02 - A book that makes you nostalgic

[Adrienne P]

Deckle edged books always remind me of the book-of-the-month books my Mom got in the mail when I was little. Very nostalgic for me. So any book with deckled edges should count, right?

[Sara]

So I have finished this challenge. I read Charlotte’s Web. It made me nostalgic because it reminded me of time spent watching the movie with my family.

[Cathy]

David wrote: "At the moment I'm planning to read the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spin-off Slayer. I've been looking forward to it since it was announced, and I'm sure it will make me feel nostalgic ..."

I had no idea this was happening! I just pre-ordered my copy and will be using it for this prompt!

[Marsha]

I was wondering about this one and I think I know what book I'll read. "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler". Anybody else know it? I loved this book as a kid! When I was having a bad day, I'd dream about running away and living in a museum.

[SadieReadsAgain]

ADPreadsYA wrote: "Deckle edged books always remind me of the book-of-the-month books my Mom got in the mail when I was little. Very nostalgic for me. So any book with deckled edges should count, right?"

Aww, that's a lovely reason to feel nostalgic. I think that totally counts!

[Jenn]

I just finished ‘Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret!’ for this prompt. Definitely made me feel nostalgic. I still remember the day in elementary school when all the girls had to go to the library to watch the ‘period movie’ and get a little goodie bag with pads in it. Haha my daughter would die of embarrassment if they did that today.

[Katy]

Marsha wrote: "I was wondering about this one and I think I know what book I'll read. "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler". Anybody else know it? I loved this book as a kid! When I was having a bad..."

I remember reading that around 4th or 5th grade. Such a fun book. I think we all dreamed of living in a museum for at least a little while after reading that book.

[Tiff]

I'm going with an R.L. Stine book. :)

[Linda]

I just read I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends for this prompt.

[Catherine]

I'm really hoping not to do a reread for this one. Instead I'm just trying to focus on aspects of my childhood and see if I can find something to match.

I'm thinking books about:
Foster care
Rural/semi rural living
Parents with mental health illnesses

But then, does nostalgia imply a positive memory? Not all of those things were positive, but some which seem bad, like foster care, were actually really great.

[Johanne]

Catherine, I think of nostalgia as a bittersweet feeling, so in my mind it doesn't have to be all happyhappy.

[Catherine]

Johanne wrote: "Catherine, I think of nostalgia as a bittersweet feeling, so in my mind it doesn't have to be all happyhappy."


Thanks! That's how I took it too.

Funny, just as I posted my comment, the perfect book came to me. It's a YA set in New Zealand, about a girl who is fostered by a religious family!

I Am Not Esther

It *is* one I've read, but not for maybe 20 years, and it holds a lot of nostalgia as I remember my mum who passed away a few months ago read it close to the same time as me, and we had lots of discussions about it. Starting this one today!

[Teri B]

Oh my goodness! I'm looking through this list:
Favorite Books From My Childhood and so many books/series I loved as a kid: The Borrowers, The Littles, Black Stallion, Amelia Bedelia, Encyclopedia Brown, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, Little House on the Prairie, Trixie Belden, The Worst Witch, Escape to Witch Mountain. I guess I'm showing my age with some of these though!

[Amanda]

Dani wrote: "I decided on Betsy-Tacy! My grandma read me this series when she’d visit when I was a kid. Unfortunately I only have a vague memory of what the books were about, and I’ve been meaning t..."

IMHO, you can't go wrong with Betsy-Tacy, especially the last 6 (high school and beyond). I learned a lot about life from those books.

[Amanda]

Lisa wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I just finished rereading A Wrinkle In Time with my daughter. Every time I read this I’m in 6th grade again, reading it for the first time.

I may read Where the Red Fern grows or..."

Trixie Belden popped into my head immediately. Loved those books so much growing up, and so did my mom. Trixie's love of horses is one reason we allowed our daughter to become an equestrian.

[Elizabeth]

Grew up reading "the Hobbit" we had the record, book, and animated movie!! Watched read and listened all the time! Might do that one.. But the runner up is "Through the Looking Glass! " I've got a special edition !

[Amanda]

So many books popped into my head for this one. Trixie Belden, Little House, LM Montgomery, and Betsy-Tacy. But like others have said, I want to read something new. So I'm going with Once and for All by Sarah Dessen. Her characters always remind me of myself in high school. Definite nostalgia there!

[Kacey]

So i was looking through the prompts to see if i could fill any of them with a book i've already read this year. I might not use it here since i have a book on hold for this prompt but throwing it out for others.

I really enjoyed watching MASH reruns as a kid. It was a show i could watch with my grandfather since we both liked it. I knew it had a movie (which ive never seen, goal for the year), but didnt know about the book. MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors

[Jess]

Catherine wrote: "I'm really hoping not to do a reread for this one. Instead I'm just trying to focus on aspects of my childhood and see if I can find something to match.

I'm thinking books about:
Foster care
Rura..."

The Story of Tracy Beaker is a great book about foster care if you're okay with a middle grade book.

[Liz]

I'm from Kansas, so I am reading Dark Places for this one.

[Dedra ~ A Book Wanderer]

Linda wrote: "I just read I'll Be There for You: The One about Friends for this prompt."

This is the book I'm planning to read for this prompt, as well. My goal for this year is to use as many books for the challenge that I already own or on my kindle, but I'm making an exception for this book. I hope you liked it!

[Jackie]

Marsha wrote: "I was wondering about this one and I think I know what book I'll read. "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler". Anybody else know it? I loved this book as a kid! When I was having a bad..."

I did a re-read of that not too long ago and it definitely holds up to an adult reading! Have fun!

[Ashlee]

I'm going to go with The Body for this one. Stand By Me has always been one of my favourite films, even as a kid

[Soph ♡]

For this I am currently reading Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading which already has taken me back so far into my childhood, bringing back memories of books that I had read as a child but were long forgotten.

[Dawn]

I immediately thought of The Outsiders !!! Scrolling through, there are a few others I might re-read as well!

[Victoria]

I picked Carrie's War as it reminds me of school and a book I actually enjoyed but had to read.

[Janet]

Just read Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading for this prompt and loved it! A lighthearted revisit of all your favorite female-centric YA novels, with a focus on 70s/80s fiction. Highly recommend if you read a lot of Judy Blume, Norma Klein, Caroline B. Cooney, and others back in the day.

[Erin]

I'm reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott for this prompt, I used to watch the 1994 movie all the time with my Nan when I was younger - so it definitely elicits a sense of nostalgia. I could have read it for the 'books being turned into a movie in 2019' prompt, but it fits better into the nostalgia category for me. Although I am crazy excited about the movie coming out!

[Little Bee]

I am going with a Goosebumps book myself

[Tracy]

Just finished Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. A favorite from when I was young. I loved this prompt!!!!

[Karen]

Thank you for this. I was trying to think of what I was nostalgic for and realized it’s the days of the Obama’s presidency. So I’m going to read The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama Presidency by Ben Rhodes.

Victoria wrote: "I’m going to read Michelle Obama’s new book because I miss them so much."

[Theresa]

Now, here's a resource for nostalgia if ever there was one!

https://mymodernmet.com/childrens-boo...

[Caitlin]

Brandyn wrote: "Victoria wrote: "I’m going to read Michelle Obama’s new book because I miss them so much."

Such a good idea!"

We Are the Change We Seek: The Speeches of Barack Obama

My choice is in the same ballpark for the same reason! I read Michelle Obama's book last year.

[Heather L]

Marsha wrote: "I was wondering about this one and I think I know what book I'll read. "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler". Anybody else know it? I loved this book as a kid! When I was having a bad..."

A good choice. I read it a few times as a kid, and reread From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler six years ago, after hearing of her passing. It did not disappoint.

[Angela]

A few people have already mentioned RL Stine, and I just fell down the rabbit hole of the late 80's - early 90's books in the Point Horror series (were they called that back then??). I remember loving those types of books, so I may give one of those a try.

The Best of Point Horror

[Courtney]

I'm going to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling so that I can finish rereading the series that I started last year.

[Kim]

Victoria wrote: "I’m going to read Michelle Obama’s new book because I miss them so much."

What a great idea! I want to read that one, and didn't know where to slot it. (I have never missed any family so much!).

[Cornerofmadness]

I read Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent by Lara Parker. I remember my Mom watching this when I was a wee child and I watched it (and the 1990s) version later in syndication. Sadly the book wasn't all I was hoping for.

It was a toss up between this, one of the Buffy verse books like Monolith by John Passarella or any of the Star Trek books on my shelves.

[Lisa]

I am reading The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book by Wendy Welch. I am almost halfway through this memoir which takes place about 2 hours from my hometown and the next little town over from where my husband (then boyfriend) went to college. There is such a feeling of nostalgia reading about the southwest Virginia mountains and remembering being that young college kid. It’s a shame this bookstore came along long after we left the area. Looks like I need to make a side trip next time I go back home.

[Britany]

Finished Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Megan]

I read Once and for All. Sarah Dessen was my favorite author when I was in middle/high school.

[Erie]

For this, I read As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. Very fun and funny for any fans of the movie!

Not a fan of the movie? INCONCEIVABLE!!

[Nancy]

Mike wrote: "If you long for the early days of MTV when they actually played music videos, I highly recommend I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution.

Be sure to have ..."

Thanks for the MTV reminder! I've had VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave on my TBR for a long time! That would be perfect for this prompt!

[Ellie]

I'm thinking about reading Paperback Crush for this prompt. It's a non fiction about all the YA books written in the 80s and 90s. The Baby Sitters Club and Sweet Valley books are where I discovered my love of reading.

[intoxicating_reads]

Book #4 for the year: “Florence Foster Jenkins” by Nicholas Martin and Jasper Rees for prompt “a book that makes you feel nostalgic” Now I know this wont be an obvious book to most for this prompt, but I grew up in the home town of this very interesting person and the reference to that city throughout the book made me feel nostalgic for my hometown. :-)

[Shelley]

I went with a recent nostalgia. I moved from NYC in December and am already missing it. Last year I got Stalking The Unicorn (a silly urban/fantasy detective book that takes place in Manhattan) from my book club's Christmas exchange. Reading the sequel, Stalking the Vampire, made me very nostalgic for the city and the friends that I made there.

[Alix]

I'm doing twilight, it brings me back to my highschool days.. lol

[Chana]

I read Family Ties That Bind and Gag by Erma Bombeck. My mom gave me this book in 1991 when I was raising my young children. My mom passed away in 92 so lots of nostalgia for me in reading this particular book.

[Becca]

I am reading Just One Day . For me, it brings back all the feels of living in Europe when I was in my late teen/early 20s. I miss the adventure and excitement of travel and being abroad.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

I just finished The Mystery of Agatha Christie for an ATY prompt, and realized it slots perfectly into 'nostalgia' for me, as well. I read a LOT of Agatha Christie as a teenager, and this biography (while not especially interesting or well written in terms of style) made me want to go back and read them all in order, including the ones I missed the first time through.

Even if you're not an Agatha Christie fan, I bet there are plenty of other author biographies that would have a similar effect for others for this prompt.