Books You're Too Old to Read

Cafe Society
1

So, do any of you have any children’s or young adult books you still enjoy reading now that you’re an adult?

I have a few…

The Anne of Green Gables series, along with the Emily books. These books are, I think, intended for young girls, but I still love’em. They’re my comfort books. Anytime I’m feeling blue and skeptical, I read an Anne book and the world seems romantic and beautiful again.

The Little House series. I find the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder fascinating, especially the books about her teen years. The historical stuff is neat, plus Laura just seems like someone I would have been friends with.

And I have to throw in Harry Potter, even though this is a new discovery for me. I am anxiously awaiting the movie.

On the other hand, I was cleaning out my closet the other day and found a copy of a Sweet Valley High book. I used to LOVE those stories. I started reading it out of curiosity, and was surprised to find how incredibly stupid it was.

So please, let me know that I’m not the only one who indulges in this guilty pleasure…

2

From what I understand, I’m probably too old to read “Catcher in the Rye.” Not that I have much interest. . . .

3

I agree with all of yours, Oreo. Anne, Laura and Harry are such wonderful companions when you’re feeling kind of blue. :slight_smile:

4

Ursula K. Leguin, A Wizard of Earthsea.

:frowning:

5

Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Although they don’t get opened as often as Sidewalk, my wife and I also have recent editions of Williams’ The Velveteen Rabbit and Kipling’s Just So Stories on the shelf. And some beautiful old editions of A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books.

6

Curious George, of course! I also have a couple of Sherluck Bones books lying around somewhere (It’s Sherlock Holmes, accept as a dog, get it. Bones. HA!! ehhh…) Also, I don’t know if they count as books, but for the sake of never throwing anything away, I still have a bunch of those little comic books that used to come with He-Man toys.
As for the Catcher in the Rhye, I was always under the impression you were supposed to read it at three points in your life; as a teenager, as a young adult, and as an adult adult (I guess that would mean around 30+). So, Reality Chuck, give it a shot.

7

Another vote for Curious George. I still love those books :).

(slight hijack time)

On a related note, this is the very reason Mrs. S and I need to have a kid. There are lots of things that I enjoy doing that I’m too old for. A 25 year old playing with legos or building sand castles by himself on the beach tends to get some strange looks :).

(we now return you to your normal thread)

Chris S

8

I can’t stand it…
Have you read “Curious George Gives The Man In The Yellow Hat a Social Disease”?

Sorry.

9

I still enjoy the teen angst books by Judy Blume. Forever is one of my favorites.

The Little House books are wonderful still.

I don’t think you’re ever too old for The Chronicles of Narnia.

I still get a kick out of Green Eggs and Ham.

Sheri

10

The Phantom Tollbooth, I can’t recall the author but I remember reading it several times and being fascinated by the fantasy world it portrayed. I hadn’t thought about it until I saw this thread title. Maybe I’ll read it again, see if the magic is still there.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I honed my reading skills on these books. I’ve long decided that if I sire any children I will buy them the complete collection and hope they become interested in the books, because I truly believe that the Boxcar Children series taught me to love reading. But I think I’m too old for them now, unfortunately.

11

Norton Juster wrote the Phantom Toolbooth. It’s my favorite book. I bet you’ll like it even better now than you did then.

12

I love Emily, Anne and all the old books. I’ve found I can still read Trixie Belden after all these years, and the Famous Five (although I mainly read them for the amusement value now, rather than the “plot”). I like a lot of my old Robin Klein books still, and Little Women, Seven Little Australians, a lot of the classics. L.M. Montgomery’s A Tangled Web still appeals, and I still love Kilmeny of the Orchard, but in a different way.

I can’t read Sweet Valley High anymore either. My friend told me she kept reading the Babysitter’s Club longer than SVH. I also found Judy Blume lost a lot of appeal - Sally J. Freedman was a fond memory for me, but re-reading it I found it boring and gave up on it very quickly. Tiger Eyes has lasted the distance a bit better, but not as well as the books I mentioned in the first paragraph.

13

One of the best things about having childeren is not having to explain all the kids books in my collection. I’ve always loved the Anne books and the Chronicles of Narnia. I reread the Narnia stories at least once a year.

Another of my favorites that I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet is ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’. One of my all time favorite books and still funny each time I pick it up.

14

This is my bookshelf:

**

Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett.

Klan-destine Relationships, by Daryl Davis.

The Klan, by Patsy Sims.

Time’s Arrow, by Martin Amis.

Frankenstin, by Mary Shelley.

Crime and Punishment, by you-know-who (I don’t even want to try and spell that).

Inner Circle, by Alexandir Solzynetsin (see what happens why I try to spell Russian names?)

The Political Economy of Human Rights, Volumes I and II, by Noam Chomsky and Ed Herman.

Age of Extremes, by Eric Hobbsbawm.

No Man’s Meat and the Enchanted Pimp, by Morley Callaghan.

World Civilizations Volume II.
The Complete Novels and Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volumes One and Two, by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Bare-Faced Messiah, by Russel Miller.

The Medieval Reader.

The Dragons of Eden, by Carl Sagan.

**

And, proudly displayed on the top shelf, because I read them all the time and I enjoy the look my university friends give me:

**
Winnie the Pooh

The House at Pooh Corner

The entire first volume of the Hardy Boys.

The entire first volume of Nancy Drew.

Dale of the Mounted.

Cherry Ames.

And one day I want to get my Gordon Korman collection back.

**

15

oooooh…Little Women! How could I forget to include that one? Wonderful book.

16

I am very jealous of that one. I cannot find Cherry Ames books anywhere- I loved them in about 6th and 7th grade.

My bookshelf contains…

All of Tamora Pierce’s books- The Song of The Lioness, Wild magic, and Circle of Magic quartets and the published volumes in two yet to be completed series-The Circle Opens and Protector of the Small.

Goodnight Moon in English and Spanish versions (Buenas Noches Luna)

Caps for Sale, The Gordon of Sesame Street Storybook, Little Bear, Morris the Moose Goes to School, Arrow to the Sun, Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm all the Little House books, A bunch of Bill Peet’s books, Ballet Shoes, Ellen Emerson White’s series that begins with The President’s Daughter. Well, the first two in that one- the third one (Long Live the Queen) has been re-release and that I have on order.

There are so many more that I have. I can’t begin to name them all, because I’d go on for hours. But I really like kids books- they’re fun to have around, and I don’t think you’re ever too old for them.

17

The Westing Game.

18

I recently discovered Munro Leaf’s wonderful children’s books, written many decades ago. His books are now collectibles, so they are difficult to find.

http://www.alumni.umd.edu/VirtualAlumniCenter/HallFame/Leaf.html

19

Actually I still get a hankerin’ for the Asterix books which I was introduced to in early childhood. To my understanding the characters are actually more popular in a lot of Europe than Disney characters. Warning: It’s a comic book.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.asterix.tm.fr/english/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DAsterix%2Band%2BObelix%26hl%3Den

20

Just my “heck yeah!” for the Anne of Green Gables series.

But I still love Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White. I first read, and cried to it at age 6, and if I picked it up tonight, I would still cry like a fool at age…well, at this age.