Thanks so much to Cathy for talking books with me. It’s an honor to be on such a popular blog run by a thoughtful blogger!
I’m delighted to have Melanie from Grab the Lapels on the blog today talking about the books that have shaped her reading and her blogging. Grab the Lapels is a fantastic site, focusing on works by women writers and featuring a great Meet The Writer series and some really in depth, knowledgeable reviews. It’s also always great to have a fellow Sweet Valley High fan on the blog! So, it’s over to Melanie…
There are three books I’ve read that I can really remember changing me in a deep way.
Early on, it was Sweet Valley Twins and Friends: Ghost in the Bell Tower (Super Chiller), a book by Francine Pascal—or one of her ghostwriters. There are hundreds of books about the twins. Before there was Team Jacob and Team Edward, there was Team Elizabeth and Team Jessica.
Were you more like studious Elizabeth, who had superb grades, one…
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Grab the Lapels 
Fascinating to read how just a few books made such an impact on your life
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It’s true; they changed the way I wrote and thought.
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I love posts like this. I find it really interesting to learn what books really impacted you when you were growing up. I agree that we are given a very skewed version of history in the US when it comes to how this country has treated marginalized groups. I’ve never read The Autobiography of Malcomn X, but it’s something I definitely want to do in the future.
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The next book on him I want to read is full of interviews with people who knew him, giving more perspectives.
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Sweet Valley Twins!!! Sweet Valley High!!! Love those books 🙂 I think my favorite one was a Sweet Valley High in which Jessica has the lead in Macbeth, and there is a new girl in school who tries to be just like Jessica. Such fun!
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Ohhh, I don’t remember that one! I always liked Who’s Who and the one in which Todd gets a motorcycle.
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Oh wow – I googled Who’s Who, and I totally remember that book now! What fun!
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Lol! That one never got into serious territory, so it was lots of fun. The motorcycle one leads to Elizabeth in a coma.
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Oh dear! I definitely do not remember Todd getting the motorcycle. That one sounds a bit heavy for Sweet Valley High.
I’m really wanting to dig into my old box of books that has some of these books & the Sweet Valley Twins & also the Baby Sitters Club in it. What a great trip down memory lane!
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Ah! Tell me what you find when you do!!
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I already commented on this post over on Cathy’s blog, but I just thought I’d add that I never did read any of the Sweet Valley books, because my mother didn’t like them. I guess I missed out!
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Eh, your mom was probably a smart cookie. I never read any of the books that I was supposed to high school, which means I still have to catch up. Turns out many of them are really boring.
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Ha!
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Loved reading this! Commented on Cathy’s blog as well.
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I responded over there! 🙂
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This is a fascinating series of posts– I’m so glad you participated, Melanie! I love hearing about the books which most influenced you. I never read the Sweet Valley High books, but I feel like I certainly missed out on a young girl’s fandom. 🙂
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They were all the rage in the States in the 80s and 90s. Do you live in the U.S.?
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I do live in the US! I was reading Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and the Boxcar Children at that time. I was adverse to the color pink and anything “girly” at that time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I looked at the covers and said, “Not for me.” based on looks alone.
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Oh, definitely! Everything was very pink about these books. Makes sense! I read one Nancy Drew….I think I didn’t read more because I didn’t “get” her because I didn’t start at the beginning. I picked up a random book from the series.
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Yeah, I feel like serial mysteries are totally fine to pick up randomly, but only after you’ve read the first two books. Otherwise you won’t really know your protagonist at all! This is true for both adult and children’s mystery series, too.
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