First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

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

                                                      

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea, is where bloggers post the first paragraph(s) of a book they are currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.  

Today I'm featuring Alice Hoffman's newest novel, which I selected as my First Book of the Year 2017.  

  

Chapter 

1

In February, when the snow comes down hard, little globes of light are left along Route 110, on the side of the road that slopes off when a driver least expects it.  The lights are candles set inside paper bags, surrounded by sand, and they burn past midnight.  They shouldn't last for that amount of time, but that's part of the miracle.  On the second anniversary of the accident, a gang of boys creep out their windows and gather at two in the morning to see if Helene's mother, Diana Boyd, drives along the road replacing each melting pool of wax with a fresh candle.  They're hoping to reveal a con in process and dispel the myth of a miracle, but after keeping watch for a while the boys all flee.  In the early morning hours, safe in their beds, they wonder how much of the world can never be understood or explained.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

The first paragraph is a good example of Hoffman's exquisite writing style.  With a mystical touch she connects a significant past event with the present, while observing the elements of nature (human and environmental) and the complexity of life.

Those of you already familiar with this novel (and/or Hoffman's other work) know what I mean.  If you haven't yet sampled an Alice Hoffman novel, I hope 2017 will be the year that you do.

This First Chapter ~ First Paragraph post was originally written and published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

First Book of the Year 2017

Happy New Year!!

It's 2017. . . Welcome to my first post of the new year . . . and my participation in a new meme . . . First Book of the Year . . . hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

My first book of the year is Faithful by Alice Hoffman . . .

 

I am a huge fan of Alice Hoffman, having read and enjoyed so many of her books over the years.  

Her newest novel is the January selection of one of my book clubs.  Last year this group read Hoffman's 2014 novel The Museum of Extraordinary Things and it was one of our favorite books of the entire year.  

I can't think of a better read to start off the new year . . .

Now, I'm going to visit Book Journey to see what other bloggers have selected as their first books of the year.

First Book of the Year 2017 was originally written and published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com and cannot be republished without attribution.  Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #135

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

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring a book club read, The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman, which I received from the publisher, Scribner.

  

Goodreads Page 

ONE

THE WORLD

IN A GLOBE

***********

You would think it would be impossible to find anything new in the world, creatures no man has ever seen before, one-of-a-kind oddities in which nature has taken a backseat to the coursing pulse of the fantastical and the marvelous.  I can tell you with certainty that such things exist, for beneath the water there are beasts as huge as elephants with hundreds of legs, and in the skies, rocks thrown alit from the heavens burn through the bright air and fall to earth.  There are men with such odd characteristics they must hide their faces in order to pass through the streets unmolested, and women who have such peculiar features they live in rooms without mirrors.  My father kept me away from such anomalies when I was young, though I lived above the exhibition that he owned in Coney Island, the Museum of Extraordinary Things.  Our house was divided into two distinct sections; half we lived in, the other half housed the exhibitions.  In this way, my father never had to leave what he loved best in the world.  He had added on to the original house, built in 1862, the year the Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad began the first horse-drawn carriage line to our city.  My father created the large hall in which to display the living wonders he employed, all of whom performed unusual acts or were born with curious attributes that made others willing to pay to see them. 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

I've devoured many Alice Hoffman novels over the years, so every time a new one is published, I consider reading it.  While this is not her newest book, it has been on my list for a while now.  One of my book clubs will be discussing it at the end of the month.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #135 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ encouraged.

Saturday Shorts/Weekend Words

"I think love is a huge factor in fiction and in real life.

Is there a risk? Always. In fiction and in life."

~ Alice Hoffman, American author

Read this and other Alice Hoffman quotes online at BrainyQuote.

A list of the author's books is online at alicehoffman.com.

Catherine
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Saturday Shorts/Weekend Words was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.