Thursday, October 28, 2021

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

16


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 an upcoming read, The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman. The excerpts shared are from a trade paperback borrowed from the library.

The Stranger Behind You

Beginning:  Prologue

I have noticed in my professional capacity that when someone makes a point of saying that they're not lying, that usually means they are.

********************  

Page 56: I pack up the notebooks and folders I've amassed over three years, stuffing them indiscriminately into boxes because I can't read my own handwritten labels. They fill two boxes, which I take, along with a few boxes of books and two suitcases, in an Uber up the West Side Highway on a rainy day in the first week of August.

********************  

My thoughts:  I am drawn to the description and plot synopsis of this novel, particularly the possible links between past and present. It's also an opportunity to try a new-to-me author.

********************  

From GoodReads: In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Michelle Richmond, and Shari Lapena, comes the newest mystery thriller from Edgar Award–winning, bestselling author Carol Goodmana twisty, chilling story set in a former Magdalen Laundry in Manhattan that explores today’s #MeToo complexities.

It’s taken Joan Lurie three years to write her article exposing a famous newspaper tycoon as a sexual predator. On the eve of its publication, she celebrates at a party thrown in her honor and is riding high…only to be brutally attacked as she is returning home late that night. Traumatized and suffering the effects of a concussion, she moves to a highly secure new apartment building in northern Manhattan called the Refuge. Safely sequestered away, she tries to begin writing a book that expands her much-lauded exposé.

At the Refuge, Joan encounters a frail 96-year-old woman who has been living in the building since the 1940s when it was a Magdalen Laundry and Refuge for Fallen Women. When Lillian first arrived, she was hiding out from the infamous Murder, Inc mobsters. As Lillian relates her story about the long-ago incriminating incident she witnessed that forced her into hiding, Joan recalls certain details of her own investigation.

The more Joan learns about Lillian and the fabled story of the Refuge, the more she realizes they may be linked to the book she is writing—and to her attacker that fateful night. As Joan starts to connect the clues and unravel decades worth of history, she must stay one step ahead of those who are desperate to make sure Joan never uncovers the final truth.




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This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. 

© 2021 Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post has been stolen and was used without permission.

 

Monday, October 25, 2021

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

 It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 



. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.
 

Today I'm featuring an upcoming read, Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penney, the first book in The Cambridge Bookshop series. The excerpt shared is from an eBook borrowed from the library.



First Chapter:  Thorndike, Vermont

Spring was much later than usual this year. The huge old maples in front of our farmhouse remained bare, their limbs shivering with each blast of cold northern wind. Only a few daffodils had dared to raise yellow, nodding heads, and these brave souls were soundly scolded for their impertinence when snowed upon. And inside the white farmhouse, which had hunkered low against storms and seasons and sorrows for more than two hundred years, all was quite grim.

Until the day the letter came. It was a Saturday afternoon, so I was home. The town library where I was assistant librarian closed at noon on Saturdays. But in a few more weeks, I wouldn't have a job at all. Budget cuts.

  

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The opening paragraphs hint at a much-needed opportunity. I can't resist the start of a new series that features a librarian as a protagonist. And as a librarian, I can certainly (and unfortunately) relate to budget cuts. 




 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. © 2021, Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post is being used without permission.

Friday, October 22, 2021

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Once Upon a Seaside Murder by Maggie Blackburn

 

Today I’m participating in the Once Upon a Seaside Murder Great Escapes Blog Tour. In this post you’ll find information about the book and author along with my review. And be sure to enter the giveaway contest via the link further below for a chance to win a prize package.


About the book . . .

 

Once Upon a Seaside Murder (A Beach Reads Mystery)

 Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Brigid’s Island, NC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (October 12, 2021)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643858327
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643858326
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08TV4GK2C


Synopsis . . . As the holidays approach, bookstore owner Summer Merriweather learns a dark secret in this second volume of Maggie Blackburn’s Beach Reads mystery series.

There’s no place like home for the holidays, even if home is sleepy, beachside Brigid’s Island, NC. During this season for giving, the town wakes up to a welcome throng of shoppers–and Beach Reads is no exception. But bookseller Summer Merriweather’s Christmas cheer turns to cringing fear when she uncovers a deadly secret about her late mother–a secret someone will kill to keep.

When the local library hosts a cozy mystery panel discussion, Summer learns that one of the authors on the panel based her book on an actual murder that shook Brigid’s Island thirty-five years before. Worse, she soon learns that her dearly missed mother, Hildy, took a disturbingly deep interest in the case, going so far as to collect clippings and keep a journal of the dark doings. This doesn’t jibe with Summer’s memories of her usually cheery mother at all.

Tidings get worse when Summer learns of her long-lost biological family’s involvement in the crime…and still worse when the life of the book’s author is threatened. With the help of Hildy’s plucky book club, Summer puts her scholarly smarts to work on protecting the cozy author and solving the decades-old murder.

But this ghost from Christmas past may still be deadly in the present, and if she can’t find the killer, Summer’s future will be brief.

 

My review . . . In the months since her mother's death, Summer Merriweather has devoted her energy to the day-to-day operations at Beach Reads, Hildy's beloved boardwalk bookstore. When not at the store, Summer is becoming newly acquainted with the Bellamysthe relatives of the father she never knew or met. 

In preparation for the holiday buying rush, Summer coordinates a cozy mystery panel at the local library, which generates a high level of interest for one book in particulara novel based on a decades-old unsolved local murder. When the book's author vanishes without a trace after the panel, Summer is compelled to find her. Is Mimi Sinclair's disappearance linked to the novel she wrote about the cold case? And why did Hildy have an obsession with the details of the murder all those years ago?

With the help of her mother's family and members of the bookstore's Mermaid Pie Book Club, Summer sets out to find the missing author. Her investigation uncovers long-buried secretssome of which are too close for comfort. Can Summer make sense of recent strange events and past wrongs before further calamity befalls her and the Brigid's Island community?

This second installment in the Beach Reads mystery series is a welcome return to the North Carolina beach community and its lively characters. In addition to presenting a new mystery to solve, Once Upon a Seaside Murder expands protagonist Summer Merriweather's character to include developments that affect her identity, romantic possibilities, and career choicesall of which build interest in the series going forward.

 

About the author . . . 


Maggie Blackburn is the pen name of Mollie Cox Bryan. She writes cozy mysteries with edge. She’s the author of several bestselling mystery series. She’s recently released a novella mystery series: The Victoria Town Mysteries. Her book, Goodnight Moo, has been shortlisted for a Fresh Fiction Reader’s Choice Award. Her books have been selected as finalists for an Agatha Award and a Daphne du Maurier Award and as a Top 10 Beach Reads by Woman’s World. She makes her home at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley, Va. 

 

Author links . . . 

Website: http://www.molliecoxbryan.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molliecoxbryanauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/molliecoxbryan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molliebryan/

 

Purchase links . . .

 Amazon      B&N     Kobo     IndieBound 

 

Giveaway . . . Enter for a chance to win a prize package including a signed copy of the book and self-care products (a candle, bubble bath, and chocolates) by clicking on this link.



 


Tour participants . . .

October 14 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

October 14 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

October 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

October 15 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

October 15 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 16 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 16 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

October 17 – Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 17 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – SPOTLIGHT

October 18 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 18 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE

October 19 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 19 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

October 20 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW  

October 21 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

October 21 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

October 21 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 21 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

October 22 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

October 22 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

October 22 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT

October 23 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

 

 

 

 

Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of Once Upon a Seaside Murder from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.




 


This Blog Tour post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

 16

 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 recent blog tour read, Once Upon a Seaside Murder by Maggie Blackburn. The excerpts shared are from an eBook copy I received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

Beginning:  Even though Hildy Merriweather's heart was pagan, she loved Christmas.

********************  

56% of eBook:  Her cousin was talking crazy. She was making wide jumps in logic. What was the possibility of something like this being true?

********************  

My thoughts:  When a cozy mystery author who participated in a panel hosted by Beach Reads vanishes without a trace, Summer is compelled to find her. Is Mimi Sinclair's disappearance linked to the novel she wrote about a decades-old unsolved local murder? As strange events continue to unfold, Summer races to solve the mystery before further calamity befalls her and the Brigid's Island community.


********************  

From GoodReads:  As the holidays approach, bookstore owner Summer Merriweather learns a dark secret in this second volume of Maggie Blackburn's Beach Reads mystery series.

There's no place like home for the holidays, even if home is sleepy, beachside Brigid's Island, NC. During this season for giving, the town wakes up to a welcome throng of shoppers--and Beach Reads is no exception. But bookseller Summer Merriweather's Christmas cheer turns to cringing fear when she uncovers a deadly secret about her late mother--a secret someone will kill to keep.

When the local library hosts a cozy mystery panel discussion, Summer learns that one of the authors on the panel based her book on an actual murder that shook Brigid's Island thirty-five years before. Worse, she soon learns that her dearly missed mother, Hildy, took a disturbingly deep interest in the case, going so far as to collect clippings and keep a journal of the dark doings. This doesn't jibe with Summer's memories of her usually cheery mother at all.

Tidings get worse when Summer learns of her long-lost biological family's involvement in the crime...and still worse when the life of the book's author is threatened. With the help of Hildy's plucky book club, Summer puts her scholarly smarts to work on protecting the cozy author and solving the decades-old murder.

But this ghost from Christmas past may still be deadly in the present, and if she can't find the killer, Summer's future will be brief.

 

*******************

This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. 

© 2021 Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post has been stolen and was used without permission.


 

 

 

Monday, October 18, 2021

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

  It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 



. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.
 

Today I'm featuring an upcoming read, The Killing Kind by Jane Casey. The excerpt shared is from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.


First Chapter:  I think about death a lot, but I was not thinking about it the day it came for me. I was too busy running up Ludgate Hill, dodging other people's umbrellas so they didn't shower me with icy October rain when they collided with mine. The rain was a curse for two reasons: I hated having wet feet, and otherwise I would have been hiding behind the biggest sunglasses I owned.

I wasn't just wet: I was late, which was the greatest sin of all for a barrister. My pupilmaster had told me as much on my first day. You may have to go to court unprepared, sick, hungover, stressed or even wretchedly unhappy, but for God's sake, get there on time. The whole situation made me furious with myself. I knew better than to cause myself problems for no reason, other than that I'd been up too late the night before.


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The narrator is certainly having a bad morning--could it be an omen of worse things to come?




 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. © 2021, Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post is being used without permission.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

16


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 Friends Like These by Kimberly McCreight. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version of the book that I borrowed from the library.


Beginning:  You were the one who started it. So, in a way, you're responsible for how it ended, "That's ridiculous," you'd say. And maybe it is unfair to blame you, under the circumstances. But at this point, all I can do is tell the truth. Anyway, no one could have predicted the exact way things would unfold. Certainly not me. All the heartbreak, all those lives with so much potential, gone in a flash.

********************  

Page 56:  "Early to jump to that conclusion, wouldn't you say?" Seldon says, working his jaw.

********************  

My thoughts:  Novels by Kimberly McCreight are automatic reads for me. In my opinion, she's one of the best contemporary authors in the thriller genre, and I'm really looking forward to starting her latest book.

********************  

From GoodReads:  Everyone has those friends. Doesn’t matter how long it’s been, or how badly they’ve occasionally behaved, or how late it is when that call finally comes—you show up. No questions asked.

Honestly, that’s how the five of us ended up here in the Catskills. We did have the best of intentions. Especially after what happened to Alice all those years ago, we can’t bear to think of losing anyone else. In fact, we’ll do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen. We’ll go so much farther than we ever thought we would.

In the end, maybe that’s what caught up with us. That, and the fact that we’re such a complicated group—so much history and so many big personalities. Secrets, too, that can slip out at the most inopportune moments. Of course, we love each other despite all of those things. We love each other no matter what.

There’s something so beautiful about that kind of unconditional love. It can turn ugly, though. Or maybe that’s just us. After all, we’ve already been through so much together. And we have so very much to hide.
 




*******************

This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. 

© 2021 Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post has been stolen and was used without permission.

 

Monday, October 11, 2021

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 



. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.
 

Today I'm featuring one of my book club's picks, The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner. The excerpt shared is from a large print hardcover edition borrowed from the library.


The Nature of Fragile Things

First Chapter:  INTERVIEW WITH MRS. SOPHIE HOCKING CONDUCTED BY AMBROSE LOGAN, U.S. MARSHAL  CASE NUMBER 069308  Official Transcript

San Francisco, CA

November 6, 1906

QUESTION: Thank you again for coming. Could you please state your full name, age, birth date, and the city where you were born, for the record, please?

ANSWER:  Sophie Whalen Hocking. August 24, 1884. Donaghadee, County Down, Ireland. I'm twenty-two.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

Sophie finds herself in San Francisco, after having answered an add for a mail-order bride several years before a momentous earthquake destroys the city. Why is she being interviewed by a U.S. Marshal? These intriguing details have completely drawn me in.




 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. © 2021, Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post is being used without permission.

 

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

16


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 Fault Lines by Emily Itami. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

Fault Lines


Beginning:  The whole Kiyoshi situation started a long time before he was ever in the picture.

********************  

Page 56:  When he saw me, he smiled, and I timed my exit so I could walk out with him.

********************  

My thoughts:  I've been hearing lots of buzz about this debut novel, and the comparison to Sally Rooney and Helen Fielding's work has made me extremely curious about this book.

********************  

From GoodReads: Combining the incisive intimacy of Sally Rooney with the sharp wit of Helen Fielding, a compulsively readable and astonishingly relatable debut novel about marriage, motherhood, love, self and the vibrant, surprising city that is modern Tokyo.

Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.

Then, one rainy night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives—and in the end, we can choose only one.

Funny, provocative, and startlingly honest,
Fault Lines is for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, who am I and how did I get here? A bittersweet love story and a piercing portrait of female identity, it introduces Emily Itami as a debut novelist with astounding resonance and wit.




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This Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. 

© 2021 Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post has been stolen and was used without permission.

 

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: A Perfect Bind by Dorothy St. James

 

Today I’m participating in the A Perfect Bind Great Escapes Blog Tour. In this post you’ll find information about the book and author along with my review. And be sure to enter the giveaway contest via the link further below for a chance to win a prize package.

About the book . . .

A Perfect Bind (Beloved Bookroom Mystery #2) 

A Perfect Bind (Beloved Bookroom Mystery #2)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (September 28, 2021)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593098609
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593098608
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08SJLRBJN
  

 

Synopsis . . .  Librarian Tru Beckett, ardent defender of the printed word, is about to find out that keeping murder checked out of her beloved library is much harder than she thought…

Tru Beckett succeeded in building a secret book room in her now bookless library, where book lovers from lovely Cypress, South Carolina, can rejoice in the printed word. Now she’s working hard to maintain the little library downstairs while keeping her “real job” upstairs in the bookless technology center. The last thing she needs is a mysterious vandal who seems intent on breaking into her secret book-filled sanctuary and creating chaos. The nasty interloper doesn’t steal anything, but brutalizes the books, damaging them and knocking them off shelves.

A patron of the secret book room tells Tru that there have been creepy goings-on at the library for years, especially in the basement where the secret book room is located. He’s heard rumors of a poltergeist that haunts the library, determined to scare off readers. Tru is certain it’s hogwash, but she’s at a loss to think of who might be vandalizing the beautiful books she fought so hard to protect. And when a dead body shows up right behind the library, Tru is certain that it’s not a ghost but a cold-blooded killer that she and her trusty tabby Dewey Decimal will need to uncover.

 

My review . . . The public library in Cypress, South Carolina is a hotbed of activity, between its new bookless technology center on the first floor and the secret basement book room, where patrons in the know gravitate to affirm their love of books in physical format. On any given day, librarian Trudell (Tru) Beckett has her hands full ensuring that the secret sanctuary stays off the radar screen of her boss, the formidable head librarian Lida Farnsworth. To complicate matters even further, the book room has recently been the scene of several break-ins and acts of vandalism, and its very existence is threatened to be exposed when a dead body is found in a pick up truck in the library's back alley. Are the break-ins, vandalism, and murder related? Tru and the book room insiders are compelled to find out in order to preserve their secret oasis.

Meanwhile, the town gossips are aflutter over the murder, fueling an out-of-control rumor mill of outlandish accusations and motives, including the possibility that the killer may be one of the participants in the annual apple pie baking contest who is in search of the winning recipe at any cost. Given the history of the town and its residents, there are numerous suspects and theories for Tru and her friends to weed through. Are they up to the task? Can they do so without endangering their own safety and continue to keep the beloved book room a secret?

A Perfect Bind is a satisfying blend of mystery, humor, and budding romance. The novel has a generous amount of red herrings, small-town folklore, and suspects to keep the plot moving forward, while also advancing personal relationships. St. James's cast of characters are high-spirited and create the perfect stage for madcap moments, outrageous behavior, and laugh-out loud situations--the very elements that draw cozy mystery fans into a series and leave them anticipating the next installment.


About the author . . . Dorothy St. James is the author of the White House Gardener Mysteries and the Southern Chocolate Shop Mysteries. She lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with her sculptor husband.


 


Dorothy is a member of Mystery Writers of America (MWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and Sisters in Crime (SInC). This is her second Beloved Bookroom Mystery.

 

Author links . . . 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dorothy.stjames

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dorothywrites

Instagram: www.instagram.com/dorothymcfalls

Website: www.dorothystjames.com

 

Purchase links . . .  Amazon   Penguin Random House   B&N    

Kobo   Google Play   IndieBound

 

Giveaway . . . Enter for a chance to win a prize package by clicking this link. 

 

 

 

Tour participants . . . 

September 28 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

September 28 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

September 29 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 30 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 30 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 1 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 1 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

October 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 2 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

October 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

October 3 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

October 4 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 4 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 5 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW  

October 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT

October 6 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

October 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

October 7 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

October 7 – Mysteries with Character – GUEST POST

October 8 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT

October 8 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

October 9 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 9 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT

October 10 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

October 10 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 11 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

October 11 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  




Note . . . I received a complimentary copy of A Perfect Bind from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.




 


This Blog Tour post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.  It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Monday, October 4, 2021

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

 It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 



. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . now hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews, where bloggers share excerpts from a book they have read, are currently reading, or are planning to read.
 

Today I'm featuring a recent blog tour read, A Perfect Bind by Dorothy St. James. The excerpt shared is from an advance eBook provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Perfect Bind (Beloved Bookroom Mystery #2)

First Chapter:  As a rule, librarians hate secrets. Our entire lives revolve around providing free and open access to information. Good information. Correct information. We abhor lies. We rip the covers off cover-ups.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

As a librarian, the opening paragraph really resonates with me because it spells out the mission librarians bring to their every interaction with patrons. Beyond that, I'm intrigued by the references to lies and cover-ups. That's enough to make me continue reading.




 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog. © 2021, Book Club Librarian All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Book Club Librarian without attribution, know that this post is being used without permission.