Some of Tim’s Stories: The Oklahoma Stories & Storytellers Series    by S. E. Hinton Order:  USA  Can University of Oklahoma, 2007 (2007) Hardcover      Reviewed by Lisa Respers France It's been a long time since I have read a book in one sitting. That was easy to do with Some of Tim's Stories, given that the book is only 150 pages long and less than half of those pages are stories. The rest of the book is dedicated to interviews with Hinton, the celebrated writer who as a teen phenom transformed the young adult market with the novel The Outsiders. This new book is clearly for adults and traces the lives of Mike and Terry, cousins so close that they are often mistaken for twins. The men, sons of brothers who married sisters, are both mired in sad existences. One is a drunk who works as a bartender and the other is in jail, paying a heavy price that included saving the other. The stories begin with them as boys but quickly convert to tales of their adulthood. The pair never loses their connectedness or the bond that comes from a shared tragedy. Each short tale is crisp, powerful and elegantly written in its simplicity reminding the reader of Hinton's genius at writing in the voice of the opposite sex. Hinton becomes Tim, the author who uses the character of Mike to tell his own story. The interviews will thrill those whose adolescent reading list included Tex, Rumble Fish, That Was Then, This Is Now and the aforementioned The Outsiders. Hinton discusses the movies made from her novels and also talks about her writing methods and characterizations. Like her past works, this new book is straight and to the point, indicative of Hinton's Midwest background (true fans will recall that Tulsa is usually the setting of choice for her work.) However, the unevenness between the balance of interviews and short stories might leave all but the most die hard Hinton fan a bit disappointed. All in all Some of Tim's Stories will leave the reader wishing for more of Tim's stories, as they are that good. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews