Welcome to the ‘frigid cold’ edition of Book Beginnings and The Friday 56 hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda on Freda’s Voice. Head on over there and check out the other participating blogs.
This week I’ll be featuring a book I read over a year ago, Some of Tim’s Stories by S.E. Hinton. Hinton is one of my favorite writers of all time and her book, The Outsiders is my #1 recommended book. This is a short story collection she published much later.
Book Beginnings is all about that very important opening sentence (or two) that us writers are always worrying about! Hinton starts her book off with these:
“Not till you’re twelve. That’s the rule,” Uncle TJ said.
“That’s a dumb rule,” Terry said. “That’s two more years.”
This is a great way to introduce characters without too much of an info dump. The boys want to go camping with their father and uncle but the brothers like to have their time away. Terry wants to grow up too fast. Its a great setup for the book.
The way this meme works is pretty simple. If you want to join in, head over to Freda’s blog and add your link.
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book (I grab the one I’m currently reading)
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
The quote on page 56 that I’ve chosen relates to many of the same themes as the opening quote, which I’m geeking out about.
What did grown-ups have to fear? He knew when he was grown up, his own fears would be gone- like not being able to find his room on the first day of school, that maybe driving a car would be beyond him, that he might not be good enough for big-league baseball after all.
Hinton talks about growing up a lot in her books so this is no surprise. I love her characters and they way she writes their thoughts and fears. Now I really want to re-read The Outsiders…
Until next time, write on.
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Taking On a World of Words 
I read and loved The Outsiders in high school and with as much as I enjoyed the writing I wonder why I’ve never read any more of Hinton’s work. I love the excerpts. Thanks for sharing and reminding me about this author!
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No problem! She has three other YA novels set in Tulsa that I’ve read and enjoyed. There’s another novel, ‘Hawkes Harbor,’ that she wrote later. I haven’t read it yet, but I hope to soon! Happy Reading.
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I haven’t heard of this one, but The Outsiders was an awesome book…so thanks for sharing. Here’s mine: “THE DAY WE MET”
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I love how Hinton tackles tough issues for young adults. This one was a bit more grown up but struck me just the same. Happy reading!
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This sounds like a delightful book. I like the way the author tells us so much about the character (his age, the fact that he’s a boy) in just a few words. I’ll look for books by this author.
My Friday post features CHRISTMAS CRACKER.
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Hinton is fairly well known for her YA hit, ‘The Outsiders.’ She has a few other books and as a huge fan of hers, I’ve read all but one! I hope you can find one you like; I recommend ‘The Outsiders.’
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not an author I’ve read before, but would give it a try
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She’s a great writer. Her break-out book, ‘The Outsiders,’ is commonly taught in Middle School.
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Thanks for sharing. The Outsiders sounds good.
I love the comment from the twelve-year-old. 🙂
ENJOY your weekend.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Book Beginnings
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‘The Outsiders’ is my all-time favorite novel. I recommend it if you can get your hands on a copy. Happy reading!
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Thanks…I will see if the library has a copy.
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So many questions to consider, many of the ones I am actually having to discuss with my oldest who sounds a lot like Terry from the book beginning 🙂 It’s a bittersweet phase, I want to hold on to him forever!
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A lot of the story is about lost youth. Sometimes it’s good to hold on. Happy reading!
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I’ve only read The Outsiders by her, but it holds such a special place in my heart.
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Same here! Her other books are in a similar style.
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I can relate to the beginning. I was always being told I had to wait till I hit a certain age to do something. Having a sister 8 years older didn’t help.
Sounds like a decent read!
Happy weekend!
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I was oldest and I hated that when I was finally ‘old enough’ my younger brother was allowed to do the same things. Ugh!
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I read The Outsiders in high school and then read it again when my son was in high school. It’s such a great book and this sounds excellent too.
My 56 – http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/02/20/the-friday-56-53-the-unseen/
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Her books are all solid quick reads. It’s great that you read your son’s assigned reading with him! That’s great!
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Always found it strange how she was such a prolific author as a teenager (I loved The Outsiders and Rumbefish) but didn’t really continue writing much in adulthood (like Harper Lee, her books have probably remained in print and provided her with a decent income!) Still, most authors NEED to write. Didn’t know about this short story collection – thanks for the heads up!
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She’s written one other book in later years, called Hawkes Harbor. I hope to read it soon. Happy reading!
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I love the tone of writing and am drawn to pick up the book.
The Picture.
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It’s a very quick read and it very long. I’m sure you could get through it quickly.
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