Book Whore Monthly

I'm a book whore. Everyone who knows me...knows this about me. And I'm damn proud of it. Here is my monthly blog post 'Book Whore Monthly'.. which I am the only member. All your bitchy and lovely comments are very most welcome.

Here is the book I'm *reading this month. 'Consuming Kids' The Hostile Takeover of Childhood, by Susan Linn. Which I checked out of the library and grabbed off the shelf when I was supposed to be watching my daughters in the kids area.
In a nutshell, psychologist Susan Linn is pretty pissed off about how 'marketing executives are working day and night to send irresistible messages to our children.'
Don't you remember those Saturday morning commericals for Lucky Charms and Barbie Make Up Heads when you were a kid? I LIVED for those toy commercials. Of course, I new better to ask for any of that stuff...because my parents were good at saying HELL, NO! And you knew better than to keep on asking..or the tv would promptly be turned off and then chores started. So, it was better just to keep quiet and silently wish to be doused in sugar cereal and to have my room littered with every type of Barbie on the planet.
I just finished reading her thoughts on the Miss Spider franchise and author David Kirk being kind of a sell out to Target. Hey, what childrens' author doesn't want to make a million dollars? Please. These people probably ate Top Ramen for years before they got their book published.
I actually plead guilty about buying those Miss Spider gardening tools at Target. We even have the ladybuy sleeping bag. Which, to tell you the truth, my kids think is very itchy and they don't even LIKE the Ms. Spider cartoon very much. No, it's Mama who thinks those products are too adorable!
Though, I do have to say, when we were in Tarjay this morning, my youngest daughter was saying 'look, Princess'! Look, Care Bear! Look, Dora! And, what is very sad to say...is that no, we weren't in the toy aisle, We were in the snack aisle.
So, this book has really raised an awareness as far as using children characters as marketing gimmicks. Kids Characters are first introduced through books, then tv, then the CD & DVD, onto their diapers, at the fast food joint, furniture...where does it all end? Certainly it doesn't end when we are adults, I own a Hello Kitty purse!
*reading: skimming chapters and actual reading of paragraphs where I see relevant.