Mar. 29th, 2011 08:17 am
Strange revisits to childhood
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savvyliterateTangled comes out today! Tangled comes out today!!!
Excuse me while I run around in an excited circle. OK, since I'm suppose to be a somewhat mature adult, said circle-running is happening in my mind. But, it's happening regardless. Too bad I won't see my copy for a couple more days anyhow since I pre-ordered through Amazon and elected for free shipping. Still ... Tangled!
Today's the day for a lot of big releases actually. Those of us of a certain age grew up with the Sweet Valley books are now treated to the new Sweet Valley Confidential, which picks up with the Wakefield twins at age 27. I read the first chapter online a long time ago, but it's kind of a bizarre trip back into childhood. It's almost like Ann M. Martin had decided to do Baby Sitters Club with the girls in their late 20s. Granted, when I read the Sweet Valley books, I preferred the middle school (which sounded exotic to me in the day) and college books over the main high school stories.
Also coming out is the last book in Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series, The Land of Painted Caves, even though she has already retconned herself and said it might not be the last book after all. For those not familiar, it's a series of six books set back during the prehistoric era where you have history's first Mary Sue and Gary Stu set against an extremely detailed background. And I'm not kidding about the Mary/Gary thing. Taming horses? Ayla invented it. How babies are made? Ayla's figured it out. Having Ayla be the smartest, most gorgeous person ever with the talent to do anything? Absolutely. And, we can't forget Jondalar. He's blond, built, and serves to provide the reader with angst, superior flint-knapping skills and will happily service any nubile young woman that comes across his path until he meets Ayla, who is "The One". Then, it's his obligation to teach her about the "Pleasures" of intercourse and from then on out serves the purpose of angst and amazing sex.
I first read this series at age 14 when a copy of Valley of Horses was shoved into my hands and a classmate pointed out the sex scenes to me, giggling like crazy. What caught my eye was the history. I went back to the beginning and, ignoring the sex scenes, devoured the book, then the other three - Plains of Passage having just come out in paperback. Auel is notoriously slow to write, releasing the first book two months after I was born and the last 31 years later. Because I'm older, I can see all the flaws now. I loved Ayla/Jondalar at age 14, but they grated on my nerves at age 22 when I read the fifth book. I do have a complete hardcover set though, having used my Books-A-Million employee discount to get them cheap when the fifth book came out in 2002. So, I'll get the sixth book and see how the series ends.
But, first, my new bag is on the UPS truck and will be delivered this morning. Hurray!
Excuse me while I run around in an excited circle. OK, since I'm suppose to be a somewhat mature adult, said circle-running is happening in my mind. But, it's happening regardless. Too bad I won't see my copy for a couple more days anyhow since I pre-ordered through Amazon and elected for free shipping. Still ... Tangled!
Today's the day for a lot of big releases actually. Those of us of a certain age grew up with the Sweet Valley books are now treated to the new Sweet Valley Confidential, which picks up with the Wakefield twins at age 27. I read the first chapter online a long time ago, but it's kind of a bizarre trip back into childhood. It's almost like Ann M. Martin had decided to do Baby Sitters Club with the girls in their late 20s. Granted, when I read the Sweet Valley books, I preferred the middle school (which sounded exotic to me in the day) and college books over the main high school stories.
Also coming out is the last book in Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series, The Land of Painted Caves, even though she has already retconned herself and said it might not be the last book after all. For those not familiar, it's a series of six books set back during the prehistoric era where you have history's first Mary Sue and Gary Stu set against an extremely detailed background. And I'm not kidding about the Mary/Gary thing. Taming horses? Ayla invented it. How babies are made? Ayla's figured it out. Having Ayla be the smartest, most gorgeous person ever with the talent to do anything? Absolutely. And, we can't forget Jondalar. He's blond, built, and serves to provide the reader with angst, superior flint-knapping skills and will happily service any nubile young woman that comes across his path until he meets Ayla, who is "The One". Then, it's his obligation to teach her about the "Pleasures" of intercourse and from then on out serves the purpose of angst and amazing sex.
I first read this series at age 14 when a copy of Valley of Horses was shoved into my hands and a classmate pointed out the sex scenes to me, giggling like crazy. What caught my eye was the history. I went back to the beginning and, ignoring the sex scenes, devoured the book, then the other three - Plains of Passage having just come out in paperback. Auel is notoriously slow to write, releasing the first book two months after I was born and the last 31 years later. Because I'm older, I can see all the flaws now. I loved Ayla/Jondalar at age 14, but they grated on my nerves at age 22 when I read the fifth book. I do have a complete hardcover set though, having used my Books-A-Million employee discount to get them cheap when the fifth book came out in 2002. So, I'll get the sixth book and see how the series ends.
But, first, my new bag is on the UPS truck and will be delivered this morning. Hurray!