Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things I Learned from Family Shows of the ’70s and ’80s

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

As a proud Gen Xer, I thought it would be fun to use this Non-bookish Freebie to talk about some of the family shows I grew up with. These are shows I have watched and rewatched since childhood, which was so long ago that I used to have to wait a week for new episodes and months for new seasons. We will start with five meaningful lessons and end with five light-hearted ones. 

Everyone Needs a Fonzie 

Would Richie Cunningham (Happy Days) have survived high school without Arthur Fonzarelli? That is doubtful. Fiercely loyal to Richie and his friends, the Fonz scared away the bullies, became like a son to Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, and remained a good friend until Richie left town for good to pursue his writing dreams. We all need a Fonzie in our lives. 

There is More Than One Way to Define a Family

Shows like One Day at a Time, Kate and Allie, Full House, and Diff'rent Strokes redefined what it meant to be a family, focusing on single parents, independent women living together with their children, collaborative parenting, and interracial and adopted families. 

Strong Women Make Great Role Models

From Edna Garrett's role as the housemother at Eastland School in Facts of Life, to divorcee Ann Romano mothering her teenage daughters in One Day at a Time, to full-time homemaker Marion Cunningham in Happy Days, and to Caroline Ingalls, who proved herself a more than capable and compassionate partner to her husband Charles in Little House on the Prairie, these women of family television were great role models for their families and in their communities. 

Life Isn't Simple, But Love Is

Whether it be living in financial hardship during the Great Depression (The Waltons), generational divides between parents and children (Family Ties), or clashing political views and sexism (All in the Family), each of these shows ultimately boils down to the love between family members.

Families Face Grief Together

Whether it be due to the extreme conditions on the frontier (Little House on the Prairie), loss of childhood friends (Family Ties), loss of a parent (Good Times), or loss tied to a recent or current event (The Wonder Years and Little House on the Prairie), family members supported each other in their times of loss and helped them move forward as they grieved.

Large Families Can Be a Singing Group

The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family prove that large families can contribute to the household income by forming a singing group and performing in front of live audiences. It also seems mandatory that you have matching costumes. Though Eight is Enough didn't have this issue. Only the eldest brother, David, and his younger brother Tommy sang. 

We All Have That Friend Who Shows Up Unannounced

The Cunninghams had Fonzie (Happy Days), the Romanos had Schneider (One Day at A Time), and DJ Tanner had Kimmy Gibbler (Full House). They dropped in unannounced for a variety of reasons. At least the Fonz and Schneider could fix things.

Your Family Might Survive Only Having One Bathroom

In this modern era of multiple bathrooms, it's hard to imagine a family sharing the same bathroom, but we did it, or the kids did it. The six Brady kids (The Brady Bunch) shared a connected bathroom between their rooms. The Ingalls family shared the same outhouse and soaking tub (Little House on the Prairie). The Seavers at least shared one full bathroom and a half bathroom among them (Growing Pains). 

Don't Play in the House

Playing in the house will lead to broken family heirlooms, especially if you live in the Brady house, where vases and antique lamps are taken out by basketballs and frisbees (The Brady Bunch). 

Every Problem is Solved in Less Than 60 Minutes

Whether sit-com or drama, the days of story arcs in television were in the distant future. The exception: soap operas. Every episode had a beginning, a middle, and an end. Characters would appear for one episode and never be heard from again, and no matter how complex the issue, everything would be well again by the end of the episode. Sometimes you might wish real life were like that.

Enjoy this Gen Xer's journey through family shows of the '70s and '80s? Let me know in the comments. 

Taking a Break from This Week's Meme's

Greetings from Wilmington, North Carolina! I planned to put together weekly posts before I flew out on Sunday, but...

1. I ran out of time,
2. My eyes are bugging out because I'm editing, and 
3. I really wanted to focus on seeing our daughter and getting the Airbnb ready for summer.

You can check out It's Monday! What Are You Reading?, Mailbox Monday, Top Ten Tuesday, and the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge by clicking on the hyperlinks below each icon. 

I will have some books from the library book sale to share with you next week. Might even have some photos from my visit to Wilmington. Enjoy your week!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday

Top Ten Tuesday

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books that Surprised Me (in a good or bad way)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.    

It's Tuesday again. It's expected to be a bit dreary today. That makes it a great day to work. At least if it rains, I don't have to water the garden. 

Today's Top Ten Tuesday topic is books that surprised me (in a good or bad way). At first blush, I'm not sure if there are ten of those. Of course, after close to two decades of blogging, there must be. I'm going to give it a whirl and see how it goes. 

Top Ten Books that Surprised Me

(in a good or bad way)

This book grabbed me from the first page, and I quickly read eight chapters. The author compiled stories from dozens of women that encourage you to embrace a sweeter life while traveling rocky roads. This Christian self-help book provides readers with a different perspective, allows them time to reflect, and shares the reward of quick and easy recipes. 

I added this to my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection in 2011, when the author contacted me for a review of her new release. I'm glad I read it, but I was surprised I couldn't love a book about a person who decides to go on a personal journey to many of the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites. Having gone on a scaled-down version of my own Laura Ingalls Wilder adventure, I thought I would connect better with the story. While having a strong beginning, as the author proceeded, she poked fun at Laura fans, which wasn't enjoyable either.

Have you ever come across a book that makes you laugh so hard your sides hurt? This is the one that did it to me. I picked this up at the Target in Wilmington while visiting our daughter. The title and cover are hilarious enough, but I couldn't get past the first couple of pages without tears streaming down my face. I have never had a book tickle my funny bone as much as this one. 

Because watching the mini-series is what persuaded me to read the novel, I was disappointed that Ralph's looks in the book were very different from Richard Chamberlain's Ralph. The Thorn Birds mini-series also put together a more compelling conclusion for Meggie and Ralph's storyline than the book did because it changed the sequence of a few events. 

I am always pleasantly surprised when I guess who the murderer is before it is revealed. With this book, I was fairly certain who that would be, but some of the details eluded me. 

The author told this romance from three points of view: the female lead, the male lead, and the daughter of the female lead. This was a neat surprise, and that decision added significant depth to the plot. 

After reading the final book in The Hunger Games series, it surprised me that it seemed like Haymitch was the only character who truly changed in the books. As a result of being with Peeta and Katniss, the reader watches him evolve and become more engaged in the fight against the Capitol. 

This book was not what I expected. As I wrote in my review, "...we end up with a bride, but it's many years in the making." These books were so well written, I really need to finish the series. 

When you get into a series and the author never finishes it, that can be an awful surprise. Such was the case with the Sam's Quest series by Ben Furman. I read both of these books and loved them. The third and final book of the trilogy never made it to print. 

Not being a huge lover of fantasy or science fiction, when I find a book in either of these genres that I enjoy, it's a bit of a surprise. This book was so funny, quirky, and unique that I couldn't help but love it. 

Looking forward to seeing which books made your list this week. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books Set in Another Time

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.     

This week we are talking about books set during other times. Here is my list of...

Top Ten Books Set in Another Time

The Counterfeit Wife by Mally Becker is set in June 1780, with two main characters tracking down traitors flooding the city with counterfeit money. The years of the American Revolution are my third favorite time period for story settings. The blend of history and mystery here works nicely. 

The Day of Calamity by H. B. Berlow is set in the years following World War II, which is a period when much of the world is rebuilding emotionally and/or physically. The streets here are both exciting and dangerous. This is a historical mystery with fascinating characters, and the setting is perfect for it. 

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling has one of the most fun settings for a book. I'll admit I have wanted to visit Hogwarts more than once. A boarding school is fun enough, but putting it in a magical world in a castle that you have to get to by a train ride you access from an invisible platform makes it even better. 

The Competition, which is the second book in the Da Vinci's Disciples series by Donna Russo Morin, is set in Italy in the years that Leonard Da Vinci was painting. I rarely step outside of America with my reading, which is truly a shame. I used to read books set in other areas of the world more often, and I really need to get back to it. This time frame and setting was beautifully depicted. 

In 1868, the Ingalls family left the Big Woods of Wisconsin with their daughters and traveled to the Kansas prairie. Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller recounts this time from Caroline's point of view. Miller's descriptions make this an amazing story, and this timeframe is  my second favorite for story settings. 

The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse began The Daughters of the Mayflower series. It opens in 1620, and is set partially on a ship and partially in the New World. This is such a exciting, yet scary, time in history. 

Shades of Gray by Jessica James is set during my favorite time period: the American Civil War. This is a book that made me cry, which gets easier as I age, but back when I read this, I can't say it happened often. The level of research that James must have put into this book to bring these characters' stories to life amidst the conflict is evident. Virginia is a beautiful part of the country and, during the war, it was a central battleground. It made a perfect setting for a story. 

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn is his, I believe, first novel about the famous and mysterious poet from Amherst, Massachusetts. The book opens in 1848, with Dickinson a seminarian at Mount Holyoke College. Living a little over thirty minutes from Mount Holyoke, I'm very familiar with the area. This is part of its allure for me. Learning more about what our area of the world looked like way before my family and me were ever even thought of is what draws me to this setting. 

The Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins takes place in a lot of areas of the world, and it has an abundance of characters. However, if one were to describe the setting, it would be called the End Times. Left Behind opens with people all over the world disappearing, while others have been left behind to endure the years of tribulation prophesized in the Book of Revelation. I was today years old when I learned that there is a final book in the series that I never read. Will need to change that soon. 

Though Panem is not a place I would like to visit, one has to appreciate the world that Suzanne Collins built for The Hunger Games series. The majority of this world lives in poverty in the ruins of North America, while those in the Capitol appreciate an overabundance of everything. Computer-generated worlds are the setting for a series of games that are fought to the death with only one victor annually. Even the beasts are as unique as they are frightening. 

What are some of your favorite book settings? 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books with Red on the Cover

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  

Welcome back to Tuesday! Here we are heading closer and closer to Independence Day and the 17th blogiversary (or is it blogoversary) of The Book Connection. Little did I know when I embarked upon my writing career that this blog, or any other writing project I undertook, would last so long. It has brought me tremendous joy to express myself here, and I appreciate your loyal readership and all the online friendships blogging has created. 

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is about books with our favorite colors on the cover. Red has been my favorite color since childhood. So today, I share with you my...

Top Ten Books with Red on the Cover

Have you read any of these? Are there any you would like to read? What is your favorite color?

Blogging A to Z 2022 - Affirmations & Ambition

The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (2022) gets underway today. It's been a few years since I participated, so I am excited to join in this year. As a reminder, I will be discussing topics of interest to those who identify as women. The Book Connection is lucky number 78 in a list of more than 140 bloggers who are participating in 2022. I encourage you to check out the list and visit other blogs with topics of interest.

AFFIRMATIONS

The origins of affirmations dates as far back as 1500/1000 B.C., the early 20th century, or the 1980s depending on which source you use. My personal experience with affirmations began in the late 80s/early 90s when I read my first book by Og Mandino, The Greatest Miracle in the World. This book contains "The God Memorandum," which shared the four laws of happiness and success. "The God Memorandum" became so popular, it was published as a separate guide published as early as 1990.

This memorandum, a message to the reader from God, is said to offer "comfort and encouragement to anyone with faltering self-esteem or a lack of motivation." If I recall correctly, the reader was supposed to recite this memorandum once a day for 30 days. 

Do you believe in daily affirmations? What are some of your favorite affirmations?

AMBITION

Ambition is a word that seems to come with a fair amount of negativity for women. Real estate is the first industry I've been part of where women are the majority (currently 67%), which has allowed me to feel more comfortable in celebrating my success.

In this article from 2019, Forbes contributor Caroline Castrillon discussed numerous studies that indicate, culturally, ambition in men is viewed as a positive trait, but is criticized in women. Castrillion also cited a 2017 Pew Center Research survey of adults in the United States that ranked top traits or characteristics of men and women. 

Top three traits for men: honesty/morality, professional/financial success, ambition/leadership

Top three traits for women: physical attractiveness, empathy/nurturing/kindness, intelligence

So, we want men to be honest, financially successful, and ambitious, but those surveyed aren't as concerned about their intelligence (ranked 9 out of 11). However, women are supposed to be attractive (because somehow that means I'm a successful and good person), empathetic, and intelligent, but those surveyed don't see a woman's financial and professional success (ranked 7 out of 13) as important. FYI, single females are 5% more likely to own a home than single men. Oh, and as a former single parent, I can tell you my professional and financial success has always been top of mind.

Susannah Baldwin, author of Women, Language, and Power: Giving Voice to Our Ambition, wrote in this January 2022 article, "The good news is that we can challenge the false belief that to be ambitious is to be unfeminine. And we can learn how to grow comfortable, even confident, in acting on our ambitions and realizing our goals." 

Reciting daily affirmations and changing the way we talk about ambitious women helps us to achieve our goals and gives women everywhere the freedom to succeed on their own terms. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Things I'm Thankful for in 2020

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week, Top Ten Tuesday is featuring a Thanksgiving/I'm Thankful for freebie. Considering how so many of us would like to put 2020 behind us--including me--it's nice to reflect on the things that happened this year I can be thankful for. 

1. Our family's health - We only lost one family member to this crazy COVID stuff, and that was enough. We have been as vigilant as possible about staying safe. 
2. Working from home - My husband was able to start working from home in March, and it is doubtful he will be back in the office before next March. Companies across the nation are realizing that people can work from home and be productive. In the future, I think more work from home opportunities will be available and companies will be more open to hybrid schedules. 
3. Essential workers, healthcare providers, teachers, etc. - While we have been able to work mostly from home, not everyone is so lucky. There are tons of hometown heroes putting themselves in harm's way to care for and help others. God bless you all.
4. Opportunity to work - I'm an independent contractor who meets strangers in their home or helps them view homes for a living. I've spent a lot of time home this year, which messed with many of the goals I had set in January. Therefore, I am thankful for the opportunities I have to work with great people when I can. 
5. Technology to keep us connected - Where would we be without Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, FaceTime, Skype, etc.? Some of this technology has made a real difference in keeping us connected. The only way my mother-in-law got to see her husband before he died was thanks to FaceTime, so I'm happy it exists. 
6. Real estate advocacy - I don't talk about this a lot, but our local, state, and national associations advocate on our behalf and on the behalf of property owners across the country. In many states, real estate wasn't considered essential during the pandemic at the beginning. In some places, it still isn't. Big deal, right? Well, if you had to relocate for personal or professional reasons and you couldn't, that might make things tough. What if you couldn't finalize the sale of your home because the fire department wasn't allowed to perform their mandatory inspection of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors? The state association helped us work with cities and towns to come up with a solution. 
7. Technology to keep us safe - From online shopping to contactless food delivery, from remote notarization to virtual home tours, and more the pandemic has created new ways of doing business or expanded options for those of us who already used these tools. 
8. Getting outdoors - Many of us maintained a hectic pace of moving from one thing to the next every day without taking the time to appreciate the outdoors. The pandemic has created a slower pace for many of us. Not for all (thank you, again, essential workers), but for many. The isolation of lockdowns has drawn us outside to work on home improvement projects, walk or cycle through our neighborhoods, visit parks, or hike local trails. 
9. Books - Where would we be without books right about now? If for no other reason than to remember what the world was like before the pandemic, books are a great source of entertainment. I've already completed my 2020 Goodreads challenge. I've read more books this year than I have the last five or six years. 
10. Blogging - Blogging continues to keep us connected. We talk about things that are important to us. We share our thoughts. We share books and television shows we enjoy. No matter how busy I get, I hope I'll always be able to maintain at least one blog.

I hope you like my list. I look forward to reading yours.

Happy 10th Anniversary Top Ten Tuesday!!! - Top Ten Popular TV Shows I Have Never Watched or Seen a Full Episode Of

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I need to start this week's post by wishing Top Ten Tuesday and its creators a Happy 10th Anniversary! I was so glad when Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl decided to take it over. It's one of my favorite blog memes.

In honor of Top Ten Tuesday's 10th anniversary, we had two options:

• Option 1: pick a past TTT topic you’ve done and re-do/update it
• Option 2: pick a past TTT topic you wish you’d done, but didn’t get a chance to do

I opted to revisit a Top Ten Tuesday from September 6, 2016. Though usually posts have a book theme, the bloggers celebrated the fall TV season that year. I have still not seen any of the shows from my original list. Here is what my new list looks like:

Top Ten Popular TV Shows I Have Never Watched or Seen a Full Episode Of

Didn't like Rosanne, so didn't bother watching The Conners when it made its way to the small screen. After the Rosanne Barr controversy, I watch a part of the episode where they dealt with her character's demise. Haven't watched anything since.

Other than the occasional YouTube clip, I have never watched an episode of American Idol. 

Another reality TV show I never felt the need to watch. The Bachelor sounds like it could be such an embarrassing show, especially for those eliminated. While I don't consider myself an overly private person, I wouldn't want my relationship to be played out in front of millions of people either.

As much as I enjoy police novels, one would think I would watch some version of NCIS. I guess even knowing Mark Harmon stars in this one isn't enough to make me watch it. I really prefer to read.

Young Sheldon actually sounds interesting: For young Sheldon Cooper, it isn't easy growing up in East Texas. Being a once-in-a-generation mind capable of advanced mathematics and science isn't always helpful in a land where church and football are king. And while the vulnerable, gifted and somewhat naïve Sheldon deals with the world, his very normal family must find a way to deal with him. (From CBS)

I've never watched The Big Bang Theory, where the character of Sheldon, as an adult, is first introduced to the world. Not sure what I would think of this one.

I loved Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum in the 1980's. Maybe that's why I haven't been able to watch the new Magnum P.I. It would be kind of like watching a modernized Little House on the Prairie with all new actors. 

My girls love Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I can't even think of wasting my time watching it.

I've never been a huge Tim Allen fan. I didn't mind him in Home Improvement, but I liked his TV wife's character more. Maybe that's why I haven't bothered to give Last Man Standing a chance. 

Considering how much of a comic book fan I was growing up, it seems hard to imagine I have never watched an episode of Riverdale. Part of the lack of appeal for me is the need for modern TV to provide such intense backstories and currently storylines for characters who were just out having fun as regular teens in the comic book world. My girls are also big fans of this series.

I love Jason Bateman and think the premise of Ozark is intriguing, but I've never watched an episode. The girls talk about this one, but not sure much they like it.

Now that I am done trashing television shows, here are a few remakes I wouldn't mind taking a look at.

The new HBO version of Perry Mason premiered tonight. This character is nothing like the Perry Mason I grew up with played by Raymond Burr. In addition, the new Perry is a struggling private investigator, not an attorney. John Lithgow, one of my favorite actors, plays E.B. Jonathan, a renowned defense attorney and Perry's mentor. Della Street is Jonathan's legal secretary. 

Walker is a remake of Walker, Texas Ranger played by Chuck Norris. While Norris' Walker was single, in The CW's version  Cordell Walker will be a widowed father who returns to Austin to "reconnect with his children, navigate clashes with his family, and find common ground with his new partner, while growing increasingly suspicious of his wife's death." I might tune in for an episode or two to see what it is like. Sounds like it premiers in January 2021.

The CW also remade Nancy Drew. A huge fan of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys book series as a kid, I wanted to watch this when it first premiered in 2019. All of the episodes are saved on my DVR, but I haven't watched one yet. I am hoping to catch up, as it has been renewed for a second season that premiers in January 2021.

Finally, one show I think I am giving up on.

In 2018, The CW brought back the charmed ones. The new Charmed gave them different last names and new backstories, but the premise is overall the same: three sisters discover they are powerful witches after their mother's death. Season 1 kept me engaged. I watched every episode within the same week that it aired. Season 2 is okay, but I haven't felt like I missed much when I didn't watch right away. In fact, I had a bunch on the DVR, but I simply watched the last one that aired prior to them breaking up production because of the pandemic. I don't feel the need to go back to watch the others. They are supposed to come back with Season 3 in January 2021. Doubt I will tune in.

So, that's my TV roundup. How many of these shows have you watched? Do you think I'm missing anything? What are your thoughts about the three remakes? What is a show that you lost interest in and why?