles, language, and more of her chosen time period of Regency England.
Her writing is incredible. If for no other reason, I seriously recommend your reading her books for her
#3 – Johann David Wyss’
Swiss Family Robinson
This story is the epitome of my fascination with can-do, make-do. I adore stories where the characters have to create, invent, contrive, innovate, dream their way to improving their lives. Easing the toils of everyday life. It could well be the reason for my obsession today with gadgets!
The older, classic books can be downloaded for free from Amazon.com as their copyrights have expired.
#4 – Sergeanne Golon’s
Angelique series
An historical romance series about a woman who fell and rose again and again. Whose innocence and beauty was upheld by her honor, as tarnished as that could become. A series-long theme of French and French-Canadian history at the time of Louis XIV. The politics of court and commoners. The religious issues that plagued people and history. Economics, manners, dress…
#5 – Family Classics
This set of ten books came as a bonus when my parents purchased a set of encyclopedias for my sisters and I. I can’t remember when I wasn’t reading, and I was always desperate as a kid to find more books to read. The look of these particular books had put me off for some time. I just knew they would be dry, dull, boring. I finally grew desperate one day, and I picked up the first one.
The time I wasted avoiding this treasure trove of stories.
Fortunately, I soon made up for lost time by reading and re-reading and re-reading and…well, you get the picture.
Each volume had a theme to it and, while I haven’t read these in decades, there are certain stories I do remember. Stories that take me back to specific places in my childhood where I first read that particular tale.
The little girl who played nurse to injured animals she found near her house. I remember sitting in my backyard, listening to the bees buzzing, the squirrels leaping from tree to tree, the butterflies flitting, and the crickets humming. A lovely summer day where I dreamed of setting up my own hospital.
Tales of gods and goddesses. Greek and Roman. So much richer than the Disney movies that distort and compress.
The only way to find these books today is used bookstores. Sigh.