Tag Archives: book-reviews

Going To the Right: The Tween Years (Updated April 2026)

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Thanks to everyone who is following my reading journey. If you missed my previous musings, links are at the end of this post.

Once I exhausted all of the mystery series and started finding the children’s books a little, well, childish, I decided it was time to make a run to the right of the desk where the adult books were shelved. So one day, I skulked past the gimlet eye of Miss Clark and entered a whole new world of books. At first glance, many seemed a bit beyond my ken, but it didn’t take long to discover a treasure trove of books with “teen” spine stickers mixed in with the fiction. After loading my arms for the long trek home, I soon found myself immersed in the exciting new world of teen troubles.

ipiccy teenYoung Adult Books, 1950s/1960s Style

As a dweeby sixth-grader with frumpy dresses and a home perm who so badly wanted to be popular, I found books by Anne Emery and Rosamond du Jardin a balm for my tween angst. All dealt with teen trials and tribulations, both frivolous and thoughtful, but mostly I identified with the stories where the main character was trying to be part of the cool kids’ group. Oh, and boy trouble…

Anne Emery’s Dinny Gordon series featured a teen whose career goal was to be an archaeologist, which sparked my interest in also exploring ruins and going to Egypt (spoiler alert: it didn’t happen). The series covered Dinny’s freshman through senior years, and I devoured them all. Another favorite by this author was The Popular Crowd, which I read multiple times.

Rosamond du Jardin wrote in a similar vein, and I plowed through all of her books, such as Class Ring, Boy Trouble, and One of the Crowd, which were all part of the Tobey and Midge Heydon series. Here is a lovely description of parents in a simpler era:

“The Heydon family resides in the town of Edgewood where Mr. Heydon sells plumbing supplies and Mrs. Heydon is a homemaker who enjoys baking chocolate cakes and lemon cream pie.”

I also read books by Janet Lambert and Betty Cavanna, and continue my interest in the medical profession, novels like Candy Stripers. Occasionally, I wandered into the nonfiction aisle and picked up books on Oregon history (Sacajawea was a favorite) and astronomy.

Mad about Magazines

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my magazine addiction started in grade school with the distribution of the Weekly Reader, and it wasn’t long before I got hooked on the hard stuff. In 1964, the Beatles took over the imagination of tween/teen girls (and yes, I was one, although I became more of Herman’s Hermits fan), and I started noticing magazines such as ‘Teen, Tiger Beat, 16, and more. With such lurid headlines as “Beatles Weird Wishes” and “Herman’s Wild Life!” it was easy to part with my allowance so I could follow the latest about my idols.

ipiccy mags

16 Magazine was my favorite, and I remember a contest where one “lucky” Meowreader could win Herman’s (Peter Noone) snaggle canine tooth he’d had removed. (I hope no one thinks less of me when I admit I actually entered that creepy contest.) I didn’t read Tiger Beat very often (think it was hard to find), but I enjoyed Ann Moses’ recent memoir, Meow!: My Groovy Life with Tiger Beat’s Teen Idols, with lots of juicy behind-the-scenes revelations and interactions with the stars of the day.

‘Teen magazine was another fave that I read religiously. I don’t remember many of the articles, but I did lust after the fashions (especially the go-go boots) and perused the Pen Pal page to see who might have the same interests I did–you know, books, boys, and surfing–OK, so maybe I didn’t surf, but it was cool to think I could.

madI also discovered MAD magazine, and even though I’m sure much of the content went right over my head, I thought it was hilarious, especially the movie and TV show satires. I still remember my brother and me listening to the 33 1/3 RPM record insert of “It’s a Gas” and giggling uncontrollably. If you have never had the pleasure of hearing this classic, listen to it here.

 

(NOTE: photo below is after I discovered I could be cool when I emulated Cher’s look.)

Next up: I discover smut and the start of my love for psychological suspense. 

roibn 8th

8th grade, trying hard to be groovy

Earlier posts:

The Very Early Years

Chapter Books

Nancy Drew and Chums

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Series Years: Grades 3-6 (Updated April 2026)

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I have a fantastic memory (which served me well when helping readers find the book that had a red cover and was set in New York City), but while I remember much of what I read over the past 70 years, I’m sorry to say I can’t pinpoint the age I read the books that shaped my reading life–well, except for a few smutty ones but we’ll get to those later.

ipiccy library

This is where the magic happened. Kids to the left, adults to the right.

Discovering the Joys of Books in Series

betsyMy memory of walking into the Cottage Grove Public Library and inhaling that unique “old books” scent is as vivid as if it happened yesterday, but what I also remember is the feeling of anticipation to see what new books awaited me for my reading pleasure–and that hasn’t abated a whit since then. It wasn’t long before I discovered books in series and that I loved following a particular character. I don’t recall reading many Beverly Cleary books (except for Fifteen in my later years), but I loved Carolyn Haywood’s Betsy series.

However, Betsy and the gang were left in the dust when I discovered Nancy Drew. Whenever I entered the library, a beeline was made to the rack to see if there were any of the tweedy blue cloth-covered Drew multimysteries I hadn’t yet read.  I don’t think the library had a system for reserving books (or if they did, the librarian, Miss Clark, never offered, as she might have known she’d be pestered to death), so I would rely on my memory to remember what I had read. I liked some more than others, and the ones I liked best probably took place in mansions. (As an adult, I relived my “Drew” years by reading Chelsea Cain’s delightful Confessions of a Teen Sleuth.)

I went on to devour the Hardy Boys series, and after those were exhausted, read the Trixie Belden, Kay Tracey, Judy Bolton, and Ginnie & Geneva series (never got into Bobbsey Twins, as I think I found them a little twee), but my next obsession came from a Mickey Mouse Club addiction.

“Y? Because We LIKE You!”

ipiccy annette donnaIf you are close to my age, you probably remember singing along to the opening of the Mickey Mouse Club — “Hey There! Hi There! Ho There! You’re as welcome as can be!” But what I loved most were the introductions of the club members and Annette’s appearance! Y? Who knows, I just know she fascinated me, and I was thrilled to find she was featured in a mystery series I found at the five-and-dime store, Knickerbocker’s.  I read Sierra Summer multiple times, which gave me a hankering to visit California’s Gold Country.

Since these cheaply bound books weren’t in the library and cost only 10 cents, it was easy to splurge on others, including the Donna Parker series. The one I loved most was Donna Parker in Hollywood, and what sticks in my mind is her itchy black wool bathing suit.  This was most likely the book that set me on the road to ruin when it came to my love of anything set in the glamorous world of La La Land, including celebrity memoirs and Jackie Collins books.

Get Me the Next Book, STAT!ipiccy nurse

My next obsession came in the form of nurse stories, mainly the series featuring Sue Barton by Helen Boylston and Cherry Ames by Helen Wells, starting with their first adventures as student nurses. Sue Barton had a life trajectory that wasn’t all apples and roses, so I don’t remember reading the later titles and wonder if it was because the library didn’t carry them due to the “real-life” content. Still, I loved reading her experiences in the years before marriage and kids. (An interesting side note about the author, Helen Boylston: She based her books on her actual nursing experiences, plus she was also a good friend of Rose Wilder Lane, who called her “Troub” for “Trouble, and lived with her for several years, some in Albania.)

The Ames series was fun as Cherry immersed herself in various jobs, probably a forerunner to my love for “behind-the-scenes” narratives.

And hey, who remembers these? I used my allowance to buy Harlequin nurse stories at the corner hole-in-the-wall magazine store.

harlequin

I also spent my allowance on comic books (12 cents each!), with my favorites being Superman and Archie, but I would also read Batman, Richie Rich, and Casper, as well as weird comics based on classic books such as Huckleberry Finn, Robinson Crusoe, and more.

ipiccy comics

Next up, I return to my early teens, when Miss Clark introduced me to my next genre fascination and let me check out smut.

robin 3rd grade

If you missed the first installments, you can find the first one here and the second here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATCHING UP ON RECENT READS

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Fun City Heist by Micahel Kardos. I’ve enjoyed this author’s light thrillers, and I’m happy to report this was an extremely fun romp. It’s short, quick, and perfect for those who like a good heist thriller, such as Irwin Shaw’s Nightwork (an oldie, but it is great fun) and the movie Oceans 11. 4 stars

The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin (Oregon author). Willy has once again written an amazing novel about misfits who face the bad odds life has dealt them. Taking place in Portland, this features a hardworking house painter who takes in a neighbor’s boy whose family life is in tatters. If you’ve read Vlautin, you will recognize his talent for tearing your heart apart and then mending it with jagged stitches, and this is no exception. Also, if you’ve read Vlautin, you will wonder about me calling it a “feel-good” story, but this one is – really! A friend compared it to books by Frederik Backman. To be published in mid-April 2026. 5 stars

The Lake Effect by Cynthia A’Aprix Sweeney. This author’s first book, The Nest, remains one of my favorite novels of family dynamics, and this compelling novel about two families torn apart by infidelity and divorce is also well done. This reminded me of Patrick Ryan’s Buckeye, only the pace was a little faster. Readers of Clare Leslie Hall’s Broken Country and Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings will enjoy this. 5 stars.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. There is already a lot of buzz about this offbeat novel about a “tradwife” influencer with multiple children living on a big farm (think Ballerina Farm — Google it if needed) and profiting from millions of followers for her depiction of a perfect life. At first, this seemed similar to Marlys Milhiser’s 48-year-old time-travel novel, The Mirror, but it is so much more than that. Definitely a mindbender, and nothing is what it seems. To be published April 7. I could be wrong (and yes, sometimes I am), but it could be big. 4.5 stars

HALF HIS AGE by Jeanette McCurdy

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Well, reading this was a wild ride, and this case, I don’t mean that in a good way. The topic (and cover, quite frankly) of Waldo, a high school senior, lusting after her 40-year-old schlubby creative writing teacher (and succeeding) may turn off readers, but those who have read McCurdy’s bestselling memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, may be thinking of giving this a try. But here’s the thing: this is one of the most uncomfortable books I have read in a long time. I am not one to shy away from a controversial books and have a strong stomach for crude content (after all I read a pure porn novel in the 8th grade given to me by a classmate), but this has such graphic and disturbing sex scenes that I felt like I had to close my eyes (I can’t imagine getting through them in audio!). For a coming-of-age novel, it’s quite good, and there is some hope Waldo will come to her senses fairly soon, but I felt the author could have dialed down some of the graphic content a few notches and still gotten her point across.

This book is similar to two other novels I read about teacher/student relationships. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is about a male teacher grooming and developing a long-term relationship with a high school student (loosely based on “Lolita”), and Nampa by Alissa Nutting is a novel about a female teacher who has a penchant for 14-year-old boys.

Would I recommend anyone read Half His Age? Well, for some weird reason, I like reading controversial books. Tell me something that should be censored or is creating a sensation, and I’m on it, immediately wanting to see what all the fuss is about. So if you are like me, by all means, read this, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

BOOK TAILS: Baker & Taylor and Me

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A week ago, I learned about the closure of book distribution giant Baker & Taylor, and I felt a sense of loss as B&T was a part of my professional life since I started working in the library in 1974.

Have you been curious as to where all of those lovely books come from that grace library (and bookstore) shelves, many appearing on the publication day, or has it even entered your mind to wonder? The answer is that many of them are provided by the giant company Baker & Taylor, which has distribution centers around the U.S. They also provided services that made the lives easier of anyone who did library collection development (I was a fan of Automatically Yours, a service that automatically sent books by popular authors, and title catalogs, which listed major forthcoming books and print runs.)

Book Picker or Blackjack Dealer?

In the late 1970s or early 1980s, my husband and I both worked for the library system and were slated to be laid off should a library levy not pass. One of our options was moving to Reno, Nevada, so we spent a few days there, touring the Baker & Taylor distribution center and casinos. I was thinking I could get a job at B&T, or if that didn’t work out, become a blackjack dealer (no joke). Spoiler: the levy passed, and I didn’t spend the rest of my career as a book order picker or dealing cards in a smoky casino.

“Books. Cats. Life is Good.” — T. S. Eliot

But one of their major claims to fame was Baker and Taylor, two sweet Scottish Fold cats who became their mascots and whose faces graced company promotional materials. It was de rigueur to return from a conference sporting a coveted tote bag (I’m not sure how many I cleaned out of my work area when I retired, but it was a bunch.)

In 1983, the Minden (Nevada) Library acquired a Scottish Fold cat they named Baker after he was found sleeping in Baker & Taylor boxes. They wanted another but couldn’t afford one, so the company agreed to obtain another cat (and if I remember correctly, paid for their care), in return for using them for promotional purposes. In 1990, my husband and I were passing through Minden and stopped to meet the cats, which remains a highlight of my life. Despite our visit interrupting the staff’s workflow, they graciously took me to the back room for a “meet and greet.” If you can’t tell, Baker wasn’t very cool with having his photo taken, but he enjoyed the scritches. The story of the cats is chronicled in the lovely book, The True Tails of Baker & Taylor, by the then-library director, Jan Louch. However, a mutual colleague informed me that parts were not entirely factual, but I didn’t care; I still loved the book.You can find my Goodreads review here.  

So, how will libraries obtain their books after B&T ceases its operation? Most will probably use Ingram’s, another big distribution company, but it’s going to take time to get it all sorted out. So my advice is to please be patient if your library doesn’t get books on the shelves or your hold isn’t filled as quickly as before.

Revisiting HELL HOUSE by Richard Matheson

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So this was an interesting read in a couple of different ways. Please forgive my rambling review.

I first read this in the 1970s, during my horror phase (which I guess I’m still in), when I read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings. I recall being impressed by how frightening this was and how effectively the setting was portrayed. For some reason, I decided to reread it to see if it affected me the same way it did 50 years ago, and here is what’s different — I don’t remember the obvious uncurrent of sexual tensions of the women, and at times, the lewdness of the house’s history. I’m not judging, I’m just surprised I didn’t remember that aspect of the storyline. However, that all being said, it was still very scary (Stephen King said it was, “the scariest haunted house novel ever written.” I’m not sure I agree with our friend Stevie, as I think The Haunting of Hill House was way scarier in its subtlety.) I did feel the anticlimactic ending went on too long.

I followed up by watching the 1973 movie, The Legend of Hell House, and it was reasonably well done, although somewhat condensed; however, the setting was perfect. (Fun fact: my spouse and I saw this at the local drive-in, probably in the mid-1970s. Near the end, the bathrooms were closed due to a sewer problem, and we had to pee so bad we had to leave before the ending, and it wasn’t until last night that I saw finale!)

And here’s one more observation that about drove me bonkers during my recent read. Do you ever read a book and notice a repeated term or description that a good editor should have caught? In this case, the word “hiss” (or hissing or hissed) was used sixteen times according to my Kindle!

Richard Matheson also wrote the time travel love story, Bid Time Return, which was adapted into the romantic movie Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jayne Seymour. (Loved the book but never saw the movie.)

Anyhoodles, if a reader is looking for a good haunted house story, one can’t go wrong with this book as long as the content isn’t objectionable. However, for the best haunted house story ever written (IMO), you can’t go wrong with The Haunting of Hill House (and the original movie, The Haunting), and the sequel, Elizabeth Hand’s A Haunting on the Hill. For a fun look at horror novels from the 1970s/1980s, get a copy of Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell (click on the title for my Goodreads review).

2025 MEMOIRS, PLUS A BIOGRAPHY (Part 1)

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I love a good celebrity memoir, especially if the author is candid and sprinkles a little dirt. Seven years ago, I wrote about memoirs, which you can read here, if you so desire. Here is a rundown of the memoirs I’ve read so far in 2025. Part 2 will arrive in a few days.

How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast. I read Erica Jong’s ground-breaking novel, Fear of Flying, when it was published in 1973, and then followed her career over the years. Turns out Erica was a bit of a narcissist and an alcoholic. When she started sliding into dementia, not only did Molly become her caregiver, but at the same time, Molly’s husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Compelling, although some have felt Molly got a little too whiny at times, but you know what? Molly deserved to be a wee bit chagrined over her situation.

Softly, As I Leave You by Priscilla Presley (publication date September 23). Well. This was verrry interesting. There is some repeated information from her first memoir, Elvis and Me, but this continues the story of their divorce and the raising of their daughter, Lisa Marie. Like many celebrities, there is an aggravating air of entitlement throughout, but what is most interesting is what Lisa Marie wrote about Priscilla in her book, From Here to the Great Unknown. While neither could be considered a reliable narrator, it’s interesting to compare what they said about each other — at least it is if you care about this stuff at all, and I do, I do!

Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields. Another entry into the menopausal memoirs by celebrities. It was interesting when Brooke talked about her career and life, but it got a little tedious when she delved into the “change of life” stuff; it’s like no one has ever gone through this before. If you like her, give it a try; otherwise, skip it.

Stay tuned for four more titillating stories by people who think readers want to hear their life stories. Here is a sneak peek:

My Journey With the Seven Sisters (and Pa Salt) by Lucinda Riley

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Two years ago, after carrying the large paperback of the first book, The Seven Sisters, in my beach bag for six years, I finally set aside time to start the entire series, which consists of eight long books.

Well, I just finished the last book, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, and boy, what a journey that turned out to be!

Each book centers around one of the six sisters adopted by “Pa Salt,” a billionaire, with each one named after a star in the Seven Sisters constellation, also known as the Pleiades. Despite not being exceptionally well-written and sometimes needing a good editor, I enjoyed all the titles. They border on melodrama and were all a tad predictable, but I didn’t give a fig; they all hit the right note for warm summer days on the patio. These books with dual timelines are full of family dynamics, intrigue, and romance, and incorporate some historical figures and history in each exotic setting (Switzerland, Paris, England, Ireland, Australia, Africa, and Brazil), and one has to admire Riley’s research and imagination. If you decide to start on this series, be sure to have the next book readily available, as each ends with a cliffhanger.

My other minor gripe was that these sisters were all smart people, but throughout their upbringing, no one thought to ask their father, Pa Salt, his real name? (I know!)

If you’re a fan of epic novels by Diana Gabaldon, Sara Donati, Beatriz Williams, and Kate Morton, try these addictive books.