Hey all, Dani here.
Anyway, it is the first Monday of the Month and that means it is once again time for a Calendar Girls post.
Calendar Girls is a monthly blog event that was started by Flavia and Melanie, and then it was being hosted by Katie and Adrienne. They are all wonderful ladies, and you should check out their lovely blogs. Okay, so pretty much everyone is on a hiatus due to COVID-19 and all the stresses that brings, so I’m hosting Calendar Girls on my own for a little bit.
So if you link back to me, I can keep track of all the book picks and posts each month. Thanks, everyone!
First, more about the Calendar Girls. It is designed to ignite bookish discussions among readers, and was inspired by the 1961 Neil Sedaka song, Calendar Girl.
Just like the song, each month has a different theme. Each blogger picks their favorite book from the theme, and on the first Monday of the month reveals their pick in a Calendar Girls post. Make sure to post back to the hostess’s post, and the hostess will make a master list for the month. The master lists allow everyone to see the other Calendar Girls’ picks and to pop on over to their blogs. Thus, we all get to chat about books and even make some new friends!
Oh, and you don’t have to identify as female to join the Calendar Girls. We welcome readers of all types. So if this sounds like fun for you, join us in all of the fun bookish conversations.
So, without further ado, the May theme is…
It’s Gonna Be May
Favorite 90s Novel or Throwback Novel
This theme has been on the voting block a couple different times, so it’s fun to see it finally being chosen as the winner.
Immediately after the poll closed, once I saw which theme was the victor, I felt certain that I knew what book I was going to choose…I was so excited. It isn’t on my shelves anymore, which makes me sad, but it’s not on my shelves because I have loaned out my copy to people who have never returned it…multiple times. Seriously, I have bought like four copies of this book. Anyway, so I went to Goodreads so I could grab the details about the book, scrolled down, and saw something startling….
The publication date
January 1, 2000
This book I was so excited to talk up to you all as one of my favorites from my younger days missed out on being a 90s novel by ONE DAY.
Of course the other obvious 90s favorite I could pick would be my favorite childhood series: Animorphs, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already picked them…this year actually.
The 90s was also a time of so many great and classic fantasy series getting started. The only reason I don’t have them listed here is because I didn’t read them or start reading them until the late 2000s/early 2010s, so it felt weird to include them as a favorite of the 90s, despite the fact that they technically qualify.
I’m talking about series like “A Song of Ice and Fire,” “Wheel of Time,” “Green Rider,” “Outlander,” “Sandman,” “The Sword of Truth,” “The Witcher,” “The Legend of Drizzt,” and more.
Okay, so fine…I know the book I vaguely talked about earlier is technically a book of the 2000s, but I can’t help it…I have to pick it as my choice for this month’s theme. And honestly it still pretty much fits the theme since it is 90s novel or throwback novel.
I absolutely had to pick Old Magic by Marianne Curley. I was OBSESSED with this book. I checked it out from my local library over and over again. I re-read it with such frequency that my small branch librarian actually told me that I wasn’t allowed to check it out anymore so that others could have a chance to find it and read it.
Now, before you get mad at this particular librarian about refusing to let me check out a book…it was my mom, so I figure she’s allowed to tell me no.
Of course, my response back then was to go to the local Waldenbooks and buy a copy. And it had to be this particular cover. They did a re-release that was an all black cover with a gold ring with like a ruby set into the face…and that cover was definitely not my favorite.
So, yeah, I’ve owned three or four copies of this book over the years. I still think of this book fondly. I’m probably going to have to pick up another copy so I can read it again.
Anyway, thinking back on it…it’s probably not actually the most amazing book. But I was entranced by Jarrod and Kate’s romance. There was a mystery to solve around magic and a curse, some time-travel to deal with, it was just an enjoyable adventure to me.
That is it from me for today. Please check out the other Calendar Girls posts. I’ll add the links to the end of this post as they come in. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
Free State of Geek 