Escapists Uncensored: Back in the Day

Escapists Uncensored

Escapists UncensoredWe’ve been cleaning out my grandmother’s house these past couple of weeks and I found a huge tub of books I loved in Jr. high school. I had forgotten about so many of them! And I started to re-read them. Which brings me to today’s rant.

A lot of the books I used to read in Jr. High just don’t hold up to my current standards. Which makes sense since I, along with my taste in books, movie and music, have matured. It just makes me very sad because now I know that the books just weren’t that good. The only good thing about them was my memories of them and now that’s tarnished.

The one series that really got to me was the Animorph series by K. A. Applegate. I used to read these books all the time! I would save my money to buy them and I would ask for them as presents on my birthday or Christmas. I re-read the first book, The Invasion, and it wasn’t that good. The second book, The Visitor, wasn’t any better. And then I decided to try and at least preserve my good memories associated with the Animorphs.

And then there was the NightWorld Series by L.J. Smith. I couldn’t even finish re-reading the first book. Don’t even get me started on the Fear Street books. I remember them being suspenseful and scary. While re-reading them, I kind of laughed at some of the things that were supposed to be scary (except for the Cheerleader series…those still creep me out!)

It just makes me so sad. I loved these books. I would stay up and read them. I would check and double check for release dates. And now I know they just aren’t that good and that they probably weren’t that good in the first place.

The good news is that I did find some books that did stand up to the test of time. The first is the Diadem series by John Peel. I re-read all the original 6 books and still enjoyed them. And The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J. Smith was still creepy and entertaining (also I want Julian…just saying).

And anything by Annette Curtis Klause is still on my favorite list. I can’t even tell you how many times I read Blood and Chocolate. And The Silver Kiss can still make me cry. The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson also held up (though I keep wishing for a sequel).

This whole thing just made me nostalgic for Jr. high. Even though I was all boney knees and elbows. Honestly I looked like a scarecrow with crazy hair. And I was a super geek. But I have so many fond memories of the above mentioned books (and even more!). And now I’ve kind of ruined it.

What about you? Any old books that you enjoyed the first time around that didn’t hold up to your current expectations? What did you read in Jr. high? High School? College? Do you think you’ll ever re-read them?

About Courtney 33 Articles
I teach Special Education and have three demented dogs. Between my students all day and my dogs all night my stress relief is reading. It is the only thing that keeps me from going crazy. Or should I say from going crazier? I read anything but I prefer fantasy, sci-fi and steampunk. I also love urban fantasy and historical romances. If it has dragons and magic, vampires and werewolves, crazy machines and corsets or aliens and spaceships then I’m happy. Mix in a Scotland laird or two every once in a while and I’m ecstatic!

2 Comments

  1. LOL I used to read Sweet Valley High and Babysitter’s Club! Those make me cringe now, but back then I loved them. What’s even funnier, is I also read S.E. Hinton and Michael Crichton novels during the same time period! Can you tell which ones I bought myself and which one’s my Mom picked out for me??

  2. I was reading bodice rippers, Agatha Christie, and hard SF when I was in junior high and high school. I don’t have any desire these days to reread any of them, especially the bodice rippers. I have a feeling that those would be wallbangers for me now, although I absolutely loved them when I was a teenager.

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