Booking through Thursday: Six Degrees Round Robin

Here is what's happening today --
Laura said:
"Jeanne suggested that we do this again, round robin style. I think it sounds like fun. It'll be interesting to see the book selections. I won't be here next week (see my blog for details, if you're so inclined), so see if you can keep this going for a couple of weeks. Here's what to do:
I'll start with a book, then the first person who comments uses my book as inspiration. Each person after that uses the book of the person above as their inspiration. There will be times when there's an overlap, with two or more people using the same book as their inspiration. When that happens, the next person will have their choice."

The first book, chosen by Laura:
I don't read classics as often as I should, but when I do I usually love them. One of my favorites is Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. My husband has a nice collection of leather-bound books, and it's his special edition of this book that I first read. It made the experience just that much more enjoyable for me. The smell of the leather, the fine gilt-edged pages, the beauty of the prose, the eerie feeling of the tale, all made my first sojourn into this wonderful story that much more special."

Bill responded with:
I propose Jamaica Inn' by Daphne du Maurier. I read this book in the 1970's when on holiday's at my grand parents. That summer was awfully hot and i spent the afternoons readins in the coolest room of the house. My grand mother owned a lot of what was then called 'Women books' (that meant written by women). Among them were all du ùaurier's books and I read them all and loved them.
In 1996, I holidayed in the southern Coast of England with my husband and daughter. I bought the book when I got back home, read it again and loved it! Here it is.

Jeanne said:
"Jamaica Inn" makes me think of adventure stories -- specifically Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island". Even though this was (and still is, I suppose) seen as a "boy's book," I enjoyed it tremendously, with its tales of the sea and derring-do, and its wonderfully vivid characters. "Pieces of eight, pieces of eight!"

Mary proposed:
Okay, I had to think about this but Jeanne's comment about Treasure Island being a "boy book" leads me to a very recent read of mine, Guys Write for Guys Read edited by Jon Scieszka. Guys Read (www.guysread.com) is an organization designed to increase the literacy of boys. The book is essays and drawings by male authors and illustrators. Like Jeanne and Treasure Island, this book is for boys but I absolutely loved it. So many wonderful tales of childhood from dozens of "guys." A must read.

And here is mine:
Mary’s mention of childhood stories and “guys” made me think of a novel of a childhood happening in the absence of reliable guys…men, rather. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, written in the Forties by Betty Smith, is a poignant novel that traces the childhood of Francie Nolan, a little girl living in the Williamsburg slums of Brooklyn in the first decades of the 20th century. More than just a tale of bright and imaginative Francie as she grows and perseveres, the book is also a wonderfully charactered portrayal of the women who hold strong and keep the families whole, even when they are failed again and again, often by the men in their lives. This is one of my all-time favorite books…beautifully written and deeply moving.



Check the comments in Booking Through Thursday to see what follows my suggestion and maybe add one of your one.