Thursday, May 10, 2018

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings


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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 A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert.  The excerpts shared are from the hardcover version I borrowed from the library.

 

Beginning:  Chapter One
Anyone who claims there are no stupid questions has never worked in a public library.

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Page 56:  "Richard stepped to the side and looked me up and down."
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My thoughts:  That opening line really made me chuckle . . .

Regular readers of this blog know how excited I get when I discover a new (or relatively new) mystery series.  A Murder for the Books is the first installment in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series, and was published in 2017.  If that's not enough reason to jump up and down, there are several bonuses:  the protagonist is a librarian; the setting is a library; and the author is a librarian.   Picture me doing my happy dance.

Book #2, Shelved Under Murder will be released on July 10, 2018.

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From Goodreads:  Fleeing a disastrous love affair, university librarian Amy Webber moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic mountain town in Virginia. She quickly busies herself with managing a charming public library that requires all her attention with its severe lack of funds and overabundance of eccentric patrons. The last thing she needs is a new, available neighbor whose charm lures her into trouble.


Dancer-turned-teacher and choreographer Richard Muir inherited the farmhouse next door from his great-uncle, Paul Dassin. But town folklore claims the house’s original owner was poisoned by his wife, who was an outsider. It quickly became water under the bridge, until she vanished after her sensational 1925 murder trial. Determined to clear the name of the woman his great-uncle loved, Richard implores Amy to help him investigate the case. Amy is skeptical until their research raises questions about the culpability of the town’s leading families...including her own.


When inexplicable murders plunge the quiet town into chaos, Amy and Richard must crack open the books to reveal a cruel conspiracy and lay a turbulent past to rest in A Murder for the Books, the first installment of Victoria Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library mysteries. 

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This Friday Focus post was originally written and/or compiled and published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing of this original post on Google+ are appreciated.   

19 comments:

  1. I love the sound of this one! Who doesn't love a mystery in a library setting. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Laurel-Rain. Have a happy Mother's Day.

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  2. Oh, that first line! Perfect, right? And I totally agree - based on my own library staff experience. Yes, this one needs to go on my list soon-ish. Just perfect. Ha!

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    1. I also just checked my Malice info. This author was on a panel that I intended to go to, but ended up missing unfortunately. I thought her name sounded familiar. I did see her around, but didn't get to meet her. Yes, now I must read the book. LOL

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    2. You were so close to the promised land! I've had that same type of experience at Book Expo. I'm really looking forward to immersing myself in this series. The third book is planned for 2019.

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  3. Oh my, the first line really sets the tone (I laughed, too). I hope it's as good as it sounds.

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    1. In the first chapter alone there are so many observations that ring true for librarians. I'd love to highlight and underline, but my copy belongs to the library.

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    2. Maybe I need to get some copies for librarian friends...

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  4. That beginning also rings true in retail. :-) Happy weekend!

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  5. I have this one and need to read it!!! :)

    Stormi
    Friday Memes

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  6. This book is on my review stack but I'm not yet to the July releases. I chose it for the same reasons you did - all those librarians. This week I am highlighting The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst. Happy reading!

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    1. I think you'll enjoy this book when you get to it. It has me grinning as I read descriptions of patrons and scenarios.

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  7. I don't usually read a lot of this genre, but this looks so tempting. :)

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  8. I loved this one! I just got the 2nd book and am really looking forward to it. That beginning is great. I had forgotten about it!

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