Tuesday, September 30, 2014

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #77 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 my current read, Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Cannell.  I am new to this author's work, never having started her Ellie Haskell Mysteries series.  I like being able to step into her first novel in the new Florence Norris Mysteries series.

Murder at Mullings  

One

When Florie Wilks arrived at Mullings to work as a kitchen maid, she saw herself stepping not only into a world of grandeur, but one poised thrillingly on the ledge between reality and the sort of transporting fiction she loved.  She couldn't count the number of such books she'd devoured at the risk of being told by her furious father that the next time she wasted a tallow candle staying up half the night reading he'd send her to live with nasty Aunt Aggie.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Teaser:  "Shivering, she was about to lie down and pull the bedclothes close, when the door opened.  The ceiling light switched on and Molly, the ever solid head housemaid, came into the room.  Florence's heart hammered.   It was obvious from the look on that usually rosy face that something was terribly wrong." ~ p. 55

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?
 
First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #77 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.



Sunday, September 28, 2014

Weekly Book Recap #83

How did it get to be the end of September so fast?  Although I love this time of year for its warmish days, beautiful foliage, crisp apples, and fresh cider, I lament the loss of daylight and all the busy-ness leading up to the holidays.  Now is as good a time as any to remind myself to keep calm and read on, but it also leads into the countdown for my second blogoversary...which I will celebrate on 10/11.

Here's a recap of the past week's posts:
Tuesday:  First Chapter/First Paragraph & Teaser
Wednesday:  Waiting on Wednesday -- author Jayne Ann Krentz stopped by to comment
Friday:  Book Beginnings and The Friday 56

And, the rest of my week in books, which is being shared on these blogs:
  Showcase Sunday banner2a


 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 . . .
California   California by Edan Lepucki 

Currently reading . . .
 Night Road   Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Borrowed from the library . . .
               I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You    Girl in Translation
               I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks Night Road

I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum, Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok,  I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan, and Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Ebook downloads . . .
Fit To Be Dead (An Aggie Mundeen Mystery Book 1)  Finding Pride (The Pride #1) Underwood, Scotch, and Wry
Fit to be Dead by Nancy G. West, Finding Pride by Jill Sanders, and Underwood, Scotch, and Wry by Brian D. Meeks

Reading next . . .
 Murder at Mullings   Murder at Mullings by Dorothy Canell


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

Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #56

16
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 my current read:
 
Night Road   

Beginning:  Prologue -- 2010
 
She stands at the hairpin turn on Night Road.
 
The forest is dark here, even in midday.  Ancient, towering evergreens grow in dense thickets on either side, their mossy, spearlike trunks rising high enough into the summer sky to block out the sun.  Shadows lie knee-deep along the worn ribbon of asphalt; the air is still and quiet, like an indrawn breath.  Expectant.
 ---------------------------------------------
 
One -- 2000
 
Lexi Baill studied a Washington State map until the tiny red geographical markings shimmied in front of her tired eyes.  There was a vaguely magical air about the place names; they hinted at a landscape she could hardly imagine, of snow-draped mountains that came right down to the water's edge, of trees as tall and straight as church steeples, of an endless, smogless blue sky.  She pictured eagles perched on telephone poles and stars that seemed close enough to grasp.  Bears probably crept through the quiet subdivisions at night, looking for places that not long ago had been theirs.
 
Her new home. 
 
******************** 
Page 56:  "When they came out, Jude was stunned by how beautiful they both looked. 'Those are perfect,' she said."
*********************   
 
My thoughts -- Kristin Hannah has been on my must-read authors list for a while now, and I'm glad to have an opportunity to delve into one of her novels.  This may be my first Kristin Hannah book, but based on what I've read so far and the recommendations of other readers and bloggers, it probably won't be my last.


Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

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


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: New Jayne Ann Krentz Novel

 
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 new novel by popular author Jayne Ann Krentz.  Whether she writes under this name or as Jayne Ann Castle or Amanda Quick, the former librarian has never disappointed me.  Jayne's previous novel, River Road was a resounding hit.
 
 Trust No One   
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) 
Publication date: January 6, 2015
 
From barnesandnoble.comFollowing up on the incredible success of River Road, New York Times–bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz delivers another masterpiece of romantic suspense. 

It’s no coincidence when Grace Elland finds a vodka bottle next to the lifeless body of her boss, motivational speaker Sprague Witherspoon. The bottle is a terrifying—and deliberate—reminder of the horrors of her past.

Grace retreats to her hometown to regroup and tries to put everything she’s learned about positive thinking into practice—a process that is seriously challenged on the world’s worst blind date.

Awkward doesn’t begin to describe her evening with venture-capitalist Julius Arkwright. She has nothing in common with a man who lives to make money, but the intense ex-Marine does have some skills that Grace can use—and he’s the perfect man to help her when it becomes clear she is being stalked.

As Witherspoon’s financial empire continues to crumble around them, taking a deadly toll, Julius will help Grace step into her past to uncover a devious plan to destroy not only Grace, but everyone around her . . . 

Which book are you waiting for?
. . . Will you add this one to your list of must-reads?

Waiting on Wednesday: New Jayne Ann Krentz Novel was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #76 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 California, a debut novel by Edan Lepucki.  This is one of many books that couldn't be preordered from Amazon because of the retailer's battle with publisher Hachette.  As a result, Stephen Colbert asked his viewers to preorder the title from Powell's and other online and bricks and mortar stores, causing quite a sensation.  I've only read a few chapters so far, but the storyline is engaging and I'm already concerned about what lies ahead for Cal and Frida, a young married couple who find themselves in unchartered territory.

California   

1

On the map, their destination had been a stretch of green, as if they would be living on a golf course.  No freeways nearby, or any roads, really: those had been left to rot years before.   Frida had given this place a secret name, the afterlife, and on their journey, when they were forced to hide in abandoned rest stops, or when they'd filled the car with the last of their gasoline, this place had beckoned.  In her mind it was a township, and Cal was the mayor.  She was the mayor's wife.

Of course it was nothing like that.  The forest had not been expecting them.  If anything, it had tried to throw them out, again and again.  But they had stayed, perhaps even prospered.  Now Frida could only laugh at the memory of herself, over two years ago: dragging a duffel bag behind her with a groan, her nails bitten to s**t, her stomach roiling.  Grime like she'd never imagined.  Even her knees had smelled.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Teaser:  "Though she'd tried to prepare herself, Frida couldn't belive that they were really alone.  Just the two of them." ~ p. 13


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 



What are you reading now or planning to read soon?
 
First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #76 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Weekly Book Recap #82

I returned early Thursday morning from a week's visit to Paris and London.  It was nice to return to these cities and tour both new places and familiar haunts.  I also managed to fit in a bookstore visit at each location.

In Paris, I fulfilled my dream of walking the aisles at Shakespeare and Company, the historic English language bookstore on the Left Bank near Notre Dame frequented by many famous writers over the years.  It has a nice mix of new and old books and literary memorabilia. I came away with the tote bag and bookmark pictured below.



In London, I popped into Waterstone's on Oxford Street, across from Selfridge's department store, where I happened upon a display of classic crime novels reissued by The British Library.  I couldn't resist snapping up copies of two novels by Mavis Doriel Hay, which are pictured below.  The books were originally published in the mid-1930s.

                   Death on the Cherwell              Murder Underground
                   Death on the Cherwell               Murder Underground  




There wasn't any time for reading or blogging while I was away, so now I am playing catch up--reconnecting with the blogosphere and reestablishing a (hopefully) manageable reading schedule. 

Read on for the rest of my week in books, which is also being shared on these blogs:
  Showcase Sunday banner2a


 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 . . .
Catch Your Death   Catch Your Death by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards

Borrowed from the library . . .
      California                              Cancel the Wedding: A Novel  
California by Edan Lepucki        Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn Dingman

From Viking Penguin . . .
 Unbecoming: A Novel    Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm

Ebook downloads . . .
Chasing Darkness (A Taut Psychological Thriller)   Chasing Darkness by Danielle Girard
Peter Pan     Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Sense and Sensibility    Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Reading next . . .
California    California by Edan Lepucki


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

Friday, September 19, 2014

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #55

16
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 my current read:
 Catch Your Death 
 
Beginning -- Prologue, Sixteen Years Ago
The world was on fire.
 
Or maybe she wasn't in the world any more.  Maybe this was Hell.  The heat, the taste of sulphur on her tongue, the sickness, the torment.  Screams rang through the air, relentless, monotonous, a one-pitch yell of despair.  She opened her eyes and saw a figure stooping over her; a hovering devil, with flaming red hair.  She tried to shout but all that came out was a rasping noise, and the devil's face was close, the brimstone smell of its breath in her nostrils.
 
------------------------------
 
Chapter 1  -- Present Day
 
The woman lying on the bunk appeared to be dead, until she sneezed; the violent motion making her skinny body spasm.  She opened bloodshot eyes and lifted an arm, trying to pull a tissue from the box on the bedside cabinet.  But as she reached out, her body spasmed again and she knocked the box to the floor.  Too weak to pick it up, she lay still, until a further series of sneezes rocked her body like gunshots.
 
********************* 
Page 56 (from the ebook):  "He just had one of those faces which made her want to smile: a lovely curved mouth, great big brown eyes, and the sort of floppy hair which she had adored in Robbie Williams in her teenage years."
*********************   
 
My thoughts -- The descriptive scenes in the prologue and first chapter drew me in immediately, and there's enough mystery in the opening chapters to keep me turning the pages.


Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #55 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.    
 
 

Friday, September 12, 2014

Travels

I'm taking some time off for a little vacation . . .

                         



I'll see London . . .

                      


I'll see Paris . . .

               Image result for visit paris      


Then I'll return to the blogosphere.  I don't think I'll have much of a chance to visit other blogs to comment while I'm away.  I'll catch up with all of you when I return. 

Stay well and happy reading, all!