The stuff we love

[lilafowler]

For me, I think it's nostalgia. I know I said that I wasn't going to touch my new BSC books until finals were over, but I had an exam today, and I'm so used to grabbing a BSC book to decompress after each one, I figured I might as well read one of my new ones. It's hard to describe, but I just didn't get the same feeling of comfort and (obviously) familiarity I get from the other books.

[gabbie]

I like reading books where things turn out ok in the end. It is also the comfort of returning to a world where I know the characters.

Also I can read through them really quickly.

[aln1982]

Gabbie's reasons for me too. My days seem to go better when I read at least one BSC book. Little Sister books work too - Karen cracks me up.

[Kylie90210]

I was obsessed as a kid, and now, I enjoy them nostalgically, and love collecting and reading new ones

[fluffycakes]

I agree with all of your answers. The BSC pretty much was my childhood - I spent so many years reading and re-reading them. I also played BSC with friends at recess or when we went to each other's houses. I'm not entirely sure what got me so into them in the first place. Maybe it's because they were just so cool in my eyes, and I wanted to be like them so much. After a while, they were very familiar to me, and almost felt like friends that I knew very well. (Dorky, but true.) I so wanted to be a part of the BSC when I was little.

jenlovesmorelli said:

Reading your replies, do you guys think that you love the books now more than you did when you were actually the intended audience age?

This is a hard question for me to answer. I love re-reading them now. The nostalgia factor is fun, and I love reading books I missed out on before, or picking up on snarky moments that were over my head when I was younger. But at the same time, they were just more believable when I was a kid. I guess I'm more jaded now, or something, but I can't get through my favourite BSC books without rolling my eyes a little or being bamboozled by the (many) illogical things that happen in the series. I don't know if I could ever feel the same way about the books as I did as a child, but I really do love reading the books on a different level now.

And this is totally, totally dorky, but I just have to admit this. Whenver I see a bunch of BSC books on a shelf in a store, I still get the same rush of excitement that I got as a kid. The thought of buying a new BSC book is just as dibbly fresh as it was back then. *blushes* Yep, totally dorky!

[macca]

^ well then, I'm totally dorky right there with ya!! ;D

[msstock87]

When I read BSC it brings me back to my childhood, my youth. These books always made me feel better as a kid and they still do to this day. I love them just as much as I did back then, but I appreciate them more now.

[aln1982]

^ That's how I feel too, except I like them so much more now. ;D It takes me back to an era when everything seemed better. Even though I do occasionally snark on the books, I don't read them for that at all but read them because I truly enjoy the characters and stories.

[janey83]

Fluffycakes -- I still get that rush of excitment, too, when I see BSC books at the thrift store or used bookstore. I remember being a kid and getting to pick out a new book at the mall (and having to only pick ONE, what agony) and just seeing so many options.

Another cool thing was that it was something that my friends and I shared. There were 3 girls I was best friends with from 3rd-5th grade (and then we moved), and we LOVED the BSC. At birthdays, we always got each other the books and we always a heard a few "oops" because sometimes we ended buying the birthday girl the same book.

Reading the books helps me escape my job and other responsibilities. For this reason, I cannot get into ultra serious reading in my free time. I just can't do it, I might as well do some work.

BSC books take me back to good times of being a kid, and I can't think of anything else that does that. Except for maybe Saved by the Bell reruns.

[aln1982]

^ Saved by the Bell does it for me too. ;D So do the Boxcar Children, which is why I'm collecting those too. I can find a BSC book for every mood and I can find so many things to relate to. I also can somehow gain insight into myself and others from reading them.

[Penny Lane]

^ Those songs from the early 90s about saving the world and feeding starving children always do it for me too. Like MJs "Heal the World" or "Man in the Mirror" or "Remember the Time" ... or "We are the World" (no idea who sings this), and I know there are a ton more.

I like the BSC books for... I have no idea. I like them for the snark, but I really did like them back in the day for their plot lines. I think I like that I can identify with the characters in a superficial way. They books are so different from the world I grew up in, yet so similar. Also, I like that they were friends forever. I know that where I grew up, girls were not that forgiving. If someone in our group had run off and hung out with the Bad Girlz, they probably wouldn't have been let back in. There would have been discussions about protecting our own reputations and how so and so hurt us and so and so's mom says you can't hang out with us anymore, etc.

Of course, our Bad Girlz literally ran with a gang from the public school. They slept around and carried weapons. It was kind of creepy. It was because of them that we could no longer walk to the park and play tennis at recess.

[macca]

^ Saved by the Bell does it for me too. So do the Boxcar Children, which is why I'm collecting those too.

The Sweet Valley and Sleepover Friends series also have that affect on me. Not to mention the original series of Degrassi Junior High ;D

[sweetvalleygirl99]

msstock87 said:

When I read BSC it brings me back to my childhood, my youth. These books always made me feel better as a kid and they still do to this day. I love them just as much as I did back then, but I appreciate them more now.

This is how I feel too .

[msstock87]

Saved by the bell and Full house give me a good feeling as well. Which I think is why I was a dork and bought them on dvd because it just makes me feel good and puts me in a good mood.

[bscfan81]

The BSC books are my brain candy. Whenever I need to unwind, I pick up a BSC book and it does the trick. Even though I loved the books as a kid, I think I appreciate them more now. I don't know if it's the nostalgia factor or what, but I do love reading them.