When I was a little girl, I wanted to be Nancy Drew. I didn't dream about a big wedding, or owning a pony, or becoming a princess, I wanted to be a girl detective. I wasn't sure what the magnifying glass was supposed to be for. I wasn't sure what Titian hair looked like. But I wanted to be Nancy, poke my nose where it didn't belong, and solve crimes.A little funny that, after all the twists and turns of my career, I've ended up a journalist. I don't solve crimes, but "girl detective" isn't a bad description for it.
Anyone who's been in my house knows I'm no minimalist. I'm a collector. I collect cordial glasses, eclectic vintage paraphernalia (yes, true to cliche, I own an old typewriter) and books. I have a lot of books. Beautiful old books: My great grandmother's school Shakespeare, alongside dozens of gilt and leather-bound and plate-printed illustrated volumes. I own "Fortune telling for Fun and Popularity" and "Nimrod's Hunting Reminiscences." I'm very happy poking around a used bookstore for an afternoon. So it was only a matter of time before Nancy came back into my life.
Last year, I started popping into the odd flea market, garage sale and thrift store in search of the old hard-backed mystery books from my childhood. They match what I usually look for in collectibles: they are cheap and pretty easy to find. So I started buying them and then I started reading them.
It only occurred to me later that I was messing with a memory, and could have ruined Nancy Drew for me forever. But that didn't happen. Even with the cruel eye of a writer and editor, I still savoured the first book I picked up.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't completely lose my judgement -- they're not well written, the gender politics are somewhat problematic, and the number of ways that Bess is described as "pudgy" borders the ridiculous. But I loved the read as much as the Didion, Auster, Delillo and Murakami that usually clutter my bedside table. It was pure joy.
So I've decided to complete my collection, and my little reading project. And I'm going to do it all here. Once a week, I'm going to read the books, in order. And then, I guess, we'll see where the clues lead.
First up, The Secret of the Old Clock. Stay with us.
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