Tag: Book Beginnings (Page 6 of 16)

#BookBeginnings Louise Penny’s A Better Man

10/18/2019 / Roberta / 9 Comments

Yay! I scored a copy of Louise Penny’s newest, A Better Man, from the library for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Book Beginnings is a fun meme hosted by Rose City Reader blog. To participate, share the first sentence or so of a novel you are reading and your thoughts about it. When you are finished, add your URL to the Book Beginnings page linked above. Hope to see you there!

A Better Man by Louise Penny

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is back at the Sûreté du Québec, but it hasn’t been an easy return. He’s under attack in social media, he’s in a delicate position because he’s been given equal rank to his own son-in-law, plus spring floods threaten. An assignment to look for a young woman who is missing seems like it might be a welcome respite from his problems. Or is it?

First Sentence:

The novel starts with two apparent tweets:

What’s happened to Clara Morrow? She used to be a great artist. #MorrowSucks

Are you kidding me? They let him back in the Sûreté? #SûretéSux

Discussion:

The tweets are part of a theme of this novel. Throughout Louise Penny raises awareness of the impact of unkindness of social networks, perhaps in response to some readers who have posted not so pleasant tweets about herself or her books? Let’s hope the studies that show reading novels increases empathy have some merit.

Penny always has strong settings, but in this one man-vs-nature comes into play in a big way in the form of floods.

What do you think? Would your keep reading?

#BookBeginnings My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

10/10/2019 / Roberta / 2 Comments

My novel today is My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: Korede’s spoiled and beautiful sister Ayoola has a habit of killing her boyfriends. Up to now Korede has dutifully cleaned up her sister’s messes. When her sister catches the eye of the handsome doctor Korede has a crush on, however, she begins to question where her loyalties lie.

First Sentence:

Ayoola summons me with these words — Korede, I killed him.

I had hoped I would never hear those words again.

Discussion:

I picked up this novel because it is the title the Writer Unboxed Facebook group plans to dissect on Oct. 24-27. Writer Unboxed is a long running and highly informative blog for writers. The Facebook group reads a novel together and discusses it from a writer’s perspective.

Plus, I have to admit the title made me curious.

What do you think? Would read about a character who covers up for a serial killer?

#BookBeginnings J. Todd Scott’s This Side of Night

08/22/2019 / Roberta / 4 Comments

Today I’m sharing This Side of Night by J. Todd Scott for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

This Side of Night by J. Todd Scott

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

This Side of Night, the recently-released third novel in J. Todd Scott’s series set in the Big Bend area of Texas, starts with a brutal attack on a busload of students in Mexico. Soon the violent event sends repercussions across the border to where Sheriff Chris Cherry and his deputies America Reynosa and Danny Ford are investigating the deaths of five men found along the river, and at the same time fending off the suspicions of El Paso DEA agent Joe Garrison.

By the way, the author knows his stuff. J. Todd Scott works full time as a senior supervisory agent for the DEA and writes novels in his “spare” time.

First Sentence of the Prologue:

When they shot Castel in the face, Chayo knew they were going to kill them all.

The prologue sets the tone. This is going to be steely crime fiction.

First Sentence of Chapter One:

It started with two eggs and an iron skillet, and went downhill from there.

Scott can be as deceptive as his characters. Just as you are expecting a written-by-a-law enforcement-specialist flavor, he slips in some witty or vibrant prose that says “literary master” and takes your breath away.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

I snagged this book at a signing with the author. Check it out:

Boot-Rock-J. Todd Scott

Public Domain Photograph, Big Bend National Park.

#BookBeginnings A Yummy Memoir: Save Me the Plums

08/15/2019 / Roberta / 8 Comments

Today I used my birthday month discount at Changing Hands Bookstore to snag a signed copy of Ruth Reichl’s delicious memoir Save Me the Plums for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Save Me the Plums* by by Ruth Reichl

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: Ruth Reichl had started reading Gourmet magazine at eight years old, so when the management called many years later (1998) to offer her the position of editor in chief, of course she turned it down. But like re-connecting with a childhood sweetheart, once she accepted the magazine job, it transformed her life.

First Sentence:

I was eight years old when I first found the magazine, sitting on the dusty floor of a used-book store. My father was a book designer who enjoyed the company of ancient volumes and he often took me on book-hunting expeditions around New York, leaving me with a pile of vintage magazines while he went off to prowl among the dark and crowded shelves.

Discussion:

Who wants to go to New York and visit this bookstore right now? What a fun upbringing for a writer/editor!

This is a yummy memoir. I started devouring it this afternoon and couldn’t stop. The sensory descriptions of food are incredible. Plus Reichl knows how to capture the reader as only a master storyteller can.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

Do you like to read memoirs?

#BookBeginnings Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky

08/09/2019 / Roberta / 3 Comments

Let’s take a look at Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky for Book Beginnings on Fridays. It has been way too long since I’ve joined in.

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: In the latest in the Jackson Brodie mystery series, Jackson has moved to a seaside village and is working as a private investigator. He juggles dealing with his rebellious teenage son while investigating an unfaithful husband. Before long he is juggling much more as he tries to untangle a complicated web of interwoven cases.

First Sentence:

“So, what now?” he asked.

“A quick getaway,” she said, shucking off the fancy shoes into the passenger footwell. “They were killing me,” she said and gave him a rueful smile because they’d cost a fortune. He knew — he’d paid for them. She had already removed her bridal veil and tossed it onto the back seat, along with her bouquet, and bow she began to struggle with the thicket of grips in her hair.

Discussion:

This is such an intriguing way to start a book. Later in the page we learn she is pregnant, but before the end of the page the man says, “It’s not what it looks like.”

What do you think? Would you read on?

Are you a fan of the Jackson Brodie series?

Kate-Atkinson-Big-Sky

#BookBeginnings The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

06/27/2019 / Roberta / 3 Comments

Today I’m reading The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

The Crossing Places (first in the Ruth Galloway Mysteries series) by Elly Griffiths

When forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway is called in to age some bones unearthed in a marsh, she quickly establishes that the Iron Age remains aren’t related to a decade-old case of a missing child. The detective who contacted her realizes Ruth’s expertise might shed light on some mysterious letters related to the disappearance. After discovering clues in the letters, soon Ruth is caught up in trying to find the lost girl as well.

First Sentence:

Waking is like rising from the dead.

Discussion:

I would like to thank Magaret at BooksPlease who recently featured the Ruth Galloway series on her blog because it is a gem. I haven’t been this excited about a novel/series in a long time.

This novel is written in the present tense, which can be hard to pull off but she makes it work.

What do you think? Have you started a series lately you’ve been really excited about?

Do you like novels written in the present tense?

#BookBeginnings The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

06/21/2019 / Roberta / 2 Comments

One of my favorite authors, Lisa Lutz, has a new book coming out in August called The Swallows. To tide me over I grabbed one of her Spellman series, The Last Word for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

The Spellmans are an unconventional family (read dysfunctional) of private investigators who often spend more time investigating each other than criminals.

The great thing about the series is that that you could feel comfortable recommending them to a young adult or even your mother because they are devoid of violent murders. Plus, they feature plenty of laughs.

Summary: In the last novel, Isabel Spellman has staged a coup and taken over her family’s PI business, but nothing is going as planned. As she struggles to keep the business afloat, a former client accuses her of embezzlement and if she doesn’t clear her name, she could lose everything.

First Sentence:

Memo

To All Spellman Employees:

Pants are mandatory.
Footwear is encouraged,

Signed,
The Management

Discussion:

That certainly sets the tone for the novel. Sounds like some of Isabel’s family members are protesting her takeover in creative ways.

What do you think? Have you read one of Lisa Lutz’s novels?

The paperback version is called Spellman Six: The Next Generation. That’s a bit confusing if you are trying to read them in order.

#BookBeginnings Conan Doyle for the Defense

06/06/2019 / Roberta / 5 Comments

Today I’m reading a true crime novel, Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World’s Most Famous Detective Writer by Margalit Fox for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Conan Doyle for the Defense by Margalit Fox

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: Famous for his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also dabbled in detection. In this true crime book, Margalit Fox reveals that for the last twenty years of his life Conan Doyle worked to free an innocent man convicted of murder.

Beginning:

It was one of the most notorious murders of its age. Galvanizing early twentieth-century Britain and before long the world, it involved a patrician victim, stolen diamonds, a transatlantic manhunt, and a cunning maidservant who knew far more than she could ever be persuaded to tell.

Discussion:

I’ve seen this on two “best of/must read” lists lately, so decided to give it a try. So far I really like the author’s style. She keeps interest running high.

What do you think? Would you like to learn more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes?

#BookBeginnings The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

05/16/2019 / Roberta / 8 Comments

Let’s take a look at the extraordinary true crime tale The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: Kirk Wallace Johnson investigates the theft of 299 irreplaceable bird specimens from the British Museum of Natural History. On the surface doesn’t seem like a spectacular crime, but what he discovers is an obsession with fly-tying, and a blatant disregard for the value of nature, history and science.

In an interview at This American Life, Johnson reveals his life was threatened while he researched the book. He and his interviewer also throw around some hilarious bird-related puns.

First Sentence of Prologue:

By the time Edwin Rist stepped off the train onto the platform at Tring, forty miles north of London, it was already quite late.

I like how he answers who, where, and when in the first sentence.

First Sentence of Chapter One

Alfred Russel Wallace stood on the quarterdeck of a burning ship, seven hundred miles off the coast of Bermuda, the planks heating beneath his feet, yellow smoke curling up through the cracks.

Discussion:

That must have been terrifying!

I’ve seen this book on several “best of true crime” lists. I’m looking forward to reading it.

What do you think? Have you read The Feather Thief? Would you like to read it?

#BookBeginnings The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

05/09/2019 / Roberta / 5 Comments

Today I’m reading a novel that made a 100 must-read mysteries list, The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke, for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

(*Amazon Affiliate link)

Summary: After losing his wife, Detective Dave Robicheaux must survive both grief and the the dark underworld of the New Orleans French Quarter as he investigates the murder of a young prostitute.

This is the first in a series, originally published in 1987.

First Sentence of Chapter One:

The evening sky was streaked with purple, the color of torn plums, and a light rain had started to fall when I came to the end of the blacktop road that cut through twenty miles of thick, almost impenetrable scrub oak and pine and stopped at the front gate of the Angola penitentiary,

Discussion:

I love Burke’s lush descriptive language. The first sentence is almost a paragraph itself. It also makes me wonder why he’s there.

Although this is an older novel, I’m looking forward to reading it because it is the first in the series. I enjoy seeing how an author’s style evolves over time.

Have you read anything by James Lee Burke? If not, what do you think? Would you give this one a try?

Public Domain Photograph by Andrew Schmidt

Tag: Book Beginnings (Page 6 of 16)

#BookBeginnings Louise Penny’s A Better Man

First Sentence:

#BookBeginnings My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

First Sentence:

#BookBeginnings J. Todd Scott’s This Side of Night

First Sentence of the Prologue:

First Sentence of Chapter One:

#BookBeginnings A Yummy Memoir: Save Me the Plums

First Sentence:

#BookBeginnings Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky

First Sentence:

#BookBeginnings The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

First Sentence:

#BookBeginnings The Last Word by Lisa Lutz

First Sentence:

What do you think? Have you read one of Lisa Lutz’s novels?

#BookBeginnings Conan Doyle for the Defense

Beginning:

What do you think? Would you like to learn more about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes?

#BookBeginnings The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

First Sentence of Prologue:

First Sentence of Chapter One

#BookBeginnings The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

First Sentence of Chapter One:

Have you read anything by James Lee Burke? If not, what do you think? Would you give this one a try?

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