As if yesterday could be any more full of booky goodness, it just got better. I browsed, for a while, after picking up my new Tanya Huff book. I even went into the children’s books, to reminisce. Occasionally, I do that, just to find out if they have any Trixie Belden books. Trixie Belden was the reason I grew up wanting to be a gal detective. I read Nancy Drew as well. But she was too perfect and pretty for me. Trixie was flawed and freckled… she had issues with school and her temper. She had a “sturdy build.”But, when her little brother, Bobby, was bitten by a copperhead, she sucked the poison out of his toe. I don’t remember Nancy ever have the cajones to suck poison out of anyone’s toe. So every once in a while, I look for her books in bookstores, but they’ve been out of print for over 20 years, I think.
There were 39 Trixie Belden books, and I owned them all. (They’ve since been lost, unfortunately.) I read them over and over. Trixie was my friend, and every summer when I was sent to my father’s, I would take a bunch of my favorites with me. Before Josh was born, I was often all alone with my brother and babysitter, occasionally. Sometimes, I was all alone. All day until 6:30 when my parents came home, ate dinner, watched tv and went to bed at nine. With the exception of the Summer that Grease came out, reading was my main source of entertainment*. I did not have friends in California. I had either a babysitter or myself. Trixie, Honey, Diana, Mart, Brian, Jim and, eventually, Dan were my friends. The series began in 1948, and it’s possible that Trixie is the reason I was such a wholesome kid. She may be responsible for my later tendencies to confront car thieves and chase bank robbers as well, come to think of it. Recently, I had a dream in which I was at a book fair. I was looking through the rare book section, paperback, and I found a Trixie Belden book. I was soooo happy, and of course I bought it. I remember it being in terrible condition.
So I wandered through the children’s section, looking at my old favorites fondly, (Ramona Quimbly being a particular favorite of mine) and almost buying some books for Sweet Pea. Then I started to leave the store. I passed a table display with a sign that read “Remember these?” They had some Fold and Mail Wonder Woman stationary, that I was sorely tempted to buy. Lots of books from my childhood, they made me all smile, and then I walked around the other side… and there she was. Trixie Fucking Belden!! The rights are now owned by Random House, and they are rereleasing her!! And will I own all 39 again? Oh yest I will! I did not buy any last night, I already had two books in my hand. But I will rebuild my Trixie Belden collection. Just cuz.
And then I got home and there was a box from amazon.com leaning against my front door! And sure, it’s a book about javascripting, but I am not just a reader, I’m a geek as well.
*god bless my stepmonster for policy on supplying me with as many books as I could read, because she recognized the value of it.