Holiday Wishes

While I take a blogging break to spend time with family and friends, 

I wish all of you joy, cheer, and happiness as 2013 draws to a close 

and the new year begins.

Catherine

 

Image Source:  hdwallpaper2013.com

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #26

 
It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

This week's selection:

   

Beginning:  Prologue

The New Year of 2004 had come in.  It was getting late and I was thinking of leaving -- the party was flat and I was tired -- but someone tapped my shoulder.  The stranger was about forty-five and a little tipsy.  She told me she was married to the brother of a mutual friend, but she wasn't planning to remain so much longer.  I smiled politely.  She put her hand on my arm and said she had something that might interest me.

"You're a journalist, aren't you?"

"I used to be."

"You can find things out, can't you?"

"It depends what they are."

"You have to meet my friend.  She has a puzzle she needs you to solve."

 

--------------------

Page 56:  "Marjorie Hess was worried about flying and she was worried about arriving.  She was missing Doc and the boys, and she was anxious about the task that lay in wait at her destination."

--------------------

From barnesandnoble.com:  Now a major motion picture starring Judi Dench: the heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years.

When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a “fallen woman.” Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like thousands of others, to America for adoption. Fifty years later, Philomena decided to find him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Philomena’s son was trying to find her. Renamed Michael Hess, he had become a leading lawyer in the first Bush administration, and he struggled to hide secrets that would jeopardize his career in the Republican Party and endanger his quest to find his mother.

A gripping exposé told with novelistic intrigue, Philomena pulls back the curtain on the role of the Catholic Church in forced adoptions and on the love between a mother and son who endured a lifelong separation.

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #26 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.   

Waiting on Wednesday: The Steady Running of the Hour

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature of the Breaking the Spine blog.  It's a great way to share information about forthcoming books with other readers.

This week's anticipated book:

 

 Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: April 15, 2014

   Preorder from online and books and mortar bookstores

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  In this mesmerizing debut, a young American discovers he may be heir to the unclaimed estate of an English World War I officer, which launches him on a quest across Europe to uncover the elusive truth. 

Just after graduating college, Tristan Campbell receives a letter delivered by special courier to his apartment in San Francisco. It contains the phone number of a Mr. J.F. Prichard of Twyning & Hooper, Solicitors, in London—and news that could change Tristan’s life forever.

In 1924, Prichard explains, an English alpinist named Ashley Walsingham died attempting to summit Mt. Everest, leaving his fortune to his former lover, Imogen Soames-Andersson. But the estate was never claimed. Information has recently surfaced suggesting Tristan may be the rightful heir, but unless he can find documented evidence, the fortune will be divided among charitable beneficiaries in less than two months.

In a breathless race from London archives to Somme battlefields to the Eastfjords of Iceland, Tristan pieces together the story of a forbidden affair set against the tumult of the First World War and the pioneer British expeditions to Mt. Everest. Following his instincts through a maze of frenzied research, Tristan soon becomes obsessed with the tragic lovers, and he crosses paths with a mysterious French girl named Mireille who suggests there is more to his quest than he realizes. Tristan must prove that he is related to Imogen to inherit Ashley’s fortune—but the more he learns about the couple, the stranger his journey becomes.

The Steady Running of the Hour announces the arrival of a stunningly talented author. Part love story, part historical tour de force, Justin Go’s novel is utterly compelling, unpredictable, and heartrending.

Which book are you waiting for?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Steady Running of the Hour was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #43

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. It's an opportunity to share the first paragraph(s) of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

This week I'm featuring the opening paragraph from The Year After by Martin Davies, which I purchased a few months ago.

  

The Year After  

1

London in 1919 was a city of shadows.  I arrived late in the evening, my uniform still grimy with Flanders dust, and took a room at the Mecklenburg, reluctant to face the emptiness of my own rooms in Rudolph Square.  It had been a solitary journey, the boat quiet and the train nearly empty, and I felt subdued.  I'd gone to war in the company of friends, people I knew well.  I was returning alone, to a city where I felt a stranger.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?  I'm looking forward to starting this novel.  I'm curious about the narrator, find the cover intriguing, and consider the setting and era personal favorites. 

 

 

What are you reading?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #43 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #47

It's been a busy weekend...the Christmas tree is up and decorated and the shopping is nearly completed.  The snow that fell this weekend provides the perfect backdrop to the holiday season. ..

Here's my recap of books that I'm reading or have acquired during the second week of December, which I am sharing on the following blogs:

 

 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  

Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea . . .
 

Special thanks to the wonderful editors at Macmillan Publishing Group for hosting a Winter/Spring 2014 Librarian Preview earlier this week and providing ARCs of some soon-to-be published young adult fiction.

 My book activity from December 8 - 14, 2013
 

Finished reading . . . 
   The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Started reading . . .

  Coral Glynn by Peter Cameron
 

From Macmillan . . .

    

The Summer Invitation by Charlotte Silver, Grandmaster by David Klass, Cress by Marissa Meyer, Stay Where You Are & Then Leave by John Boyne, She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick, Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci, I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora, and The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Image not available for:  The Kiss of Deception, Morrighan Chronicles Book One by Mary E. Pearson; Shipwreck Island by S.A. Bodeen 
 

Ebooks downloaded . . . 

     

   

Nook:  Long Time Coming by Edie Claire; Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

Kindle:  Village School by Miss Read, Psmith, Journalist and Psmith in the City by P.G. Wodehouse, and Beyond the Cliffs of Kerry by Amanda Hughes

Which books did you get this week?
   

Catherine

 

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #47 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #25

It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

This week's selection:

   

Beginning:  CHAPTER ONE

"Got a light?"  I asked the bulky man silhouetted against the gray night sky and the faint glimmer of the Serpentine.  His hand in his pocket, scritch of a match, then blue light fractured and illuminated blunt features, small dark eyes, a heavy brow ridge, and a certain brutality of expression that sent my heart pumping with the frisson of danger: better than I hoped.  "Thanks."  Darkness again.  I took a quick drag of the cigarette, risking my asthmatic lungs for courtesy.  "Nice night."

 

This book combines many of my favorite elements--historical fiction, mystery, imagined scenarios featuring a real, larger-than-life character, and London during World War II.  All of these factors make this an appealing story. 

 

--------------------

Page 56:  "Though a hopeful gambler, Arnold was old enough to know the odds--in wagers and in life."

--------------------

From barnesandnoble.com:  A killer takes refuge in the blacked-out streets of wartime London, upending the world of one of Britain’s greatest painters in this chilling and captivating reimagining of the life of Francis Bacon.

 

Francis Bacon walks the streets of World War II London, employed as a warden for the ARP to keep watch for activities that might tip off the Axis powers. Before the war, Bacon had traveled to Berlin and Paris picking up snatches of culture from a succession of middle-aged men charmed by his young face. Known for his flamboyant personal life and expensive taste, Bacon has returned home to live with his former nanny—who’s also his biggest collector—in a cramped bohemian apartment.

But one night, death intrudes on his after-hours paradise. When a young man is found dead in the park, his head smashed in, Bacon and the rest of London’s demimonde realize that they have much more to fear than the faraway scream of war.

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #25 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.   

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Flavia de Luce #6

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature of the Breaking the Spine blog.  It's a great way to share information about forthcoming books with other readers.

This week's anticipated book:

 

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Publication date: January 14, 2014

   Preorder from online and books and mortar bookstores

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  On a spring morning in 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet. Yet upon the train’s arrival in the English village of Bishop’s Lacey, Flavia is approached by a tall stranger who whispers a cryptic message into her ear. Moments later, he is dead, mysteriously pushed under the train by someone in the crowd. Who was this man, what did his words mean, and why were they intended for Flavia? 

 

Back home at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ crumbling estate, Flavia puts her sleuthing skills to the test. Following a trail of clues sparked by the discovery of a reel of film stashed away in the attic, she unravels the deepest secrets of the de Luce clan, involving none other than Winston Churchill himself. Surrounded by family, friends, and a famous pathologist from the Home Office—and making spectacular use of Harriet’s beloved Gipsy Moth plane, Blithe Spirit—Flavia will do anything, even take to the skies, to land a killer.

 

My thoughts:  I read the previous books in this series and have a soft spot in my heart for the young and precocious Flavia, the villagers of Bishop's Lacey, and the entire de Luce family.  I look forward to this next installment in one of my favorite mystery series.

 

Which book are you waiting for?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Flavia de Luce #6 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #42

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. It's an opportunity to share the first paragraph(s) of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

This week I'm featuring the opening paragraph from Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel, which I recently borrowed from the library. 

 

 Stiltsville

1969

On a Sunday morning in late July, at the end of my first-ever visit to Miami, I took a cab from my hotel to Snapper Creek marina to join a woman named Marse Heiger, whom I'd met the day before.  When I stepped out of the cab, I saw Marse standing in the well of her little fishing boat, wearing denim knee shorts and a yellow sleeveless blouse, her stiff brown hair pinned under a bandanna.  She waved and gestured for me to climb into the boat.  She poured me a mug of coffee from an aluminum thermos and started the engine.  "Ready?" she said.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?  Ready for what, I wonder.  I'll continue reading to find out more.

What are you reading?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #42 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #46

Here's my recap of books that I'm reading or have acquired during the first week of December, which I am sharing on the following blogs:

 

 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  

Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea . . .

 My book activity from December 1 - 7, 2013

 

Finished reading . . .  

    Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell

Borrowed from the library . . .

     

The Crooked Maid by Dan Vyleta; And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

Ebooks downloaded . . .

  

Nook:  If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino; Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes by Joanne Demaio

   

Kindle:  Lana'i of the Tiger by JoAnn Bassett, The Girl Pretending to Read Rilke by Barbara Riddle, and Anne of Green Gables Stories by Lucy Maud Montgomery and Timeless Reads

Purchased . . .

   Downturn Abbey by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

Which books did you get this week?
   

Catherine

 

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #46 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #24

 
It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

This week's selection:

   

Beginning:  Chapter 1

She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.  Louisa May Alcott

 

Anyone who says that money can't buy happiness has clearly never been inside a bookstore.  And certainly not one like Chaucer's, Darcy Archer thought proudly, glancing around the gorgeous place she was lucky enough to work in. 

This book pulled me in immediately.  I love its opening quote and the first sentence.  This is the first novel I've ever read by Irish author Melissa Hill and it is a nice escape from my holiday to-do lists.

--------------------

Page 56:  "She only wished she had one of her beloved books to help soothe her right now, but in her haste to leave the apartment this morning, she'd forgotten to put the copy of Pride and Prejudice back into her bag."

--------------------

From barnesandnoble.com:  Darcy Archer works in a small bookstore in Manhattan. A daydream believer, she refuses to settle for anything less than being swept off her feet by the perfect man… literally.

One day, when cycling to work, Darcy accidentally crashes into a sharply dressed gentleman walking his dog. He is knocked out cold, rushed to hospital and the poor pup gets left behind.

Wracked with guilt, Darcy takes the dog and makes plans to reunite him with owner, Aidan. As she discovers the mysterious stranger's world of books, travel, adventure and all the wonderful things she's ever dreamt about, Darcy builds a picture of this man and wonders if he could be THE ONE…

But does fantasy match reality? What happens when Prince Charming wakes up? Will Aidan be the happy ever after she's always imagined?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #24 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    

Waiting on Wednesday: Above

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature of the Breaking the Spine blog.  It's a great way to share information about forthcoming books with other readers.

This week's anticipated book:

   

Publisher: Gallery Books 

Publication date: March 4, 2014

   Preorder from online and books and mortar bookstores

From barnesandnoble.com:  In the bestselling vein of Room and The Lovely Bones, a stunning and harrowing novel about a Kansas teenager who is abducted and locked away in an abandoned missile silo by a survivalist who believes he is saving her from the impending destruction of the world.

Blythe focuses on finding a way to escape until she discovers that she also has to deal with crushing loneliness, the terrifying madness of her captor, and the persistent temptation to give up. Nothing, however, prepares her for the burden of having to raise a child in confinement.

Out of fear, she pushes aside the truth about a world her son may never see for a myth that just might give meaning to his life underground. But when fate intervenes, Blythe and her son manage to re-emerge, only to find themselves in a world even more terrifying than the one they left behind.

Riveting and unforgettable, Above is a beautifully written and compelling tale of survival, resilience, and hope.

My thoughts: I've read both Room and The Lovely Bones and am curious about a debut novelist's handling of a similar storyline.

Which book are you waiting for?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine
---------------------
Google Friend Connect is a thing of the past.  If you are a new follower or previous GFC follower, please sign up to follow the Book Club Librarian Blog via Bloglovin' or by email.  Let me know if you're a new follower and leave me a link to your blog so I can follow you back.  Thanks!
---------------------
Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Above was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #41

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. It's an opportunity to share the first paragraph(s) of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

This week I'm featuring the opening paragraph from The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes, which I recently borrowed from the library.

   

1

St. Peronne

October 1916

I was dreaming of food.  Crisp baguettes, the flesh of the bread a virginal white, still steaming from the oven, and ripe cheese, its borders creeping toward the edge of the plate.  Grapes and plums, stacked high in bowls, dusky and fragrant, their scent filling the air.  I was about to reach out and take one, when my sister stopped me.  "Get off," I murmured.  "I'm hungry."

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?  The description of the food in this opening scene has me craving my own wedge of brie and loaf of French bread. 

I've read and enjoyed two of Jojo Moyes's previous novels, The Last Letter from Your Lover and Me Before You.  These stories have made her one of my favorite authors, and I am looking forward to beginning this novel in the next few days.

What are you reading?

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #41 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.