tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post7415720577344515938..comments2024-03-28T02:36:30.029-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Fictional Sheroes or Heroes by Jenn McKinlayJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-21646402667187180532022-03-10T14:26:05.350-05:002022-03-10T14:26:05.350-05:00The bookmobile in my neighborhood had a shelf of b...The bookmobile in my neighborhood had a shelf of biographies of larger-than-life, heroic women, and I read them all -- the stories of women like Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale, Betsy Ross, and Molly Pitcher. The books were written at a third grade level, and had pale blue covers. These women were my early sheroes. Eventually I moved on to fiction and Nancy Drew but she paled by comparison. So many authors mentioned that I don't recognize; I have lots of catching up to doPatricia Skalkanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5596775504598090762022-02-28T22:35:04.361-05:002022-02-28T22:35:04.361-05:00Kathy, I found them through my library system--inc...Kathy, I found them through my library system--including the first one in Spanish :-) Can't wait to read them!Flora Churchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13289148096894506235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-15696768011603905762022-02-28T20:37:23.273-05:002022-02-28T20:37:23.273-05:00Flora, they are wonderful little books. Let me kn...Flora, they are wonderful little books. Let me know if you get them.<br />Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-73830805236965824272022-02-28T19:38:41.323-05:002022-02-28T19:38:41.323-05:00Thank goodness!Thank goodness!Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-81138364218905508782022-02-28T18:03:29.437-05:002022-02-28T18:03:29.437-05:00Ah. Duh.Ah. Duh.Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-71206462092136783232022-02-28T17:41:19.294-05:002022-02-28T17:41:19.294-05:00Growing up in poverty, reading was my greatest esc...Growing up in poverty, reading was my greatest escape. I read anything readable. If I went back through that, I'D be writing a book. But as an adult, there's no hesitation with a female character. That would be Julia's Clare Fergusson. She is brave,passionate, and strong willed yet tender and compassionate. She also stands firmly behind what she believes to be truth. When she gives her heart, she gives it fully and forever. <br /><br />Although I Shall Not Want is my favorite book in the series, my absolute favorite line in all of the books is from Hid From Our Eyes."Clare had tumbled into love helplessly and unexpectedly three times in her life. It never got any easier and she never landed anywhere near her starting point." So Clare. She may not see something coming, but when it arrives, she puts her entire heart into it. Judy Lawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18097610865023794452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-3271453038402308962022-02-28T17:19:01.250-05:002022-02-28T17:19:01.250-05:00Shalom Reds and fans,
I read some of th...Shalom Reds and fans,<br /><br /> I read some of the aforementioned books as a child. However, I remember, when I must have been 11 years old, reading a book called A Question of Harmony, by Gretchen Sprague. The author was an acquaintance of my mother and the themes included music, race, teenage love and the meaning of the word “ambivalence.” This was the only book by Sprague that I read, but while Harmony appears to be her first, she went on to write more including several mysteries. Thank goodness for Amazon; I found a bookseller who is selling it with free shipping and I ordered it for my collection, to read again.<br />David Squireshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17144607647071920674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7913145580761229832022-02-28T17:17:29.744-05:002022-02-28T17:17:29.744-05:00Kathy, if Ursula K. Le Guin wrote it, I'll be ...Kathy, if Ursula K. Le Guin wrote it, I'll be looking for the books--never knew she'd written the Catwing series! Thanks!Flora Churchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13289148096894506235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39504603414386081152022-02-28T17:12:11.823-05:002022-02-28T17:12:11.823-05:00I too still reread Mary Stewart for comfort. Two o...I too still reread Mary Stewart for comfort. Two of my favorites here--My Brother Michael and This Rough Magic, also Touch Not the Cat and Thornyhold. I don't know how many times I'd read My Brother Michael before I realized the main characters never even share a kiss--how's that for developing a romantic suspense novel? The first time I came away from reading it, the character of Michael broke my heart.Flora Churchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13289148096894506235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-50986801382381914262022-02-28T16:55:57.807-05:002022-02-28T16:55:57.807-05:00Yes to Ballet Shoes. Not sure I read the skating o...Yes to Ballet Shoes. Not sure I read the skating one, but now I wish I had.Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-86215256314265029372022-02-28T16:51:53.052-05:002022-02-28T16:51:53.052-05:00I wanted to BE Annie Oakley (still do...). I liste...I wanted to BE Annie Oakley (still do...). I listened to the record of the Annie Got Your Gun musical repeatedly.Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-73893096852230068172022-02-28T15:58:48.356-05:002022-02-28T15:58:48.356-05:00It's funny, but many of my favorite childhood ...It's funny, but many of my favorite childhood books weren't read until I was grown with children of my own. Some of those books were older and some not so old. Lucy, I found The Wolves of Willoughby Chase when I shared it with my kids, and I discovered The Children of Green Knowe books by L.M. Boston. Also shared with my children were The Chronicles of Narnia (Lucy!), the first few books of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time books, Ursula K. Le Guin's Catwings set, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskins, The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs (and other books by Bellairs), and, of course, Harry Potter. There were multiple characters in all of these books and series who have stayed with me (and hopefully, my children). I loved all of these books and reading them with my kids, but I have to put in a special plug for The Catwings series by Le Guin. I don't think they're known by as many of my friends as I'd like, and they are just the most wonderful books. Four short books in the series, they can be read by or to children in elementary school and read by and enjoyed by adults, too. There are some characters and books you want everyone to read, and Mrs. Jane Tabby and her four kittens born with wings who escape the dangers of the city to live in the country are five precious characters.<br /><br />I've also come to other children's and young adult books as an adult, some written after my children were grown. The Blue Balliett series of detecting kids, one with a penchant for pentominoes, and the first book is Chasing Vermeer (yes, that Vermeer, but a painting). Petra and Andalee and Calder Pillay are formidable sixth grad sleuths. Also, Blue Balliett's book Hold Fast is a book I want everyone to read. The character Early Pearl will take readers on a journey they won't forget, as her family loses their home in the city of Chicago, all the while the poetry of Langston Hughes playing an important role in Early's life. And, Blue Balliett's web site is one of my favorites. Book information, author information, and notes on the writing of the books, plus the best graphics every. https://blueballiettbooks.com/ <br /><br />Ok, last but not least are some childhood favorites that left me with characters I love. First up is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin in which eleven-year-old Rebecca Randall leaves the farm she shares with her mother and six siblings to live with two aunts in Riverboro, Maine. I was taken with Rebecca's independent nature and her comfortableness with herself, as well as her adaptability. And, one of my favorite childhood book characters was Beautiful Joe, a dog telling his own story in the book with the same name. Although this wonderful book by (Margaret) Marshall Saunders touches on animal abuse, it's the adventures of Joe that resonated with me then. It's based on a true story of a dog who lived in Meaford, southern Ontario. Oh, and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy were so fun to read about and were in tune with the times I lived in. Oh, I know there were more, but I have to do something else this afternoon but think about this post. However, it was a most enjoyable trip down memory lane. Thanks, Jenn! Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-48439706273562257062022-02-28T15:21:48.319-05:002022-02-28T15:21:48.319-05:00Now that is staying power. Wouldn't we all (wr...Now that is staying power. Wouldn't we all (writers that is) like such a legacy.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-10531268407897937262022-02-28T15:20:04.908-05:002022-02-28T15:20:04.908-05:00Female heroes, Rick.Female heroes, Rick.Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13846039203123720312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72760778940761541102022-02-28T15:19:55.594-05:002022-02-28T15:19:55.594-05:00I always preferred Lucy and Edmund to the older on...I always preferred Lucy and Edmund to the older ones - especially Susan. Lucy because she was insistent and Edmund because he showed remorse and changed.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-23698875561327782702022-02-28T15:19:34.818-05:002022-02-28T15:19:34.818-05:00Annie Oakley was the only female Western hero we e...Annie Oakley was the only female Western hero we ever knew about. Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13846039203123720312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13455756387562380112022-02-28T15:17:35.879-05:002022-02-28T15:17:35.879-05:00Triss, I think there was a theater shoes one, too....Triss, I think there was a theater shoes one, too. I loved BALLET SHOES.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90122156597364516882022-02-28T15:14:25.416-05:002022-02-28T15:14:25.416-05:00Thank you for the suggestion, Julia, I'm looki...Thank you for the suggestion, Julia, I'm looking for it now!Judihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06777683026890358953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-51957983893844916362022-02-28T15:09:19.102-05:002022-02-28T15:09:19.102-05:00Oh,Julia, Noel Streatfield's "shoes"...Oh,Julia, Noel Streatfield's "shoes" books. Ballet, music, skating and maybe more. Another set of girls who "did something." I was always looking for them. I never wanted to read about girls who lived ordinary lives like mine. <br />Trisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08058396345946250313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60238514034752316112022-02-28T15:03:39.177-05:002022-02-28T15:03:39.177-05:00I SO agree. Not usually a big fan of romantic susp...I SO agree. Not usually a big fan of romantic suspense but loved Stewart when i first found her in my teens and still do. Best IMHO are My Brother Micheal and This Rough Magic. Great heroines, great settings, great stories ( and the heroes aren't bad either. ) I made my husband read Michael when we knew we were going to Delphi. Somewhat to his surprise, he loved it too.Trisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08058396345946250313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-1729022651404085452022-02-28T14:59:36.819-05:002022-02-28T14:59:36.819-05:00Interesting to see the same typo repeated: “shero”...Interesting to see the same typo repeated: “shero” instead of “hero”. Wonder why?Rick Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07978136287154214297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75527749625634409312022-02-28T14:51:21.422-05:002022-02-28T14:51:21.422-05:00I reread My Brother Michael, which is my favorite,...I reread My Brother Michael, which is my favorite, a year or so ago and it held up beautifully.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40556406937270479712022-02-28T14:49:33.888-05:002022-02-28T14:49:33.888-05:00I just reread The Secret Garden in the first pande...I just reread The Secret Garden in the first pandemic summer and absolutely adored it. The language is just gorgeous.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-71198983459911483742022-02-28T14:44:37.948-05:002022-02-28T14:44:37.948-05:00Imagine putting those in your suitcase!!Imagine putting those in your suitcase!!Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49216168390717879762022-02-28T14:33:43.261-05:002022-02-28T14:33:43.261-05:00YES!!! Excellent choice.YES!!! Excellent choice.Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.com