Monday, May 14, 2018

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

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

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, now hosted by Vicki at I'd Rather Be At The Beach, 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, Better Off Read by Nora Page.  The excerpt shared is from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

  

Chapter One

In all her seventy-five years, Cleo Watkins had never harmed another human being. Not intentionally, and certainly not in anger.  Cleo considered herself a proper, well-mannered Southern lady.  She'd never harmed a book.  Cleo was a librarian.

Now, however, Cleo considered the hardback in her purse.  Zen and the Art of School Bus Maintenance had a fine, firm spine.  It was compact, perfect for carrying along to appointments . . . and for winging at the man in the plaid purple shorts.  Cleo steadied her stance in the overgrown lawn.  She rolled her wrist and stretched her elbow.  In a younger decade, she'd played South Georgia amateur softball.  She bet she still had a good pitch left in her, and there'd be no missing Mayor Jebson "Jeb" Day and his smug, pink cheeks.


What do you think?  Would you continue reading?
When I'm not reading thrillers, contemporary fiction, or historical novels, I gravitate toward cozy mysteries.  Regular readers of this blog know that I am always excited to discover a new series that I can both relate to and get into on the early side.  Better Off Read really fits the bill--not only is it the first book in the Bookmobile Mystery Series--it has the added bonus of a librarian as protagonist, and a spunky one at that.  Not to mention the perfection of the author's pen name.  

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This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing of this original post on Google+ are appreciated.





16 comments:

  1. This does look promising. I'd read more. Hope you enjoy.

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  2. I love that beginning! Especially the part about how she'd never 'harmed a book'. Ha!

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  3. I love cozies and this one sounds really good. See what we are featuring at Girl Who Reads

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  4. Sounds like a great book. The cover is a beauty! I'd love a poster like this. (Features animals and books!) I'd read on...

    Here's mine: http://bit.ly/AnneSchroeder1stLine

    Have a happy Tuesday, Catherine!

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  5. What a delightful sounding cozy! Anything with books as a centerpiece---and aging characters---grabs me. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  6. Not only would I keep on but I did. This was a fun mystery. This week I am spotlighting Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn from my TBR pile. Happy reading!

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  7. My mom was reading this one while I was visiting. I'll have to ask her how she liked the book.

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  8. There are many things about that intro that I loved. Cleo is an older lady, she loves books, used to play softball, and could (maybe still could) pitch. Reminds me of me. And I love the cover especially since it has both a cat and a dog.

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    1. I totally agree--I think the author has created a winning character and cover!

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  9. I hope you enjoy this! I thought it was a good read and I can never resist a librarian sleuth.

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