Friday Focus: Weekend Reads

 

 

 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 My Head is Full of Books, 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 The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights by Kitty Zeldis. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

Book Beginning:  Chapter One

Catherine

Brooklyn, 1924

Catherine Berrill awoke to blood--again.

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Page 56: Catherine was glad they were taking a different street on their route home and didn't have to pass the dress shop again.

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My thoughts:  Bea and Alice leave a painful past in New Orleans to start a new life in Brooklyn. While focusing their energies on setting up a dress shop in Prospect Heights, they make the acquaintance of a local resident, Catherine Berrill, who visits the shop. As the story unfolds, decisions made by each of the women at crucial times unite and divide them in unexpected ways. Will each attain the fulfillment she longs for? Will their mutual relationship survive and deepen with time, or will they be forced apart by past and present circumstances? 

Told from different character perspectives, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights explores the lives of women who experience loss, heartbreak, disappointment, setback, and the constraints imposed by their gender. This is a captivating story of resilience that initiated a thoughtful discussion at a recent book club meeting.

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From Goodreads:  Mesmerizing historical novel about three women in 1920s New York City and the secrets they hold.

Brooklyn, 1924. As New York City enters the jazz age, the lives of three very different women are about to converge in unexpected ways. Recently arrived from New Orleans, Beatrice is working to establish a chic new dress shop with help from Alice, the orphaned teenage ward she brought north with her. Down the block, newlywed Catherine is restless in her elegant brownstone, longing for a baby she cannot conceive.

When Bea befriends Catherine and the two start to become close, Alice feels abandoned and envious, and runs away to Manhattan. Her departure sets into motion a series of events that will force each woman to confront the painful secrets of her past in order to move into the happier future she seeks.

Moving from the bustling streets of early twentieth century New York City to late nineteenth-century Russia and the lively quarters of New Orleans in the 1910s, The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights is a story of the families we are born into and the families we choose, and of the unbreakable bonds between women.

 

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

Friday Focus: Weekend Reads

 

 

 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 My Head is Full of Books, 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 Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover edition borrowed from the library.

 

 

 

 

 

Book Beginning:  Wilbur

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

September 1900

 

Wind. We chose a place where it abounded, in order to capture it and soar like the birds.

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Page 56: I missed my friends from Oberlin, the thrilling discussions of world events, of traveling and gossip and the latest fashions.

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My thoughts:  Katharine Wright played an integral part in the success of her brothers, Wilbur and Orville. She contributed important ideas that helped lead to the creation of their flying machine and their world-wide recognition. In addition to her practical ideas for perfecting the aircraft, she supported them behind the scenes—procuring materials and communicating on their behalf. Katharine was totally devoted to her brothers at great personal cost. She sacrificed her own desires and opportunities to make her brothers' dream of flight come true.

While the story includes an example of the age-old saying—behind every successful man there's a woman—I enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at the dynamics of the Wright family and learning more about the historic events of their time.

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From Goodreads:  She helped her brothers soar… but was the flight worth the fall?

 It all started with two boys and a bicycle shop. Wilbur and Orville Wright, both unsuited to college and disinclined to leave home, jumped on the popular new fad of bicycle riding and opened a shop in Dayton, Ohio. Repairing and selling soon led to tinkering and building as the brothers offered improved models to their eager customers. Amid their success, a new dream began to take shape. Engineers across the world were puzzling over how to build a powered flying machine—and Wilbur and Orville wanted in on the challenge. But their younger sister, Katharine, knew they couldn't do it without her. The three siblings made a pact—the three of them would solve the problem of human flight.

 As her brothers obsessed over blueprints and risked life and limb testing new models on the sand beaches of North Carolina, Katharine became the mastermind behind the scenes of their inventions. She sourced materials, managed communications, and kept Wilbur and Orville focused on their goal—even when it seemed hopeless. And in 1903, the Wright brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of humankind.

What followed was the kind of fame and fortune the Wrights had never imagined. The siblings traveled the world to demonstrate their invention, trained other pilots, and built new machines that could fly higher and farther. But at the height of their success, tragedy wrenched the Wright family apart… and forced Katharine to make an impossible choice that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

 From internationally bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood, Katharine, the Wright Sister is an unforgettable novel that shines a spotlight on one of the most important and overlooked women in history, and the sacrifices she made so that others might fly.

 

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

 

 

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

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.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower

Today I'm featuring Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Salem was meant to be a new beginning, a place where the sharp scent of cinnamon and tea perfumed the air with hope; a place where the colors could be safe and alive in me.

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Page 56:  "I'm grateful." I try again to show that I mean to be a friend. "I'm glad to have you as my neighbors."

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My thoughts:  This very imaginative and harrowing fictional account of a relationship between a young Scottish woman who emigrates to Massachusetts and Nathaniel Hawthorne, future author of The Scarlet Letter, is a realistic depiction of the power structure and plight of women and immigrants in America in the nineteenth century. 

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From GoodReads:  A vivid reimagining of the woman who inspired Hester Prynne, the tragic heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and a journey into the enduring legacy of New England's witchcraft trials.

Who is the real Hester Prynne?

Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress carrying generations of secrets when she sets sail from Scotland in the early 1800s with her husband, Edward. An apothecary who has fallen under the spell of opium, his pile of debts have forced them to flee Edinburgh for a fresh start in the New World. But only days after they've arrived in Salem, Edward abruptly joins a departing ship as a medic––leaving Isobel penniless and alone in a strange country, forced to make her way by any means possible.

When she meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is a man haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows––while she is an unusually gifted needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. As the weeks pass and Edward's safe return grows increasingly unlikely, Nathaniel and Isobel grow closer and closer. Together, they are a muse and a dark storyteller; the enchanter and the enchanted. But which is which?

In this sensuous and hypnotizing tale, a young immigrant woman grapples with our country's complicated past, and learns that America's ideas of freedom and liberty often fall short of their promise. Interwoven with Isobel and Nathaniel's story is a vivid interrogation of who gets to be a "real" American in the first half of the 19th century, a depiction of the early days of the Underground Railroad in New England, and atmospheric interstitials that capture the long history of "unusual" women being accused of witchcraft. Meticulously researched yet evocatively imagined, Laurie Lico Albanese's Hester is a timeless tale of art, ambition, and desire that examines the roots of female creative power and the men who try to shut it down.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

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.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring a current read, The Engineer's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version I borrowed from the library.

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Washington, DC February 1864

The light, sweet honey scent of burning candles did not quite mask the odor of blood and sweat in the makeshift ballroom.

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Page 56:  When I had regained my strength, I accompanied Wash on research trips, sometimes leaving Johnny with the Roebling clan. Words like "caisson" and "quoin" became as familiar to me as "cat" and "dog."

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My thoughts:  Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I am enjoying this story about a strong female protagonist and her role in the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan. I've driven over it many times (as recently as last month)--and you can also walk across it. The views are quite spectacular.

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From GoodReads:  She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Discover the fascinating woman who helped design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge.

Emily Roebling refuses to live conventionally—she knows who she is and what she wants, and she's determined to make change. But then her husband asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible.

Emily's fight for women's suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when her husband Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. But as the project takes shape under Emily's direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building—hers, or her husband's. As the monument rises, Emily's marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it?

Based on the true story of an American icon, The Engineer's Wife delivers an emotional portrait of a woman transformed by a project of unfathomable scale, which takes her into the bowels of the East River, suffragette riots, the halls of Manhattan's elite, and the heady, freewheeling temptations of P.T. Barnum. The biography of a husband and wife determined to build something that lasts—even at the risk of losing each other.

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend

 

 

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.
• First Line Friday hosted by Reading Is My SuperPower
  

 

Today I'm featuring my current read, The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover edition borrowed from the library.

 

 

Book Beginning/First Line:  Prologue

This will go on forever, life and death, stretching out over the expansive body of water, chill and slick and seductive against my skin.

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Page 56:  Normally she dated damaged men--capricious and erratic, men who wore their internal scars like fashion, a sexy handicap.

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My thoughts:  Questions abound in this dual timeline novel about two women trying to make their way in the world each inhabits. Evelyn mysteriously disappears and is presumed dead—was it her husband's doing? Abigail doesn't know who her father is—do she and Evelyn share ancestry? This engrossing read has me turning pages quickly, wanting to unravel the family secrets.

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From GoodReads: What if you could write a new ending for yourself?

England, 1898. When Evelyn first married the famous novelist William Aubrey, she was dazzled by his brilliance. But their newlywed bliss is brief when William is gripped by writer’s block, and he becomes jealous of Evelyn’s writing talent. When he commits the ultimate betrayal—stealing a draft of her novel and passing it off as his own—Evelyn decides to write her way out of their unhappy marriage.

California, 2006. Abigail always wondered about her father, his identity forever lost when her mother unexpectedly died. Or so Abigail thought, until she stumbled upon his photo and a message that her great-great-grandmother was the author Evelyn Aubrey, leading Abigail on a journey to England in search for answers. There, she learns of Evelyn’s shocking disappearance and how London society believed she was murdered. But from what she uncovers about Evelyn, Abigail believes her brilliant great-great-grandmother had another plot up her sleeve.

Rich in atmosphere and emotion, The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey tells the story of literary secrets, a family curse and the lengths women will go to take charge of their future.  

 

 

 

 

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This Friday Focus: Bookish Memes to Start the Weekend post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com. It cannot be republished without attribution.

 

Great Escapes Blog Tour, Review, and Giveaway: Murder in Postscript by Mary Winters

Today I'm participating in the Murder in Postscript Blog Tour. In this post you'll find book and author information along with my review.  And be sure to enter the giveaway below.

 

About the book . . .

 

Murder in Postscript (A Lady of Letters Mystery)

 Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Victorian London, 1860
Berkley (March 28, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593548760
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593548769
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B5D5HW3K
 

 

Synopsis . . . When one of her readers asks for advice following a suspected murder, Victorian countess Amelia Amesbury, who secretly pens the popular Lady Agony column, has no choice but to investigate in this first book in a charming new historical mystery series.

Amelia Amesbury—widow, mother, and countess—has a secret. Amelia writes for a London penny paper, doling out advice on fashion, relationships, and manners under the pen name Lady Agony. But when a lady’s maid writes Amelia to ask for advice when she believes her mistress has been murdered—and then ends up a victim herself—Amelia is determined to solve the case

With the help of her best friend and a handsome marquis, Amelia begins to piece together the puzzle, but as each new thread of inquiry ends with a different suspect, the investigation grows ever more daunting. From London’s docks and ballrooms to grand country houses, Amelia tracks a killer, putting her reputation—and her life—on the line. 

 

My review . . . Lady Amelia Amesbury became a widow at the tender age of 25, after a two-month marriage. Convention has required a two-year mourning period that has Amelia dressing in black and refraining from social activities. Until recently, the only bright spot in Amelia's life has been her ten-year-old niece Winnifred, the budding piano prodigy Amelia promised her late husband she would raise as a daughter. That is, until Amelia is offered the chance to anonymously write the Lady Agony column in her childhood friend's penny newspaper. Most of the letters she responds to relate to social conduct and relationships, and Amelia cheerfully doles out common sense answers laced with wit and solid advice. Things take a more serious turn, however, when she receives a letter from a maid who thinks her employer was murdered. Amelia agrees to meet the maid, but before she is able to interview her, the maid meets the same fate as the lady she served.

Not one to shy away from an intriguing mystery, Amelia recruits her closest female friend Kitty and her late husband's friend Simon Bainbridge to assist in the investigation. As their inquiry proceeds, the elusive killer strikes again and Amelia begins to receive threatening letters warning her to stop her investigation or risk personal harm. Will Amelia expose the killer before she becomes the next victim? Can she do so without her identity as Lady Agony being revealed?

Murder in Postscript is a delightful beginning to a new historical cozy mystery series set in Victorian London. Its engaging plot is filled with a healthy dose of red herrings and upstairs/downstairs characters. The banter between protagonist Lady Amesbury and Marquis Bainbridge is scintillating and hints at the possibility of a future romance between two characters who have each suffered a devastating personal loss. And, best of all, after the murders are solved, the author uses a very clever hook to leave readers craving more. The series is off to a solid start, with great potential for a long run.

 

Giveaway . . . Enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card by clicking this link.

 

About the author . . .  Mary Winters is the author of Murder in Postscript, the debut novel in A Lady of Letters Mystery series. A longtime reader of historical fiction and an author of two other mystery series, Mary set her latest work in Victorian England after being inspired by a trip to London.

© Julie Prairie Photography 2016

 

Since then, she’s been busily planning her next mystery—and another trip! Find out more about Mary and her writing at marywintersauthor.com.

 

Author links . . .

Website: http://www.Marywintersauthor.com
Blog: http://www.Marywintersauthor.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/marywintersauthor
Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/marywintersauthor
GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61391814-murder-in-postscript

 

Purchase links . . .

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Bookshop
IndieBound
Audible

 

 

 

Tour Participants . . .

March 28 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

March 28 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 29 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

March 29 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 30 – Elza Reads – REVIEW

March 30 – Novels Alive – REVIEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 31 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

March 31 – Diane’s Book Journal – REVIEW

April 1 – Just Another Teen Reading Books – REVIEW

April 1 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

April 2 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – Lisa Ks Book Review – SPOTLIGHT

April 4 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW

April 4 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW

April 5 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

April 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 6 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

April 6 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

April 8 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

April 8 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

April 9 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 9 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT

April 10 –The Mystery of Writing – REVIEW

April 10 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

 

 

 

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

 

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

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

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 my current read, The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover edition borrowed from the library.

 

Beginning:  It was hard not to feel that Paris was the place.

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Page 56:  Her dark eyes fixed on Sylvia like an eagle's.

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My thoughts:  This historical novel revolves around the creation of Shakespeare and Company, a famed Paris bookshop with an illustrious history. I had the opportunity to visit this wonderful store on a trip to Paris several years ago, and I am loving the revisit as an armchair traveler. I am totally and happily immersed in the story.

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From GoodReads: Discover the dramatic story of how a humble bookseller fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books of the 20th century to the world in this new novel from the author of The Girl in the White Gloves.

When bookish young American Sylvia Beach opens Shakespeare and Company on a quiet street in Paris in 1919, she has no idea that she and her new bookstore will change the course of literature itself.

Shakespeare and Company is more than a bookstore and lending library: Many of the most prominent writers of the Lost Generation, like Ernest Hemingway, consider it a second home. It's where some of the most important literary friendships of the twentieth century are forged--none more so than the one between Irish writer James Joyce and Sylvia herself. When Joyce's controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Beach takes a massive risk and publishes it under the auspices of Shakespeare and Company.

But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous and influential book of the century comes with steep costs. The future of her beloved store itself is threatened when Ulysses' success brings other publishers to woo Joyce away. Her most cherished relationships are put to the test as Paris is plunged deeper into the Depression and many expatriate friends return to America. As she faces painful personal and financial crises, Sylvia--a woman who has made it her mission to honor the life-changing impact of books--must decide what Shakespeare and Company truly means to her.

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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.

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday

 

Today I'm participating in Can't-Wait Wednesday, an ongoing mid-week event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It's a chance to share a book that hasn't been published yet but is already on my TBR list.

* * * * * * * * *

This week's selection is . . . 

 

Expected publication March 7, 2023

 

From GoodReads:   The acclaimed author of The Light Over London weaves an epic saga of love, motherhood, and betrayal set against World War II.

Liverpool, 1935: Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. But when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.

Five years later and on the eve of World War II, Viv is faced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, to the countryside estate of the affluent Thompson family. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force, fight for his country, and try to piece together his feelings about the family, wife, and daughter he left behind at nineteen. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she sent her daughter to wasn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.

Telling the harrowing story of England’s many evacuated children, bestselling author Julia Kelly’s The Lost English Girl explores how one simple choice can change the course of a life, and what we are willing to forgive to find a way back to the ones we love and thought lost.

 * * * * * * * * *

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, particularly books set in World War II England. 

What book are you waiting for?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This Can't-Wait Wednesday post was originally composed and/or compiled by Catherine for the Book Club Librarian blog.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

 It's Tuesday . . . time for . . . 

. . . First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros . . . 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, A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton. It's the first book in the Victorian Book Club Mystery series. The excerpt shared is from an eBook version borrowed from the library.

First Chapter:  Bath, England

April 1890

Lady Amy Lovell, only daughter of the Marquess of Winchester, hurried up the steps of St. Swithin's, the old and stately church on the Paragon in the Walcot area of Bath, barely on time for the Sunday service. As usual, she arrived ten minutes past her aunt Margaret, who had never in all her life been late for a church service. Or anything else.

Her aunt shifted over in the family pew as Amy slid in alongside her She offered her a hymnal, a Bible, and a slight roll of her warm brown eyes.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The opening paragraphs convey the family status of privilege, and hint at the protagonist's character traits. Make no mistake, Lady Amy Lovell is no wallflower. She is a spirited young woman fighting against the constraints of a woman's place in society and a murder mystery novelist who writes under a pen name to appease her father's sensibilities. When her ex-fiance is found stabbed to death in the library of her family's estate, Lady Amy is the main suspect and is thrust into an all too real murder investigation unlike the ones she creates in her novels.

 

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

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 read, The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe. The excerpt shared is from a trade paperback borrowed from the library.

First Chapter:  June 1907

Newport, Rhode Island

The first time she saw him, she was essentially invisible: thirteen years old, a schoolgirl on holiday, her hair dripping from the sea, sleek wet mermaid curls clinging to her arms and back. She was nestled, legs tucked under her, in the coarse silvery sand of Bailey's Beach, her ruffled cap tossed beside her. Her nose was tingling hot and she didn't care, because it was breezy and warm, and the sun was a high glorious pinpoint, and if it were ladylike in the least to stretch out all the way in her bathing costume to make a sand angel, she would have.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

The she referred to in the first paragraph is Madeleine Talmage Force, who at 18 becomes the bride of John Jacob "Jack" Astor. He was twenty-nine years her senior, but their relationship is portrayed as a true love match. Tragically, their future is forever changed when the couple are aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated voyage.

The Second Mrs. Astor is a fascinating look into New York society during the Gilded Age and the lifestyle of wealthy families of the time.

 

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

 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

 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 read, The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover edition borrowed from the library.

Beginning:  Mrs. Audrey Landon

Willow Lodge, Fenley Village, England

June 1942

A glorious spring morning poured its golden splendor through the tall kitchen window as a whirlwind of boys raced in, shooting at each other in a ramshackle reconstruction of Dunkirk.

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Page 56:  She shook herself, murmuring, "No, I have to come up with something so good that it can't possibly lose."

It had to stand out. 

It had to be brave.

It had to be sophisticated, with bold flavors, unlike anything the other contestants would produce.

"Coquilles St. Jacques," she murmured under her breath, as if it were an incantation or a magical spell.

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My thoughts:  Times are extremely difficult in World War II-era England. With men serving on the battlefield, women on the home front are determined to care for their families under challenging conditions. When the BBC announces a contest to select a female co-host for its popular radio program The Kitchen Front, four women compete for the coveted role by preparing three meal courses, creating appetizing recipes despite food shortages and rationing.

These four women--Audrey, Gwendoline, Nell, and Zelda--begin the competition as rivals, but gradually become friends. Each cook has her share of personal heartaches and uncertainties, yet over time they support each other in unexpected ways. Ultimately, they become a band of sisters who celebrate each small triumph as they face the prospect of an unknown future with hope and optimism.

The Kitchen Front is a well-researched work of historical fiction with characters that touch the heart. It is tale of human resilience despite hardship and loss.

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From GoodReads:  In a new World War II-set story from the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, four women compete for a spot hosting a wartime cookery program called The Kitchen Front - based on the actual BBC program of the same name - as well as a chance to better their lives.

Two years into WW2, Britain is feeling her losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest--and the grand prize is a job as the program's first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change their lives.

For a young widow, it's a chance to pay off her husband's debts and keep a roof over her children's heads. For a kitchen maid, it's a chance to leave servitude and find freedom. For the lady of the manor, it's a chance to escape her wealthy husband's increasingly hostile behavior. And for a trained chef, it's a chance to challenge the men at the top of her profession.

These four women are giving the competition their all--even if that sometimes means bending the rules. But with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart? 

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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.

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 read, A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline. The excerpt shared is from a eBook version of the novel borrowed from the library.

 

First Chapter:  1939

I'm working of a quilt patch in the kitchen on a brilliant July afternoon, small squares of fabric and a pincushion and scissors on the table beside me, when I hear the hum of a car engine. Looking out the window toward the cove, I see a station wagon turn into the field about a hundred yards away. The engine cuts off and the passenger door swings open and Betsy James gets out, laughing and exclaiming. I haven't seen her since last summer. She's wearing a white halter top and denim shorts, a red bandanna tied around her neck. As I watch her coming toward the house, I am struck by how different she looks. Her sweet round face has thinned and lengthened; her chestnut hair is long and thick around her shoulders, her eyes dark and shining. A red slash of lipstick. I think of her at nine years old, when she first came to visit, her small, nimble fingers braiding my hair as she sat behind me on the stoop. And here she is, seventeen and suddenly a woman.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 

This historical novel centers on the life of Christina Olson, the muse for Andrew Wyeth's iconic painting, Christina's World. Set in the coastal town of Cushing, Maine, the story portrays the isolation and stark reality of farm life in the 1930's-1950's, as well as the limitations imposed on Christina due to personal health challenges.

Determined to live a normal life despite the debilitating effects of a neurological condition and a controlling family, Christina's world is ultimately confined to the farm and its surrounding locale. Her friendship with Wyeth and others, however, broadens her perspective and experience, offering her pieces of the world she might otherwise have missed.

 

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 Focus: The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Fridays

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 The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. The excerpts shared are from a hardcover version borrowed from the library.

Beginning:  Emmett

June 12, 1954--The drive from Salina to Morgen was three hours, and for much of it, Emmett hadn't said a word.

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Page 56:  Oh, Omaha, I remember thee well.

It was August of 1944, just six months after my eighth birthday. That summer, my father was part of a traveling revue claiming to raise money for the war effort.

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My thoughts:  I am excited that one of my favorite authors has published a new novel. I absolutely loved both of his previous books, Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow. He is a wonderful storyteller and writes brilliant dialogue.

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From GoodReads:  The bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s America

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.

Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles’s third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.

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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.