tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55945763613087872572012-02-16T12:43:40.830-08:00MGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15622448637900534156noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594576361308787257.post-1590301652210293702010-01-08T12:25:00.001-08:002010-01-08T13:36:56.187-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Cp5GJQZl5Jg/S0ek5Bau68I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/YNM-ejAW-r4/s1600-h/drew.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Cp5GJQZl5Jg/S0ek5Bau68I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/YNM-ejAW-r4/s400/drew.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424485575731112898" /></a>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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />First up, The Secret of the Old Clock. Stay with us.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5594576361308787257-159030165221029370?l=thenancypapers.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>MGGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15622448637900534156noreply@blogger.com8