Comments on: Summer of “Shelf Discovery” Week 3, Chapter 3 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552 Reading, Writing, Movies and Mothering in Minneapolis, Mostly Sun, 17 May 2026 03:42:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: shannon http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27319 shannon Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:34:46 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27319 alas - my copy of Summer of Fear was sprinkled with cell phones, emails, and photoshop :) but pretty soon into the plot, i knew the twist. so i must have read it when i was younger but only focused on the author's name and not the title. as for the re-read, yes, i still like being frightened in a totally unthreathening way :) and i'm thrilled to have rediscovered lois duncan as an alternative to the goosebumps series that my preteens gravitate to alas - my copy of Summer of Fear was sprinkled with cell phones, emails, and photoshop :)
but pretty soon into the plot, i knew the twist. so i must have read it when i was younger but only focused on the author’s name and not the title.
as for the re-read, yes, i still like being frightened in a totally unthreathening way :)
and i’m thrilled to have rediscovered lois duncan as an alternative to the goosebumps series that my preteens gravitate to

]]> By: girldetective http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27300 girldetective Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:49:05 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27300 Alice, yay for confirmation! I remember asking my dad if a Karmann Ghia was a good car, and he said, "Nah, it's a piece of junk." Alice, yay for confirmation! I remember asking my dad if a Karmann Ghia was a good car, and he said, “Nah, it’s a piece of junk.”

]]> By: Alice@Supratentorial http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27299 Alice@Supratentorial Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:38:06 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27299 Alice, was They Never Came Home the one in which a not-so-attractive girls is asked to a dance by an amnesiac guy, who later blows her off and she pretends she’s dating a guy with a Karmann Ghia? I’ve been racking my brains to figure out which Duncan book that was. It’s so bizarre, the details that remain! I recommend I am the Cheese, and am hoping to re-read it. It’s one that demands to be re-read Yes! Or I should say sort of! At the end of the book the amnesiac guy is beginning to remember details of his past life and calls his new girlfriend (the not so attractive girl) by his old girlfriend’s name. Then he won’t talk to her about it and she tells him she can find other dates for things at college. He hurst her by saying she should do that. Then the new girlfriend comes to town and meets the old girlfriend. When the new girl realizes who the old girl is she tells her to tell the amnesiac guy that she has a date to a dance with a guy who drives a Kharmann Ghia. Funny that you remember that detail because it’s not really that important in the plot. Alice, was They Never Came Home the one in which a not-so-attractive girls is asked to a dance by an amnesiac guy, who later blows her off and she pretends she’s dating a guy with a Karmann Ghia? I’ve been racking my brains to figure out which Duncan book that was. It’s so bizarre, the details that remain! I recommend I am the Cheese, and am hoping to re-read it. It’s one that demands to be re-read

Yes! Or I should say sort of! At the end of the book the amnesiac guy is beginning to remember details of his past life and calls his new girlfriend (the not so attractive girl) by his old girlfriend’s name. Then he won’t talk to her about it and she tells him she can find other dates for things at college. He hurst her by saying she should do that. Then the new girlfriend comes to town and meets the old girlfriend. When the new girl realizes who the old girl is she tells her to tell the amnesiac guy that she has a date to a dance with a guy who drives a Kharmann Ghia. Funny that you remember that detail because it’s not really that important in the plot.

]]> By: Kate http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27291 Kate Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:13:47 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27291 So these were not really my books back then. I read I Am the Cheese, but not much Lois Duncan. Perhaps this carries through today with my avoidance of scary movies? I remember friends reading these books, but other than Killing Mr. Griffin, I didn't read many of these. I remember Killing Mr. Griffin making me incredibly uncomfortable (and now that I think about it, maybe where I got the haunting idea you could accidentally kill someone and then wouldn't you feel bad and you'd have to hide the body, but the guilt, the guilt!). On the other hand, I remember reading Mary Higgins Clark books like candy and a few YA novels about teen alcoholism, so maybe my need for creepy books just was focused elsewhere. So these were not really my books back then. I read I Am the Cheese, but not much Lois Duncan. Perhaps this carries through today with my avoidance of scary movies? I remember friends reading these books, but other than Killing Mr. Griffin, I didn’t read many of these. I remember Killing Mr. Griffin making me incredibly uncomfortable (and now that I think about it, maybe where I got the haunting idea you could accidentally kill someone and then wouldn’t you feel bad and you’d have to hide the body, but the guilt, the guilt!).

On the other hand, I remember reading Mary Higgins Clark books like candy and a few YA novels about teen alcoholism, so maybe my need for creepy books just was focused elsewhere.

]]> By: girldetective http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27284 girldetective Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:27:46 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27284 Shannon, I found my copy of Group 6 at the science fiction bookstore, which has both used and new books and had a young adult section. Be sure when you read Summer of Fear to get an older edition. The more recent publication has been haphazardly "updated" with new tech, marring the holistic goodness of the originals. Shannon, I found my copy of Group 6 at the science fiction bookstore, which has both used and new books and had a young adult section. Be sure when you read Summer of Fear to get an older edition. The more recent publication has been haphazardly “updated” with new tech, marring the holistic goodness of the originals.

]]> By: Patricia http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27282 Patricia Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:50:10 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27282 Again. an entire chapter of books I haven't read/didn't know existed, but I only had time to read one while on vacation (I used to be able to read in the car ...not anymore. Do you get more car/seasickness as you age?) I read I am the Cheese and loved it. I can't wait to give this one directly to my 12 year old son. Again. an entire chapter of books I haven’t read/didn’t know existed, but I only had time to read one while on vacation (I used to be able to read in the car …not anymore. Do you get more car/seasickness as you age?) I read I am the Cheese and loved it. I can’t wait to give this one directly to my 12 year old son.

]]> By: shannon http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27271 shannon Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:11:02 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27271 lois duncan was the second time i took note of an author's name (the first was judy blume of course) - she was that good. the book was Killing Mr Griffin and i was hooked on that danger genre. until i read Skurnick's book, i had no idea she wrote I Know What You Did Last Summer (!). anyhow, i'm choosing to read Summer of Fear (first time) but i'm not done yet. and after the description of of the Grounding of Group 6 (...all 5 of them, and none of them was fat) i'm desperate to find it!!! what an opener! i even read that exerpt to my 13 yo and now we BOTH want it. lois duncan was the second time i took note of an author’s name (the first was judy blume of course) - she was that good. the book was Killing Mr Griffin and i was hooked on that danger genre. until i read Skurnick’s book, i had no idea she wrote I Know What You Did Last Summer (!). anyhow, i’m choosing to read Summer of Fear (first time) but i’m not done yet.
and after the description of of the Grounding of Group 6 (…all 5 of them, and none of them was fat) i’m desperate to find it!!! what an opener! i even read that exerpt to my 13 yo and now we BOTH want it.

]]> By: girldetective http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27269 girldetective Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:24:41 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27269 Alice, was They Never Came Home the one in which a not-so-attractive girls is asked to a dance by an amnesiac guy, who later blows her off and she pretends she's dating a guy with a Karmann Ghia? I've been racking my brains to figure out which Duncan book that was. It's so bizarre, the details that remain! I recommend I am the Cheese, and am hoping to re-read it. It's one that demands to be re-read. Alice, was They Never Came Home the one in which a not-so-attractive girls is asked to a dance by an amnesiac guy, who later blows her off and she pretends she’s dating a guy with a Karmann Ghia? I’ve been racking my brains to figure out which Duncan book that was. It’s so bizarre, the details that remain! I recommend I am the Cheese, and am hoping to re-read it. It’s one that demands to be re-read.

]]> By: Alice@Supratentorial http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27266 Alice@Supratentorial Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:13:39 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27266 I read The Westing Game also. It was one of my favorites as a kid and I enjoyed it this time also. I was also a big Lois Duncan fan and I read one of my favorites not mentioned by Skurnick, They Never Came Home. I realized in reading both of these that I've always loved thrillers/mysteries and still do. I wasn't that into the supernatural Duncan books but I think I like them because they were a little edgier than the Trixie Belden type of mysteries (of which I was also a devoted fan). They Never Came Home is not one of Duncan's supernatural ones. Also interesting to me was that the theme of amnesia is one I have been returning to in book after book and several movies in the past year. Apparently it's been a theme that has intrigued me for a long time. That might be a little to much about me, but I think the larger idea is that it's interesting that maybe our book choices as a child/teen predict what our book choices later as an adult will be. The other thing I was struck by was how conservative They Never Came Home is. I'd have to go back and read more of Duncan's books to see if that's true of others but it surprised me on this read. The only other thought I had was that I absolutely have to read I Am the Cheese after reading Skurnick's summary. That's one I missed as a kid. I read The Westing Game also. It was one of my favorites as a kid and I enjoyed it this time also.

I was also a big Lois Duncan fan and I read one of my favorites not mentioned by Skurnick, They Never Came Home. I realized in reading both of these that I’ve always loved thrillers/mysteries and still do. I wasn’t that into the supernatural Duncan books but I think I like them because they were a little edgier than the Trixie Belden type of mysteries (of which I was also a devoted fan). They Never Came Home is not one of Duncan’s supernatural ones. Also interesting to me was that the theme of amnesia is one I have been returning to in book after book and several movies in the past year. Apparently it’s been a theme that has intrigued me for a long time.

That might be a little to much about me, but I think the larger idea is that it’s interesting that maybe our book choices as a child/teen predict what our book choices later as an adult will be.

The other thing I was struck by was how conservative They Never Came Home is. I’d have to go back and read more of Duncan’s books to see if that’s true of others but it surprised me on this read.

The only other thought I had was that I absolutely have to read I Am the Cheese after reading Skurnick’s summary. That’s one I missed as a kid.

]]> By: girldetective http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552&cpage=1#comment-27265 girldetective Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:13:35 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=4552#comment-27265 Crystal, when I was 13, there weren't PG 13 movies! that had yet to be invented. Crystal, when I was 13, there weren’t PG 13 movies! that had yet to be invented.

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