Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #18

 It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from one of my current reads 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.

This week's selection:

  

Beginning:   CHAPTER 36  6:30 P.M., SUNDAY

 

She stood at the window of the Manhattan apartment, peering through a slit in the drapes. Her hands trembled.

 

"Do you see anyone?" the man across the room asked, voice edgy.

 

"I'm not sure.  Maybe."  Her body pitched forward, tense, Gabriela tugged the thick sheets of cloth closer together, as if someone was scanning the windows with binoculars.  Or a sniper rifle.  "Of course, I didn't see anybody earlier today, either.  Until it was too late."  She muttered fiercely, "I wish I had a gun now.  I'd use it.  If anybody's there, I swear to God I'd use it."

Sam Easton asked, "But who would it be?"

 

She turned to him, stepping away from the window fast.  "Who?  It could be anyone.  Everybody in the world, it seems, wants the god-damn October List!"

 

My thoughts:  I'm intrigued by a story that starts with its final chapter and works its way back to the first chapter.  This book, by bestselling thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, is told in reverse and contains photographs by the author.

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Page 56:  Just then Surani got another call.  He listened.  He disconnected.  "Surveillance.  Gabriella and Reardon're on the move again.  Near Forty-Eight and Seventh, moving west.  There're a couple unmarkeds in the vicinity, but they're staying out of sight."  (Note:  This excerpt is from page 55 of the hardcover edition; page 56 is blank.)

 

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It's interesting that the character's name (Gabriela/Gabriella) is spelled with one l almost everywhere else in the book, yet on page 55 it's spelled with two l's.  Since I was quoting the text directly from both page 7 (beginning) and page 55, I used the spellings that appeared on each of those pages.  Think I caught a typo on page 55....

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Overview from barnesandnoble.com:

The shocking end is only the beginning . . .

#1 bestselling author Jeffery Deaver has created the most riveting and original novel of the year-a race-against-the-clock mystery, told in reverse.

THE OCTOBER LIST

Gabriela waits desperately for news of her abducted daughter.
At last, the door opens.
But it's not the negotiators. It's not the FBI.
It's the kidnapper.
And he has a gun.

How did it come to this?

Two days ago, Gabriela's life was normal. Then, out of the blue, she gets word that her six-year-old daughter has been taken. She's given an ultimatum: pay half a million dollars and find a mysterious document known as the "October List" within 30 hours, or she'll never see her child again.

A mind-bending novel with twists and turns that unfold from its dramatic climax back to its surprising beginning, THE OCTOBER LIST is Jeffery Deaver at his masterful, inventive best.

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine
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Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #18 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

Waiting on Wednesday: New Anita Shreve Novel

 

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: Little, Brown & Company 

Publication date: November 12, 2013

 

From barnesandnoble.com: Stella Bain has no memory of her past when she wakes up in a hospital bed in Marne, France. It is 1916, and she wears the uniform of a British war nurse but speaks with an American accent. As soon as she is able, Stella sets out for London, where she hopes to find answers. What she discovers-with the help of Dr. August Bridge, who takes an interest in her case-both shocks and startles. As Stella's memories come racing back, she must undertake a journey across the ocean to confront the haunted past of the woman she used to be. 

In this gripping historical drama that transports us from Europe to America and back again, Anita Shreve weaves an engrossing tale about love and memory, set against the backdrop of a war that devastated an entire generation.

My thoughts:  Anita Shreve is a master storyteller, and I am looking forward to the publication of this, her 17th novel.  I first discovered the author's writing many years ago when The Pilot's Wife was chosen as an Oprah Book Club selection.  I am intrigued by the plot description of Stella Bain, especially since I enjoy novels set in England around the time of the first world war.

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine
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Waiting on Wednesday: New Anita Shreve Novel was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  
 

 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #35

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.

This week I'm featuring the opening paragraph from Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites by Kate Christensen, which I recently borrowed in electronic format from the New York Public Library.

   

Blue Plate Special

Prologue

~ Often, whenever I come up against anything painful or difficult, my mind escapes to food.  I am sure I am far from alone in this.  Even if I'm too upset to eat, just the thought of a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup is warm and cozy and savory and comforting.  Unlike memories, emotions, experiences, food is an irrefutable fact, a bit of physical nourishment, and when it's gone, it's gone.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?  Mmmm...grilled cheese and tomato soup.  A comforting thought and taste, especially with the hint of fall in the air here in New York.  We all have food associations, many of them emotional.  Described as a mouthwatering literary memoir, I have just begun reading Christensen's thoughts on food and how it relates to her life, mindful of my own relationship with food.

Catherine
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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #35 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.
 

Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #39

This was a special week for me because I celebrated my first blogoversary on Friday.  Click here to read my special message to bloggers, followers, and readers who have read or commented since Book Club Librarian entered the blogosphere on 10/11/12.

Now for my recap of the books I'm reading or have acquired this week, and which I am sharing on these blogs:

        

                                   

                       
Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer / Stacking the Shelves hosted by the team at Tynga's Reviews / Showcase Sunday hosted by Vicky at  Books, Biscuits, and Tea . . .

My Week in Books, October 6-12, 2013

Finished reading . . .
        
Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile and Cutting Right to the Chase by Stefania Mattana

Currently reading . . .
    The October List by Jeffery Deaver


Ebooks downloaded . . .

Kindle:  Torn  by Gilli Allan; I.O.U. Sex by Sandra Nachlinger & Sandra Allen

Borrowed from the library . . .
 
A Commonplace Killing by Sian Busby, Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole, Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch, and The October List by Jeffery Deaver

Which books did you get this week?
   

Catherine
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Google Friend Connect no longer exists.  If you are a new follower or previous GFC follower, please sign up to follow the Book Club Librarian Blog via Bloglovin'.  Let me know if you're a new follower and leave me a link to your blog so that I can follow you back.  Thanks!
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Sunday's Weekly Book Recap #39 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.

    

Friday Focus: First Blogoversary

 

One year ago today I wrote my very first post and launched Book Club Librarian into the blogosphere. It's been a great experience interacting with other bloggers and readers and keeping up with new books--all while learning enough technical tricks to add graphics and schedule my weekly musings.  After 317 posts, I'm still enthused about blogging, and look forward to exploring new ideas and expanding my technical skills in the time ahead. 

The most valuable part of blogging has been making so many new online friends across the US and around the world who share a passion for reading and a special camaraderie.  Thank you fellow bloggers for welcoming me into the community and encouraging my efforts.  Thank you followers for reading my posts and sharing your comments and thoughts.  I enjoy hearing from each of you and relish the countless smiles and chuckles you've brought to my blogging days.  I've learned so much from all of you and appreciate your knowledge, creativity, and feedback.

With book in hand, I'm toasting all of you today.  Thanks for a good year . . . here's to many more!

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine
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Thursday Thoughts: Blogoversary was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

Waiting on Wednesday: Bridget Jones is Back!

 

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: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group 

Publication date: October 15, 2013

 

From barnesandnoble.com:  Bridget Jones—one of the most beloved characters in modern literature (v.g.)—is back! In Helen Fielding's wildly funny, hotly-anticipated new novel, Bridget faces a few rather pressing questions:   

 

What do you do when your girlfriend’s sixtieth birthday party is the same day as your boyfriend’s thirtieth?

Is it better to die of Botox or die of loneliness because you’re so wrinkly?

Is it wrong to lie about your age when online dating?

Is it morally wrong to have a blow-dry when one of your children has head lice?

Is it normal to be too vain to put on your reading glasses when checking your toy boy for head lice?

Does the Dalai Lama actually tweet or is it his assistant?

Is it normal to get fewer followers the more you tweet?

Is technology now the fifth element? Or is that wood?

If you put lip plumper on your hands do you get plump hands?

Is sleeping with someone after two dates and six weeks of texting the same as getting married after two meetings and six months of letter writing in Jane Austen’s day?

Pondering these and other modern dilemmas, Bridget Jones stumbles through the challenges of loss, single motherhood, tweeting, texting, technology, and rediscovering her sexuality in—Warning! Bad, outdated phrase approaching!—middle age.

In a triumphant return after fourteen years of silence, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is timely, tender, touching, page-turning, witty, wise, outrageous, and bloody hilarious.

 

 

My Thoughts:  I've enjoyed Bridget Jones on the page and on the screen and am happy to see her return.  I anticipate each humorous calamity as Bridget embraces the latest technology and new life experiences.  Bridget's unique take on the world is a glorious treat! 

Enjoy life with books . . .

 

Catherine
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Waiting on Wednesday: Bridget Jones is Back! was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #34

 

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.

This week I'm featuring the opening paragraph from Cutting Right to the Chase by Stefania Mattana, which I recently purchased in electronic format from amazon.com.

 

 Place your bets

Inspector Alunni couldn't have thanked Chase Williams in a better way for his help.  Chase was with the Police on the eastern outskirts of Tursenia, a Medieval city in the heart of Italy, where he recently moved from the UK.  They were somewhere along a small road close to a compound of high buildings, probably housing projects.  Chase was the only one with no gun.  The last time he'd held one of those was in London, ages ago.  

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?  I'm featuring something a bit different today.  My selection is part of a series of six unusual crime short stories, which intrigued me when I saw this one recently on another blogger's site.  I like its European setting and am curious to find out more about Chase and the circumstances that bring him to Italy.

Catherine  

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First Chapter ~ First Paragraph #34 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.