BuzzSugar

Link Time! 9/30

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:30:48 -0700

A modest proposal: No more old people on reality TV. - TV Filter
First photos from the set of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland are popping up. - Cinematical
New TV cast additions that worked. - TV Squad
Rachel McAdams says the film version of The Time Traveler's Wife is "distilled down to the love story," and that it's not a chick flick. - MTV Movies Blog
Was your childhood influenced by Judy Blume? Share your formative Judy Blume experiences! - Popwatch
One of my great fears: Is Michael Cera "two or three steps from being over"? - Defamer
Apparently, the America's Next Top Model video game hits shelves Nov. 7. - geeksugar
The Scrubs gang knows how to party - complete with photo booth pictures. - Pop Candy

Photo courtesy of CBS

Should Older Books Be Updated For a Modern Audience?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:30:00 -0700

I spent a good portion of Thursday afternoon being horrified by the fact that, in the newly updated versions of the Sweet Valley High books, the gorgeous Wakefield twins' oft-referenced clothing size has been reduced from a "perfect" six to a "perfect" four - a fact the publisher proudly trumpeted in a press release. It's as though Random House sat down with the '80s editions and thought, "huh, these unrealistic expectations just aren't quite unrealistic enough!"

The Wakefield waistline isn't the only thing they've changed: Instead of a red Fiat, the girls now drive a red Jeep Wrangler (I thought they said 2008, not 1998!), and brainy Elizabeth edits her school's website and blogs rather than working for those boring dead tree things we used to call "newspapers."

This reminded me of an interview with Judy Blume I heard last Fall, where she talked about deleting some of the menstruation "equipment" from updated editions of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (and taking a mimeograph machine out of Fudge). She said she didn't want to confuse kids and make them ask their parents to explain how things were back in the day.

Do you think it's necessary to update references in older books so they make sense to a younger crowd? Or is the tinkering just unnecessary?

Source

What's Buzzworthy: Coming-of-Age Novels

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 14:07:16 -0700

Wow, I thought I knew a lot of great coming-of-age novels, but this week's Buzzworthy challenge proved how many great-looking titles I have missed out on. Thanks to everyone who participated in this challenge - I now have a nice, long list to bring with me to the bookstore this weekend! Here are some of the titles that looked the most intriguing to me (or that I've also read and enjoyed), followed by the full list of everyone's suggestions:

To Kill a Mockingbird
Mainly Obsessed bookmarked this classic Southern coming-of-age tale with this comment: "I don't know anyone who has read this book and hasn't loved it. I mean Boo Radley for god sakes!"

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
I have actually read this book, and absolutely loved it. melyshka says this about her suggestion: "This might not be the 'typical' coming of age novel, but for those of us who grew up Latina in the U.S., and especially for those of us who lost the language of our ancestors in the process, this one hit particularly hard for me."

Three more highlighted picks and the full list if you read more

Little Women
This is a great example of a coming-of-age novel, and was bookmarked by both smorzalli and tdamji. About her pick, tdamji writes, "This is a classic coming of age novel about Josephine (Jo) March and her 3 sisters, growing up in New England. Written from Jo's perspective, this endearing novel tells of the struggle and triumph of the young women as they deal with their own character flaw (Meg - vanity, Jo - Quick Temper, Beth - Shyness, Amy - Selfishness)."

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
I don't care if this book, suggested by missyosigirl, has been spoofed left and right, I think it's a necessity for every girl's collection of coming-of-age novels. Judy Blume is a master at describing the adolescent experience.

Jane Eyre
Bookmarked by steen, this is another tried-and-true classic. It's a story in which the protagonist really grows and changes from start to finish, and it's wonderful to grow with her.

All the Buzzworthied coming-of-age novels:

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