Friday Focus: The Friday 56, Book Beginnings & First Line 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.
• First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books, where bloggers share the first sentence of a book they're reading.

Today I'm featuring an upcoming read, Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry, the latest novel from Mary Higgins Clark.

 

Beginning:  Prologue

October 12

Gina Kane stretched in her window seat.  Her latest prayer had been answered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Part I  -  Chapter 1

Gina's apartment was on 82nd Street and West End Avenue.  Her mother and father had given it to her after they retired and moved to Florida.

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

Page 56:  As the owner, he'd likely be suspicious of anyone asking questions about an accident involving one of his rentals, Gina decided.

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

My thoughts:  The opening snippets tell us a little bit about one of the characters: Gina is going on a trip and she lives in Manhattan.  Beyond that, I am eager to read MHC's newest novel to find out more.  I'm a huge fan of her stories, and have read most of her books.

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

From Goodreads:   When investigative journalist Gina Kane receives an email from a “CRyan” describing her “terrible experience” while working at REL, a high-profile television news network, including the comment “and I’m not the only one,” Gina knows she has to pursue the story. But when Ryan goes silent, Gina is shocked to discover the young woman has died tragically in a Jet Ski accident while on holiday.

Meanwhile, REL counsel Michael Carter finds himself in a tricky spot. Several female employees have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. Carter approaches the CEO, offering to persuade the victims to accept settlements in exchange for their silence. It’s a risky endeavor, but it could well make him rich.

As more allegations emerge and the company’s IPO draws near, Carter’s attempts to keep the story from making headlines are matched only by Gina Kane’s determination to uncover the truth. Was Ryan’s death truly an accident? And when another accuser turns up dead, Gina realizes someone—or some people—will go to depraved lengths to keep the story from seeing the light.

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

This Friday Focus: The Friday 56, Book Beginnings & First Line Fridays post was originally composed and/or compiled and published by Catherine for the blog, bookclublibrarian.com.  It cannot be republished without attribution. Sharing this original post on Twitter with appropriate recognition is appreciated.

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #66 and Teaser Tuesdays

 
It's Tuesday . . . time to share book excerpts with: 

• 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.

• Teaser Tuesdays hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, where bloggers post two (2) random “teaser” sentences--no spoilers allowed--from their current reads to try to entice others to seek out these books.

Today I'm featuring the opening paragraphs and a teaser from The Wrong Girl by Hank Phillippi Ryan.

  

1

"Listen, Jane.  I don't think she's my real mother."

Jane Ryland took the phone from her ear, peering at it as if it could somehow help Tuck's incomprehensible tale make sense.  Real mother?  She didn't know Tuck was adopted, let alone looking for her birth mother.  Why would Tuck call her?  And spill this soul-baring saga of abandonment, adoption agencies, then meeting some woman in Connecticut?  Jane and Tuck were barely friends, let along confidantes, especially after Tuck had--

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

Teaser:  "One other option was to do nothing.  Give her enough rope to hang herself." ~ p. 40


What do you think?  Would you continue reading? 
The Wrong Girl is the second book to feature reporter Jane Ryland and Detective Jake Brogan.  (The Other Woman is the first book.)  Hank Phillippi Ryan's books are fast-paced and suspenseful, and it is no surprise that she has won an Anthony, a Macavity, and two Agatha Awards for her fiction.  She is also the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate, and has won twenty-eight Emmys and ten Edward R. Murrow Awards for her groundbreaking journalism.

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #66 and Teaser Tuesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #63

 

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 paragraph(s) of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

Today I'm featuring the opening paragraphs from Murder at the Breakers, the first book in the Gilded Newport Mystery series, which I borrowed from a friend.  With summer on the horizon, this is one of the books I am planning to read this month.

 

Chapter 1

Newport, Rhode Island, August 1895

She awoke that morning to an angry sea

battering the edges of the promontory, and

gusting winds that kicked up a spray to rattle

against her bedroom windows.  She might simply

have rolled over, closed her eyes again, and sunk

pleasantly back into sleep, if not for the--

Here the nib of my pen ran dry and scratched across the paper, threatening to leave a tear.  If not for the what?  I knew what I wanted to say; this was to be a novel of mystery and danger, but I was having a dickens of a time that morning finding the right words. 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #63 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #59

 

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 paragraph(s) of a book I am currently reading or planning to read sometime soon.

Today I'm featuring the opening from I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark, which I borrowed from the library.

   

Prologue

Dr. Greg Moran was pushing three-year-old Timmy on the swing in the playground on East Fifteenth Street in Manhattan, not far from the apartment.

1

Laurie Moran looked out the window of her office on the twenty-fifth floor of 15 Rockefeller Center.  Her view was of the skating rink in the middle of that famous Manhattan complex.  It was a sunny but cold March day, and from her vantage point she could see beginners there, wobbling unsteadily on their skates, and in sharp contrast others who moved across the ice with the grace of ballet dancers.

Timmy, her eight-year-old son, loved ice hockey and planned to be good enough to play with the New York Rangers by the time he was twenty-one.  Laurie smiled as her mind filled with the image of Timmy's face, his expressive brown eyes sparkling with delight as he imagined himself in the position of goalie in future Rangers games.  He'll be the image of Greg by then, Laurie thought, but quickly gave herself a mental shake and turned her attention to the file on her desk.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

What are you reading now or planning to read soon?

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #59 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution.

Waiting on Wednesday: Flavia de Luce #6

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature of the Breaking the Spine blog.  It's a great way to share information about forthcoming books with other readers.

This week's anticipated book:

 

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Publication date: January 14, 2014

   Preorder from online and books and mortar bookstores

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  On a spring morning in 1951, eleven-year-old chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce gathers with her family at the railway station, awaiting the return of her long-lost mother, Harriet. Yet upon the train’s arrival in the English village of Bishop’s Lacey, Flavia is approached by a tall stranger who whispers a cryptic message into her ear. Moments later, he is dead, mysteriously pushed under the train by someone in the crowd. Who was this man, what did his words mean, and why were they intended for Flavia? 

 

Back home at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ crumbling estate, Flavia puts her sleuthing skills to the test. Following a trail of clues sparked by the discovery of a reel of film stashed away in the attic, she unravels the deepest secrets of the de Luce clan, involving none other than Winston Churchill himself. Surrounded by family, friends, and a famous pathologist from the Home Office—and making spectacular use of Harriet’s beloved Gipsy Moth plane, Blithe Spirit—Flavia will do anything, even take to the skies, to land a killer.

 

My thoughts:  I read the previous books in this series and have a soft spot in my heart for the young and precocious Flavia, the villagers of Bishop's Lacey, and the entire de Luce family.  I look forward to this next installment in one of my favorite mystery series.

 

Which book are you waiting for?

 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Flavia de Luce #6 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #21--BEA 2013 Edition

Welcome to my BEA 2013 edition of Sunday's Weekly Book Recap, which I am sharing on the following blogs:
    hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
   hosted by the team at Tynga's Reviews
   hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea  

   BOOKS and ARCs I acquired at BEA 2013
 

From Random House (Imprints: Random House, Crown Publishing, Knopf Doubleday)

                               
                 

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld, The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan,A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry; Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas, The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay

 

From HarperCollins (Imprints: Harper, HarperCollins, Avon Books, William Morrow)

              

                                                         
                                               

Row 1: We are Water by Wally Lamb, 15 Seconds by Andrew Gross, As You Wish by Eloisa James, Row 2: Shadowkiller by Wendy Corsi Staub, The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle, The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman, Row 3: And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

From Simon & Schuster (Imprints: Atria Books, Simon & Schuster, Touchstone, Gallery Books, Scribner, Simon Pulse)

    
Seduction by M.J. Rose, The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau, Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen, A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett, Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson, My Notorious Life by Kate Manning, Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young
 

From Penguin Group (Imprints: Viking Press,Pamela Dorman, Penguin, Gotham, Riverhead, Sentinel, Dutton, Plume, Berkley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Blue Rider, Razor Bill)
      

          
         

Row 1: W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton, Morning Glory and The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio, Blowback by Valerie Plame and Sarah Lovett, Row 2: Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston, All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry, Never Come Back by David Bell, The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, Row 3: Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves, Traveling Sprinkler by Nicholson Baker, Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman, Sylo by D.J. MacHale, Row 4: The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
 

From Hachette Book Group (Imprint: Grand Central Publishing; Little, Brown) 
     

     
               
                 
Row 1: That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay; Last Chance Book Club by Hope Ramsay, Somerset by Leila Meacham, Identical by Scott Turow, Row 2: The Apartment by Greg Baxter, You Should Have Known (no image available) by Jean Hanff Korelitz, author of Admission, Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand, Haven Creek by Rochelle Alers, Row 3: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, Unbreakable by Kami Garcia, Friendship Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by Lisa Verge Higgins, Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
 

From Harlequin (Imprints: Harlequin, Mira)

 

 

 

                           
Row 1: Ink by Amanda Sun, The Returned by Jason Mott, Currant Creek Valley by RaeAnne Thayne, The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa, Row 2: A Brother's Honor by Brenda Jackson, Beauty's Beast by Jenna Kernan, The Look of Love by Bella Andre, The Best Man by Kristan Higgins, Row 3: Just One Kiss by Susan Mallery, Teatime for the Firefly by Shona Patel, The Wanderer by Robyn Carr, Waking Up To You/Overexposed by Leslie Kelly, Row 4: I'll Be Seeing You by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan, Tear You Apart by Megan Hart 
 

From Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

              
                                      

The View from Penthouse B and I Can't Complain: (All Too) Personal Essays by Elinor Lipman, Death of the Black-Haired Girl by Robert Stone, Want Not (image not available) by Jonathan Miles, author of Dear American Airlines

From Hyperion
  Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

From Algonquin/Workman
        
Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman, The Explanation for Everything by Lauren Grodstein, You're Only Human: A Survival Guide for Modern Civilization by The Gecko 

From Bloomsbury USA
                          

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward; The Residue Years by Mitchell S. Jackson

From Candlewick Press
            

The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas by David Almond

From Clarkson Potter
   Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard and the Reinvention of American Taste by Luke Barr
 

From Grove/Atlantic

    Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly

                   

From Picador

   Havisham by Ronald Frame 
 

From St. Martin's Press

               

Accused by Lisa Scottoline, How to be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman, Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
 

From Scholastic 

                         
Awaken by Meg Cabot; The Last Present by Wendy Mass

From Soho Crime/Soho Press

         

Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis, A Blind Goddess by James R. Benn, A Beautiful Truth by Colin McAdam, What We Lost in the Dark by Jacquelyn Mitchard
 

From Spiegel & Grau

  The Lullaby of Polish Girls by Dagmara Dominczyk
 

From Tor/Forge

                           

The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan; The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White

From Amazon Publishing
    Changing Lanes by Kathleen Long 

From Beaver's Pond Press

    Capitol Hell by Jayne J. Jones and Alicia M. Long

From Flux
  The Cutting Room Floor by Dawn Klehr 

 From Gallic

    The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain

From Midnight Ink
                       
As She Left It and Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder by Catriona McPherson

From Montlake Romance
                       
Take Me Home by Nancy Herkness; Sweet Tea and Secrets by Nancy Naigle 

From Open Road Integrated Media

    Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps by Jo Piazza

From Orbit
                         
The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence; Charming by Elliott James 
 

From Other Press

                            

The Professor of Truth by James Robertson, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and A Well-Tempered Heart by Jan-Philipp Sendker

From Skyscape

                                       

Left Drowning by Jessica Park; Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan
 

From Sourcebooks/Landmark

                  

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson, Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas, The One-Way Bridge by Cathie Pelletier

From Sweetwater Books/Cedar Fort

   Miss Grimsley's Oxford Career by Carla Kelly

From Tom Doherty

    The Sixth Station by Linda Stasi

From Torrey House Press

                              

The Legend's Daughter, Stories by David Kranes; Recapture & Other Stories by Erica Olsen
 

From Self Publishers

                 

Zinfandelity by Tracey Sorel, On a Night Like This by Barbara Freethy, Dirty Little Secrets by Liliana Hart

Here are links to the books and ARCs I received at other BEA events:

Library Journal Day of Dialog 2013

Author Breakfast and Librarian Lunch

Many, many thanks to all of the publishers and their staffs who participated in BEA 2013!

Which books did you get this week?
   

Catherine

Follow me on Twitter: @bookclubreader

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #21--BEA 2013 Edition was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.