WWW Wednesdays

It's time for WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words

  

This weekly meme consists of answering The Three Ws:

What are you currently reading?

 What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm reading . . .

Things take a terrifying turn on the drive home from a strange visit to Jakes's parent.  How will things end?  More from Goodreads.

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I finished reading . . .

 

Imagine living in a society that separates its citizens into two categories: those who are needed and those who are dispensable.  This is the premise of The Unit.  Women over 50 and men over 60 who are designated dispensable live out the remainder of their days in the unit, where they participate in clinical trials and organ donations. This thought-provoking book raises questions about free will and choice; an individual's worth; and the rights of individuals versus what is best for society.

Members of the unit form caring, supportive relationships, even in the face of ultimate sacrifice.  This book will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.  More from Goodreads.

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I'm reading next . . .

This is another book club read.  More from Goodreads.

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I'm waiting for . . . 

 

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Publication Date:  August 9, 2016

Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming, delivers her first adult novel in twenty years.

From barnesandnoble.com:  Running into a long-ago friend sets memory from the 1970s in motion for August, transporting her to a time and a place where friendship was everything—until it wasn’t. For August and her girls, sharing confidences as they ambled through neighborhood streets, Brooklyn was a place where they believed that they were beautiful, talented, brilliant—a part of a future that belonged to them.

But beneath the hopeful veneer, there was another Brooklyn, a dangerous place where grown men reached for innocent girls in dark hallways, where ghosts haunted the night, where mothers disappeared. A world where madness was just a sunset away and fathers found hope in religion.

Like Louise Meriwether’s Daddy Was a Number Runner and Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina, Jacqueline Woodson’s Another Brooklyn heartbreakingly illuminates the formative time when childhood gives way to adulthood—the promise and peril of growing up—and exquisitely renders a powerful, indelible, and fleeting friendship that united four young lives.

What are your Wednesday updates?

WWW Wednesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring an upcoming read, The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton, which I borrowed from the library.

 

Goodreads Page  

PROLOGUE

Wanted:  A bold adventurer who would love to travel the world from a comfortable and safe spot behind a desk that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes.  A humble book and rare manuscript shop seeks a keenly intelligent investigator to assist us in our search for things thought lost, and in our quest to return lost items to their rightful owners.  This multitasked position will take you places you can't even imagine.  Apply only if you're ready for everything to change.  Please note: the position is located in Edinburgh, Scotland.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?   

That want ad is quite a tall order, and it will take a very special person to fill the job.  The Cracked Spine is the first book in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery series.  The second book, Of Books and Bagpipes, will be available in 2017.





First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts 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 I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, an upcoming read borrowed from the library.

 

 

 

I'm thinking of ending things.

 

Once this thought arrives, it stays.  It sticks.  It lingers.  It dominates.  There's not much I can do about it.  Trust me.  It doesn't go away.  It's there whether I like it or not.  It's there when I eat.  When I go to bed.  It's there when I sleep.  It's there when I wake up.  It's always there.  Always.

 

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Page 56:  "I can't say this to Jake and I don't, but maybe it's better to be alone."
 

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My thoughts:  I've heard that this debut novel is a compelling and suspenseful read.  The short opening sentences create a level of urgency that have me wanting to drop everything and start reading this book immediately.  In fact, that's my weekend plan.

 

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From Goodreads:  You will be scared. But you won’t know why…

 

In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.

In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go. 

 

 

Which book are you reading now or about to start?

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

 

WWW Wednesdays

It's time for WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words

  

This weekly meme consists of answering The Three Ws:

What are you currently reading?

 What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm reading . . .

This humorous story is one character's chance to experience what life would have been like had she married a different guy.  This is a great escape and vicarious daydream about one of the biggest what ifs in life. Read more about this novel on its Goodreads page. 

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I finished reading . . .

  

A novel based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs.  More from Goodreads.  This is an entertaining historically fictionalized account of the Kopp sisters—Constance, Norma, and Fleurette—who defy the conventions of the time and set out to make their own way in the world.  When an automobile owned by a sketchy character collides with their buggy, mayhem ensues, with the sisters under threat from a group of local criminals.  

The story was quite enjoyable, with strong female characters, and a good sense of what it was like to be a woman in the early twentieth century.  In addition to the fine storytelling, the author's notes at the end clearly distinguish fact from fiction and give sources for finding original newspaper headlines written about the events that occurred.  As fans of historical fiction know, it is often hard to distinguish facts from creative embellishment, and I appreciated the author's forthrightness.

Girl Waits with Gun is the first in the Kopp Sisters series.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will publish book two, Lady Cop Makes Trouble on September 6, 2016.  I'm glad that the continuing adventures of the Sisters Kopp are on the horizon.

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I'm reading next . . .

 

This is another book club read.  More from Goodreads.

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I'm waiting for . . . 

  

This debut psychological suspense novel will be published next week, on June 28, 2016.

From barnesandnoble.com:  Swan Huntley's We Could Be Beautiful is the spellbinding story of a wealthy woman who has everything—and yet can trust no one.

 

Catherine West has spent her entire life surrounded by beautiful things. She owns an immaculate Manhattan apartment, she collects fine art, she buys exquisite handbags and clothing, and she constantly redecorates her home. And yet, despite all this, she still feels empty. She sees her personal trainer, she gets weekly massages, and occasionally she visits her mother and sister on the Upper East Side, but after two broken engagements and boyfriends who wanted only her money, she is haunted by the fear that she'll never have a family of her own. One night, at an art opening, Catherine meets William Stockton, a handsome man who shares her impeccable taste and love of beauty. He is educated, elegant, and even has a personal connection—his parents and Catherine's parents were friends years ago. But as he and Catherine grow closer, she begins to encounter strange signs, and her mother, Elizabeth (now suffering from Alzheimer's), seems to have only bad memories of William as a boy. In Elizabeth's old diary she finds an unnerving letter from a former nanny that cryptically reads: "We cannot trust anyone . . . " Is William lying about his past? And if so, is Catherine willing to sacrifice their beautiful life in order to find the truth? Featuring a fascinating heroine who longs for answers but is blinded by her own privilege, We Could Be Beautiful is a glittering, seductive, utterly surprising story of love, money, greed, and family.

What are your Wednesday updates?

WWW Wednesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring my current read, The One That Got Away by Leigh Himes, which I borrowed from a librarian friend.

 

Goodreads Page  

PROLOGUE

F**k you, Marc Jacobs.  Those were the words running through my mind right before I fell backward and flipped over the side of the Nordstrom escalator.

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CHAPTER ONE

The day before my accident started like every other morning of my life: pure chaos.  The dog was barking, the baby was screaming, my daughter had wet the bed again, and my husband, Jimmy, was long gone to one of his landscaping jobs.  Jimmy usually left around five in the morning, silently finding his clothes, lunch, and work boots before slipping out the back door like a cat burglar.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?   

Who hasn't daydreamed about how life would have turned out if they'd chosen to marry another suitor?  Abbey Lahey will find out how dramatically different her life would have been in this humorous contemporary novel.  It's a perfect summer escape.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings

It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts 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 Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman, an upcoming read borrowed from the library.

 

Part One

 

When my brother was eighteen, he broke his arm in an accident that ended in another young man's death.  I wish I could tell you that we mourned the boy who died, but we did not.  He was the one with murder in his heart and, sure enough, death found him that night.  Funny how that works.

 

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Page 57 (Page 56 is blank):  "I learned to ride a bike well and fearlessly that summer I was six years old because I was trying to keep up with two fourteen-year-olds."
 

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My thoughts:  It's been a while since I've read a book by Lippman, and I'm eager to dive into another of her captivating stories.  

 

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From Goodreads:  The bestselling author of the acclaimed standalones After I’m Gone, I’d Know You Anywhere, and What the Dead Know, challenges our notions of memory, loyalty, responsibility, and justice in this evocative and psychologically complex story about a long-ago death that still haunts a family.

Luisa “Lu” Brant is the newly elected—and first female—state’s attorney of Howard County, Maryland, a job in which her widower father famously served. Fiercely intelligent and ambitious, she sees an opportunity to make her name by trying a mentally disturbed drifter accused of beating a woman to death in her home. It’s not the kind of case that makes headlines, but peaceful Howard county doesn’t see many homicides.

As Lu prepares for the trial, the case dredges up painful memories, reminding her small but tight-knit family of the night when her brother, AJ, saved his best friend at the cost of another man’s life. Only eighteen, AJ was cleared by a grand jury. Now, Lu wonders if the events of 1980 happened as she remembers them. What details might have been withheld from her when she was a child?

The more she learns about the case, the more questions arise. What does it mean to be a man or woman of one’s times? Why do we ask our heroes of the past to conform to the present’s standards? Is that fair? Is it right? Propelled into the past, she discovers that the legal system, the bedrock of her entire life, does not have all the answers. Lu realizes that even if she could learn the whole truth, she probably wouldn’t want to.

 

 

Which book are you reading now or about to start?

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

 

WWW Wednesdays

Today marks the first time I'm participating in WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam.

  

This weekly meme consists of answering The Three Ws:

What are you currently reading?

 What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I just started reading . . .

 

In this irresistible debut novel, a freak accident allows a wife and mother to explore the alluring road not taken.  More from Goodreads.

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 I recently finished reading . . .

  

This is the story of a wife on the run from her cold, calculating husband.  Despite Anna's attempts to shield her young daughter from his negative influences, Ned relentlessly pursues them and ultimately tracks them down.  He is determined to advance his own political ambitions and control their destinies, using a series of mind games and dangerous incidents that test Anna's strength and survival skills.  This is a true battle of good versus evil.  More from Goodreads.

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My next read .  . .

  

I'll be reading this one for a book club meeting later this month.  More from Goodreads.

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What are your Wednesday updates?

WWW Wednesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring my current read, Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet, which I borrowed from a librarian friend.

 

Goodreads Page

1

HALLUCINATIONS, EVEN IN THE SANE

When I insisted on keeping the baby, Ned threw his hands into the air palms-forward.  He looked like a mime climbing a wall--one of the few times I've ever seen him look clumsy.

Then he dropped his hands and turned away, shaking his head.  It was a terminal shake.  Afterward his schedule got fuller, his long work hours longer, his attention more completely diverted.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?     

Anna and her young daughter have gone off the grid, in hiding from her estranged husband.  As the tale unfolds, Ned seems obsessed with finding them, even though he had no interest in them when they were living together as a family.  What are his motives, and who will prevail in this battle of good against evil?










First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring my current read, Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, which I got at BEA this year.

 

 Goodreads Page 

 A private plane sits on a runway in Martha's Vineyard, forward stairs deployed.  It is a nine-seat OSPRY 700SL, built in 2001 in Wichita, Kansas.  Whose plane it is is hard to say with real certainty.  The ownership of record is a Dutch holding company with a Cayman Island mailing address, but the logo on the fuselage says GULLWING AIR.  The pilot, James Melody, is British.  Charlie Busch, the first officer, is from Odessa, Texas.  The flight attendant, Emma Lightner, was born in Mannheim, Germany, to an American air force lieutenant and his teenage wife.  They moved to San Diego when she was nine.

Everyone has their path.  The choices they've made.  How any two people end up in the same place at the same time is a mystery.  You get on an elevator with a dozen strangers.  You ride a bus, wait in line for the bathroom.  It happens every day.  To try to predict the places we'll go and the people we'll meet would be pointless.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?     

A plane crashes into the Atlantic Ocean minutes after takeoff.  The crew and five of the seven passengers perish.  Why did the plane crash so suddenly and violently?  Was this a tragic accident or something more sinister?  As an investigation gets underway, we get the back stories of each character, which leads to much speculation about what brought the plane down and rapid page turning.  Before the Fall is a fast-paced thriller that has me hurtling toward its conclusion at break-neck speed.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.