Confessions From a Pastel Book Addict

I consider myself a pretty avid reader among other things. I doubt that I am alone in confessing my love for Ann M. Martin and the Babysitter Club Series or Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley Twins when I was growing up. Does anyone else remember the Scholastic Club Book flimsy little catalog (if you do remember, I know you are thinking that this was hardly a catalog) that came home with students once a month from school from which you could order books? I certainly do. Practically every month there was a new Babysitter Club book that I was DYING to have. How did Ann M. Martin write so quickly?? And a better question, why would my mom only let me have ONE A MONTH?? It isn't like they broke the bank at a whopping $4.95! If only good books came at a price like that these days! Looking back on my mom's reluctance to indulge me constantly with books that I finished in a matter of 24 hours, I am starting to realize that it might have had less to do with bank rolling books #1 thru #4298 and more to do with encouraging a broader horizon and refining my taste in literature. HA! I am not sure what exactly counted as "literature" when I was ten years old but we weren't allowed to check out Judy Blume books in my school library until 6th, 7th, and 8th grade due to the inappropriate content. While I willingly read books that were not part of numbered series and had many many favorites (Wayside School Is Falling Down) I have never been able to shake the habit of a good pastel colored book.

Before I go more into detail about my poor reading habits I do feel like it is worth mentioning that I was an English major in college. So I have, in fact, actually read plenty of what would be considered "real literature". I know it exists, I just choose not to read it anymore. I hope that my friend Laura eventually reads this post because I am about to place some of the blame for this on her. Laura was my English teacher in high school and we have remained friends for the past 13 years now. I used to rely on her as my previewer/critic for 90% of my leisure reading, post college. She would read the book and pass it on to me if it was worth reading. It worked well for both of us (well, I'm not sure how much she benefited from it) as we both read quickly and in great quantities. Easy enough, right? WRONG. I would blame her children if I didn't love them so much but after her 2nd beautiful boy was born, her free time to read went out the window. Without the higher quality books being placed before me at our weekly lunches, what was I left to do?

I should have known it was bad when early in our relationship Deaner made the comment that the only books I ever read were pink. I couldn't even deny it. Everything I own has a pastel cover but my bookcases are so colorful and beautiful! Deaner could drop by Barnes and Noble to pick something up for himself and pick out ANY book for me as long as the color was right. I have read hundreds of them. I even started a book last year and didn't realize I had already read it (the cover WAS different) until about 35 pages into it. The first time I met Deaner's father and step-mother we were taking a vacation to Las Vegas. I can't believe I am going to admit this but I was reading a book called 32AA and the cover was pink with a bra strap across the cover. I made very sure to tell him not to mention my book in front of his family because it was embarrassing, even to me. So what does he do? Ten minutes after sitting down in the Crown Room Deaner pulls my book out of our carry on and announces that it was the book I was currently reading. I was mortified. What didn't he understand about "don't show your family my book"? I feel certain his step-mother still recalls it vividly. The fight that followed is irrelevant to this particular post! :)

SO....here I am admitting my addiction. I am pretty much past the point of hiding it. Pastel color books are books too and they deserve to be read! I am sad that they will have to go to storage when I move to Germany! Maybe by time I come home I can just start over at the beginning........until then, I am ALWAYS looking for suggestions!