Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on October 12, 2012| 2 Comments »

Welcome to another special edition of Book Beginnings where I give you the first line or two of a book and my opinion about it.  Rose City Reader is our gracious host so please hop on over to her blog to check out her selection and others as well.

Back in the summer, I had the opportunity to read and review “even if I am.” because of a giveaway hosted by Rose City.  After that, I was in contact with the author’s publicist and she asked if I would like to read and review a new mystery she was promoting.  I jumped at the chance and she sent “Public Trust” by JM Mitchell my way.  Here is the first line:

“ “Please, promise me they won’t let it burn,” the woman said.”

What’s burning?  Well, you will just have to read the book to find out.  Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but it did start out a little slow for me.  Once I got past the first 75 pages or so, the story picked up speed and made me want to find out what happened at the end.  There were a few little hiccups for me: the author is well acquainted with National Parks and their inner workings so some of the terminology was a little lost on me and there is part of the story that is missing.  The author keeps alluding to Jack’s backstory in Montana but never tells us what it is.  I want to know!

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on October 5, 2012| 8 Comments »

It’s Friday so that means it is time for another bookish post.  Please join me over at Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings.  Today’s first lines comes from a genre that I usually don’t read…non-fiction, but I made an exception.  I enjoy watching or reading about Great Britain so when I saw a new biography about Queen Elizabeth II at my local library, I snatched it up.

This has been a very enlightening read about the British monarchy and what it was like growing up in that spotlight.  I know that I never would want to have to endure or my children to endure that kind of scrutiny.

Here are the first lines of “Elizabeth The Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch” by Sarah Bedell Smith:

“At the end of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011, the radiant couple turned before walking down the aisle at Westminster Abbey and stood before his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The newlyweds were celebrated for their romantic love match, and for the young prince’s determination to marry his soul mate despite her being a “commoner” – having neither royal nor aristocratic origins. The bride and groom gave a low curtsy and neck bow to the Queen, who looked sturdy and stoic at age eighty-five.  She signaled her approval with an almost imperceptible nod.”

Sturdy and stoic are usually good adjectives to describe the Queen that the public sees, but this book takes you behind the scenes and shows you more of the real woman. 

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on September 21, 2012| 7 Comments »

Welcome to today’s edition of Book Beginnings, a wonderful link party hosted by Rose City Reader.  Join me and other avid readers as we give you the first line (or two) of a book we are reading and then tell you our thoughts about it.

My book today is “Beyond The Blonde” by Kathleen Flynn-Hui:

"I would have to say that it all began-or, rather, it all began to end-the morning Faith Honeycomb passed out on the floor of the Salon Jean-Luc."

Hmmm, this just makes you wonder what’s ending and why, doesn’t it?  This is a funny and entertaining book about life in a big-time fancy New York City hair salon and the people who work there.  I may not look it all the time, but I love fashion.  Clothes, make-up, hair…I used to always buy the big Spring and Fall issues of Vogue magazine to see all of the latest styles.  I think enjoying those things made this book even better.

This book has turned out to be a great, fun read. If you are looking for a good vacation book, try this one!

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings & A Winner Announcement

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on September 7, 2012| 2 Comments »

Please join me and other bloggers today over at Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings.  The book I am featuring today is “On Folly Beach” by Karen White.  What attracted me to this book at first was the beautiful cover of seashells on sand with water washing over them and the name of course.  Folly Beach is a little island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina and is a place that I would love to visit some day. 

“Emmy awoke to the song of the wind in the bottle tree, to the black night and the winter chill, and knew Ben was gone from her the way the moon knows the ocean’s tides.”

Doesn’t this first sentence just send chills down your spine?  This book is full of memories with a little magic thrown in.  The way Ms. White joins the generations of women is really poignant.  I can’t wait to try more of her books!

Now, to the big announcement!  I have the opportunity to give away 3 copies of “even if I am.” by Chasity Glass that I wrote about last week.  I wrote down everyone’s name and had my husband, C, to pick three names out of a bowl.  Real high tech!  Anyway, the three lucky winners are…Mostraum, Chris Thompson, & Kesha!  You three will be receiving an email from me and from Mary Bisbee-Beek, who is Ms. Glass’ publicist.  Ms. Bisbee-Beek will need more information from you so please respond to her email to receive your book.  Congratulations!!!!!  Many thanks to Ms. Bisbee-Beek and Ms. Glass for the opportunity to host my first giveaway.

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings (And My First EVER Giveaway)

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , on August 31, 2012| 16 Comments »

Welcome to a very special edition of Book Beginnings for me.  I usually post a book review every other Friday to link up at Rose City Reader, but thanks to a giveaway hosted by Ms. Rose City, I have a very special book to tell you about today.  I won a copy of “even if I am.” by Chasity Glass a couple of weeks ago and I just have to tell you about it.  Here is the first line:

"People are really romantic about the beginning of things."

How true is that?  Whether it is an actual romance, a new job, or a new home, most people are hopeful and romantic at the beginning of any big new endeavor.  To be honest, if I had really paid attention to what this book was about, I might not have even entered the giveaway, but I am so glad I did.  Someone very close to Ms. Glass is diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and this is their story dealing with this hideous disease and their lives around it.

My mother died two and a half years ago from ovarian cancer and she was at stage 3 when she was diagnosed three years before that.  She was my best friend and I am still dealing with the grief and disbelief that she is no longer here on earth with me.  Reading this story brought back so many memories, both good and bad, and moved me to tears multiple times.  Ms. Glass’s writing is so honest and funny and poignant…I could just go on and on.  I also loved the fact that a lot of the book is actual e-mails that Ms. Glass and her love sent back and forth to one another.  It makes it seem like you are right there with them and can feel the growing love that they have for each other.

This book is wonderful and I highly recommend it, but be aware that it is a very honest portrayal of dealing with cancer and everything that comes along with it.  Ms. Glass, I commend you for telling such an honest and loving story.  Great job!

Now, for the giveaway!  I am so thrilled and honored to have this opportunity.  Ms. Glass and her people are giving away another 3 copies of “even if I am.” to my readers.  Isn’t that awesome!  This is my first giveaway EVER, so here goes…today is August 31st so everyone that comments between today and Wednesday, September 5th will be entered in a drawing for these books.  I will randomly pick three people to receive the freebies and announce them on next Friday’s Book Beginnings post.  Please, please comment because you might win a wonderful book that I hope you will love as much as I did.  Also, make sure you leave an e-mail address so I have a way to contact you if you win.  Good luck!!

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on August 24, 2012| 5 Comments »

Welcome to today’s edition of Book Beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader.  What’s Book Beginnings, you ask?  It is a very cool link party where bloggers write down the first few lines of the book they are reading and give you their opinion about it.  I hope you check it out and find a new amazing book or blog to try.

Today, I am introducing you to a type of book that I rarely read…nonfiction.  Except for the Bible and how-to books, non-fiction is usually not my thing, but something about this book caught my attention.  Just a few weeks before I read this, C & I were having a discussion about introverts and what exactly makes a person an introvert.  We both knew that we were, but what if what we thought makes us this way was not all there was to it.  Then I found “Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain.  I don’t think I can really say that this book changed my life, but it did change the perception of my life.  Here are the first few lines:

“Montgomery, Alabama. December 1, 1955.  Early evening.  A public bus pulls to a stop and a sensibly dressed woman in her forties gets on.  She carries herself erectly, despite having spent the day bent over an ironing board in a dingy basement tailor shop at the Montgomery Fair department store.  Her feet are swollen, her shoulders ache.  She sits in the first row of the colored section and watches quietly as the bus fills with riders.  Until the driver orders her to give her seat to a white passenger.”

Yep, the writer is talking about Rosa Parks, one single woman who helped spark the racial equality movement, but guess what?  She was not the most willing participant when it came to coming out publicly about this, but she did it because she knew it was the right thing to do.  I hope you will take the time to read this book.  I was amazed at the information and research that the writer put into it.  It is well worth your time.

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , , on August 10, 2012| 7 Comments »

Please join me and other bloggers at Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings where we list a book we are reading/have read/want to read and the first couple of lines.  Then we will give you our opinion on said book. 

This week, my beginning lines come from “The Recipe Club” by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel.  I received this book as a Christmas present so I had never heard of it before then.  It was good and a pretty easy read.  The neat thing about this book is that is contains the recipes that the two main characters talk about throughout their letters to each other as the only members of their “recipe club”. 

"Dear Lilly,

I’ve started a letter just like this about a thousand times.  "Dear Lilly," I’d write, as if I knew what came next.  But that was as far as I got.  I never knew what to say or how to say it.  And I wasn’t sure you’d ever want to hear my voice again."

Many letters ensue after this one and you will get to know all about the characters past and present.

I also want to thank Rose City Reader for a book giveaway she hosted a couple of weeks ago.  I won!!  Now I have a nice shiny new copy of “Even If I Am. an e-memoir” by Chasity Glass to read.  As soon as I finish the book I am reading now, it is next on my list.  Thanks again, Rose City Reader and Chasity Glass!

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , , on July 27, 2012| 6 Comments »

Welcome to this week’s edition of Book Beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader.  Get yourself a drink and kick back to see what I and other bloggers have been reading and what our thoughts are about these books.

Today I am bringing you the first lines of “Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart” by Beth Patillo:

"The taxi pulled up outside Christ Church and I climbed out of the backseat, but the scorching July heat stole my breath and threatened to press me back inside the cab.  I swiped at the sweat dripping down my forehead and righted myself on the pavement.  When my sister talked me into taking her spot in a summer seminar on "Pride and Prejudice", I’d expected the dreaming spires of Oxford, intellectual conversation, and long walks along the tranquil river.  I hadn’t expected to arrive soaked with perspiration and deeply in need of a shower, all because of my sister’s obsession with one Fitzwilliam Darcy."

This is a wonderfully descriptive beginning and the story just gets better from there.  If you are a Jane Austen fan (I am), then you definitely need to give this book a try.  It is witty and entertaining…the perfect summer read.

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on July 13, 2012| 5 Comments »

Please join me and other book reading bloggers at Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings.  Do you like to read and blog about it?  You can link up your reviews there, too.  All you have to do is type the first few lines of the book and then your thoughts about.  It’s as easy as that!

Today I am bringing you the first lines of a very special book…”Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, which is the seventh and last book of this very, very popular series by J.K. Rowling.  Let me tell you, if I thought the tone of the series had changed with the 6th book, it was nothing compared to this one!  Ms. Rowling’s writing is out of this world and I have so enjoyed the maturing of the characters.  I am not sure if I could ever pick a favorite from this series, but I think this one would be very close to the top of the list!

"The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.  For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other’s chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same direction."

Doesn’t these words make you wonder…who are the men?  Are they friend or foe?  Are they good or bad?  Don’t worry because it doesn’t take long for you to figure them out or does it?  I loved the twists and turns of this book and I might have to go back and read it again for good measure!  You know it is a good book when you can read about 800 pages in just two or three days! 

Now I want to watch the movies again because it makes so much more sense now!

Read Full Post »

Book Beginnings

Posted in Books, tagged , , , on June 29, 2012| 3 Comments »

It is Friday so it’s time for another edition of Book Beginnings over at Rose City Reader.  Today I am bringing you the first few lines of “Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling.  This book is the sixth book out of a series of seven, and I have to tell you that I am a little sad to be this close to the end but I CAN’T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!!!  The tone is so different from the others that sometimes it is hard to take it all in.  In the first five books, Harry was battling the evil “You-Know-Who”, but there was an equal amount of Hogwarts competition going on as well.  This book is where the fat hits the fire so to speak, and you can just feel the battle coming.

"It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.  He was waiting for a call from the President of a far distant country, and between wondering when the wretched man would telephone, and trying to suppress unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring, and difficult week, there was not much space in his head for anything else."

This man is the Prime Minister of England for the non-magical population so when he gets a visit in the next few paragraphs from the leader of the magical populace, he is in for a very big surprise!  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »