I've always loved to read. This hobby has always provided some escape, amusement, fun imagination, and numerous possibilities. Then when I hit high school and college, the reading became a pain with all the analyzing and interpreting. Sometimes, though, they do help me understand and enjoy the books even more.

Since I was very young, my mom would take me often to the library. While still living in Calgary, I would attend story time (of which I seem to have absolutely no recollection). I still visit the library and check out the books. You can usually find me looking at books in the children's and young adults' sections to this day. Sometimes I wish that I could have taken a children's literature course. Then again, maybe not ....

When I first read a book, I tend to speed through it quickly so I can see what happens. If I like it, I want to know what happens, see the story unfold. If I don't, I just want to finish it, as is the case with most books assigned for class. On following read-throughs, I try to read more slowly to pick up certain details and from different perspectives. This helps in my further appreciation and understanding of the books.

� Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables has always been my favorite book (and series) growing up. I loved reading about Anne's adventures and how she grew up in Avonlea overcoming obstacles and winning the hearts of everyone she encountered. She was a unique, red-headed individual with ideals and ambitions who pursued her dreams to come true. She's just awesome. My aunt gave me the book when I was about 10 or 11 (I really don't remember), and I wasn't interested in it then. But once I saw a commercial for the miniseries on the Disney Channel when I was around 12, I wanted to read Anne before watching it. Before I knew it, I was in love with her story. I proceeded since then to read more, watch, and learn all that I can about Anne of Green Gables and everything related (from the book series and miniseries to Road to Avonlea). It's one of my obsessions now! :o) As I grow up, I can identify with certain parts of her life�as of right now I identify with Anne's experiences with the college life with the challenging studies and "social doings" in Anne of the Island. I'd love to live at Patty's Place with her circle of friends like Phil. Anyway, Anne is my role model. She has in a way made me appreciate nature and the many blessings God has given me. One day I'd love to visit P.E.I. and the Lake of Shining Waters with its bridge (somewhere in Ontario)�and I'm still waiting for my Gilbert Blythe!

� An L.M. Montgomery Resource Page
� Anne of Green Gables film fan site
� Wild Cherry Blossoms
� Anne Shirley Home Page
� Shelly's Avonlea
� Avonlea Guide
� Avonlea TV
� Avonlea Treasures

� Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin, Sweet Valley by Francine Pascal

I've grown up reading both Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins. (I didn't get into Sweet Valley High, though.) Both book series were kinda on the fluffy side but still fun and light. In the BSC I liked the close friendships, baby-sitting, adventures, and mysteries the BSC got into. It still amazes me how mature and responsible they are and how they manage to fit all those baby-sitting jobs with school, social lives, and numerous adventures. I sometimes wish to experience some of their adventures, like in the mysteries and super specials. Who else didn't want to be a part of this club with friends like these? I was kind of disappointed when they just stayed in middle school. As I was approaching my high school graduation in 2001, I learned that the BSC series was actually ending with the older girls finally graduating eighth grade at SMS. I would have loved if the series had continued with the BSC growing up but it was time to end the series. I hope Ann M. Martin would write again about the BSC sometime in the future. In Sweet Valley Twins, it was fun to read about twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, their friends, and crazy adventures. The romances amused me the most�the "serious" relationships these twins and their friends had in middle school! The interactions and schemes were hilarious, too, especially in dealing with each other's differences, their older brother Steven, pranks, romances, cliques, and playing to win. They, too, didn't grow up over the years but stayed in SVMS. In 2001, the series were also ending with the Wakefield family moving away from Sweet Valley. Funny how I was graduating high school that both The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins were ending. I was sort of bummed that both series were ending but after about fourteen-fifteen years, it was time. In a way, their end signified an end to a part of my life�I was growing up. These series in two words: guilty pleasure!

� stoneybrookite
� BSC collectibles and theories
� Dibbly Fresh
� U and 4 Me BSC
� Baby-Sitters Club on LiveJournal
� Sweet Valley Mall
� Sweet Valley Unlimited
� Sweet Memories
� The Sweet Covers
� The World of Sweet Valley (Swedish)
� Character HQ: Sweet Valley High
� Sweet Valley on LiveJournal
� Sweet Valley Twins on LiveJournal
� The Hidden Bookcase
� The Dairi Burger
� 1bruce1

� American Girls

My interest in the American Girls began in fourth grade. I was introduced to historical USA through the eyes of young girls. At the time, there were only four American Girls: Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly. Although each girl lived at a different historical time, they each experienced similar things and faced adversity and life-changing events. Each girl's life was an adventure in itself. These series have given me an appreciation for history, especially from a young girl's perspective. I think my favorites were Felicity and Samantha. I remember looking through the doll catalogue and dreaming about my own doll. The dolls, the clothes, and the accessories are absolutely beautiful with such detail. I even subscribed to the magazine for one year which was fun. It contained stories, letters, craft projects, and paper dolls. Once in a while I would browse through the site and am amazed at how much the company has grown while still focused on its purpose of bringing history to life through and to young girls. Hopefully I can convince someone to go visit the American Girl Place with me someday.

� Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene and Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon

I think every girl growing up has read at least one Nancy Drew mystery. I've always liked a mystery with intrigue, adventure, and a bit of romance. Even the BSC and Elizabeth and Jessica had their share of mysteries. Each book had the teenage detective with her two best friends Bess and George and sometimes her boyfriend Ned solving a mystery wherever they were. I read the Hardy Boys also, and yeah, I even sort of had crushes on them. Who wouldn't after reading their descriptions? Even better were the books when Nancy, Frank and Joe were solving their own mysteries which were somehow connected, so they then teamed up. One amazing thing is how they were never in school but still so well-educated and resourceful. I for one could never figure out a mystery by myself.

� Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries series

The movie came first for me. To me, Anne Hathaway is the quintessential princess actress. (I'm betting she'll shatter that image with one of her upcoming movies. Is it just me, or does she always get married in her movies?) Anyway, I've always liked a princess-y story so I picked up The Princess Diaries and was immediately hooked. Meg Cabot humorously digs into the mind of Mia, a teenage girl whose world turns upside-down when she learns that she's a princess, really well. Now with each following book, she "suffers" the trials and tribulations of being a teenager as well as princess lessons taught by Grandm�re. Although I do identify with Mia sometimes, she really is a dork (who isn't?), but someone I would definitely hang out with. She doesn't have crazy, over-the-top adventures (like being swept up in a whirlwind mystery and romance) but rather amusing daily and realistic experiences of being a teenager and a dutiful princess. I love Mia's teenage look at her world and how she sometimes ends up in a bathroom, or some other secluded place, writing about what just happened. Her friends, especially Lilly, and her family are hilarious and relate-able. Yay for Meg Cabot since she seems to make my revelations for me sometimes.

cool fact: Meg Cabot mentions Anne of Green Gables three times: Princess in the Spotlight, Princess in Waiting, and All American Girl. For someone who hasn't read this novel, she sure references it a lot!

� Princess in Waiting

� Madeleine L'Engle

Just this past Christmas 2003/winter 2004 vacation from school, I've finally read some of Madeleine L'Engle's works, starting with the Time Quartet. I'm just enchanted by their worlds. These books introduced me to the fantasy genre which I had to get used to reading at first. Aside from the lessons, the concepts of the tesseract and kything are just fascinating. Tessering seems simple but still complex at the same time. Meg proves that flaws can be one's own strength of character. Vicky I most definitely identify with since she's struggling to find her own self and place in this world. While I read her works, it's fun to see certain characters pop up in another book, so all the books and characters are somehow interrelated. I'm still eagerly reading L'Engle's books.

� The Tesseract: A Madeleine L'Engle Bibliography in 5 Dimensions

� J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series

I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone maybe around the turn of the millennium. I liked it then but hadn't given it much thought. Just this past Christmas 2003/winter 2004 vacation again I've decided to read the Harry Potter series and was hooked as I voraciously devoured the series. I'm relieved that I've decided to just read the books now instead of earlier, otherwise I would have died in the long three year wait between books 4 and 5. Now as I anticipate book 6, I read fanfiction to occupy my time. Now that I have read (and reread) book 6 this past summer, it felt like a perfect albeit seemingly quick setup (exposition) for book 7. My mind's burning with questions and impatient anxiety for the final book. When's it coming out? Another obsession I have to ride through, huh? After this septology is completed, I hope Rowling continues to write. I enjoy the humor and suspense that she infuses into her writing.

July 21st has come and gone this summer during which I anticipated the mailman to finally deliver book 7 and then locked myself in my room for about nine hours to savor it. I was in tears just anxiously waiting for my book, finally arriving after 1:00 PM that day, which continued to the very end. I laughed and cried and then cried some more. Oh gosh! I totally miss some of the characters gone even though I could revisit them. I can honestly say that I knew nothing about the book and was kept anxious, hungry, and unspoiled till the final page--a luxurious experience never to be had again. I need to reread this series again and consume all the details! I sincerely have enjoyed the anticipation, suspense, and overall excitement in reading Rowling's creation of magic, wizards, and interwoven complexities these past four years. As always my appreciation leads me to wanting more! Being part of the Harry Potter phenomenon as a fan today has been truly a unique experience.

� Harry, a History

� C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia

For some time now I've been wanting to read C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. In sixth grade I saw a couple British productions based on the series. Finally this past summer (2004) I borrowed the entire Chronicles set all at one shot from the library and fell in love with the fantasy world of Narnia and all of its inhabitants. I eagerly read each book in the order originally written (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle). Reading in this order instead of chronologically is more satisfying the first time. This way, the world of Narnia unravels and unfolds through each story, revealing a different layer of itself. I like Lewis's writing style of the books which remind me of storytelling. Narnia is definitely a place that I would love to visit, and all the characters I would love to meet. Reading the books, I like seeing the Christian allegory in relation to life.

� Further Up and Further In!
� Narnia Fans

Whenever I visited the library, I typically took out these teen serial novels and some other similar ones. They were simple, quick reads to pass the time for amusement. Except for the classics, I think many of them are now out of print and no longer available in the book stores or even the libraries.

� Sleepover Friends by Susan Saunders
� anything by Louis Sachar
� Frances Hodgson Burnett
� Gail Carson Levine
� P. L. Travers's Mary Poppins
� Robert C. O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and its sequals
� Antoine de Saint Exup�ry's Le Petit Prince
� My Crazy Cousin Courtney series by Judi Miller
� Goosebumps series by R. L. Stein and other "horror," "thriller" books
� and more various childrens, pre-teen, and teen novels and series ...

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