(no subject)

[rivka]

It turns out that holiday weekends are a superb time to shop on eBay.

My big scores: a bright red, hooded, excellent condition, Land's End Squall parka, size 3T, for $19.99. Currently retailing for $69.50.

And!

...Okay, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this. But I might as well get it out of the way now, because I'm going to have to explain it anyway when they start showing up on my "new books read" list.

I got myself a set of ten Cherry Ames novels, all in the battered red covers I remember from my mother's 1940s and 50s originals. Did anyone else ever read Cherry Ames? She's a perky and dedicated young nurse who solves mysteries in her spare time, and oh boy did I ever love reading about her incredibly dated adventures when I was a kid. I think she's the reason my mother became a nurse, and I know she's the reason I wanted to be a nurse when I was a little girl. We only ever had three of them, and I read them over and over. Now I'll have those three again, plus seven more - including the books covering Cherry's career as an Army nurse in World War II. (I've heard that the series was sponsored by the U.S. government when it debuted in 1943, to try to get more young women to go into nursing to help the war effort.)

Anyway: ten books, kind of beat-up but in fine reading condition, for $15.99. I've seen smaller lots go for so much more on eBay, in the past. Hooray for most people having better things to do than bid on eBay over Labor Day weekend!

---

We ourselves at least had better things to do today, if not for the whole weekend. We spent the day with bosssio and her family down in Northern Virginia, just hanging out and relaxing and talking. They've got a great little stretch of undeveloped parkland just a few blocks from their house, so we took the kids down and let them splash around in a shallow creek for a while. Alex has finally satisfied her burning desire to know what a crawdad is - they were everywhere. Shortly after an idyllic creekside picnic, the outing ended in drama (Liam beaned Alex in the head with a rock), and we headed back to the house to fortify ourselves with wine and safer playthings. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon drifting back and forth between the house and the beautiful back garden (with an ornamental pool, even), and topped off the evening with an absolutely luscious chicken tikka masala, followed by vanilla ice cream with blackberry syrup. bosssio's husband Andy gets four stars in the kitchen.

I couldn't ask for a more enjoyable goodbye-summer day. ...Well, maybe if it hadn't involved Alex getting beaned with a rock. But everything else was wonderful.

Comments

[geminigirl]

I am so very envious that you got the Cherry Ames books. I was a Bobsey Twins fanatic when I was a kid (in fact, I have every one that was in print when I was reading them-Mom shipped them to me a few weeks ago, and they're going to get a spot on the nursery bookshelf when we have one.) I had one Cherry Ames book-the first one, and read a few more from the library but they were nearly impossible to find when I was a kid, and I loved the few that I could get my hands on. Oh my goodness, I am so very jealous.

I wish I were close enough to read your Cherry Ames.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The Bobbsey Twins! I read them all too. We had a big pile of my mother's old Bobbsey Twins, with the dark green covers and the unbelievably offensive racial stereotypes. (According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbsey_Twins), the early books were drastically rewritten somewhere around 1960. I wonder what they managed to do with "The Bobbsey Twins in the Land of Cotton"?) Then I read tons more of them from the library - the ones with the lavender covers.

My other major series love was Trixie Belden. I read every single one of those. The library only had the first thirteen, I think, but then I made a new friend who had all of them stowed away on shelves in her closet, and she let me borrow them serially.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I was a Trixie Belden girl. My first dog was named Trixie, after her. They're back in print, again!

[geminigirl]

I read some of the Trixie Belden books as well. mactavish and I were talking a few weeks ago, and she found links to some of the old, pre-revision books.

According to my set from the early 80's, which have lavender covers, "Land of Cotton" wasn't available then. A little reading on the web, and I've come across some things about publishing conflicts which left the publisher of the era that I've got without rights to certain titles, but I also wonder if some were just beyond revision in any meaningful way.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Never liked the Bobbsey Twins and therefore only read one or two. But I loved Trixie Belden.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Wow, Project Gutenberg has the text of some of the very, very old ones. Check it out! (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17412/17412-h/17412-h.htm) Chapter two, for example, warns that many a little girl has dropped dead from too much jumping rope.

[janetmk.livejournal.com]

Here are links to all Laura Lee Hope books (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/h#a367) that are available on Project Gutenberg.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I'm reading along - and chapter 7 explains how Flossie segregates her dolls by *race*!!! Because you couldn't let the white dolls touch the "colored" doll, I guess. Why was it deemed necessary to put that in the book? So weird.

I just know I'll be reading this all day.

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Cherry Ames! I stumbled upon one of those books in the library when I was a girl, and loved it. Eventually found and read a few more, but not all.

[(Anonymous)]

I read a couple of them and liked them a lot. But they're sort of blurred in my memory with other series' of nurse books.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Oops., that was me.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Woo. And also hoo. My aunt gave me a big box of her old favorite books when I was 6 or 7, including a dozen Bobbsey Twins and almost as many Cherry Ames. I went from Cherry Ames adventures to the stories by Alan Nourse, which are just as dated but even more exciting. Doctors in space! Psi powers!

I'm sorry about Alex getting beaned with a rock. What would Cherry do? (Or doesn't that come into play, because the situation is insufficiently mysterious?)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry about Alex getting beaned with a rock. What would Cherry do? (Or doesn't that come into play, because the situation is insufficiently mysterious?)

There were always plenty of scenes showcasing Cherry's nursing skills, so I'm sure she would have been up to the task. There wasn't any blood or anything, though, so cuddling from Mama sufficed.

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

Cherry Ames was my fave fave fave of all the kids' series books. My dad brought me the next one every time he went on a business trip (and probably more often, 'cause I don't think he was gone that much, and I read them all). Odd little things are still engraved in my brain, like the story that depends on the word "til without the apostrophe."

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

I feel compelled also to mention a fabulous remark from an acquaintance of mine about Nancy Drew books, all written by "Carolyn Keene," which is/was a "house name," used by a variety of writers: "When I was growing up, I wanted to meet Carolyn Keene, and now I am her."

[pameladean]

Yes yes yes. I had them ALL. My grandmother was a nurse and I wanted to be one too. The earlier ones are definitely better, in my opinion, before the formula really digs in and takes hold and everybody stops aging. The Army Nurse one is pretty remarkable and has espionage and everything.

I think Sue Barton is better, but there's something about Cherry.

Have a lovely time.

P.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I started Edward Eager's Seven-Day Magic last night and on page 10: "And Susan mostly read about Sue Barton, student nurse."

[nolly.livejournal.com]

I think that was the nurse series my mom had the first one of, which I read quite to pieces, which is why I don'[t have it now to check. I know the book was [Character Name], Student Nurse, which the article you linked to gives at the first Cherry book.

But what I had, mostly, was Nancy Drew. My mother's collection, supplemented by later releases. I preferred the Dana Girls, once I discovered them, but never built up much of a collection.

My elementary school library had several of the Barbie novels from back when Barbie was a Real Girl.

Another series I quite liked was Donna Parker.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

You got ten Cherry Ames novels? I am so envious! I loved Cherry Ames! Made Nancy Drew look like a wannabe.

[juno.livejournal.com]

Cherry Ames - oh yes.

I don't think I read any of the army nurse ones - it was the later ones I read.

[malibrarian.livejournal.com]

You got 10 Cherry Ames? You lucky thing! I read my mother's set, plus her other two girl mysteries, Judy Bolton and Beverly Gray, girl reporter. All of them cost far too much these days.

[eeyorerin]

Oh man! Cherry Ames and Trixie Belden and the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew -- that's a big chunk of my childhood reading, too.

Have you read the Cherry Aimless and Nancy Clue parodies? I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time.

Nancy Clue

[hazelchaz]

... and don't forget the Hardly Boys.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I read Cherry Ames books when I was a kid, and loved them. Don't recall how many--they were all from the local library--but these were books that I read most of more than once.

I also read a similar series of books about a stewardess. Vicki something? I don't recall her name, so I guess I must have liked Cherry Ames more because I've never forgotten her name!

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I have a passion for (and a small collection of!) series books that were written in the 1910s and 1920s - Grace Harlowe, the Adventure Girls, the Meadowbrook Girls...... sort of the early precursors to Cherry Ames. My mom used to always talk about Cherry Ames, so a few years ago, I found a CA hardback and gave it to her for Christmas. :)

About 6 months ago I read a book about the writing of the Nancy Drew books, and the Stratemeyer syndicate that published them. It was fascinating.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

OMG I LOVE CHERRY AMES! My mom grew up on them, and my childhood library (with a real! steam! engine! in front of it) had the whole set. Turn left when you go in the front door, bottom shelf, a complete set of the Colored Fairy Books; go straight past the desk, turn left, through the door, second-to-bottom shelf on the stacks to the right were the Cherry Ameses. I read them all except one--I got too scared in the middle of it. (Both my mom and I hated the Bobbsey Twins. Waaaay too sweet for us!)

[carbonel]

I loved the Cherry Ames books, especially the early ones where Cherry was in nursing school and then in the armed forces. Later, her constant job-hopping got a bit annoying. I have a complete set of the books, including the home health and first aid extra one.

I liked the Sue Barton books even more, but there were only five or so of them. And I don't have all of them. *sniff* (Just checked Wikipedia; there were seven in all. Must read the other two!)

I was a Nancy Drew reader when I was eight or ten, but I did outgrow those fairly quickly. Also Vicki Barr. And there were a bunch of Dana Girls books at the summer camp I went to, but I never liked those as well. I'm surprised that I never heard of Rick Brant, but I didn't discover those books until I was an adult. I now have a bunch of those; they, as well as the Cherry Ames, are a legacy of my relationship with Steve Bond, who collected children's books.

Last summer, I bought a whole basket of Bobbsey Twin books (dating from the 1950s, I think) as part of a fundraiser, but I haven't gone back to read them yet.

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

I loved Cherry Ames! Except I only ever read two of them. For years, though, I checked every library for them.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I read a couple of the Cherry Ames books, but I don't really remember them. I read some Bobbsey Twins, some Five Little Peppers, hmmm, and something similar that's not coming to mind. I'm currently reading Edgar Eager's Magic books because I missed so many books when I was a kid -- I mostly read adult books.

Oh, Pippi Longstocking and Pollyanna. I didn't read Anne of Green Gables until I was an adult.

[redbird23.livejournal.com]

Add another to the list of those who grew up with Cherry Ames and Trixie Belden and the Bobbsey Twins.

I blame my fascination with red-headed men on Jim.

Love them all, and I keep watching the used book stores for them. But so do so many other people... :)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

eBay has tons (http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=trixie+belden&category0=) of Trixie Beldens, if you want to go that route. (I'm kind of tempted myself, but I think I'll wait until Alex is a little closer to being old enough to read them.)

[redbird23.livejournal.com]

I am only missing number 20 of the Trixie Beldens. I have all of the others. Most of them the paperbacks I bought (out of precious allowance and babysitting money) as a girl.

Watching Ebay for the last one is a good idea.

I went and checked. I have six Bobbsey Twins (the lavender hard-bound ones). I can't find any Cherry Ames, although I swear I had found one.

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

dunno from Cherry Ames. Must pick some up...

Sorry again about Liam and the rock - I'd say he felt sorry, but since was grinning from ear to ear when he clocked her, I don't think you'd believe me. I am sure when he is older and I manage to explain how he scarred poor Alex for life, he'll feel reasonably guilty...

andy asked me three times today whether he thought you really liked the food or were just being nice. He gets all paranoid abou his cooking and was sooo pleased you liked it.

We had a blast, btw. Ant kept talking about Mr Michael and Ms Becca and Alex and the creek.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

dunno from Cherry Ames. Must pick some up...

Only if you have a thing for old-fashioned series books. I think otherwise you have to have grown up with her.

Not to worry about Liam. It was obviously not malicious - he just didn't have the physics background to figure out where that rock was headed after leaving his hand... or what it would do if it came in contact with soft flesh. Alex is fine - she doesn't even have a bump or anything.

andy asked me three times today whether he thought you really liked the food or were just being nice.

Please tell Andy that neither Michael nor I goes for second helpings when we're just being polite. :-)