Weekly Book Recap #80

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone.  Whether or not you formally celebrate the holiday where you live, it's still a great opportunity to relax, read, and plan for the next season. 

It's been another slow book week, but I am enjoying the quieter pace, and am hoping to clear my backlog of books during the month of September.  I do, however, have a Barnes & Noble coupon that is good through 9/2, so if I find myself in the vicinity, I may give in to temptation. 

As those of you supporting the LitRate project already know, the husband and wife team behind the efforts to bring a new social media/online book cataloging community into being fell short of the required funding.  I'm sad about this because they had some unique ideas that we bloggers and readers would have benefited from.  So, I'm leaving up my support badge for the time being in the hope that Ashley from Noze Graze and her hubby won't give up on their dream. 

Read on for the latest updates, which are also being shared on these blogs:
 

 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  

Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey  

 

 

Finished reading . . .
    The Painter by Peter Heller, a complex study of human behavior and flawed characters.  It is an emotional, and at times terrifying, story of love, loss, and redemption.

Finished listening to . . .
    The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear.  I am a huge fan of the author's Maisie Dobbs series, which is also set around the time of the First World War.  This story, however, was a disappointment for me.  The characters and plot were not as compelling and polished as I've come to expect from Ms. Winspear.  The saving grace was the superb narration, which compared favorably to the distinct accents and voices of a Downton Abbey episode.

Currently reading . . .
   The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, which I am reading for a book club meeting this week.

   Clam Wake by Mary Daheim, which I am reading for a blog tour this week.

Purchases and downloads . . .
  Stirring the Embers by Mary Jo Putney 
  Arnco by Ben Muse

Reading next . . .
 I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum 


 

What did you read this week?  

. . . What did you add to your shelves or wish list?  

. . . . . . What are you reading next?

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

Weekly Book Recap #80 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Waiting on Wednesday: Munich Airport

 

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.  Today I'm featuring a novel from Greg Baxter, which was brought to my attention by a librarian friend whom I meet with regularly to discuss new books on the horizon.  The book will be released in January 2015.

   

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication date: January 27, 2015

 

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  From the critically acclaimed author of The Apartment, a powerful, poetic, and haunting exploration of loss, love, and isolation—and the families we improvise when our real ones fall apart.

An American living in London receives a phone call from a German policewoman telling him that his sister, Miriam, has been found dead of starvation in her Berlin apartment. Three weeks later the man, his father, and an American Consular official named Trish find themselves in the bizarre surroundings of a fogbound Munich Airport, where Miriam's coffin is set to be loaded onto a commercial jet and returned to America.

Greg Baxter's astonishing novel tells the story of these three people over the course of several weeks, as they wait for Miriam's body to be released, sift through her possessions, and try to piece together the events that led to her awful death. An unflinching look at family, loneliness, desperation, and regret, Munich Airport marks the establishment of an important literary voice in Greg Baxter.

Which book are you waiting for?

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

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #73 and Teaser Tuesdays

          
It's Tuesday . . . time to share book excerpts with: 

• First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

• Teaser Tuesdays hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, where bloggers post two (2) random “teaser” sentences--no spoilers allowed--to try to entice others to seek out these books.

Today I'm featuring the opening paragraphs and a teaser from Clam Wake by Mary Daheim, a novel in the Bed-and-Breakfast cozy mystery series that I am reading for an upcoming blog tour.  The cover evokes strong summer feelings for me, although the story is set in winter-time . . .

 

Chapter 1

Judith McMonigle Flynn stared at the mail on the credenza, glared at the thick packet's return address, and squared her broad shoulders before marching out of the front hall to confront her husband in the kitchen.

"It's here, Joe," she announced.  "Come and get it."

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

Teaser:  "Almost getting killed tended to tire her out.  Nor was she as young as she used to be." ~ p. 49


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #73 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Weekly Book Recap #79

How did it get to be the end of August so quickly?  As I continue to wonder where the summer has gone--an activity I seem to indulge in at this point every year--I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I only made a slight dent in my summer reading list.  With less than a week left in August, I concede that my plans were a bit too ambitious, and time got away from me.  I'm okay with it because it's still been a great summer, and it's not officially over until mid-September.

It's been a slower than usual book week, but I did discover a bag of books that apparently got separated from my BEA haul.  I consider this unexpected surprise a reward for my recent book reorganizing efforts.

Read on for the updates, which are also being shared on the following blogs:
 

 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  

Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey 

Finished reading . . .
   The Visitors by Patrick O'Keefe

Currently reading . . .
  The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

More BEA goodies . . .
              
              
Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen, The Cursed by Heather Graham, Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks, Alex by Pierre LeMaitre, The Prophet by Michael Koryta, and Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen


Purchases and downloads . . .
   Bittersweet  by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore
  Another Summer by Rebecca Stevenson

Reading next . . .
  The Painter by Peter Heller

What did you read this week?  

. . . What did you add to your shelves or wish list?  

. . . . . . What are you reading next?

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

Weekly Book Recap #79 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #54

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.

Today I'm featuring:

 

 

This is my current read, which is this month's selection for one of my book clubs.

 

Beginning:  Prologue

 

Alma Whittaker, born with the century, slid into our world on the fifth of January, 1800.

 

Swiftly--nearly immediately--opinions began to form around her.

 

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

 

Part One

 

The Tree of Fevers

 

Chapter 1 

 

For the first five years of her life, Alma Whittaker was indeed a mere passenger in the world--as we all are passengers in such early youth--and so her story was not yet noble, nor was it particularly interesting, beyond the fact that this homely toddler passed her days without illness or incident, surrounded by a degree of wealth nearly unknown in the America of that time, even within elegant Philadelphia.

 

********************* 
Page 56:  "On her father's lap, Alma learned that Henry had sailed the world with a great man named Captain Cook.  These were the best stories of all."

*********************   

Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #54 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Missing Place

 

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.  Today I'm featuring a suspense novel from Sophie Littlefield, an Edgar-nominated author.  The book will be released in October.  

 

   

Publisher: Gallery Books 

Publication date: October 14, 2014

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  Set against the backdrop of North Dakota’s oil boom, two very different mothers form an uneasy alliance to find their missing sons in this heartrending and suspenseful novel from the Edgar Award–nominated author of Garden of Stones.

The booming North Dakota oil business is spawning “man camps,” shantytowns full of men hired to work on the rigs, in towns without enough housing to accommodate them. In such twilight spaces, it’s easy for a person to vanish. And when two young men in their first year on the job disappear without a trace, only their mothers believe there’s hope of finding them. Despite reassurances that the police are on the case, the two women think the oil company is covering up the disappearances—and maybe something more.

Colleen, used to her decorous life in a wealthy Massachusetts suburb, is determined to find her son. And hard-bitten Shay, from the wrong side of the California tracks, is the only person in town even willing to deal with her—because she’s on the same mission. Overtaxed by worry, exhaustion, and fear, these two unlikely partners question each other’s methods and motivations, but must work together against the town of strangers if they want any chance of finding their lost boys. But what they uncover could destroy them both...

Sure to please fans of Sandra Brown and Gillian Flynn, The Missing Place is a moving chronicle of survival, determination, and powerful bonds forged in the face of adversity.

Which book are you waiting for?

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

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #72 and Teaser Tuesdays

          
It's Tuesday . . . time to share book excerpts with: 

• First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea, where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

• Teaser Tuesdays hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, where bloggers post two (2) random “teaser” sentences--no spoilers allowed--to try to entice others to seek out these books.

Today I'm featuring the opening paragraph and a teaser from Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran, the first book in the Read "Em and Eat cozy mystery series.  I'm always on the lookout for a new cozy series, and after seeing this one on several other blogs, I purchased a copy last week.  I've been drooling over the cover . . .

 

Chapter One

"Oh, pu-leeze, Rowena, Anya Seton never measured up to Daphne du Maurier's elegance.  I'm shocked you would say such a thing."  Jocelyn Kendall, pastor's wife and book club gadfly, crossed and recrossed her legs in perfect tempo with the ever-increasing meter of her rant.  Our discussion of Green Darkness was deteriorating rapidly.

 

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

Teaser:  "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Miss Ophelia.  He's here.  Lots of deputies here.  You can't be too sure who'll show up at a murder victim's funeral." ~ p. 135


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 
The setting is a bookstore cafe in the barrier islands of Florida's Gulf Coast.  I can picture myself there, and the phrase, "book club gadfly" made me laugh out loud.

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #72 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Weekly Book Recap #78

This has been a good book week.  I finished three books, went to two book club meetings, and participated in a blog tour.  Also unpacked the ARCs I got at the Simon & Schuster Fall 2014 Book Preview, including a signed advance copy of The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, the event's guest speaker.   Ms. Diamant spoke about her inspiration for the novel, as well as her research and writing process.  She also shared the news that The Red Tent, one of her previous bestselling novels, is being adapted into a television movie that will air on Lifetime a day or two before Scribner's December 9th release of The Boston Girl.

Other highlights of the preview:

• A look at the new novels and nonfiction books being released by S & S and their Scribner, Atria, Howard, Touchstone, and Gallery divisions later this year and in early 2015.
• The creation of Keywords Press, a new imprint resulting from a partnership between Atria Publishing Group and United Talent Association, which will feature books from YouTube stars with sizeable numbers of subscribers and video views.

As you can see below, I've added some great new books to my reading shelves.  Hope you see something you like amongst my newest additions.

This post is being shared on the following blogs:
 

 Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  

Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea
It's Monday! What Are You Reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey 

Finished reading . . .
        
The Whip by Karen Kondazian, Murder Strikes A Pose by Tracy Weber, and She's Leaving Home by William Shaw

Currently reading . . .
    The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

From Simon & Schuster Fall 2014 Preview . . .

 
                    
First row: The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, The First Bad Man by Miranda July, The Heart Has Its Reasons by Maria Duenas Second row:  The Undertaker's Daughter: A Memoir by Kate Mayfield, Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper, Ruth's Journey: The Story of Mammy From Gone With The Wind by Donald McCraig Third row:  The Power of the Heart by Baptist De Pape; Never Can Say Goodbye: Writers on their Unshakeable Love for New York by Sari Botton (editor)

Purchases and downloads . . .
     
Well Read, Then Dead by Terrie Farley Moran, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Borrowed from the library . . .
                          
                         
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta, My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff,
The Vanishing Thief by Kate Parker, and Secrets of the Lighthouse by Santa Montefiore

Reading next . . .
     Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer

What did you read this week?  

. . . What did you add to your shelves or wish list?  

. . . . . . What are you reading next?

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

Weekly Book Recap #78 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.