Basic Reading: Home Brew

 

Basic reading. A memory collection of books, comics, and magazines I read from elementary (McQueeney) through middle school (Briesemeister). Ranging from very simple to what I would describe as ‘cusp books’, that would lead to more adult reading. They will come in batches; some are representative parts of series. Some we had; some we saw in libraries. Most have appeared on the blog before, but I think arranged here by category and time they can be more illuminating of certain aspects of my childhood.

I’m calling this batch of books Home Brew because most of them were more popular culture than anything originating in school or library reading. We had that Grimm’s Fairy Tales beyond kid memory, and its weird imagery and odd tales (no three bears or red riding hood here!) was a big ingredient in the Brew. The Secret of Crossbone Hill (a summer camping read) was bought at the same place that we got Planet of the Apes, I think, a little ‘army surplus store’ if my memory is correct. That book in profile is Reader’s Digest’s Stories for Young Readers, a great book I perused at Aunt Melva and Uncle Monroe’s house. Pop brought home that black edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame from the dump. King Arthur, Jaws, and vampires were all subjects of special interest through the Briesemeister years as we set out feelers into the broader culture.