Happy February, everyone! And happy birthday to me! As is the tradition I set for myself, I make a list on this blog for my birthday, and this year is no different. 

This is kind of a weird list. Though it does include some of my favorite books, this is not a list of my favorite books. This is a list of books that have memories attached to them. Books have been such a big part of my life, and it was fun to think back on all the good memories I’ve had with books, whether the books themselves were good or bad. It’s kind of like a look at my reading history. What better way to celebrate another year of life than to look back on the ones that I’ve lived?

Like all of the best vlogbrothers videos, this post comes to you in three parts. The list is too long to post all together. It’s hard not to ramble when you’re reminiscing. I tried to put them in somewhat chronological order, so part one is my early reading career highlights.

And now, without further ado, please enjoy part one of this somewhat random list of books that hold a special place in my heart! 

1. The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover by Jon Stone & illustrated by Michael Smollin

My love for reading started early. In fact, my earliest memory is of being in preschool, reading a book underneath a fake tree inside, and not wanting to put it down so badly that I peed my pants. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what book that was, otherwise it would for sure be on this list. 

However, one book that I remember from my early childhood is The Monster at the End of This Book! It was a favorite of my sister’s, and of course, mine. Why, you ask? The meta humor? The familiarity of the Sesame Street characters? No! It was the Grover voice my dad always did while reading it. Let me tell you, my dad has got that Grover voice down pat. He should have an Oscar (the Grouch) for it!

I have lots of fond memories of sitting on my sister’s bed in her purple room, listening to my dad read this book in his Grover voice. I even bought a board book version of it to decorate my bookshelves in my apartment. And let me tell you, even if you’re over the age for reading picture books, this one will delight you!

2. Biscuit (I Can Read!) by Alyssa Satin Capucilli & illustrated by Pat Schories

You’ll quickly notice a dog theme in many of the books I read when I was younger. And that’s because I was absolutely obsessed with dogs. I even collected Puppy in my Pocket toys and constructed a whole town of Barbie and Polly Pocket stuff for them to live in, affectionately known in my household as Dog World. 

Dogs were my favorite thing in the whole entire world. Despite being a cat owner, I’ve always been a dog person. Accordingly, some of the books I read until they fell apart were the Biscuit books. I remember one night, my grandpa was reading a Biscuit book to me. Because he’s deaf, he was pronouncing the word “biscuit” incorrectly, and I remember being distraught that he couldn’t get it right. Because how could someone not know Biscuit, the amazing golden retriever puppy I read about all the time? 

Of course, later, I understood that there was no way for my grandpa to know the correct pronunciation of “biscuit,” but it’s still a funny memory to me. One that reminds me not only of my overwhelming love for dogs, but also the fact that I’ve learned a lot about how to be a more compassionate person. 

3. Hound at the Hospital (Animal Ark) by Ben M. Baglio

This book is the reason beagles were my favorite dog for a few years. For those who don’t know, the Animal Ark series follows a kid whose parents run a veterinary clinic in Yorkshire. She, her friends, and the townspeople help out animals in need and sometimes solve mysteries about what happens to those animals. While I did read some of the non-dog-related books, I checked out every single one of the dog stories from my school’s library.

This book in particular is about a beagle who got run over by motorcycle. I’m not sure why this book stuck with me so long. I remember being incredibly emotional about the way the dog’s injuries were described and realizing that some people don’t really care about animals. This sounds like a bad memory, but it’s actually a good one. I felt everything so deeply as a kid, and I wasn’t afraid to feel those things, because it meant I cared. 

I’m also convinced that it’s one of the things that contributed to me becoming vegetarian later in life. I still have trouble reconciling the love I have for dogs and animals with eating them, so I just don’t eat them. Simple solution (for me)!

4. The Adventures of Wishbone series by various authors

I know, I know, another dog book, but I did tell you it would be a theme! The Wishbone books hold a special place in my heart because they were books I would get from the public library’s reading program. Every summer, we would participate in the summer reading program, and if you completed it, you could choose a prize. And I always chose a Wishbone book. 

Going to the library was like an adventure, especially because I got to leave with a treasure at the end of it. My mom would look at the spinning racks of mass-market cozy mysteries while my sister and I looked at the kids’ books. There was a big sculpture near the front that looked like a dandelion. What’s not to love?

5. The Name of This Book Is Secret (The Secret Series) by Pseudonymous Bosch

This series, along with A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Mysterious Benedict Society, cemented my love for books about smart, precocious kids who are underestimated. It’s also, like ASoUE, told by an author/narrator who is actually part of the story. This author is very Lemony Snicket-esque. 

I learned a lot while reading this series, like what a homunculus is, and briefly got interested in Egyptian mythology (helped along by an Egypt-based Nancy Drew computer game). This is also the first book I remember reading with footnotes, which in my opinion, are underused in creative writing. I love a good footnote!

I remember curling up on the brown leather chair in my living room, reading this book, and feeling so smart. It was thrilling!

6. Legend series by Marie Lu

I revisited this dystopian series in the 2020s, and let me tell you, it hits harder now that I’m living through the COVID-19 pandemic and more aware of the environmental issues facing the world. Part of why I remember reading this series so vividly is because it made me think about American society differently while also providing me with two amazing main characters. I mean, if you read this series as a tween and don’t have a crush on Day, I don’t know what you’re thinking. 

These books were some of the first dystopian books I ever read and introduced me to the genre that would become popular while I was in high school. It was also the first time I read a series and loved it without knowing anyone else who’d read and loved them. I stanned these books so hard, but no one else I knew had read them. Part of me loved that, because I was a pop punk kid who would never admit to actually loving popular things, but part of me wanted to talk to everyone about them. Plus, all the angst in those books… dang, so much angst in such a short trilogy. And like every tween, I was chock full of angst and felt like I could see some of myself in these characters. 

7. The Later Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I was hanging out with my aunt one time in about eighth grade when we walked into Jackson Street Booksellers. I have no idea why we were downtown, but I saw the bookstore and had to go in, of course!

For some reason, I was set on finding Sherlock Holmes books. Maybe I was thinking about the Enola Holmes series, maybe I’d read one of those kid versions of a Sherlock Holmes story and wanted more. Either way, we enlisted the help of the bookstore’s owner to find the Holmes books in the seemingly random stacks of books everywhere. And what do you know? Success! We found one! It was an old-ish and fancy-looking tome, and I loved that it felt like a piece of history. I still have the book to this day. 

Reading these stories was no easy task for me, but I remember sitting in the music room after school (where all the teachers’ and TAs’ kids hung out while their parents were still working) and enjoying the puzzle of figuring out the 1800s language while Sherlock Holmes puzzled through another mystery. I will admit, this was the start of my pretentious “I read classics” phase, but this early introduction to Sherlock Holmes never left me. I ended up eventually reading all the Sherlock Holmes stories and still love reading and watching adaptations. So at least one good thing came out of that phase!

8. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 

This is the first book on this list that I would say isn’t one of my favorites. Not that I didn’t enjoy it. This book is full of angst, and that’s all I wanted in a book during my tween and teen years. The reason this book is on the list is because it’s the first book I read for my high school’s book club. It was mostly my sister’s friends that were part of the book club, because she was one of the people in charge of the club, but eventually the reins would be passed down to me and another book club participant when my sister graduated. 

Book club was the first thing I joined in high school, and even though I’d joined because my sister was in charge and I already knew her, it ended up being such a boost in confidence that I could meet new people and have good conversations about something I loved. My opinions mattered in the book club. And being in charge of the book club later on was so fun, even if it was a small club. It’s one of the few good memories I have of high school, and for that, I will always think fondly of The Catcher in the Rye!

9. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

I actually have two specific memories attached to this series. The first involves my high school self, the second involves my college self, and both involve my relationship with my sister. The Raven Cycle is one of my sister’s favorite series, and I remember asking her about it in high school. She told me I probably wouldn’t like it, and being the obstinate teenager I was, I wanted to prove her wrong. So I borrowed her copy and promptly spilled a cup of coffee on it. 

One thing you must know about my sister is that she likes to keep her books in good condition, while I’m a “chuck the book in my bag and write in the margins” reader. I freaked out that I’d ruined her book and had my mom drive me to Barnes & Noble to buy a new copy to give back to her. She didn’t know about it until years later when she asked why I had a copy of the book, too, and I told her the story. 

To my delight, I actually did enjoy the book and continued with the series. They also became some of my favorites. Which is why, when both of us were in college, my sister and I decided to reread the series together. Though we are a bit sporadic about it now, we used to read a book together every month, starting with this series. 

So even if I didn’t absolutely love The Raven Cycle, they’d always be special to me because of the way they are linked to my relationship with my sister. 

Conclusion (to Part 1)

Thank you for reading this far! This list is mostly an indulgence for my own reminiscences, but I think it’s important and fun to look back on all the things books have brought me in my life. 

Until next time, when I come back with part two, happy reading!

-Ryn PB