tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post7389670918905553740..comments2024-03-10T16:42:34.106-04:00Comments on Collecting Children's Books: December 18 Sunday BrunchPeter D. Sierutahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-36221718668600183782012-04-13T23:05:07.965-04:002012-04-13T23:05:07.965-04:00Just a thought on your comment about future collec...Just a thought on your comment about future collectibility of Goosebumps, Babysitter's Club, etc. I'm from the demographic that read all these series in the early nineties, and I'm also a book collector fueled by nostalgia. I've picked up copies of many books I loved from the library as a child--but none from these series, or others like Animorphs, Sweet Valley, or Saddle Club. To me the problem is not that individual books were mass-produced, but that the ghost writers were so prolific. There's a big difference between ten Betsy-Tacy books and over a hundred Babysitter's Club options, especially when individual volumes don't necessarily stand out.Rebeccahttp://sequesterednooks.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-54104473621148008022011-12-21T15:15:55.586-05:002011-12-21T15:15:55.586-05:00Peter,
I found my all time favorite Christmas read...Peter,<br />I found my all time favorite Christmas read on a sale table in the front entry way at Schulers bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan years ago. The "Four Midwestern Sisters Christmas Book" is a treat to read especially for those of us who were born in the 50's. It is a wonderful collection of recipes, holiday craft projects, stories, and traditions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-18833051475732018182011-12-21T14:53:17.340-05:002011-12-21T14:53:17.340-05:00Thank you for pointing out "Nathaniel's W...Thank you for pointing out "Nathaniel's Witch;" I will have to keep my eyes open for a copy.<br /><br />My reading is largely Fantasy oriented. Around Christmas, I like to read "A Christmas Carol" of course, but also "The Box of Delights" by John Masefield, "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper, "Hogfather" by Terry Pratchett, and "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis.Brerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14429065718316352989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-4341704398469453332011-12-20T16:56:34.474-05:002011-12-20T16:56:34.474-05:00Hey Peter, I have Cookie Count by Sabuda right her...Hey Peter, I have Cookie Count by Sabuda right here at my desk and... no recipes. But now I want a cookie! Actually, I want the gingerbread house on the last spread to be real so I can just eat the whole thing. =)<br />-Sam BloomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-46695882572847737382011-12-20T12:09:00.482-05:002011-12-20T12:09:00.482-05:00I agree with you about the value of a book when it...I agree with you about the value of a book when it's been mass produced. It's unlikely to draw large sums in the future. But that doesn't mean that people won't look for it, especially if it has a sentimental value.<br /><br />But will some people be disappointed to go back and find that the book wasn't very good? I'm not commenting on any book in particular, just thinking about what happens sometimes in the quantity over quality thing.Jil Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01753282207863478870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-19086824347350475692011-12-20T08:09:47.251-05:002011-12-20T08:09:47.251-05:00I'm happily all set with reading, as a friend ...I'm happily all set with reading, as a friend has sent me two children's stories she's written. She's written others but is starting me with these two. What a gift! Now I feel like a kid with a big, mysterious, exciting wrapped box under the tree!P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-17858609234537329612011-12-19T21:55:18.024-05:002011-12-19T21:55:18.024-05:00I usually don't have any time on Christmas Eve...I usually don't have any time on Christmas Eve to read anything, but four books I must re-read before Christmas are THE TUCKERS: THE COTTAGE HOLIDAY, Kathryn Lasky's CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL, and Frances Frost's SLEIGH BELLS FOR WINDY FOOT, as well as A CHRISTMAS CAROL. If I can, I do like to read the last FEW chapters of Kate Seredy's THE OPEN GATE (starting with the Pearl Harbor chapter).Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00684124498981972463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-68410428335595335492011-12-19T16:04:48.402-05:002011-12-19T16:04:48.402-05:00"Hazel" is just a pretty common name for..."Hazel" is just a pretty common name for little girls these days--not something particular to books. There are two Hazels in my three-year-old niece's swimming class. My niece's name is Helen. She has friends named Izzy and Merle (boys). I asked whether Hazel, Helen, Izzy and Merle have a good time playing pinochle together. (Luckily, my brother laughed.)<br /><br />A couple of comments on the collectible books issue: one, Betsy-Tacy is hardly the 1940s' equivalent of Diary of a Wimpy Kid! The books survive because of good writing, not nostalgia. Two, it's funny what you say about people feeling like they're part of a special club for reading/collecting such books. Before the advent of the internet, most of us felt like we were the only people in the world who knew about Betsy-Tacy. (When I say "us", I mean "my special club", of course.)<br /><br />I think I've told you before about my most treasured Christmas read: Christmas All Year 'Round (1952), edited by Marjorie Vetter, which contains 25 Christmas stories from American Girl magazine--it used to be the official magazine of the Girl Scouts, but was similar to YM or Seventeen, and published excellent fiction. Most of the authors aren't anyone people have heard of anymore unless you're me; the most famous is probably Lenora Mattingly Weber, who wrote the cult-favorite Beany Malone books.Wendyhttp://sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-45613620421007142192011-12-19T15:48:52.608-05:002011-12-19T15:48:52.608-05:00(singing) LaChoy makes Chinese food - swing Americ...(singing) LaChoy makes Chinese food - swing American!<br /><br />In one of the Betsy-Tacy books, Betsy reads an article in the Ladies' Home Journal titled "100 Christmas Cookies From One Dough" and Anna comments that they will all taste the same. And indeed, that article appeared in the real LHJ from the year Betsy/Maud attributed it to.<br /><br />BTW, has anyone else noticed the Domino sugar ad in the magazines concerning the "Domino Sugar 1001 Cookie Starter?" Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-86330030745626079932011-12-19T14:25:53.671-05:002011-12-19T14:25:53.671-05:00For selfpubbed books, when I've read (and enjo...For selfpubbed books, when I've read (and enjoyed) them they have been vetted/filtered/gatekeeped in a way: I read based on recommendations from people I trust and I see what the author has had to say about the editing process. If they confuse editing with proofreading, or -- my favorite comment to date -- say "I'd never make back the cost of paying an editor," nope. And I will gladly bet you $2 that I don't jump on the "the publishers and libraries keep me down despite the fact I'm an awesome writer, only call me indie not self pub, 'k?" bandwagon.<br /><br />Where we can agree is that I think ebooks and ereaders is a game changer, in ways that cannot be totally predicted. The best example, perhaps, is how film changed plays to become both movies and TV, while plays themselves remained.<br /><br />So, some things I think ebooks/ereaders will change: a creation of a new type of book that takes full advantage of the fact that it is electronic, not print (I'm keeping an eye on the transmedia and gaming companies, who have more experience w/ this nonlinear storytelling); as well as changes in to how books are published. Example on the second: part of what fed the Hocking millions book sold (as well as other self pub success stories) was that she pubbed mutliple books in a year, including full series. Right now, publishers do not do that; Hocking met the need of "I want the full story now, damnit, not a new book every 3 years." So, will we start seeing traditional pubs want not just the complete series, but be willing to release them in several months?Liz Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16671844475303001610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-28250993545804040882011-12-19T14:23:54.656-05:002011-12-19T14:23:54.656-05:00"There'll be scary ghost stories/And tale..."There'll be scary ghost stories/And tales of past glories/Of Christmases long long ago" <br />-- "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"<br />It's not terribly original, but I read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" every Christmas Eve to my son.Laura Canonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16574566234310522696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-52526433584581792532011-12-19T09:48:53.087-05:002011-12-19T09:48:53.087-05:00Sorry, P.J., I should have been more clear. Yes, ...Sorry, P.J., I should have been more clear. Yes, you use the crispy rice or "chow mein" noodles for the cookies -- the kind that come in a can in the "Ethnic Foods" aisle of every supermarket. Here is a picture: http://www.lachoy.com/products/noodles.jsp<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />PeterPeter D. Sierutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09301507180150710089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-24399982737803526772011-12-19T09:03:09.355-05:002011-12-19T09:03:09.355-05:00I have never heard of noodle cookies before in my ...I have never heard of noodle cookies before in my life! I MUST try some! My favourite are peanut butter cookies for the festive holidays.Send Birthday Flowershttp://www.simplythankyou.com/birthday-flowers/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046320545497573335.post-36006010502555377822011-12-19T06:30:08.324-05:002011-12-19T06:30:08.324-05:00Peter, not to ignore all your book musings but--on...Peter, not to ignore all your book musings but--on the cookie recipe! I'm guessing the Chinese noodles must be crispy rice noodles and not ramen. Am I right? Vital information! Need it fast!P. J. Grathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12693462910472164289noreply@blogger.com