Thinking Out Loud Thursday - May 10, 2018

This past Monday, Eric and I went to see a throw back movie at a theater near us for their retro-showing of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It had been YEARS since I watched the entire movie.  As a matter of fact, as the movie played out in front of us I swear there were parts I'd never seen before.  We went home with a smile on our faces and an earworm of Oompa Loompa doom-pa-dee-do playing in our heads.  Now you're probably singing it too -- sorry.

Well, that made me ponder all the great movies and books in my past and I started thinking about some great books that I wouldn't mind re-reading.  So that is what I'm thinking out loud about today!

There are two Leila Meacham books that I adored reading - Roses and Somerset.  Somerset is the prequel to Roses, which I loved because when I finished Roses I was so captivated with the family I definitely wanted more.  Both are long.  Roses is 609 pages and Somerset is 625, but well worth it.  It would be a great beach read or a book to take on a long trip. 

Here's the Amazon summary ~

Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been--not just for themselves but for their children, and their children's children.
With expert, unabashed, big-canvas storytelling, Roses covers a hundred years, three generations of Texans and the explosive combination of passion for work and longing for love.

Click HERE to purchase

Born into the wealthiest and most influential family in 1830s South Carolina, Jessica Wyndham was expected to look appealing, act with decorum, and marry a suitably prominent and respectable man. However, her outspoken opinions and unflagging sense of justice make her a difficult-and dangerous-firebrand, especially for slavery-dependent Carson Wyndham. Jessica's testing of her powerful father's love is only the beginning of the pain, passion, and triumph she will experience on a journey with the indomitable, land-obsessed Silas Toliver and headstrong Jeremy Warwick to a wild new land called Texas.

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A Year in Provence is a quick read and let's you live vicariously through the author on adventures while living in southeastern France.  Goodreads says this ~

In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January's frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing through the middle of town, and delights in the glorious regional cuisine. A Year in Provence transports us into all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life and lets us live vicariously at a tempo governed by seasons, not by days.

Click HERE to purchase

Once I started The Dry Grass of August, I couldn't hardly put it down.  The story sucked me in from the very first page.  The author, Anna Jean Mayhew, wrote this, her first book, when she was 71 years old.  Guess that proves it's never too late to write a best seller! Amazon says this ~

In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation and what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood and for the woman who means the world to her.

On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally.

Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence.

Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us from child to adult, wounded to indomitable.

Click HERE to purchase

Have you read any of these?  What's a book from your past that you love and would highly recommend?

So that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.  Link up and share what's on your mind.

An InLinkz Link-up

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at:

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

This is How We Roll

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