Friday bookslutting
It's amazing the number of times it has happened to me; logging on to write one post, starting to read some other stuff, then following links and ending up with a completely different post. 'Reflective analysis' was a course subject for my Masters; you were supposed to reflect on your practice and I just couldn't get my head around it. I scored dismally in it. I think I can explain it much better now -- where an idea originates, how it changes into something totally else and how it influences whatever it is you are 'creating' -- and I'd do it without a bloody bibliography or deep-breathing exercises. We were made to do both in class. Most of the yoga-time was spent twittering (the real thing as against wrongly used synonym for tweeting) with these two Italian boys I was really fond of*. One was on a study visa like me and another was an Australian-of-Italian-descent, both quite gorgeous. Sigh. Anyway, now one of them is part of a band and I'd really like to see them perform. (*Fond of = in a hey-you're-fun kind of way, I was attached to Partner then as I am now).
This post was going to be about family trees but is now instead about The Naughtiest Girl in School, sort of. I used to love that series by Enid Blyton. I so wanted to be at boarding school. I think one of the reasons I love the Harry Potter series so much is because it's set at a boarding school. I also read a lot of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys when growing up. Somehow I never really liked Nancy; firstly because I didn't understand "titian hair" -- till some of the cover art explained it -- and secondly because I found her very prissy. Very good girl. A little too good girl than I could handle. I'd always preferred the Hardy Boys as detectives; they broke many more rules than oh-so-perfect Drew and I often dreamt of going on adventures with them. My loyalty to the Boys was also helped by my huge crush on Joe Hardy.
Did you ever wish you were 'in' a book?
It's hard for me to pinpoint a single book that changed my life or influenced it majorly. There have been several that have played important roles throughout; and I continue to discover more. I can however say that more often than not I've found company, solace and fun in books when people have been disappointing. Fact is far more boring than fiction! I'm writing all this because of this post -- I once was Miss America -- on bookslut.com. I've never read Sweet Valley High, but I know what the author means when she says, "Some experiences are universal. A girl is a girl whether she lives in West Omaha or Sweet Valley. Books are often far more than just books." Much like the post on "real beauty" that so many of you girls, irrespective of being Indian, American or Australian responded to. Check out the bookslut.com post, it's quite good.
9 comments:
I LOVED that series - that and Mallory Towers I think it was called because they always seemed to have the best adventures at boarding school! :)
Definitely wished I was in Harry Potter and there was other series I used to read called "Fearless" by the same author who made Sweet Valley High. It was pretty awesome - about a girl who didn't possess the fear gene and was this kinda secret agent super kick-ass blonde called Gaia :)
Will check out the link too
I might have read Mallory Towers. Haha, I too grew up thinking boarding school was such fun. And know what? Partner went to one and from all the stories I've heard and all the friends he still has from school... it was! :| I've never read Fearless. I read a lot of Denise Robins though. :P Pretty fearless that! haha.
and starting from one thing and ending up on another is also actually a "girl" thing:-)
the idea of wanting to be in a book is so amazing JB:-)
and yes, I didn't like Nancy Drew either...I thought the name Nancy was only the first put off:-)
@ Suruchi: I so agree. Nancy is like behenji version of an angrezi name. One tight thappad.
I loved Mallory Towers too! But Sweet Valley High was another favourite and the Billabong series - a very Australian outback view of the world but I always wanted to be able to do all the cool outback things the heroine could. And I have to admit to wanting to be in Pride and Prejudice sometimes too, always as Lizzie though!
@ Laura: Never read Billabong, don't think it ever got to India. I definitely wanted to go to the same school as Naughtiest Girl and I remember really, really wanting to be part of one of the Hardy Boys' books were they are investigating a Formula 1 murder. And Joe got to -- and knew how to -- drive an F1 car! I so wanted to be his co-detective. :D Also, like so many others I desperately wanted Hogwarts to be real -- somewhere -- and loved the idea you (I) could study magic. And there's that scene in the last book where Kreacher and the other house elves charging shouting, "Fight for my master!"... I SO want to jump right in and charge. Highly embarrassing to accept that since it released in 2007 when I was like 28. But lawrd, I would've LOVED to have a go at Bellatrix Lestrange. :D
Er, did anyone notice I wrote "FRIDAY bookslutting". Till 5 minutes back I thought today was Friday!
I read this in half sleep last night, (old times:getting up mid sleep to drink water. now: getting up for no reason and then playing with the phone n checkin whats happening online omg!)anyway...i did think, oh is it Friday in Australia. thts fast etc.and going back to sleep deciding to make a list of books i read during my time lol and what m reads now. That be fun.
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