The other's shy and quiet.

I can't even remember why I started suddenly thinking of Sweet Valley High, of all things, but I found this awesome site that recaps (with quite a bit of snark) most of the Sweet Valley High books. There's also this site and this one.

Ahahaha. I love it. Love, love, love it.

I loved those books when I was younger. I loved Sweet Valley University more, but there's not many recaps of them on the site.

I was actually a bit frowny at some of the recaps...they're quite snarky, like I said. They pick on my poor Liz too much!

But then I dug out some of my Sweet Valley books and read a few pages...and, wow. They really were quite bad and melodramatic! I still love them, though. I was definitely not into The Babysitter's Club, by the way. Sweet Valley High owns them.

Honestly, though, they did deal with some heavy issues at times, when they weren't being ridiculously campy and soapy and promoting an unrealistic existence. Anorexia, suicide, attempted rape, death, uh, attempted murder times 1,000?

Really, I definitely would not encourage any daughter of mine to read them. They're is so much under-reaction to the violence and the many near date rapes. And the boyfriends are usually sexist jerks, I can see now.

I used to have almost all of the Sweet Valley High and University books (I bought them for $.25 in bin sales, never new). Then I gave most of them away to my first cousin, once removed (see last post at my joy of finally understanding what that means). Damn it! I only have 14 Sweet Valley High books left in my possession...no University :(, about one Sweet Valley Kids and a handful of Sweet Valley Twins.

I do have some classics, though. Two out of the werewolf arc. The first book that started it all: Double Love. And some from the Margot arc (awesome, awesome). I don't know why I gave some of my favorites away, though, like Dear Sister, where Elizabeth is in a coma! That was my all-time favorite. And Kidnapped!...in which Elizabeth is kidnapped.

I also loved the Little House on the Prairie Books, the American Girls series, the Phantom in the Tollbooth, and Sideway Stories from Wayside High!

But this post does have a point.

The Sweet Valley High books are being re-released with a "modern" look.

These modern changes include the Wakefield girls now being a "perfect size 4." In the old versions, they were a "perfect size 6."

This change bothers me. It's, like, why? What is the point of this change, except to give even more girls an eating disorder? I guess I should be glad they aren't a perfect size 0.

I mean, why do they have to make a mention of their size at all? And that "perfect size 6" was emphasized in every book, in every description of the twins. Just get rid of it, mmmkay? There's no need for it.

And remember the TV show? Yes. You can watch most of season four on ABC Family. Oh, it's so bad it's awesome.