BuzzSugar

My Favorite Summer Read: Summer Sisters

Buzz Community — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:00:49 PDT

BuzzSugar Community member shannoninsf submitted the following post to the Book Club group.

I have a packed-full Summer reading list for the next couple of months, and am determined to consume as many books as is humanly possible. I just finished Sloane Crosley's I Was Told There'd Be Cake and picked up David Nicholls's One Day the other night, but there's an old favorite hanging out on my bookshelf that I can't wait to dig into: Judy Blume's Summer Sisters.

The first time I read Summer Sisters was in 2002 after finding it on the shelf of a used-book store. Until that point, I'd only known Judy Blume as the writer of things I'd read in middle school, like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, but this book opened me up to Blume's more mature writing. It chronicles the friendship of besties Vix and Caitlin as they weather growing up and the complications of female friendship. I could more than relate to competition in friendship, plus Blume paints an engrossing and seductive picture of two fleshed-out women, mostly set against Martha's Vineyard Summers (it's always been my goal to visit, BTW).

In any case, it's the book I've read the most times as any, always reaching for it when I'm in a slump or when the weather heats up and I need a reliable beach read. It just never gets old, and my heart breaks and soars each and every time I read about Vix, Caitlin, and their sandy coming of age.

Want to see your community posts on BuzzSugar too? Just click here to join and you may get featured!

Link Time! 9/30

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:30:48 PDT

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

What's Your Favorite Judy Blume Book?

GiggleSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:00 PDT

Who among us can hear the question "Are you there, God?" without being able to answer back "It's me, Margaret." Judy Blume has had a huge part in educating many girls about the facts of life - with humor and age-appropriate candor. (Well, it's not her fault that I got my hot little paws on Wifey as a kid and was scarred for life because of a scene involving slow-dancing and a tampon - don't ask.) Anyway, since we missed the beloved writer's birthday (it was on February 12, according to geeksugar, who also sent us to her awesome website), let's pay homage to her with this poll. What's your favorite Judy Blume book?

Should Older Books Be Updated For a Modern Audience?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:30:00 PDT

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 PDT

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: ' />

30 Celebs Including Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Banks, and Jane Fonda Sign Letter in Support of Planned Parenthood

Annie Scudder — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:50:36 PST

Thirty famous women added their voices to the Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy today, writing a letter of support of Planned Parenthood to Komen. Taking a noncontroversial tone, actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Banks, Scarlett Johansson, and Aisha Tyler, as well as writers including Nora Ephron and Judy Blume, thank Komen for restoring funding to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

The letter reads:

We are writing to thank you for reconsidering your funding criteria and resuming funding for the breast cancer prevention, screenings, and education services provided at Planned Parenthood health centers.

We are delighted that the thousands of women who receive care through Komen's partnership with Planned Parenthood - many of whom are poor and live in underserved communities - will continue to be able to receive this lifesaving care.

Early detection saves lives, and education and screening can help fight breast cancer. We share the same mission as the Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood - to protect and advance women's health.

Do you think Susan G. Komen for the Cure's decision today will make a difference? Weigh in on our poll.

5 Reasons a Real '90s Girl Will Love Young Adult

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:30:12 PST

We are so excited that Young Adult hits theaters today! Charlize Theron plays Mavis, a girl who used to rule the school and is now dealing with some deep-rooted issues. She heads back to her sleepy Minnesota hometown to live out a sick twisted fantasy that she and her high school boyfriend are destined to be together. Doesn't sound too sick or twisted yet, right? The only problem is he's happily married with a sweet wife and newborn baby girl who Mavis refers to as "it." The movie makes you laugh and cringe in a way that only Diablo Cody could pen. But the icing on the cake? A constant influx of '90s references. If you're a girl who grew up in the '90s, here are five reasons you've got to see Young Adult.

Waverly Prep reminds us of the girlie books we grew up with. Whether you were a lover of Sweet Valley High or Judy Blume, the Waverly Prep teen-fiction series that Charlize Theron's character writes will make you want to pull out those old books and dive back head first.
The jocks still dated the cheerleaders. Buddy and Mavis were the picture-perfect high school couple of the '90s. Too bad Buddy has moved on and Mavis is stuck in the past.
We enter an epic 1990s girlie bedroom. When we enter Mavis's untouched high school bedroom, there are enough colorful scrunchies and high school Glamour Shots to satisfy any '90s girl craving for nostalgia.
There is talk of the lost art of mixtapes. From the opening credits of the film, a yellow mixtape with the song "The Concept" by Teenage Fanclub plays a remarkably central role in the novel and Mavis's twisted vision of her lost love. While modern playlists are pretty awesome, I'd like to start a movement to bring the mixtape back.
Diablo Cody went to high school in 1995! This girl lived out all the 1990s high school magic first hand. If we have to go back to high school, we're glad Diablo Cody is the writer to take us there.

18 Young Adult Novels Worth Reading Again

TresSugar — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:19:59 PST

Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron as a fiction writer, comes out in theaters next week. We asked our readers what YA novels they'd read again. From classics like Little Women to '80s nostalgia like Sweet Valley High to contemporary favorites like the Gossip Girl series, here are 18 books to add to your list.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Forever . . . by Judy Blume
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Read the rest below.