Rose City Reader: Book Beginnings

Showing posts with label Book Beginnings. Show all posts

Thursday, September 3, 2026

A NEW HOST FOR BOOK BEGINNINGS!

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

ANNOUNCEMENT -- NEW HOST!

I put out the call, and Olivia at Bemused & Bookish rose to the occasion! She will take over hosting Book Beginnings on Fridays starting next week, September 11. Please give her a big round of applause!

Olivia may have some new ideas for this weekly event. It will be hers to shape and manage as she wants. I am grateful for her for wanting to host and look forward to my new role as participant. I hope to see the rest of you over at Bemused & Bookish starting next week.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Keeping with the new host theme, my book beginning this week is from Entertaining is Fun: How to Be a Popular Hostess by Dorothy Draper:

This is a book on making living fun. On having your friends to the house, and on how to give them a good time.

Dorothy Draper was an American decorator famous for her style and widely popular thanks to her column in Good Housekeeping magazine. She was a prototype Martha Stewart. Entertaining is Fun was published in 1941 and is now available in a facsimile reprint from ACC Art Books.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please link your Book Beginning post in the linky box below. And remember to visit Bemused & Bookish next week with your Book Beginning post.

Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Thumb-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Entertaining if Fun:

Best of all, of course, The real fun is entertaining. Just one person. It may be someone you do not know well but believe you would like to know better, Or it may be a childhood friend with whom you want the fun of reminiscing for an evening.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

ENTERTAINING IS FUN! originally published in 1941, is one of Mrs. Draper's most delightful creations: a sparkling guide to entertaining with flair, from dinner parties for family or friends to holiday meals, weekend guests, weddings, and much more. A true treasure.

Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Green Road by Anne Enright - BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY

The Green Road by Anne Enright

Thank you for joining me this week for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Like I said last week, I'm ready to give up Book Beginnings. My time as host has run it's course.

Does anyone want to take over this weekly event to host and make it your own? Please let me know in a comment if you are willing and interested.

Alternately, we can call it good and bring down the curtain. Those interested can continue sharing opening sentences on First Line Friday, hosted by Carrie at Reading is My Super Power.

I'll keep posting one more week, until September 4. If someone volunteers to take over after that, wonderful. If not, I'll see you on First Line Friday!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Later, after Hanna had made some cheese on toast, her mother came into the kitchen and filled a hot water bottle from the big kettle on the range.

-- from The Green Road by Anne Enright. With an opening sentence like that, it's no surprise that this novel is about a large Irish family. It just sounds like it, with cheese toast. a hot water bottle, and a big kettle.

I read Enright's Booker Prize winner, The Gathering, but haven't read any of her other books. I finished this one earlier this week. I liked it, especially the last third, but it didn't grab me as strongly as The Gathering did. The first two thirds read like separate short stories of the lives of the four adult children in the family. Their lives are so different, that they really were separate stories. Only when the four kids gather at their mother's house for Christmas do the four stories come together, although only in the sense that the four characters were in the same room together. There is still no overlap in their stories because they had such individual lives.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below.

THE FRIDAY 56

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Green Road:

Dan was so small in the distance that Billy could not tell if he was heading out or coming home. He sat there, sun cream in hand, waiting for Dan to turn back in, and, after a long while, -t seemed that he had -- definitely, Billy thought -- Dan was definitely closer now.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Spanning thirty years, The Green Road tells the story of Rosaleen, matriarch of the Madigans, a family on the cusp of either coming together or falling irreparably apart. As they grow up, Rosaleen's four children leave the west of Ireland for lives they could have never imagined in Dublin, New York, and Mali, West Africa. In her early old age their difficult, wonderful mother announces that she's decided to sell the house and divide the proceeds. Her adult children come back for a last Christmas, with the feeling that their childhoods are being erased, their personal history bought and sold.

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Good-Bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Good-Bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton

Thank you for joining me this week for Book Beginnings on Fridays.

And speaking of goodbyes, I'm ready to give up Book Beginnings. I forgot to post again last week, even though I put it on my calendar. It's like now that I've retired from work, I have no time to blog. Crazy! My time as host has run it's course.

Does anyone want to take over this weekly event to host and make it your own? Please let me know in a comment if you are willing and interested.

Alternately, we can call it good and bring down the curtain. Those interested can continue sharing opening sentences on First Line Friday, hosted by Carrie at Reading is My Super Power.

I'll keep posting until September 4 (assuming I remember). If someone volunteers to take over after that, wonderful. If not, I'll see you on First Line Friday!

MEANWHILE, MY BOOK BEGINNING

When you are getting on in years (but not ill, of course), you get very sleepy at times, and the hours seem to pass like lazy cattle moving across a landscape.

-- from Good-Bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton. This classic book has been siting on my TBR shelf for a long, long time. I recently went through my shelves and pulled out a stack of short books, mostly novellas, to read when I need a quick book as a break between the chunksters I've been reading lately.

I didn't realize just how short this one is until I started reading it. It's 144 pages, which makes it a novella. But the font and spaces between lines are oversized. It's easy to understand how it was originally published as a short story in the April 1934 issue of The Atlantic Monthly. It is a sentimental and bittersweet story of a beloved, now aging, housemaster at a British boys' school.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Good-Bye, Mr. Chips:

What a host of little incidents, all deep-buried in the past— problems that had once been urgent, arguments that had once been keen, anecdotes that were funny only because one remembered the fun. Did any emotion really matter when the last trace of it had vanished from human memory; and if that were so, what a crowd of emotions clung to him as to their last home before annihilation!

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Throughout his forty-three-year tenure at Brookfield, "a good public school of the second rate" in eastern England, Arthur Chipping has been Mr. Chips to his students. From his unpolished first years during the Franco-Prussian War through the radical changes of the twentieth century and the outbreak of the First World War, Mr. Chips has shaped many young lives. But Chips has been inspired as well--by the unremarkable and the extraordinary alike, by his colleagues, by a woman who will change him forever, and not least, by his children, "thousands of them, all boys."

Since it was first published in 1934 to international success, Goodbye, Mr. Chips has never been out of print. It was followed by a collection of stories, To You, Mr. Chips, and provided the basis for two award-winning feature films, a stage musical, a radio play, and two television adaptations. Based on author James Hilton's experiences as a student at the Leys School, Cambridge, this short novel endures as a revelation of the difference one good teacher can make, and "what the better emotions do toward making people important."

Thursday, August 6, 2026

State of the Union by Nick Hornby -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

State of the Union by Nick Hornby

Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please share the opening sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy, even if you are not reading it right now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

When Louise arrives, Tom is already halfway through a pint, and he's doing The Guardian's cryptic crossword.

-- from State of the Union by Nick Hornby.

State of the Union is a 2019 novella about a couple examining their marriage in a series of ten conversations at a pub before their weekly counseling sessions. It sounds like just the sort of story Hornby tells best. I found it on my TBR shelf and think it will make a good spacer between a couple of huge books I'm reading this month.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 is a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings. The idea is to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your featured book. If you are reading an ebook or audiobook, find your teaser from the 56% mark.

Freda at Freda's Voice started and hosted The Friday 56 for a long, long time. She is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. Please visit Anne's blog and link to your Friday 56 post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from State of the Union:

Outside the pub, Louise is furious.
“ What the HELL were you thinking of?”

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Tom and Louise meet in a pub before their couple's therapy appointment. Married for years, they thought they had a stable home life--until a recent incident pushed them to the brink.

Going to therapy seemed like the perfect solution. But over drinks before their appointment, they begin to wonder: what if marriage is like a computer? What if you take it apart to see what's in there, but then you're left with a million pieces?

Unfolding in the minutes before their weekly therapy sessions, the ten-chapter conversation that ensues is witty and moving, forcing them to look at their marriage--and, for the first time in a long time, at each other.

Thursday, July 30, 2026

The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett

Thank you for joining me this week for Book Beginnings on Fridays where participants share the opening sentence (or two) from the book they are reading. You can also share from a book you want to feature, even if you are not reading it at the moment.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

It was an almost perfect spring day.

-- from The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett. Not a particularly gripping opening sentence, but I expect things will pick up.

I've been organizing my TBR shelves and came across The Windsor Knot, a cozy-ish mystery set in 2016 in which the Queen of England is the sleuth. What an adorable idea! I'm going to read it with my ears because my library has the audiobook.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Windsor Knot:

“When I mentioned it to the Queen, she asked me to pass on her sincere condolences and when I did, Lady Hepburn invited her to tea and Her Majesty said yes."

Was this even possible?

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted by the shocking and untimely death of a guest in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene leads some to think the young Russian pianist strangled himself, yet a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play. When they begin to question the Household’s most loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they’re looking in the wrong place.

For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her teenage years as “Lilibet.” Away from the public eye and unbeknownst to her closest friends and advisers, she has the most brilliant skill for solving crimes. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian officer recently appointed to the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen discreetly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth won’t hesitate to use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.

Thursday, July 23, 2026

The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell

The city of Singapore was not built up gradually, the way most cities are, by a natural deposit of commerce on the banks of some river or at a traditional confluence of trade routes.

-- from The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell. This week, I’m diving in to The Singapore Grip, the final book in J. G. Farrell’s Empire Trilogy. The three books explore the decline of the British Empire, focusing on three key historical points in time: the Irish War of Independence (Troubles), the Indian Mutiny (The Siege of Krishnapur), and Japan’s 1942 invasion of Singapore (The Singapore Grip). All three are slyly funny, with a seemingly gentle satire that creeps up on you. Worth reading, especially back to back.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

THE FRIDAY 56

Walter had been almost overpowered on the occasion of his first visit to Akron, Ohio, by this sensation of the right thing being done at high intensity all around him, and not only in the production of male babies but in that of motor tyres and rims, too. Perhaps it was just as well that he and Firestone were on opposite ends of the rubber business.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Singapore, 1939: life on the eve of World War II just isn't what it used to be for Walter Blackett, head of British Singapore's oldest and most powerful firm. No matter how forcefully the police break one strike, the natives go on strike somewhere else. His daughter keeps entangling herself with the most unsuitable beaus, while her intended match, the son of Blackett's partner, is an idealistic sympathizer with the League of Nations and a vegetarian. Business may be booming—what with the war in Europe, the Allies are desperate for rubber and helpless to resist Blackett's price-fixing and market manipulation—but something is wrong. No one suspects that the world of the British Empire, of fixed boundaries between classes and nations, is about to come to a terrible end.

A love story and a war story, a tragicomic tale of a city under siege and a dying way of life, The Singapore Grip completes the “Empire Trilogy” that began with Troubles and the Booker prize-winning Siege of Krishnapur.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Encounters with Animals -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Encounters with Animals by Gerald Durrell

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I am constantly being surprised by the number of people, in different parts of the world, who seem to be quite oblivious to the animal life around them.

-- from Encounters with Animals by Gerald Durrell.

I only recently discovered Gerald Durrell's animal books. I've read several novels written by his brother Lawrence Durrell, but it was only when I watched the wonderful Durrell's of Corfu that I learned about Gerald and his lifelong love of animals. So far, I've only read one of his books, Menagerie Manor, about starting a private zoo on the Channel Island of Jersey. But I have several others on my TBR shelf, including this one.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Encounters with Animals:

I sat on that sandbank for two hours, watching these great roly-poly creatures churning up the water and sand as they duelled in the shallows. As far as I could see, the old male was getting the worst of it, and I felt sorry for him.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Gerald Durrell's accounts of the animals he encountered on his travels were some of the first widely shared descriptions of the world's most extraordinary animals. Moving from the West Coast of Africa to the northern tip of South America - and elsewhere - Durrell observes the courtships, wars and characters of a variety of creatures, from birds of paradise, to ants and anteaters, among others.

Thursday, July 9, 2026

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Well, if you came by last week or the week before for Book Beginnings, MY APOLOGIES! Apparently retirement and hosting duties don't mix, because I keep forgetting to post. I've now added a weekly reminder to my calendar so I hope I will be more responsible.

If you are still hanging around, thank you for joining me this week for Book Beginnings on Fridays where participants share the opening sentence (or two) from the book they are reading. You can also share from a book you want to feature, even if you are not reading it at the moment.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Later, not a single person will recall seeing the lady board the flight at Hobart Airport.

-- from Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, her most recent novel. I love Moriarty's books and have read most of them. This one is not as suspenseful as Big Little Lies or some of the other ones, but it is good entertainment, like all of them.

Are you a Liane Moriarty fan? What's your favorite?

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from Here One Moment:

Paula stares for a dull stupefied moment at the document the Scottish man is trying to hand her. She squints to read it, as if it’s a contract or a file she needs to act on, but she really doesn’t have the bandwidth for this right now.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Suddenly a woman traveling alone stands. She walks down the aisle making predictions about how and when passengers will die. Some dismiss her, they don’t believe in psychics. Some are delighted with her prophecies! Their lives will supposedly be long. Others are appalled.

Then: a few months later, the first prediction comes true.

Intricately plotted, with the wonderful wit Liane Moriarty has become famous for, Here One Moment brilliantly looks at friends, lovers, and family and how we manage to hold onto them in our harried modern lives.

Thursday, June 18, 2026

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

MY BOOK BEGINNING

It's been a while since I wrote, I know that. I'm ever so sorry.

-- from The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman, the fifth and latest Thursday Murder Club book. It starts with an excerpt from Joyce's diary, which I think they all do, although I can't remember for sure.

I'm almost finished with the audiobook from the library and love it. The narrator, Fiona Shaw, is excellent. Now that the movie came out, I see the actors in the characters, of course. But that makes it all the more fun.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Impossible Fortune:

I mean, you never know with life, do you? One minute you're sitting there looking at tanning machines online, the next you're being forced out of your own home at gunpoint.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.

Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?

Thursday, June 11, 2026

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The year 1866 was marked by a bizarre incident, an unexplained and unexplainable phenomenon, which—without a doubt—no one has forgotten.

-- from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (translated by William Butcher for Oxford World's Classics, 1998).

The original (1873) English translation by Mercier Lewis was horribly clunky, but remained unchanged despite criticism for over 100 years:

The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten.

"Signalized"? Doubtless no one has yet forgotten that awkward and made-up word!

No matter the translation, 20,000 Leagues is a corker and I'm loving every page. I read junior versions of Verne's classic tales when I was a kid, and am finally reading the full versions now as an adult. I started with Around the World in 80 Days, which was terrific. So exciting! Now I am having an undersea adventure with Captain Nemo and it's just as wonderful.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea:

I was stretched on the ground, just under the shelter of a bush of algae, when, raising my head, I saw some enormous mass, casting phosphorescent gleams, pass blusteringly by.

My blood froze in my veins as I recognized two formidable sharks which threatened us.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne is a pioneering science fiction novel that takes readers on an extraordinary underwater adventure. The story follows Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and the Canadian harpooner Ned Land as they are captured by Captain Nemo aboard the technologically advanced submarine, the Nautilus. As they journey across the world's oceans, they encounter exotic sea life, lost civilizations, and mysterious underwater wonders.

The novel explores themes of isolation, the boundaries of human knowledge, and mankind's relationship with nature. Captain Nemo, a complex and enigmatic character, embodies a mix of scientific genius and tragic defiance. Verne's vivid descriptions of marine exploration and futuristic technology captivated audiences, establishing the book as a cornerstone of the science fiction genre.

Thursday, June 4, 2026

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

Downtown Drugstore had a bell on the door that made a single tink sound when you opened it.

-- from The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, which I admit I haven't read, despite its enormous popularity.

The Calamity Club sounds like the kind of "great yarn" novels I really enjoy. Over 650 or so pages, Stockett tells the story of three women whose "fates converge" in Oxford, Mississippi in 1933. It looks like a winning mix of historical fiction, Southern Gothic, Great Depression, women's friendships, grit, determination, and overcoming adversity. I can't wait to dive in!

(I got my copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I'm not one for review copies because I don't like the guilt when I don't review it fast enough. But this looked too good to pass up. Fortunately, my copy arrived well after the May 5, 2026 launch date, so I don't have any guilt about reviewing it in June.)

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

THE FRIDAY 56

My sister's house was very white and very wide and very tall. Six fat columns supported a deep front porch with a dozen black rocking chairs on it.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unadoptable "big girls" at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed.

Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she's left behind. But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister's seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies.

Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates--and Meg's--converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan for them to take control of their lives. But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife and women's freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences.

Thursday, May 28, 2026

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker

MY BOOK BEGINNING

In deck-chairs all along the front, the bald pink knees of Bradford businessmen nuzzled the sun.

-- from The Ghost Road by Pat Barker.

The Ghost Road is the final book in Pat Barker's World War I trilogy, beginning with Regeneration and The Eye in the Door. She won the 1995 Booker Prize for The Ghost Road. I'm reading it right now.

The trilogy is not like other WWI books I've read. I expected the usual muddy trenches and battle scenes. I think I'm going to get some of that in the second half of The Ghost Road, but the first two book and the first half of this one have been set during the war, but in England. The books center on psychiatrist William Rivers treating soldiers with shell shock and other mental conditions. The patients talk about what happened to them in the war, which is traumatic enough, but none of the action (so far) takes place on the battlefield.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Ghost Road:

He wasn't particularly surprised: the removal of hysterical paralysis was often -- one might almost say generally -- as dramatic as the onset. Moffet lay still, his face sallow against the whiteness of the pillow, making no attempt to hide his depression, and indeed, why should he?

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

In France, millions of men engaged in brutal trench warfare are all “ghosts in the making.” In England, psychologist William Rivers, with severe pangs of conscience, treats the mental casualties of the war to make them whole enough to fight again. One of these, Billy Prior, risen to the officer class from the working class, both courageous and sardonic, decides to return to France with his fellow officer, poet Wilfred Owen, to fight a war he no longer believes in. Meanwhile, Rivers, enfevered by influenza returns in memory to his experience studying a South Pacific tribe whose ethos amounted to a culture of death. Across the gulf between his society and theirs, Rivers begins to form connections that cast new light on his—and our—understanding of war.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier

It takes a keen eye to tell a false start from a dead end.

-- from The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier. I like that clever opening sentence!

This is another book I found languishing on my TBR shelves. It's a novel about a woman of a certain age starting over in a new city, with a new house. I love books like this! What's a good name for this subgenre? I use hen lit or Aga Saga, but maybe there's another term for them.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

THE FRIDAY 56

A number of dinner guests looked up to see us standing in the doorway. I don't think they caught much dialogue, but the uneasy crackle of the air between us was loud enough to be heard in the back of the room.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Coming-of-age can happen at any age. Joy Harkness had built a university career and a safe life in New York, protected and insulated from the intrusions and involvements of other people. When offered a position at Amherst College, she impulsively leaves the city, and along with generations of material belongings, she packs her equally heavy emotional baggage. A tumbledown Victorian house proves an unlikely choice for a woman whose family heirlooms have been boxed away for years. Nevertheless, this white elephant becomes the home that changes Joy forever. As the restoration begins to take shape, so does her outlook on life, and the choices she makes over paint chips, wallpaper samples, and floorboards are reflected in her connection to the co-workers who become friends and friendships that deepen. A brilliant, quirky, town fixture of a handyman guides the renovation of the house and sparks Joy's interest to encourage his personal and professional growth. Amid the half-wanted attention of the campus's single, middle-aged men, known as "the Coyotes," and the legitimate dramas of her close-knit community, Joy learns that the key to the affection of family and friends is being worthy of it, and most important, that second chances are waiting to be discovered within us all.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley

MY BOOK BEGINNING

“James, darling, what are you doing?”

-- from The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley, a story of scandal and mystery within a fictional British royal family, set in the 1990s. I found this on my TBR shelf and it looks good. I thought I'd give it a go.

This book has an interesting history. According to the author's note in the beginning, it is a surprise it ever got published. She submitted it in 1998, shortly after Princess Di's death and before the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. Apparently, England wasn't ready for a thriller set amid the royal family, even if the family was fictional. Not only did her publisher cancel the book contract, Riley found herself cancelled before the term cancel culture even existed. She ended up taking years off from writing, concentrated on raising her kids, and only started publishing books again after she took a new last name. Finally, in 2018, she got a deal to publish The Royal Secret, although even then she used The Love Letter as the UK title.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Please add the link to your book beginning post in the linky box below. If you participate or share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings so other people can find your post.

THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 asks participants to share a two-sentence teaser from their book of the week. If your book is an ebook or audiobook, pick a teaser from the 56% point.

Anna at My Head is Full of Books hosts The Friday 56, a natural tie-in with Book Beginnings on Fridays. Please visit My Head is Full of Books to leave the link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

-- from The Royal Secret:

The next was a large, creased brown envelope, addressed in spidery writing so indecipherable she was amazed it had even reached her. She tore it open and took out its contents.

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

When Sir James Harrison, one the greatest actors of his generation, passes away at the age of ninety-five, he leaves behind not just a heartbroken family but also a secret so shocking, it could rock the English establishment to its core.

Joanna Haslam, an up-and-coming reporter, is assigned to cover the legendary actor’s funeral, attended by glitzy celebrities of every background. But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a letter James Harrison has left behind—the contents of which many have been desperate to keep concealed for over seventy years. As she peels back the veil of lies that has shrouded the secret, she realizes that she’s close to uncovering something deadly serious—and the royal family may be implicated. Before long, someone is on her tracks, attempting to prevent her from discovering the truth. And they’ll stop at nothing to reach the letter before she does.

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

Christopher was dead.

-- from Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano. Well, that's as good a way as any to start a mystery book! Straight to the point.

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead is the second book in Elle Cosimano's mystery series featuring a novelist and single mom mistakenly thought to be a contract killer. I haven't read the first book, Finlay Donovan is Killing It, but found this one on my TBR shelf and am in the mood to give it a try.

Have you read any of the Finlay Donovan books? What do you think of them?

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add the link to your Book Beginnings post in the box below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

THE FRIDAY 56

"She's their babysitter, Steven!"

"And I'm their father! I want to see my kids."

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Finlay Donovan is—once again—struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )