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 my current read, Paris for One & Other Stories by Jojo Moyes, borrowed from the library.

  

Paris for One

Chapter One

Nell shifts her bag along the plastic seating in the station and checks the clock on the wall for the eighty-ninth time.  Her gaze flicks back as the door from Security slides open.  Another family--clearly Disney bound--walks through into the departure lounge, with baby stroller, screaming children, and parents who have been awake way too long.

For the last half hour, her heart has been thumping, a sick feeling high in her chest.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?

I've read and enjoyed several of Moyes's novels, so was intrigued to see a collection of her short stories while browsing the shelves at one of my library's branches.  The book contains nine stories, and I'm nearly finished with the title story, which has an interesting plot, good character development, and a wonderful setting.  It has me reminiscing about my last trip to Paris in 2014.  In fact, I've been viewing the pictures on my iPad from that visit and am longing to return to the City of Lights.

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.

Tuesday Tidbits--Holiday Shorts

 My recent blog post about short stories got me thinking about short stories with a holiday theme.  One of the most unusual collections I've come across is Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris.  The book is a compact 134 pages and just 6 stories, but it provides a heaping dose of the author's wicked wit and sarcasm.  There are many laugh out loud moments in Sedaris's observations of human behavior and popular seasonal culture; but be advised, this Sedaris collection isn't for everyone. Some readers may find his irreverence, language, and/or scenarios a bit over the top or offensive.  Suffice it to say you either like Sedaris's humor or you don't.

With story titles like SantaLand Diaries, which describes the author's experience working as an elf at Macy's Herald Square flagship store and Dinah, the Christmas Whore, about the Sedaris family's encounter with a woman of questionable status, the author tells it like he sees it.  These stories won't leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, but they are amusing.  And if you shed a tear while reading this collection, it will be from laughter, not sentimentality.

Catherine

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Tuesday Tidbits--Holiday Shorts was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.blogspot.com. This post cannot be republished without express written consent.