Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #62

It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from a current or upcoming read 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 a library book that I just started reading:

 

   

Evil Librarian 

by Michelle Knudsen

Beginning:

Italian class.  The shining highlight of my Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Not because I am any good at Italian (I'm not), or because I like the teacher (I don't).  It's because Ryan Halsey sits one row over and two rows up from where I sit, which is absolutely perfect for forty-five minutes of semi-shameless staring.

 

******************** 
Page 56:  "Ms. Bennett looks instantly concerned.  Her worry about what sort of emergency might involve a phone call in the middle of class conveniently distracts her from asking if I have a pass from the principal's secretary, or anything like that."

*********************   

 

My thoughts:  

Based on the title, I couldn't resist this book.  Reading the opening paragraph reminded me of the high school crushes I had oh so many years ago . . .

 

 

Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #62 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    

 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Magician's Lie

 

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 The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister.

  

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated

Publication Date: January 13, 2015

From barnesandnoble.com:  Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in The Magician's Lie, a debut novel in which the country's most notorious female illusionist stands accused of her husband's murder —and she has only one night to convince a small-town policeman of her innocence.

The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden's husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.

But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless-and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free... and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors.

Which book are you waiting for?

...Will you add this one to your list of must-reads?

Waiting on Wednesday:The Magician's Lie was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #83 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 one of my next reads, Goodbye Piccadilly, the first book in the War at Home Series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, a book I recently borrowed from the library:

 

Chapter One

July 1914

It was another beautiful summer day, clear and hot.  The distant wooded hills were brushed with shadows of mauve and indigo, the dusty road shimmered, and behind the hawthorn hedges to either side, the hayfields, long cut, were beginning to flush again with flowers.  Swallows were skimming back and forth above them; their shrilling and the faint rustle of the hedgerow were the only sounds in Sadie's world, aside from Arthur's steady hoofbeats.  One motor-car had passed them since they had left the forge; and they had passed a cart loaded with straw coming the other way, scattering golden chaff in its wake.

 

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

Teaser:  "In summary, she was his beloved sister and a constant worry to him.  He came round the desk to greet her, noting that she was particularly bright-eyed that morning." ~ p. 50


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

 

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #83 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #61

It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from a current or upcoming read 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 a library book I finished this week:

 

   

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

Beginning:

On the ferry from Hyannis to Alice Island, Amelia Loman paints her nails yellow and, while waiting for them to dry, skims her predecessor's notes.  "Island Books, approximately $350,000.00 per annum in sales, the better portion of that in the summer months to folks on holiday," Harvey Rhodes reports.  "Six hundred square feet of selling space.   No full-time employees other than owner.  Very small children's section.  Fledgling online presence.  Poor community outreach.  Inventory emphasizes the literary, which is good for us, but Fikry's tastes are very specific, and without Nic, he can't be counted on to hand-sell.  Luckily for him, Island's the only game in town."  Amelia yawns--she's nursing a slight hangover--and wonders if one persnickety little bookstore will be worth such a long trip.

 

******************** 
Page 56:  "Aside from her husband, she believes her brother-in-law to be one of the most selfish and self-centered men she has ever met."

*********************   

 

My thoughts:  

This touching tale of love, loss, and new beginnings set in a small New England bookstore is one of the best books I have read this year.  It is a true circle of life story, with characters and situations that speak to the generosity and resilience of the human spirit, as well as the power and importance of community.  The references to real-life books and authors sprinkled throughout adds another level of significance and delight.  I highly recommend this book in both print and audio format.

 

 

Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #61 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Perdita

 

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 Perdita by Hilary Scharper.

 

   

Publisher:  Sourcebooks, Incorporated

Publication Date: January 20, 2015

 

 From barnesandnoble.com:  Marged Brice is 134 years old.

She'd be ready to go, if it wasn't for Perdita . . .

The Georgian Bay lighthouse's single eye keeps watch over storm and calm, and Marged grew up in its shadow, learning the language of the wind and the trees. There's blustery beauty there, where sea and sky incite each other to mischief... or worse...

Garth Hellyer of the Longevity Project doesn't believe Marged was a girl coming of age in the 1890s, but reading her diaries in the same wild and unpredictable location where she wrote them might be enough to cast doubt on his common sense.

Everyone knows about death.
It's life that's much more mysterious...

Which book are you waiting for?

...Will you add this one to your list of must-reads?

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

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #82 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 one of my next reads, Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet, a book I recently borrowed from the library:

  

I.  Newlyweds

Chip picked out the destination for our honeymoon.  He'd always wanted to take a cruise, just like Middle Americans.  Middle Americans love cruises, Chip said ardently.  Chip's a romantic when it comes to the people of the Midwest, and also those dwelling along the Rocky Mountain front, the landlocked parts of the South, things like the Dakota area or what have you.  Those places are somewhat mythic to Chip.  He has what I suspect is a fanciful idea: people that live away from New York or L.A., D.C. or San Francisco, maybe in a pinch Boston or even Seattle--those people are modern-day pioneers.

 

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

Teaser:  "This is your honeymoon, I told myself.  Try not to think of the fat tragedy."
~ p. 62

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #82 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Weekly Book Recap #88

November has made its presence known by sending some really blustery winds and lower temperatures.  I actually wore my winter jacket for the first time this week.  Yikes!  Scarves and gloves seem to be on the horizon.  This turn of events, combined with daylight savings time, has made me a bit cranky, as has getting used to NYC's recently imposed lower speed limit (now 25 mph unless otherwise posted).  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for improving safety and hope this policy produces positive results.  Actually, what I'm reacting to is what seems to be too many significant changes all at once. 

Oh well . . . as the saying goes, keep calm and read on.

And thus to something that always makes me happy no matter what the time of year or weather . . . my weekly book recap.

First, the past week's posts:
Tuesday:  First Chapter & Teaser
Wednesday:  Waiting on . . .
 Friday:  The Friday 56 & Book Beginning

Now for the rest of my week in books, which is 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 . . .
  River Road, another satisfying Jayne Ann Krentz contemporary novel, with a good mix of mystery, suspense, and romance set in California wine country.  The characters were interesting, given their intertwining connections and competing agendas, which had me guessing to the very end who would actually stop at nothing--including murder--for their own personal gain. 

  Going Nowhere Fast, an amusing tale of mayhem, murder, and family dysfunction set at the Grand Canyon--the perfect palate cleanser to read between more serious novels.

Currently reading . . .

 The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry--quite possibly one of my favorite novels of the year.

Downloaded . . .

           

        

Gatsby Girls by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The One You Love by Paul Pilkington, Hallowed Murder by Ellen Hart, Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and The Heartbreak Cafe by Melissa Hill

Borrowed from the library . . .

           

         

Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet, Broadchurch by Erin Kelly, Getting Even by Sarah Rayner, Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

. . . I just love the mermaid cover . . . and the title of the librarian book . . .

Reading next . . . 

  Florence Gordon  by Brian Morton

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 #88 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #60

It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from a current or upcoming read 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 a library book I picked up this week:

 

   

Florence Gordon by Brian Morton

 

Beginning:

 

Florence Gordon was trying to write a memoir, but she had two strikes against her: she was old and she was an intellectual.  And who on earth, she sometimes wondered, would want to read a book about an old intellectual?

 

Maybe it was three strikes, because not only was she an intellectual, she was a feminist.  Which meant that if she ever managed to finish this book, reviewers would inevitably dismiss it as "strident" and "shrill."

******************** 
Page 56:  "Whenever she showed up, he made her feel as if the party had finally begun."

*********************   

 

My thoughts:  The opening paragraphs of this novel intrigue me.  I want to know more about this woman's life and experiences.

 

 

Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #60 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl on the Train

 

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 The Girl on the Train, a debut psychological thriller by Paula Hawkins.

 

 

 Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) 

Publication date: January 13, 2015

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  A debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.

Which book are you waiting for?

...Will you add this one to your list of must-reads?

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

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #81 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 one of my next reads, The Three-Day Affair a debut literary suspense novel by Michael Kardos that I borrowed from the library. 

 

Prologue

Six years ago, my band's bassist was shot dead in a New York nightclub.  Her name was Gwen Dalton, and she'd only been with the band a few months when she was killed. 

# # # # # # # #

Part One

Chapter 1

It almost didn't happen--the kidnapping and everything after.  That's the part that gets me, even now.

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

Teaser:  "Once I began to understand the key facts--there were no grave injuries; this was no mad dash to the hospital after all--my first feeling, however fleeting, was relief." ~ p. 27


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #81 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Weekly Book Recap #87

It's November!!??!!  I'm not going to focus on how close it is to the end of the year.  I prefer to think about my last two weeks, which have been chock-full of bookish events.

The highlight of the recent past was the Association of American Publishers (AAP) Adult Tri-State Book Buzz on October 22nd.  This all-day event brought librarians and representatives from publishing houses together for a presentation of recently published and forthcoming titles.

Jane Green was one of the featured speakers, and she entertained us with anecdotes about interviews she has done with actors Hugh Grant and Harrison Ford for Parade, as well as talking about her next novel, Saving Grace, which will be published in December.  Green told us about the negative personal experience that gave her the idea for this forthcoming book, which sounds like it will be a resounding bestseller.

There are a ton of great new books coming out at the end of 2014 and in early 2015.  In addition to Saving Grace, the titles I am most excited about are from favorite authors:  

• The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (I came away with an ARC)
• West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan 
• A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
• Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
• Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
  
• A Dangerous Place (Maisie Dobbs #12) by Jacqueline Winspear
• The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer
• The Green Road by Anne Enright
• Manhattan Mayhem by Mary Higgins Clark (ed)

Another recent highlight was trading in my first edition Nook for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.  Barnes and Noble was offering a tempting trade-in rebate, which I combined with a membership discount to purchase the new device.  It's nice to have a brand new toy to add to my collection of gadgets.  While my iPad still holds most favorite status, I like having the option of a smaller tablet for those times when I want to travel lighter.

October ended with a delightfully bookish Halloween.  I had two book club meetings that day--one at lunchtime and one at dinnertime--which were nice treats.  November started with the annual library book sale.  All in all, a nice way to wrap up the previous month and kick off the new one.

On to the weekly recap and all the books acquired over the past two weeks . . . .

The past week's posts:
Tuesday:  First Chapter & Teaser
Wednesday:  Waiting on . . .
 Friday:  The Firday 56 & Book Beginning

Now for the rest of my week in books, which is 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 three books . . .

                                     

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok and Night Road by Kristin Hannah are each coming-of-age stories about girls who struggle to fit in.  While the situations and story lines of these novels are quite different, each author weaves a captivating tale about the challenges of rising above life's circumstances.  Kimberly Chang in Girl in Translation is a young girl who emigrates to the U.S. from Hong Kong at age 6; Lexi Baill in Night Road is an adolescent ward of the state from the wrong side of the tracks.  Both protagonists are tenacious and determined, and I found myself lamenting their setbacks and cheering their successes. 

The Girl with a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson is a fast-paced thriller that revolves around a mysterious and ruthless young woman. Just exactly who is the woman George Foss knows as Liana Dector?  Does he really know her at all?

  

Each time readers think they have Liana figured out, the author throws another curve. This page turner will undoubtedly be compared to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl.  

 

Currently reading . . .

   Going Nowhere Fast by Gar Anthony Haywood

From AAP's Adult Tri-State Book Buzz . . . 
with a multitude of thanks to Akashic Books, Algonquin Books, Ballantine Books, Grand Central Publishing, HarperCollins, Macmillan Library, William Morrow, Other Press, Quirk Books, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks

                           
           

           

           

             

                          

                                         

First row: The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek, The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton, and The House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy  

Second row: A Dangerous Age by Ellen Gilchrist, The Daylight Marriage by Heidi Pitlor, and Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis

Third row: A Small Indiscretion by Jan Ellison, Whisper Hollow by Chris Cander, and Come Sweet Death by Wolf Haas 

Fourth row: A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley, Happy are the Happy by Yasmina Reza, and My Accidental Jihad by Krista Bremer

Fifth row: Helsinki Noir by James Thompson (ed), The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion, and The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella

Sixth row: The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman and Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

Seventh row: Whiskey & Charlie by Annabel Smith and Letter to a Future Lover:  Marginalia, Errata, Secrets, Inscriptions, and Other Ephemera Found in Libraries by Ander Monson

Downloaded . . .

            

Paradise Rot by Larry Weiner, Maid for Love by Marie Force, and Killing the Beasts by Chris Simms
 

From the library book sale . . .

             

                          

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, One True Thing by Anna Quindlen, A Secret Affair by Barbara Taylor Bradford, Angels by Marian Keyes, Somewhere in France by Jennifer Robson, and Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd

Reading next . . .

    Between Two Rivers by Nicholas Rinaldi

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 #87 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.