April 26, 2022

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Do You Still Own Any Books/Comics/Toys/Memorabilia From When You Were a Kid?


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). After Heidi stopped blogging (apparently for good), five of us took over as hosts while providing new questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real LifeJen at That's What I'm Talking AboutKaren at For What It's WorthLinda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...

DO YOU STILL OWN ANY BOOKS/COMICS/TOYS/MEMORABILIA FROM WHEN YOU WERE A KID?

First off...I meant to be back for the meme on April 19th, but you might have noticed that it didn't happen. And here it was one of my own questions haha.
OK, onto the new one...
Last year I told you the story of my first writing attempt at age 7, and that "book" is the only thing I made during my childhood that I still own, in all its messily-cut-and-glued-together-pages glory 😂. But as for stuff that I was gifted in my pre-teen years, the only things that survive are, unsurprisingly, two real books. One is a novel by a local author recounting the adventures of a vegetarian cat, with some chapters set in my very town; the other is Momo by Michael Ende.

Everybody would buy me books when I was a kid (because I was an avid reader even then), so I used to have a bunch, but for some reason, if you don't count the one "starring" my town, Momo is the only book that has followed me into adulthood. I think it's because it speaks to grown-up me even more than it did to my child counterpart - plus, in time, magical realism has carved a place in my heart where this novel nests beautifully. Everyone knows about The NeverEnding Story by the same author (mainly because of the movie, I suspect), but Momo is an underrated gem - imaginative, poetical and still relevant after almost 50 years. Read the plot on Wikipedia if you don't mind getting spoiled. But in case you want the gist - an orphan must save her friends (and the whole world) from an organisation of grey men, who tricked humans into giving away their time and trapped them into stressful, meaningless lives. While this novel is mostly seen as a criticism of consumerism, to me it's the reminder of how time is the most precious thing we have, and how we should never forget to spend it on the things that really count and give us joy, regardless of our age. Also, a tortoise who communicates through writing on her shell and can see 30 minutes in the future? Best character ever 😀. 

This is the version I have (a hardcover, which helped with preservation).
The Italian title translates "Momo and the Time Thieves".
8-13 is the intended age range. Vallecchi is the publisher.

Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the month of May:

  • May 3rd: How do you feel when everyone loves a book except for you?
  • May 10th: What are the books/authors you pick up when you need a comfy read?
  • May 17th: How long have you been blogging? And has your blog changed over time? (a question I submitted)
  • May 24th: Do you review every book you read? Why or why not?
  • May 31st: Do you request ARCs? Why or why not?

I'll be back on May 17th (and I plan on answering the May 24th question as well). Anyhow, as usual, I'll visit your blogs in the meantime, and I'll answer the other questions on there (except the one about comfy reads, because...I don't think I have any? I tend to gravitate around dark books haha. Then again, you could say they're my version of comfy 😂).

Now tell me something...do you have any keepsake of your childhood years?

26 comments:

  1. "Time is the most precious" So true! I often think that also, and sometimes I try to start the day with how am I going to spend my time today? I wish I remembered to do it every day...

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    1. If only we were entitled to a bit of free time every day. Too often it's a struggle to find some quality time for ourselves 🙁.

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    2. Hope you're having a good weekend!

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    3. I wish...it's my first WE as an unemployed...but thank you for always checking! I hope yours is going better.

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    4. Mine is quiet... after some drama at the end of the week lol. I'm sorry to hear about the unemployment though. I knew it was coming, from your earlier posts, but still sucks.

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    5. Ugh drama. Glad to hear the WE has been quiet after all. And thanks!

      Delete
  2. I have read Momo but I don't quite remember much of the book other than it's about time and I read it in English. I suppose it's pretty different in Italian?

    Funny, I don't seem to have anything left from my childhood at all. I'm pretty good at destroying anything I own but I also mostly been reading library books so I can't do anything to them. I used to have some of my school notebooks and such but they're gone. I guess I see no reason to keep them.

    Have a lovely day.

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    1. I don't think it's very different, at least if translators can do their job. It was originally a German book after all...

      "I'm pretty good at destroying anything I own".
      😂

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  3. I think it's amazing you still have these two books (your self published book being a classic). I have doll from when I was four which was chewed on by a dog and looks really rough, but it's mine. I kept one book from my teens - Winnie Ille Pooh (Winnie the Pooh in Latin from my days as a Latin scholar)

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    1. "(your self published book being a classic)"
      Haha, right! And I suppose you can call it self-published...self-made for sure 😂.

      Poor doll! And I didn't know Winnie the Pooh in Latin existed?!

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  4. I have a few toys from my childhood, but I don't remember actually owning books until I was old enough to discover the Scholastic bookfair at school, when I was allowed to buy books. I may even have some of those in a box somewhere!

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  5. What a unique sounding book! It's nice that you've kept it. I've kept a handful of books from my childhood and teen years, ones that I remember as my favorites, even if I haven't read them again since then.

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    1. Maybe one day you'll reread them out of curiosity...and you'll find that they stood the test of time 🙂.

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  6. I haven't heard of Momo before but it sounds very neat. :) I've read The Neverending Story (and watched the movie), so it's cool to know that there is another book that author, I will have to check it out. :D
    -Quinley

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    1. It's funny, because I've never read/watched the NeverEnding Story instead LOL. Do check that one out - it's a delight!

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  7. Aw, that sounds like a lovely book! I have a few old childhood poetry books that I've kept. Plus, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein is a classic childhood book that I still have. I still have my Harry Potter collection, though I have definitely fallen out of love with the series.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I get that, of course. It's sad that something one loved at a stage of their life should get warped by...well, we know what. I'm not sure I would have been able to keep those books, but I suppose they still elicit good memories...

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  8. "Also, a tortoise who communicates through writing on her shell and can see 30 minutes in the future? Best character ever 😀. "

    That IS really awesome!

    Karen @For What It's Worth

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  9. I had a lot of books growing up as well. They were mostly paperbacks and I still have a couple: A Wrinkle in Time (the whole series) and The Phantom Tollbooth. I also have my hard cover of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe plus Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. I also have several "classics" that were my MOMs when she was a kid! *happy sigh* books are fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Even books from the previous generation? Wow, you shame us all LOL.

      I looked up Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Phantom Tollbooth, and the second one gave me Doctor Who vibes 😂.

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  10. I have one book from when I was a kid. All of my belongings got thrown out when my parents divorced when I was 10 and I went to live with my grandma for 2 years. When I was 16 and went to live with my dad and step mother she would only allow my brother and I to bring our clothes and a couple of personal things.

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    1. That's sad...and cruel of her. But if you managed to keep one book, I assume it has some good memories attached to it at least.

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  11. I have no books from when I was a kid - not even the one I attempted to publish. I'm glad you were able to hang on to your attempt!

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    1. I'm not even sure how it survived, but it's a sight 😂.

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