This week the topic at TFC is all about our school days, however since I've buried most of those embarrassing days under layers and layers of denial insulation, I am unable to access them which has left me in a bit of a pickle!
Fortunately, the other day when I was doing an interview I was asked about bookclubs and I was just about to say that I'd never been part of one when I suddenly remembered how my friends and I spent most of our lunchtimes when we were fifteen sitting outside swapping books and telling each other just why they had to read a certain one (normally went along the lines of 'this is the best book EVER and if you don't read it you will die').
The weird thing is when I look back now is that hardly any of the books we were reading were young adult books. I'm sure they were out back then but somehow we ended up either going for the totally gruesome and depressing or else the totally over the top bonkbuster style books. Anyway, bearing in mind that this was the heart of the eighties, here is a selection of what five girls from Australia were reading way back when!
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
H by Christine F
Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews
Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Lace by Shirley Conran (and who remembers the TV show where Phoebe Gates comes down the stairs and says 'which one of you bitches is my mother?'!!!)
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
There were more, lots more, but these were the ones that stand out the most. So what about everyone else? What are the books that you remember most from your teenage years?
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8 comments:
VC Andrews all the way! And now I'm re-reading, thanks to Steph and Taren's challenge. Join the madness: http://www.iheartdaily.com/2009/03/flowers-in-our-attic-the-vc-andrews-challenge.html
Ah, I've been seeing a lot of people mention VC Andrews lately and now I know why!!!!! I might have to read some again myself (though not while eating donuts obviously!!!!)
You mentioned all of my favorites (except H, never read that one-though maybe I'll have to!), and I'll add, Scruples- Judith Krantz (over & over again!), Fear of Flying (gasp!), anything by Victoia Holt, Wuthering Heights (Love!), Mistral's Daughter (are you sensing a Judith Krantz theme???)
Yes, to all those apart from Go Ask Alice and H. And anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Alyson - to be honest H is pretty depressing. About a teenage prostitute and herion addict. Not something I would ever read now but we were all obsessed with it for some reason.
Sara - Ah yes, how could I forget Sidney Sheldon!!!!
Sidney Sheldon! How could I forget? Rage of Angels, Master of the Game, If Tomorrow Comes . . .I read 'em all!
All the ones you mention - except Flowers in the Attic, which came up on my radar later in life - plus A Separate Peace.
The only one that stands out (even though I've always been a big reader) is Mary Higgins Clark's Where are the Children?
I read Flowers in the Attic after I got married. My husband was not a big reader but it was the one book he had read and enjoyed. I read the rest of the series after that - he didn't but I did.
I also read Princess Daisy and may have read Valley of the Dolls.
I also remember being introduced to Kathleen Woodiwiss.
Good topic! :o)
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