Monday, March 28, 2022

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 Run Roe Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson. 




First Chapter:  Annie Lee had been standing on the side of the road for an hour, thumbing a ride, when the rain started falling in earnest.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

Although James Patterson has many other co-authors, his partnership with Dolly Parton intrigues me. I recently listened to an interview about their experience writing together and it sounded like they had a great time collaborating. And Dolly has a forthcoming record album related to the novel. 

I'm looking forward to reading--and listening--to the book and album and finding out what Rose is running from.





 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.

Monday, March 21, 2022

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 The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh. The excerpt shared is from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.




First Chapter:  Leo

Her eyelashes are often wet when she wakes, as if she's been swimming in a sea of bad dreams. "It's just some sleep-related thing," she's always said. "I never have nightmares." After a fathomless yawn she'll wipe her eyes and slip out of bed to check Ruby is alive and breathing. It's a habit she's been unable to break, even though Ruby's three.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

I remember checking on a sleeping child long past the age of three. It's something mothers do the world over. In any event, there's lots of buzz around this new book and I am eager to give it a try.




 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.

 

Monday, March 7, 2022

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 my current read, The Cage by Bonnie Kistler. The excerpt shared is from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.


The Cage


First Chapter:  February 2, 2014  11:16 p.m.

The motor started up with a chug of gears that sounded like teeth gnashing. The lights flashed on, and I scrambled up off the floor and charged for the doors. The elevator plunged beneath my feet, so fast it felt like free fall, but I didn't care. I wanted down, I wanted out. In seconds we reached the lobby level. The doors opened and I burst out--into a semicircle of waiting men.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The thought of being in a malfunctioning elevator--whether it be stuck between floors or plummeting high speed to the ground--is terrifying. So is the premise of this novel, where two employees leaving the office very late at night share an elevator ride from the thirtieth floor. When the elevator reaches the lobby, only one is alive. What happened? The opening chapter piqued my interest and I'm enjoying the story so far.




 



This First Chapter~First Paragraph post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.

 

Thursday, March 3, 2022

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, Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh. The excerpts shared are from a library copy of the novel.


Mercy Street


Beginning:   Winter

It's hard to know, ever, where a story begins. We touch down in a world fully inhabited by others, a drama already in progress. By the time we make our entrance--incontinent and screaming, like dirty bombs detonating--the climax is a distant memory. Our arrival is not the beginning; it is a consequence.

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Page 56:  Deb said, "He shouldn't have done that."

Claudia waited for her to say more, but there was no more. Her mother reached for the remote and clicked through the channels.

"He's gone now," Deb said. "He won't bother you again."

********************  

My thoughts:  With a woman's right to choose and Roe v. Wade under constant attack, I look forward to reading this timely novel.

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From GoodReads: The highly anticipated new novel by acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Haigh is a tense, riveting story about the disparate lives that intersect at a women's clinic in Boston.

For almost a decade, Claudia has counseled patients at Mercy Street, a clinic in the heart of the city. The work is consuming, the unending dramas of women in crisis. For its patients, Mercy Street offers more than health care; for many, it is a second chance.

But outside the clinic, the reality is different. Anonymous threats are frequent. A small, determined group of anti-abortion demonstrators appears each morning at its door. As the protests intensify, fear creeps into Claudia's days, a humming anxiety she manages with frequent visits to Timmy, an affable pot dealer in the midst of his own existential crisis. At Timmy's, she encounters a random assortment of customers, including Anthony, a lost soul who spends most of his life online, chatting with the mysterious Excelsior11--the screen name of Victor Prine, an anti-abortion crusader who has set his sights on Mercy Street and is ready to risk it all for his beliefs.

Mercy Street is a novel for right now, a story of the polarized American present. Jennifer Haigh has written a groundbreaking novel, a fearless examination of one of the most divisive issues of our time.




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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.