Book Chatter

Every once in a while I find myself completely overwhelmed by my reading list. It’s a “good” bad. I mean, I don’t think I will ever complain that I have too much to read but the timing is sometimes an issue for me. I’m not always in the mood to read the titles when they need to be read. So what I end up doing is reading what I want, and then I can’t post the review because the book won’t be out for months. See? Timing!

Here is what I must read over the next six weeks. Some are review commitments, some are commitments I made to myself and others are here because they are borrowed and I really need to get them back to their owners. If any of them appeal to you, click on the cover for more info.

With Spring Break around the corner, I plan to read at least three of these but these days, my time is spent watching the Otter Pup. She regressed a bit, so I’ve been watching her every move and it’s completely worn me out. At least now that the list is in front of me, it doesn’t look so intimidating. Yes, I think I can do this.

How many books do you have in your immediate TBR (to be read) pile? I say “immediate” because if I counted every book on my virtual list it’s like, 300 or something.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried
By Susannah Gora
(Three Rivers Press, Paperback, 9780307716606, 384pp, Feb 2011)

The Short of It:

If you watch Sixteen Candles EVERY time it’s on, or if you’ve ever wished Duckie Dale ended up with Andie at the end of Pretty In Pink, then this is the book for you.

The Rest Of It:

I love this book. I bought it over a year ago for my Kindle and allowed myself to read tiny bits of it between basketball practice, tennis lessons and doctor’s appointments. It provided me with a year’s worth of joy. What IS it about the 80’s anyway? Is that decade particularly special, or is it just special to me because those were my high school years? I wonder sometimes.

Gora covers all the movies of that time…the Brat Pack films that include Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club, just to name a few. With interviews of the key players and inside scoops on casting…You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried is basically a touching collection of memories. These young actors grew up to depict the characters of our youth, yet the issues they dealt with were authentic and often issues that they were struggling with in real life. The struggle for acceptance, the awkwardness, the angst… it’s all here.

What I especially love about this book is that Gora gives you all the behind-the-scenes info on casting, who was seeing who, how the directors and producers influenced these actors on a daily basis, etc. Just the bits on casting alone were fascinating. There was so much going on with these actors that it’s hard to imagine that the movies were ever made!

After each chapter, I found myself pulling out all of my DVDs and loading up my iPod with songs of that time. I just can’t say enough about the book. If you loved the 80’s, you simply have to read it. I will leave you with one of my favorite clips from Pretty in Pink. Click here to view it.

Source: Purchased