Sunday, October 30, 2011

In Death Series Reading Challenge October 2011

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE
and join the fun!

It's that time again to share which In Death books we've read this month. I'm currently reading Origin In Death [Book #20], but don't think I'll finish by tomorrow night. Hopefully others have had a more successful month!

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
Link up any In Death posts you made this month below. If you made a post on your blog, whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily. You can also just use the link to your goodreads or other virtual bookshelf as well.

BOOK REVIEW:
None from me this month...

SERIES DISCUSSION:

I always find it sad when characters make a reference to something that all children should know and Eve just draws a blank. That she missed out on anything and everything simple and happy that a child should experience. In the book I'm reading now--Origin In Death, Eve drew a blank when a reference was made to the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme and a few scenes later when Peabody referred to Barbie dolls. That Eve doesn't know common nursery rhymes is heartbreaking enough because she never had a loving, attentive adult teach them to her, but to also not be familiar with Barbie dolls suggests that not only did she not have toys, but that she probably never saw the inside of a toy store nor did she ever watch television of kids' shows because otherwise she would have seen commercials for the dolls at some point. Instances like these throughout the series are sad reminders of just how much Eve was deprived of love and any form of a childhood whatsoever.

What toy from your childhood stands out the most in your memory? Either one you had or one you always wanted?

Some classics from my childhood are Barbie dolls [I had a tent camping set, but always wanted the RV or airplane play set], Baby Alive [battery operated doll with a motorized mouth that "ate" baby food and soiled its diaper]. I always wanted an EZ Bake oven and Lite Brite. Finally got to play with those when I became I mom and got them for my own daughters. ;)


14 comments:

  1. Isn't her life just so sad?

    I can't remember much that I wanted... I just usually skipped out to the library & went wherever I wanted.

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  2. I can't wait to read more of these books!

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  3. I don't follow this series but it does sound sad she missed on so much.

    Anyway, I remember I had the cloud car from the Care Bears and I LOVED that one to death.

    Like seriously, my sister and I had a ton of Care Bear stuff but we always had to share it. Not that car, though. That was mine. I don't know why she let me have it but she did, she never even asked to play with it much - I did give her run of the house shaped like a heart.

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  4. You’re making me want to pick up the series again! But I’m not joining the challenge because I suck at challenges (I joined the TBR challenge and only read three books! pathetic) but I’ll be a virtual cheerleader, so you go guys! Almost there!!!

    I remember almost all my childhood toys because I only got a couple of them every Christmas and on my Birthday. My parents were against toys and very pro books, so I could have every single book I wanted whenever I wanted it, but toys not so much. It was a total pain when it came to peer pressure, but it sure paid off! My favorites were the Barbie dolls (none of which survived with its original long hair), My Little Pony and Polly Pocket (the old version with the tiny figures and the tiny houses inside a tiny box). Good times!

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  5. I think for girls, it's definitively Barbie dolls. I mean, there's a lot of toys depending on which generations you're from... but Barbie dolls and Legos seem to be universal :)

    Although I did really like Carebears and they're coming back :P Oh and the Smurfs!!

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  6. I have been trying to post a comment here for a week--let's see if it will let me now!

    I find Eve's ignorance of things related to 'normal' childhood to be inconsistent. I can't place the book right now, but I do remember that at one point Eve chides herself for humming/thinking a lullaby or nursery song, and another time she remembers watching a movie about fairies on screen while she was very young.

    I like how she continues growing and how even though she still struggles with some of the social niceties (like wondering whether she must do small talk when Caro answers the link, for example), she allows herself to demonstrate her feelings for her friends more.

    Favorite toys: well, I wasn't a doll girl. I did have a stuffed teddy bear, very cleverly named mi osito (my little bear).

    I usually had it somewhere in the bedroom and didn't fret much about its whereabouts during the day, but woe betide the household if it wasn't on my bed come bedtime. And, I admit with some shame, I did sleep hugging the stuffing out of it until I was 13 or so. Does that count?

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  7. Gina,
    I love that you remember going to the library so much as a child! :) I played with Barbies for years. They definitely stand out most of any of my toys, although I do also recall being very fond of a particular baby doll and also of a nice set of model horses I had when I was a little bit older. You can't find ones like those anymore.


    Carolyn,
    I'm so excited you're reading them now, too!

    Alex,
    Aww, Care Bears. They have made a comeback. My daughters were into them a few years ago. One of them even had a care bear party one year and I made a "pin the heart on the Care Bear game" AND a Care Bear Bingo. How sweet that you recall having that car all to yourself! LOL!

    Brie,
    Oh I didn't know you read this series, too!?
    And please... this challenge is SO laid back. We all skip a month or two or three now and then. It's more like an In Death Book Club since we mostly chat about the books! Please chime in anytime. :)

    My daughters used to play with Polly Pockets, too! We have big shoe box FULL of them... but the newere ones that are plastic and rubbery. The older ones are very cool! My Little Pony is making a bit of a come back, too. There's a new cartoon featuring them and my 12 year old loves it. LOL.

    nath,
    EXACTLY! Barbie dolls and LEGOs are universally classic! How could I forget LEGOs?

    Smurfs! That's right. They just put out a Smurf movie, didn't they?

    How about those cute trolls with the neon spiky hair?

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  8. azteclady!!!!! *tackle hug*

    It's SO GOOD to hear from you!!! xoxo
    I've missed you terribly. I sent you an email a couple of months ago and got kind of worried. I can't tell you how SO VERY HAPPY I am to "see" you!!!!

    I'm so glad your comment went through. I hope my settings are not the issue. Let me know if you got a specific error message that would give me a clue to whether it is me or not.

    How interesting that you've found some inconsistencies regarding childhood things that she should or shouldn't be aware of. Especially the movie--that definitely defies the reality of her childhood. Hmm.. I haven't come across that scene yet, but I'll keep it in the back of my mind as I continue reading the series.

    Eve's slow growth to an "attached" woman is what really keeps me reading this series. By "attached" I don't just mean being married to Roarke--but of course includes that-- but also refers to her relationships with friends as well. It makes life so complicated for her, which I love.

    Aww, I guess you don't still have mi osito? I still have pieces of my baby blanket (a fact that totally amazes me) and a teddy bear I had in high school and college. My mom gave him to me for Valentine's Day when I was a teen, I think during a time I was particularly lonely. I slept with him, too practically through college! No shame!!! ; )

    Thanks for commenting! :D

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  9. *HUG*

    My yahoo account has been a huge source of grief, so if you sent it there you won't be surprised to hear I didn't get it. I've gone over to the dark side (gmail) so that issue should be solved now.

    I honestly don't know what the issue was with your blog, but I could post twice on the same day so it may have been my connection (there's construction across the road from me and my phone/internet has been spotty at best, off at worst)

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  10. I just looked it up. [since I delete personal emails something like twice a year. LOL] I emailed your gmail and yahoo accounts, but it was way back on May 2. Yikes. No matter. I'm just glad to hear from you. :)

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  11. No ID books for me this month :P

    I loved my Barbies and My Little Ponies :) We always held beauty pageants with our Barbies with my little sister. And my little brother always played with them too :D

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  12. Yeah, they put on the Smurfs movie, but I still haven't seen it. I'm torn... I don't know whether to watch it in French or English? English because it's original voice for the humans... but I've grown with the Smurfs in French... and the sound of Smurf? Meh ^_^;

    and LOL, Christine... those trolls weren't that cute ^_^; The neon spiky hair was cool... but yeah, never liked the face ^_^;

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  13. Maija,
    That's okay! You're giving me the chance to catch up to you! ;)

    nath,
    Why not see it in the movies in one language and then rent the dvd in the other language when it comes out?

    You know, you're right. Those trolls weren't so cute. More creepy in a cute sort of way. haha!

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  14. I like to think Roarke spoiling Eve now & teaching her to have fun helps a little to make up for what she missed.

    I was into dolls when I was little. My favorites were Kissy (trade name) but I called her Mary. When you put her hands together she made a kissing sound and puckered her lips. I still have her. :)

    The other dolls were Crissy and her sister(?), don't remember her name. Their hair grew when you pushed their belly button. Not sure what happen to them. And the little Dawn dolls - like Barbies only smaller.

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