Hey guys! Sorry for the short (and late!) article. I had a concert Saturday night and underestimated my ability to finish it up yesterday. I still hope you enjoy!
In 2021, I got Libby for the first time, and I fully used it to my advantage. Getting access to almost unlimited audio books meant I could listen to basically anything I wanted, and whenever. Walking to and from classes, while cooking and shopping, and driving to visit home was now full of books, books, and more books. In addition to reading some new books, I began a binge of some books I had enjoyed in my childhood, but hadn’t touched in a while. Thus, 2021 was the year of nostalgia.
That year, I read 34 books. 22 of those books were rereads. I re-explored some Percy Jackson, went through the Alcatraz series, got through a good chunk of Wings of Fire, and even read some deep cuts like The Spiderwick Chronicles (which are narrated by Mark Hamill, a delightful surprise). I had a blast going through all of these books, and while it did feel a little silly at times to be a college student reading books for middle graders, I didn’t regret my indulgence.
Going through book club with Olivia and Ava through the years has also lead to reading some nostalgic books. Things like The School for Good and Evil, An Enchantment of Ravens, and The Way of Kings meant sharing in my love for books that I read years before. I’ve really enjoyed sharing some favorite books, and I know Olivia and Ava have, too.
Just recently, I have felt a HUGE rush of nostalgia, specifically for two series of books. One was the previously mentioned Wings of Fire series, which I’ve picked up here and there over the last few months since Ava has been doing the same. We have a close friend who loves the series (so much so that he had us read Darkstalker in book club when we let our guy friends choose for us), and it’s a fun one to talk about and re-experience. It’s one that is perfect for young kids, but has some great depth and storylines that anyone can enjoy. I’m on book four of this re-read, and we’ll see how far I go through this little adventure.
The second surprising wave of nostalgia has come from the Warrior Cats books. And guys. This was a big one for me. I was OBSESSED with these books as a kid, checking them out from the library, imagining my own cats as warriors, and even writing fanfiction that still exists online, but I’ll likely never reveal to the public (unless you ask very nicely).
For those of you who don’t know, there are dozens of books throughout the franchise. The books are traditionally laid out into arcs that are six books apiece. There are also many special edition books, that are usually backstories or adventures that happen between arcs. It’s a great way to set up a kid’s franchise, as you can almost pick up at any arc you want. In my heyday, I read through 4.5 whole arcs, and read almost a dozen special editions. I stopped reading around the time I started high school, moving onto other books as one does.
Recently, three key things have reignited my love for the series. Firstly, the TV show. They are currently working on an animated adaptation of the original series, and you know my ass will be SAT when it’s out. I’m so excited to experience something 12-year-old me literally DREAMED about. Do you know how many animatics I watched on YouTube? Do you know how many music videos I made up in my head while listening to Imagine Dragons on my way to school? I am the target demographic here.
The second key event is the announcement of a video game??? What? How cool is that?! It was recently announced that we’re getting a turn-based RPG game called “Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest” and I have never been more excited. There were some old games you could play on the website, but those all pale in comparison to the level of immersion I’m going to feel watching my fully customized cat get mauled to death by badgers. I could not be more excited, and I can’t wait for fall.
Lastly, the third wave came from Book Bingo, where one of the cards was for a book with an animal POV. Obviously, I needed to choose a Warriors book! I picked Leopardstar’s Honor, which takes place before and during the first series, since I knew I wouldn’t need to brush up on my lore too much before reading. I enjoyed the book a ton, and it has made me really want to do a full reread. Which would be crazy, right? There were about 30 mainline books while I was caught up. But while doing some research before reading and while working on this article, I discovered something.
Guys. They are working on the NINTH arc of books right now. Series nine! Could you imagine how crazy that would be, for a 24-year-old Saige to go and read 5 dozen books about cats?
Stay tuned for if I do bite the bullet and fully go nostalgia mode…
Any who guys. Trust me and go read some of your childhood books. Like they say, don’t kill the part of you that’s cringy. Kill the part of you that cringes. Not all of the book you read need to be new, or for you age group, or ‘cool’. Reading is meant to be fun! And there is nothing wrong with sprinkling in kid’s books every once in a while. Plus, it really helps with reaching your reading goals when you can cruise through a fun book in just a day or two.
Read good stuff! Even if the good stuff is for middle schoolers 20 years ago. You’ve earned it.
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