First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #9 and Tuesday Teaser

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros is a weekly meme hosted by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea. It's an opportunity to share the first paragraphs of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

This week I'm featuring the opening paragraphs of my current read, The Dinner by Herman Koch, which I borrowed from my local public library.

And read on after the intro for my Tuesday Teaser.

 

Published by Crown Publishing Group 

February 2013

 A P E R I T I F

1

"We were going out to dinner.  I won't say which restaurant, because next time it might be full of people who've come to see whether we're there.  Serge made the reservation.  He's always the one who arranges it, the reservation.  This particular restaurant is one where you have to call three months in advance--or six, or eight, don't ask me.  Personally, I'd never want to know three months in advance where I'm going to eat on any given evening, but apparently some people don't mind.  A few centuries from now, when historians want to know what kind of crazies people were at the start of the twenty-first century, all they'll have to do is look at the computer files of the so-called 'top' restaurants.  That information is kept on file--I happen to know that.  If Mr. L. was prepared to wait three months for a window seat last time, then this time he'll wait for five months for a table beside the men's room--that's what restaurants call 'customer relations management.'

Serge never reserves a table three months in advance. Serge makes the reservation on the day itself--he says he thinks of it as a sport.  You have restaurants that reserve a table for people like Serge Lohman, and this restaurant happens to be one of them.  One of many, I should say.  It makes you wonder whether there isn't one restaurant in the whole country where they don't go faint right away when they hear the name Serge Lohman on the phone.  He doesn't make the call himself, of course; he lets his secretary or one of his assistants do that.  'Don't worry about it,' he told me when I talked to him a few days ago. 'They know me there; I can get us a table.'  All I'd asked was whether it wasn't a good idea to call, in case they were full, and where we would go if they were.  At the other end of the line, I thought I heard something like pity in his voice.  I could almost see him shake his head.  It was a sport."

------------------------------------

Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, is a weekly event where bloggers open to a random page of their current reads and share a teaser from somewhere on that page--no spoilers allowed.

 

Here's my teaser from The Dinner by Herman Koch:

"I didn't feel like doing this at all, I realized.  Again, my aversion to the evening that lay ahead had become almost physical--a slight feeling of nausea, clammy hands, and the start of a headache somewhere behind my left eye--not quite enough, though, for me to actually become unwell or fall unconscious right there on the spot."  --p. 18

Enjoy life with books . . .

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #9 and Tuesday Teaser was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Monday Musings--The Beginner's Goodbye

Yesterday's post contained a brief bio of American writer Anne Tyler.  Today I share an excerpt of my review of Tyler's most recent novel, The Beginner's Goodbye, which appeared online in the September 2012 issue of Sound Commentary.

In The Beginner’s Goodbye, Tyler examines life through the eyes of Aaron Woolcott, a recent widower grieving the loss of his wife Dorothy, who is suddenly killed when a tree crashes onto the sun porch of their home. In the wake of this devastating accident, Aaron is left to pick up the pieces of his life and begin anew.    

Partially paralyzed as the result of a childhood illness, Aaron has been overprotected and stifled for years by the well-meaning women in his life both at home and in the workplace.  When he meets the brusque, unsentimental Dr. Dorothy Rosales while editing a beginner’s guide for his family’s vanity press, Aaron is smitten.  Over the protest of his sister, a brief courtship ensues, and Aaron and Dorothy embark on a life together. 

Theirs is a marriage of independent careerists who prize their autonomy above all else, but it comes at the expense of leaving much unsaid and unexpressed between them. As Aaron grapples with their unfinished business, the departed Dorothy’s sudden appearances help him gain insight into their relationship and learn to live in the present. As Aaron bids farewell to what has been, he acquires a new appreciation for life and its endless possibilities for growth and contentment.

Tyler's interesting characters, relevant plots, and keen observations of human nature make her novels good book club choices and the source of lively discussions.

Catherine

Disclaimer:  An audiobook of The Beginner's Goodbye was provided without cost by Sound Commentary.  No other remuneration was received for this review. 

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Monday Musings--The Beginner's Goodbye was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com. This post cannot be republished without express written consent.

 

Sunday Spotlight, October 21--Elizabeth Gilbert

Author Elizabeth Gilbert mentioned on Facebook the other day that she is writing a new novel, The Signature of All Things, which will be published in October 2013.  This is exciting news!  While Gilbert is probably best known for her memoirs, Committed and Eat, Pray, Love, she has an impressive array of work that includes non-fiction book, The Last American Man; the novel, Stern Men; and an award-winning collection of short stories called Pilgrims.

Her journalistic abilities have also earned Gilbert critical recognition.  Her articles have appeared in such publications as Harper's Bazaar, Spin, and The New York Times Magazine; her stories have been published in numerous magazines including Paris Review and Esquire.

Gilbert is a keen observer of modern life and culture.  She is intelligent and inquisitive, and I find her voice refreshingly honest and open.  One of my book clubs read Stern Men and Eat, Pray, Love.  Both books generated lively discussions and made it to the club's all time favorites list.  For all of these reasons, The Signature of All Things is on my list of highly anticipated new novels.

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Sunday Spotlight was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written consent.

Book Club Reads

What my book clubs are reading this month:

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose

If you don't already participate in a book club, I encourage you to join one.  It's a fun way to discover new books and authors, meet new friends, and gain other perspectives.  Book clubs abound in local public libraries, book stores, and online. 

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Book Club Reads was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogpost.com.  This post cannot be republished without express written permission.