Book 1: SVU #1: College Girls

I can’t believe I’m admitting that I’m reading this book. I was bored in a waiting room and surfing open library when I found several SVU books. This one was available so I checked it out. 

I read a lot of Sweet Valley books as a youngster, and I remember thinking I should save them so I could share them with my own daughter one day. However, I don’t think I’d want to share this book with my daughter. 

So far there’s been a healthy dose of sexism, elitism, and racism. The focus on looks and boys is driving my crazy. And as a higher education professional, I can say that the staff at SVU really need to get their shit together. 

All that being said, I’m still reading the book. I haven’t rolled my eyes hard enough to put it down. It’s kind of fun reading a 90s book with a 2019 lens. The writing is terrible, but I’m equal parts annoyed and entertained. I might make this a fun supplementary reading game this year. 

Update: 

I enjoyed: 

• The sub-plot of Winston living in a girls dorm. 
• The sub-plots of Tom Watts and Danny Wyatt. 

I was bothered by: 

• The racist parts of the Danny Wyatt side-story. 
• The very blatant sexism. 
• Why are they having a dance?
• Why are all these dudes just going along with a plan to harm someone? 

What did I identify with as a kid? What does this say about me as a reader? 

I read a lot of these books when I was younger, and I do remember really enjoying them.  I know I identified some with Elizabeth, mainly because she was a writer/journalist and I hoped to do the same (I eventually majored in Journalism in college).  I also remember enjoy Tom Watts for the same reason.  I'm guessing there was something comforting about reading about a similar cast of characters book after book.  As an adult, I almost never read series books, mainly because I don't have the time to invest in such long series runs, and I get bored of them after awhile. 

One thing I've noticed is that YA books really get into the action/story right away, and since they are so short, the plot seems to move pretty quickly.  

This book was a completely silly waste of time, but it was a super easy read during a busy week. I’ll likely read some more of these just for the nostalgia and the so-bad-it’s-good laughs.