Throwback Thursday: Rumble Fish

Rumble Fish

Author:  S.E. Hinton

From Goodreads:

Rusty-James isn't book-smart--he relies on his fists instead of his brains. So far whenever he gets into trouble, his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy, has bailed him out. Then one day Rusty-James's world comes apart in an explosive chain of events--and this time the Motorcycle Boy isn't around to pick up the pieces.

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I remember reading this for English in school, and loving it.  I can't remember everything about it, but I remember thinking it was to short.  I wanted it to last longer.   It think it's time for a reread.  

Throwback Thursday (Like Water for Chocolate)

I haven't done a Throwback Thursday in quite awhile, but I think it's time to start again.

Throwback Thursday is hosted by Jenny from Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

This week's Throwback Thursday is

Like Water for Chocolate

Author:  Laura Esquivel

Publisher:  Black Swan

From Goodreads: 

Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, "Like Water For Chocolate" is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes. A sumptuous feast of a novel, it relates the bizarre history of the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has been forbidden to marry, condemned by Mexican tradition to look after her mother until she dies. But Tita falls in love with Pedro, and he is seduced by the magical food she cooks. In desperation, Pedro marries her sister Rosaura so that he can stay close to her. For the next twenty-two years, Tita and Pedro are forced to circle each other in unconsummated passion. Only a freakish chain of tragedies, bad luck and fate finally reunite them against all the odds.

I absolutely love this book.  Forbidden love, recipes, and magic realism makes this story unforgettable.  Every chapter begins a new month, and new recipes.  I felt for Tita, and Pedro.  Theirs was a love that was undying, and impossible.   There is also a movie adaption that is very good, but of course the book is better.  Great read!

Throwback Thursday

I haven't done a Throwback Thursday in quite awhile, but I think it's time to start again. 

Throwback Thursday is hosted by Jenny from Take Me Away. 

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

This week's Throwback Thursday is

Mommie Dearest

Author:  Christina Crawford

Publisher:  Berkely Books

Date Released: November 1st 1979

Mommie Dearest is a the memoir of Christina Crawford the adopted daughter of Joan Crawford.  She writes about the relationship between her, and her mother.

I can't tell you how totally absorbed in this book I was.  I remember reading it at a early age, I was probably about 11 yrs old, and boy was it awful to read about the abuse she says she suffered.  A couple of years later I was able to catch the movie on late night tv, and I was equally glued to the TV.  Even now I remember the whole "No More Wire Hangers" line.   

I know that some people say that Christina Crawford told many lies in her book, but whether or not it's completely true or not, I still can't watch an old Joan Crawford book without thinking of Mommie Dearest.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

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Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

From the publisher:

The four Dollanganger children had such perfect lives -- a beautiful mother, a doting father, a lovely home. Then Daddy was killed in a car accident, and Momma could no longer support the family. So she began writing letters to her parents, her millionaire parents, whom the children had never heard of before.

Momma tells the children all about their rich grandparents, and how Chris and Cathy and the twins will live like princes and princesses in their grandparents' fancy mansion. The children are only too delighted by the prospect. But there are a few things that Momma hasn't told them.


She hasn't told them that their grandmother considers them "devil's spawn" who should never have been born. She hasn't told them that she has to hide them from their grandfather if she wants to inherit his fortune. She hasn't told them that they are to be locked away in an abandoned wing of the house with only the dark, airless attic to play in. But, Momma promises, it's only for a few days....


Then the days stretch into months, and the months into years. Desperately isolated, terrified of their grandmother, and increasingly convinced that their mother no longer cares about them, Chris and Cathy become all things to the twins and to each other. They cling to their love as their only hope, their only strength -- a love that is almost stronger than death.

This book is one of my favorite books of all time.  I read it in junior high, and I couldn't get enough.  The whole series is worth a read in my opinion.  Love the movie, also.

I recently saw two new covers for Flowers in the Attic. 

I like that they modernize the cover, so it can appeal to today's readers.

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This is the cover for the 2 in 1.  It has both Flowers in the Attic, and Petal in the Wind.

Love the cover!

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

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From Goodreads-

Colleen McCullough's sweeping saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback has enthralled readers the world over. This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, ranchers carving lives from a beautiful, hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Meggie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest Father Ralph de Bricassart—an intense joining of two hearts and souls that dangerously oversteps sacred boundaries of ethics and dogma.

A poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit, Colleen McCullough's acclaimed masterwork remains a monumental literary achievement—a landmark novel to be cherished and read again and again.

I had heard many great things about this book, and finally read it about 8 yrs ago, and completely fell in love with it.  It definitely is a saga with so much going on, you literally are engrossed in it until the end.  I recently came upon Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series, and after reading good things about it, I'm now in the process of getting all 7 books in the series, so I can start.

 

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

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From the Publisher:

If you are a dreamer, come in,
If you are a dreamer,
A wisher, a liar,
A hope-er, a pray-er,
A magic bean buyer …

Come in … for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein’s world begins. You’ll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

Shel Silverstein’s masterful collection of poems and drawings is at once outrageously funny and profound.

I loved this book when I was a kid. I remembered I would check it out from the school library over and over again. It was loved by many kids, I remember the book was falling apart.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

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Throwback for this week is

From Goodreads:

The Overlook Hotel is more than just a home-away-from-home for the Torrance family. For Jack, Wendy, and their young son, Danny, it is a place where past horrors come to life. And where those gifted with the shining do battle with the darkest evils. Stephen King's classic thriller is one of the most powerfully imagined novels of our time.

This was the October pick for a book club I'm in and also a book from my 1001 Book Challenge. I'm currently reading it right now, such a great read especially for Halloween.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

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My throwback for this week is

From Goodreads-Sex and drugs and shlock and more -- Jacqueline Susann's addictively entertaining trash classic about three showbiz girls clawing their way to the top and hitting bottom in New York City has it all. Though it's inspired by Susann's experience as a mid-century Broadway starlet who came heartbreakingly close to making it, but did not, and despite its reputation as THE roman á clef of the go-go 1960s, the novel turned out to be weirdly predictive of 1990s post-punk, post-feminist, post "riot grrrl" culture.

If you haven't read it, you're missing out on a very entertaining read. It reads like a soap opera, the drama is unbelievable, and oh so good. It was written in the 60's, so it is outdated, but only culture wise, the story is itself is timeless. Don't forget the movie, too.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"




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From the publisher-

No one ever told Margaret Simon that eleven-going-on- twelve would be such a hard age. When her family moves to New Jersey, she has to adjust to life in the suburbs, a different school, and a whole new group of friends. Margaret knows she needs someone to talk to about growing up-and it's not long before she's found a solution.



Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. I can't wait until two o'clock God. That's when our dance starts. Do you think I'll get Philip Leroy for a partner? It's not so much that I like him as a person God, but as a boy he's very handsome. And I'd love to dance with him... just once or twice. Thank you God.

This book brings back some really great memories. All of Judy Blume's books were a huge part of my life as a kid, but this one is my all time favorite Judy Blume book. I've read it numerous times, and infact read it the end of last year, while my daughter was reading it.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

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From Amazon- The book that made Collins one of America's favorite authors sweeps readers from the sophisticated playgrounds of Europe to the glittering gambling palaces of Las Vegas, plunging into the world of the Santangelo crime family. The book introduces street kid Gino Santangelo, who makes it all the way to the top, and his beautiful and daring daughter, Lucky.

This book is a favorite of mine, and one of the best books i've read. I really typically don't read Jackie Collins novels, but as a teenager I would read whatever I could get my hands on. This book had everything, mobsters, casinos, love, greed, secrets, you name it. When I think back as a teenager I sure did read a lot of trashy novels.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

From Goodreads-Bradley Chalkers IS the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . .

I remember reading this when I was in 4th grade. It became one of my favorite books as a kid, and now a favorite of my kids.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

My pick for Throwback Thursday this week is Persuasion by Jane Austen. I read this book a couple of years ago, and loved it. I will be reading it again soon, as it was picked for the Bloggers Unite Book Club September's read.

From Goodreads-

'She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older - the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.' Anne Elliot seems to have given up on present happiness and has resigned herself to living off her memories. More than seven years earlier she complied with duty: persuaded to view the match as imprudent and improper, she broke off her engagement to a naval captain with neither fortune, ancestry, nor prospects. However, when peacetime arrives and brings the Navy home, and Anne encounters Captain Wentworth once more, she starts to believe in second chances. Persuasion celebrates romantic constancy in an era of turbulent change. Written as the Napoleonic Wars were ending, the novel examines how a woman can at once remain faithful to her past and still move forward into the future.

What's your Throwback Thursday pick?

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of Take Me Away.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

My Throwback Thursday pick for this week is Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. This one is a favorite of mine. I remember reading it as a Freshman in High School, and staying home all weekend to read it. This book is one of the few books I do go back and read at least once a year, it brings me back to my teenage self, when I had no worries. Ahh, bliss. Like my pick before, this book has also been made into a movie.

From Goodreads- It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny--the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents...Eve--the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny--they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own.

It widened at Dublin, at the university where Benny and Eve met beautiful Nan Mahlon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision.

What's your Throwback Thursday pick?

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Jenny of TakeMeAway.

"It is the time each week to recognize those older books… an older book you’ve always wanted to read, or one that you have read and love; maybe one from your childhood; or review an older book -- how about even a classic!"

My Throwback Thursday pick is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Sadly, I've never read this book before. I've heard such great things about it, and I'm looking forward to reading it . A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was first published in 1943, and has become a classic. It has also been turned into a movie and a musical.

From Amazon: Francie Nolan, avid reader, penny-candy connoisseur, and adroit observer of human nature, has much to ponder in colorful, turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. She grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a severely realistic mother, and an aunt who gives her love too freely--to men, and to a brother who will always be the favored child. Francie learns early the meaning of hunger and the value of a penny. She is her father's child--romantic and hungry for beauty. But she is her mother's child, too--deeply practical and in constant need of truth. Like the Tree of Heaven that grows out of cement or through cellar gratings, resourceful Francie struggles against all odds to survive and thrive.

I would love to hear your comments about my Throwback Thursday pick, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.