What Are You Reading Wednesdays

Today I'm joining in What Are Your Reading Wednesdays, a new-for-me weekly meme hosted by Andie at It's A Reading Thing . . .

Participate by including some information about the book you're currently reading . . .
1.  What's the title?
2.  Share a few sentences from page 34 (or 34% of an eBook)
3.  Would you like to live in the world that exists within the book?  Why or why not?


I'm currently reading . . .

The Little Paris Bookshop 

Page 34 . . .

"Perdu rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, checked that his black tie was straight, took out the reading glasses he had recently started wearing and with a deferential gesture, escorted the customer into the heart of his literary world: the leather armchair with a footstool in front of a large plate-glass window that framed a view of the Eiffel Tower.  There was, of course, a side table for handbags too--donated by Lirabelle.  And next to it, an old piano that Perdu had tuned twice a year, even though he couldn't play it himself."

Would I like to live in the world created by author Nina George?

Absolutely!!  Having access to a bookstore housed on a barge along the Seine with a view of the Eiffel Tower and a bookseller who pays great attention to detail, comfort, and hospitality is my idea of book heaven.   Reading this book brings back fond memories of visiting Paris and strolling along the Seine, perusing the books for sale in open-air stalls. 

What Are You Reading Wednesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated. 

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring Death on the Sapphire by R.J. Koreto, which I borrowed from the library.  It's the first book in a new historical mystery series set in London in the early 1900s.

Goodreads Page

Chapter 1

London, 1906

The surprising coda to the tragic death of Major Daniel "Danny" Colcombe, a restless war hero, capped what was already an especially busy day for Lady Frances Ffolkes. The morning had been taken up writing a speech on women's suffrage in her capacity as chair of the outreach committee of the League for Women's Political Equality.  Next was following up on arrangements for the Ladies' Christian Relief Guild soup kitchen in the East End.  She had also made an appointment for what would no doubt be a tedious meeting with Henry Wheaton, the family solicitor--ever since moving out of the family home and into Miss Plimsoll's Residence Hotel for Ladies, she had started taking care of her own finances.  A dull task, but rather liberating nonetheless for an independent woman.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?   

The first paragraph describes why I am so enamored of books set in Edwardian London--strong, independent ladies who fight for women's rights and social justice and are dedicated to improving society in the early years of the 20th century.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated. 

WWW Wednesdays

It's time for WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words

  

This mid-weekly meme consists of answering The Three Ws:

What are you currently reading?

 What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm reading . . .

 

I borrowed an ARC of this book, which will be published this September, from a librarian friend.  It is a suspenseful read that hooked me immediately.  More from Goodreads.

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I finished reading . . .

I didn't expect to, but I fell completely in love with the oddball called Ove.  On the surface, Ove is a stickler for details, unsociable, ornery, and set in his ways.  As the story unfolds, however,  the details of the trials and traumas Ove has suffered over the years give insight into what has shaped his character.  When it appears that Ove can no longer endure the sadness and losses of his life, encounters with his new neighbors and a stray cat lead to unexpected friendships and give new meaning to Ove's life.  This novel, filled with dark humor and unforgettable characters, is ultimately uplifting and profound.  More from Goodreads.

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I'm reading next . . .

 

This mystery, described as a dark and gothic tale, is very popular at the library.  It took a while to get my hands on a copy.  More from Goodreads.

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I'm waiting for . . .

 

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Publication Date:  November 22, 2016

From barnesandnoble.com:  "They think I am still a little girl who is not capable of being a Queen.”

Lord Melbourne turned to look at Victoria. “They are mistaken. I have not known you long, but I observe in you a natural dignity that cannot be learnt. To me, ma’am, you are every inch a Queen.”

In 1837, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday, Alexandrina Victoria – sheltered, small in stature, and female – became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Many thought it was preposterous: Alexandrina — Drina to her family — had always been tightly controlled by her mother and her household, and was surely too unprepossessing to hold the throne. Yet from the moment William IV died, the young Queen startled everyone: abandoning her hated first name in favor of Victoria; insisting, for the first time in her life, on sleeping in a room apart from her mother; resolute about meeting with her ministers alone.

One of those ministers, Lord Melbourne, became Victoria’s private secretary. Perhaps he might have become more than that, except everyone argued she was destined to marry her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. But Victoria had met Albert as a child and found him stiff and critical: surely the last man she would want for a husband….

Drawing on Victoria’s diaries as well as her own brilliant gifts for history and drama, Daisy Goodwin, author of the bestselling novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter as well as creator and screenwriter of the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria, brings the young queen even more richly to life in this magnificent novel.

What are your Wednesday updates?

WWW Wednesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti, which I borrowed from a librarian friend.  This book will be published on 9/27/16 by Atria Books.

 

Goodreads Page

Chapter 1

April 2014, NEW YORK CITY

Lately, I've been dreaming about my mother.  Not Evelyn, the only mother I've ever known, the woman who raised me and loved me and taught me to swim in the fresh water of Lake Chabot, bake a sticky sweet pecan pie, fly-fish.  I've thought about Evelyn plenty in the five years since she died--I'd venture to say every day.*

*Text taken from an advanced reader copy.

 

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?   

I'm half-way through this suspenseful novel, and I can't put it down.  The protagonist, now known as New York society wife Zoe Whittaker, is on the run from the dangers of her past and fears that her rich,distant husband will learn her darkest secrets.  

Henry Whittaker has given Zoe a life she never dreamed possible, but is he the charming knight in armor she initially imagined him to be?  Changes in his behavior toward Zoe and his secretive nature are unsettling her at an extremely vulnerable time.  Why is Henry so reluctant to share information about his own past, and what is he hiding?  I can't wait to finish this page-turner to find out.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated. 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & 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 The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George.  The excerpts shared are from the hardcover version I purchased from Barnes and Noble.

  

Beginning: How on earth could I have let them talk me into it? 

The two generals of number 27 Rue Montagnard—Madame Bernard, the owner, and Madame Rosalette, the concierge—had caught Monsieur in a pincer movement between their ground-floor flats.

 

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Page 56:  "Monsieur Perdu felt suddenly and truly alone, like a stupid little rowing boat on the mocking, scornful sea--without a sail, a rudder or a name."

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My thoughts:   I love books that feature bookstores (not to mention Paris) in the plot, and will be reading this novel for a book club discussion in early August.

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From Goodreads:   "There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books.”

Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.

After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the country’s rivers, dispensing his wisdom and his books, showing that the literary world can take the human soul on a journey to heal itself.

Internationally bestselling and filled with warmth and adventure, The Little Paris Bookshop is a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories to shape people's lives.

WWW Wednesdays

It's time for WWW Wednesdays hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words

  

This weekly meme consists of answering The Three Ws:

What are you currently reading?

 What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

I'm reading . . .

 

I'm reading this book with two of my book clubs. Ove is an oddball of sorts who is currently at a crossroads in life.  More from Goodreads.

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I finished reading . . .

 

Sad to say, but for me this book just didn't live up to the hype.  The characters, of which there were many, didn't engage me and I couldn't connect with the lifestyle and customs of the village.

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I'm reading next . . .

 

This is another book club read, and one I'm eager to begin.  More from Goodreads.

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What I'm Waiting For . . .

 

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Publication Date:  September 20, 2016

From barnesandnoble.com:  In Emma Donoghue's latest masterpiece, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.

Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.

Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels—a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.

What are your Wednesday updates?

WWW Wednesdays was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.  

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph

It's Tuesday . . . time for . . .

                                                      

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.

Today I'm featuring A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman, which I am reading with one of my book clubs.

 

Goodreads Page

1

A Man Called Ove Buys a Computer That is Not a Computer

Ove is fifty-nine. 

He drives a Saab.  He's the kind of man who points at people he doesn't like the look of, as if they were burglars and his forefinger a policeman's torch.  He stands at the counter of a shop where owners of Japanese cars come to purchase white cables.  Ove eyes the sales assistant for a long time before shaking a medium-sized white box at him.

What do you think?  Would you continue reading?   

My first impression of Ove is that he is lacking in social skills and doesn't care what others think.  As I read on, I'm learning what makes him tick.  For years he has been a stickler for rules and life alone is getting to be too much for him.   But his recent interactions with a stray cat and new neighbors may just change his outlook on life.

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com.  This post cannot be republished without attribution. Retweeting and sharing on Google+ are appreciated.