I have discovered the most awesome blog of all time.  Thank you Feministing!

The blog The Dairi Burger, run by the brilliant ihatewheat, is essentially a hilarious recap of the terrible old books that many of us (mostly women, but I’m sure there are a few boys out there as well) used to read as tweens.  Specific to me on the blog are the Sweet Valley High Books (SVH) starring the Wakefield twins, Elizabeth and Jessica, which I ADORED, but which I see now are just  horrible horrible things and it’s amazing that I escaped as unscathed as I am (though I am in therapy so perhaps my optimistic “I’m okay, I survived the bile that is SVH” is just a cover).  Reading her recaps (and seeing copies of the books on her site, which is a surprisingly powerful memory jogger) you will remember everything you loved and then remember now all the horror, which as an adult you can now understand and appreciate, but which rolled past your tween eyes with frightening ease.

Regardless, the site is brilliant because ihatewheat manages to recap and ridicule, but with a great sense of humor, and keeping the anger and the “these books ruined my life feeling” to a minimum.  If you read these books as a kid, I highly recommend you check out this site asap and become a devoted follower.  A word to the wise, make sure you have some time on your hands, there are currently 42 SVH books reviewed on the site, and you will feel compelled to read every word. 

I’m sure there would be rights/permissions issues, but considering the popularity of this blog (averaging around 900 hits a day) and the rabid fan base, ihatewheat would be smart to think about putting together a book deal based on her blog.  I for one, would be first in line to purchase. 

Here are some book covers to help jog your memory, it’s like I’m 10 again, but in an oh so bad way…