First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros -

Every Tuesday Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon.

I'm reading Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

These are the opening lines...

'Another shot echoed over the treetops.
The beaters' calls had grown clearer. A throbbing pulse was thundering against my eardrums, the damp air forcing its way into my lungs so fast and hard that it hurt.
Run, run, don't fall. I'll never get up again if I do.'

~~~~~

What do you think, would you keep reading?


Synopsis

Kimmie's home is on the streets of Copenhagen. To live she must steal. She has learned to avoid the police and never to stay in one place for long. But now others are trying to find her. And they won't rest until she has stopped moving - for good. Detective Carl Mørck of Department Q, the cold cases division, has received a file concerning the brutal murder of a brother and sister twenty years earlier. A group of boarding school students were the suspects at the time - until one of their number confessed and was convicted. So why is the file of a closed case on Carl's desk? Who put it there? Who believes the case is not solved? A police detective wants to talk to Kimmie and someone else is asking questions about her. They know she carries secrets certain powerful people want to stay buried deep. But Kimmie has one of her own. It's the biggest secret of them all. And she can't wait to share it with them... 

First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - How Green Was My Valley

Every Tuesday Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon.

I'm reading How Green was my Valley by Richard Llewellyn.

These are the opening lines...


'I am going to pack my two shirts with my other socks and my best suit in the little blue cloth my mother used to tie round her hair when she did the house, and I am going from the Valley.'

~~~~~

What do you think, would you keep reading?


Synopsis

Growing up in a mining community in rural South Wales, Huw Morgan is taught many harsh lessons. Looking back, where difficult days are faced with courage and the valleys swell with the sound of Welsh voices, it becomes clear that there is nowhere so green as the landscape of his own memory.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. 

This week I finished reading - Inflicted by Ria Frances - a very moving read, two people, one old, one young, both troubled, finding friendship and kindness. Hope to review it soon. 

I also finished reading Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie - I enjoyed it a lot and will carry on reading the Poirot series.

This week I am currently reading -

Disclaimer by Renee Knight - About a quarter of the way through and the story and tension are building up nicely at the moment.

Here's the synopsis:
Finding a mysterious novel at her bedside plunges documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft into a living nightmare. Though ostensibly fiction, The Perfect Stranger recreates in vivid, unmistakable detail the terrible day she became hostage to a dark secret, a secret that only one other person knew—and that person is dead.
Now that the past is catching up with her, Catherine’s world is falling apart. Her only hope is to confront what really happened on that awful day . . . even if the shocking truth might destroy her.

Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty - This is one that has been on my tbr ages and it's an interesting read so far, very sad subject matter, about a third of the way through this one. 

Here's the synopsis:

Two police officers knock on Laura's door and her life changes forever. They tell her that her nine-year old daughter Betty has been hit by a car and killed. When justice is slow to arrive, Laura decides to take her own revenge and begins to track down the man responsible.

Next up to read - 

Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen

and

The Leipzig Affair by Fiona Rintoul

Here's the synopsis:

The year is 1985. East Germany is in the grip of communism. Magda, a brilliant but disillusioned young linguist, is desperate to flee to the West. When a black market deal brings her into contact with Robert, a young Scot studying at Leipzig University, she sees a way to realise her escape plans. But as Robert falls in love with her, he stumbles into a complex world of shifting half-truths – one that will undo them both.
Many years later, long after the Berlin Wall has been torn down, Robert returns to Leipzig in search of answers. Can he track down the elusive Magda? And will the past give up its secrets?

~~~~~

What are you reading? 

I hope you have a great week of wonderful reading, and thank you for visiting.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Inflicted

Every Tuesday Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where we share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book we are reading or thinking about reading soon.

I'm reading Inflicted by Ria Frances, published by Britain's Next Bestseller. 

These are the opening lines...


'When Theo opened his eyes, his first thought was that he should be dead. The thought swung like a pendulum then vanished without scorching his memory. An iron sky rushed towards him. He lay helpless beneath it, waiting for oblivion.'

I'm halfway through this novel and finding it a very moving and captivating read. 

What do you think, would you keep reading?


Synopsis

In 1942, as Europe suffocates under the grip of Nazi terror, Anna Levinsky a young Jew, is incarcerated in the ghetto of Theresienstadt. Striving for survival in abominable conditions, during the unveiling of adulthood, Anna's improbable fate hinges on the mercy of others. In the early, wintry days of 2010, sixteen-year-old Theo Drew emerges from a family tragedy trailing a corrosive secret. When guilt threatens to overwhelm him, Theo flees to a deserted woods beside the sea, seeking oblivion. As Anna and Theo’s worlds inadvertently collide and a delicate friendship severs the barriers between age and experience, the truth and the past unravel, revealing the essence of human salvation.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. 

This week I finished reading - Precious Thing by Colette McBeth - I really enjoyed this debut novel.

This week I am currently reading -

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie - halfway through the second of the Poirot mysteries, this time we are in France. 

Inflicted by Ria Frances - this is very moving so far, two people, one old, one young, both troubled, finding friendship and kindness.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling - reading this one on and off over the weeks.

Next I think I might read - 

Disclaimer by Renee Knight

Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen

~~~~~

What are you reading? 

I hope you have a great week of wonderful reading, and thank you for visiting.

New Meme: Six Degrees of Separation - with books!

This is a new meme hosted by authors Emma Chapman and Annabel Smith. 

It's based on the idea of six degrees of separation, but with books!  

It is claimed that every person on this planet is linked to any other in six or fewer steps.  But what about books?  Can we link them together too?

We'll choose one book on the first Saturday of every month and then link it in a chain to five others to see what we come up with.     

The books can be linked in obvious ways, or more personal ways, and a book only needs to be connected to the ones next to them in the chain. 

Find out more here and here.

Well, here's my attempt; I found it hard at first, it'll be interesting to see what others thought of too!

Six Degrees of Separation

Our first book is Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

which brought to mind...

1 - The Kindest Thing by Cath Staincliffe, in which there's a very strong central female character who grapples with a huge decision with potentially awful consequences, and which makes you think about loyalty and betrayal, it was emotional and thought-provoking, causing the main character to question her decisions, 

which made me think of...

2 - Nearest Thing To Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes, a brilliant, pacy read where the reader is caused to question what is real and true and what is a deception, as the main female character herself wonders if she is losing her grip on her sanity and has to question her own mind, 

which brought to mind...

3 - The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald, another super page turner in which the reader wonders who to trust and what is the truth,

which reminded me of the excellent crime novel...

4 - Defending Jacob by William Landay, a brilliant story, in which I also wondered who to trust, and with a family defending their son,

which made me think of...

5 - The Son-in-Law by Charity Norman, a very moving read dealing with a family who are trying to cope in an extremely difficult, very emotional situation and do the best by the children, with whom their father has to rebuild his relationship,

which brought to mind...

6 - Emotional Geology by Linda Gillard, because of the strong yet damaged 

relationship between mother and daughter portrayed here in this compelling, 

passionate, moving novel.

That's my six degrees in books from Burial Rites!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

So I haven't joined in with this meme for quite a long time, but I used to enjoy it, and since I am aiming to enjoy book blogging more again, I thought, why not return to some of the things I used to like taking part in? “It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what we’ve read over the past week and are planning to read next.

What I read during the past week:

The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 

What I am currently reading:

Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters

What I plan to read next:

Cold Hearts by Gunnar Staalesen
Sweet Dreams, Little one by Massimo Gramellini


~~~~~

What are you reading at the moment, or what's next for you?

Wondrous Words Wednesday (4)

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by BermudaOnion and is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered or spotlight words you love.  

I'm highlighting words that are new to me/that I really like/that struck me for some reason..!

This week my words are all taken from The Moon Field by Judith Allnatt, a very moving story set in 1914, which I am two-thirds through reading.

1 revetting (verb) - 'Exhausted by the digging and revetting…'

To retain (an embankment, for example) with a layer of stone, concrete, or other supporting material; provide with a revetment.

2 cyanotic (adjective) - '…their hair and beards rimed white, their faces with a blue, cyanotic pallor.'

A bluish discolouration of the skin and mucous membranes resulting from inadequate oxygenation of the blood.

3 bole (noun) - 'He got behind the bole of one of the larger trees…'

The trunk of a tree.


4 estaminet (noun) - 'When at rest, he went with Haycock and the others to the warm estaminets; he saw their spirits revive with food and drink.'

A small café
(from French, perhaps from Walloon dialect staminet manger)

Definitions from the free dictionary

Wondrous Words Wednesday (1)

Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by BermudaOnion and is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered or spotlight words you love.  

I think this is a great idea! I decided to start taking part in this and highlighting words that are new to me/that I really like/that struck me for some reason..!

This week my words are all from Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield (Orion)

1 striation (noun) - 'There were indeed abrasion marks that William had taken for striations in the stone.'

One of a number of parallel lines or scratches on the surface of a rock that were inscribed by rock fragments embedded in the base of a glacier as it moved across the rock.

2 prestidigitation (noun) - '...fingertips bouncing off each other in a spellbinding display of prestiditigitation...'

Performance of or skill in performing magic or conjuring tricks with the hands; sleight of hand.

A show of skill or deceitful cleverness.

3 bombazine (noun) - '...looking for bombazine and parramatta and mourning silk and merino...'

A fine twilled fabric of silk and worsted or cotton, often dyed black and used for mourning clothes.

Definitions from the free dictionary

Six Months of Books - 2013

I've spotted this half-year round up on several blogs now and it looks fun to take part in; rather than just trying to write a list of best books read so far in 2013 it highlights different aspects of our reading. It was introduced by Jo at The Book Jotter and you can adapt the categories to suit.

Here are my six sixes from the first half of 2013 - six authors or books in six different categories, covering some of the books I've read in the past six months!

Six authors who are new to me:

1. Essie Fox
2. Robert Goolrick
3. Jonathan Tropper
4. Ann Weisgarber
5. Eva Hudson
6. Hannah Richell

Six authors I've read before:

1. Martin Edwards
2. Lynn Shepherd
3. Louise Voss & Mark Edwards
4. Stefan Zweig
5. Claire McGowan
6. Alexander McCall Smith

Six debut novels I've been impressed by:

1. The View on the Way Down by Rebecca Wait
2. Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly
3. The Night Rainbow by Claire King
4. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
5. Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley
6. The Things We Never Said by Susan Elliot Wright

Six books I've enjoyed the most:

1. Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer
2. After the Fall by Charity Norman
3. The Lost by Claire McGowan
4. The Promise by Ann Weisgarber
5. Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth
6. The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook

Six books from authors I know will never let me down:

1. Human Remains by Elizabeth Haynes
2. The Memory of Lost Senses by Judith Kinghorn
3. Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde
4. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
5. A Treacherous Likeness by Lynn Shepherd
6. The Arsenic Labyrinth by Martin Edwards

Six books I've read in an English translation:

1. Alex by Pierre Lemaitre
2. Every Seventh Wave by Daniel Glattauer
3. Journey into the Past by Stefan Zweig
4. The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry
5. The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain
6. Fear by Stefan Zweig

How about your choices this year so far?

Book Beginnings (3)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett (Alma Books)

Hay-on-Wye, Wales, Wednesday, 15th February 1995

'Wales could be cold in February. Even without snow or wind the damp winter air permeated Peter's topcoat and settled in his bones as he stood outside one of the dozens of bookshops that crowded the narrow streets of Hay. Despite the warm glow in the window that illuminated a tantalizing display of Victorian novels, Peter was in no hurry to open the door. It had been nine months since he had entered a bookshop; another few minutes wouldn't make a difference.'

I like this opening; I can feel the cold and imagine this man stood on one of the streets in Hay. A wonderful place for a booklover, so a very alluring setting for a novel, and we have intrigue straight away as to why this man hasn't been in a bookshop for so long. I'm really looking forward to reading more of this novel. 

The synopsis from the Alma Books website:

After the death of his wife, Peter Byerly, a young antiquarian bookseller, relocates from the States to the English countryside, where he hopes to rediscover the joys of life through his passion for collecting and restoring rare books. But when he opens an eighteenth-century study on Shakespeare forgeries, he is shocked to find a Victorian portrait strikingly similar to his wife tumble out of its pages, and becomes obsessed with tracking down its origins. As he follows the trail back to the nineteenth century and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter learns the truth about his own past and unearths a book that might prove that Shakespeare was indeed the author of all his plays.

Guaranteed to capture the hearts of everyone who truly loves books and literature – in particular the golden age of Shakespeare, Jonson and Marlowe – The Bookman’s Tale is a sparkling novel and an engrossing exploration of one of literature’s most tantalizing mysteries.

Book Beginnings (2)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog. I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here.

My Book Beginning

'They finally stopped me at Dover as I was trying to get back into the country. I was half expecting it, but it still came as kind of a shock when the barrier stayed down. It's funny how some things can be so mixed up like that. Having come this far, I'd started to think I might make it the whole way home after all. It would have been nice to have been able to explain things to my mother. You know: before anyone else had to get involved.'


What an intriguing opening this is; someone has been stopped when trying to get back into the UK, and what's more, it suggests they've got something to hide because they're not totally surprised to have been stopped, so I'm wondering straight away, who is this and what could they have done, and why, what is the background to it? 

(Reading the synopsis below does actually reveal who this is and what they have on their person though...)

Published by Hodder

~~~~~

Here's the story synopsis from goodreads:

A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey...This novel might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read. This is the story of seventeen-year-old Alex Woods - born to a clairvoyant mother and a phantom father, victim of an improbable childhood accident - who is stopped at Dover customs in possession of 113 grams of marijuana and the ashes of his best friend, Vietnam veteran Isaac Peterson. What follows is a highly original and compelling account of Alex's life and the strange series of events that brought him here.

Book Beginnings (1)

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays

I keep meaning to join in with this and this week I have finally managed it! I've got a few books on the go at the moment so I've just picked one out to mention here. 

The idea, as stated on the host's blog, is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' There's a hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter etc too, and a master linky list on the host's blog.

My Book Beginning

'It is the smallest details that come to her: the damp grass underfoot threaded with buttercups, the air humming with insects, the snap of her nightdress catching in the breeze. As she wanders out of the cottage and down towards the mirrored surface of the lake, her senses are heightened.'

This is the start of the short prologue to the novel, and instantly had me wondering and asking, who is this woman, where is she now and where is she headed to? The mention of the cottage and the lake makes me think this may be a countryside location and I can already begin to picture the scene and imagine the sounds just from this brief description. 

I'm enjoying this mysterious story so far, and will share my thoughts in a review once I've finished reading it.

Published by Orion

~~~~~

Here's the story synopsis from goodreads:

On a sultry summer’s day in 1980, five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage hidden deep in the English countryside. For Kat and her friends, it offers an escape; a chance to drop out for a while, with lazy summer days by the lake and intimate winter evenings around the fire. But as the seasons change, tensions begin to rise and when an unexpected visitor appears at their door, nothing will be the same again.

Three decades later, Lila arrives at the same remote cottage. With her marriage in crisis, she finds solace in renovating the tumbledown house. Little by little she wonders about the previous inhabitants. How did they manage in such isolation? Why did they leave in such a hurry, with their belongings still strewn about? Most disturbing of all, why can't she shake the feeling that someone might be watching her?

The Shadow Year is a story of secrets, tragedy, lies and betrayal. It’s a tale that explores the light and dark of human relationships and the potential the past has to not only touch our present, but also to alter our future.