My mother took away the first Sweet Valley High book when I was reading it in 6th grade, but I picked them back up in 7th grade where I had a locker I could hide things.

My grandmother, who was my driving force in reading, always bitched at me about the quality of books I read. The big one she always harped on me for was Rebecca. To this day, I've never read it.

I don't think I read any saucy books when I was a kid.

Well, I don't read saucy books now, so I guess that makes sense.

I don't think my parents ever commented on what I was reading, except my dad always wanted me to stop reading in the van on road trips and look out the window.

I haven't read Wuthering Heights but aren't you supposed to not model your relationships off it?

Heh. Every time I read it I can't understand why I love it so much given that everyone in it behaves reprehensibly.

No wait! I just remembered why I love it. I love the scene when the child's hand reaches through the window. Well that and the Kate Bush song.

Man, my mother read EVERYTHING. I think I picked up her copy of The Happy Hooker at age 12. Quality didn't matter so much. She read everything and assumed I would, too.

The only version of Wuthering Heights I'm familiar with is Monty Python's semaphore version.

I read that book *three times* when I was a kid, every other year or so, just to make sure I still hated it. Which I did.

Tying this in with the Santa discussion from the other day (was that in here or Bitches?), I found out he was pretend through reading, specifically a Southern Living at my grandparents when I was 8.

Do libraries just let kids borrow anything?

All in all, I think I'd rather my kid had the freedom to read whatever s/he wanted whether I knew about it or not. I'd also like to have a relationship with my children where they don't feel they have to hide books from me, but lord knows I didn't bring the Anne Rice porn I was reading in high school to the dinner table either.

I just remembered why I love it.

I love it because of the narrative structure. I dig that the story comes together from various people's accounts, and sometimes there are nested narratives, and it's just good times.

I read The Happy Hooker when I was about 10. It was passed around school. On later reflection, I was probably a bit young for it.

The only book my mom ever banned me from reading was Forever. Of course, one of my junior high friends had a copy and it went through our entire group within a few weeks.

Ahahahaha! Yes, I remember this early adolescent milestone.

When I was in middle school, the book being passed around was It (Stephen King). I had a few passages read aloud to me and it was enough to turn me off ever reading the whole thing.