Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "nancy-drew"

With apologies to Mr. Sinatra, I have had a few regrets and some of them are real doozies.
One mistake, in particular, haunts me as I continue the seemingly endless process of home renovations, redecorating and downsizing. To this day, I still can't believe I allowed my mom to sell all of my old Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not harboring any ideas that they'd be worth a small fortune. It's the sentimental value that makes them priceless. After all, I read my first Hardy Boys mystery when I was in third grade and I still remember the first word that gave me trouble. What on earth is a ho-ax? I remember thinking as I "sounded out" the word.
Undaunted, I amassed quite a collection of the blue and yellow hard-cover books over the next few years.
Eventually, as Mom recalls, we put them in boxes and took them to sell at a church-sponsored tag sale. A little boy ended up buying them, much to my mother's disgust.
He really wanted the books, but he was thoroughly objectionable, Mom recalled. I didn't want him to have the books because I didn't like him. But I finally sold them to him at the end of the day. So I regret selling your Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books, too.
Until next time, "That's life..."

Not too long ago, I shared one of my biggest regrets with you. If you recall, I bemoaned the loss of my favorite childhood books. More specifically, I bemoaned my decision to let my mother sell my collection of Hardy Boys® and Nancy Drew® mysteries.
Today I am happy to report that I am once again the proud owner of two dozen Nancy Drew® books. I am also happy to say that I got them for free and came by them honestly.
It happened as I was leaving the animal shelter where I volunteer on Tuesday afternoons. In a never-ending quest to find homes for all of the books donated to the organization, the director asked me if I wanted to have a look through the crates in the front room. As I had in the past, I happily said yes. And I was immediately glad that I did.
It took less than a minute to spot the hardcover books with the bright yellow spines, and I couldn't hide my delight when I realized what I'd found. When I explained why I was so excited, the director agreed to let me have the books. As a bonus, she threw in the crate, along with a few Bobbsey Twins® books and one of the Harry Potter® books that were already in it for good measure.
So just why was this acquisition such a big deal? No, it's not that I think the books are worth a great deal; in fact only a few are older editions. But to me they have tremendous nostalgic and sentimental value. I have no doubt that rereading these classics will take me back to my childhood; a time that wasn't perfect, but was pretty damn good.
It was a time when reading offered escape and opened my imagination. It was a time when I smuggled a flashlight under my sheets so I could stay up past my bedtime and read under the covers. It was a time when I spent countless winter days curled up with a good book, and countless summer afternoons reading at the beach.
Of course I didn't know it back then but it was also a time when reading sparked the interests and helped me develop the skills that ultimately made me a successful journalist and an award-winning author.
It was a time I'll cherish forever.
Until next time, "That's life..."