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

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Singapore Grip by J. G. Farrell

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

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.

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 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 The Singapore Grip:

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.

Encounters with Animals -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Encounters with Animals by Gerald Durrell

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

5 Great American Novels -- FAVE FIVE BOOK THOUGHTS

 

5 Great American Novels

FAVE FIVE BOOK THOUGHTS

The word of the month is semiquincentennial! On this Independence Day weekend, in honor of America's 250th anniversary, I picked five of my favorite American novels. I think these are all "great American novels" even if I don't know I would pick one of them for the Great American Novel, which is an elusive critter. 

Instead of trying to pick the most American novel I could think of (Huckleberry Finn? To Kill a Mocking Bird?), I picked these because I love them and I think they all have a particularly American spirit to them. 

• Postcards by E. Annie Proulx. Her debut novel, this overlooked gem follows the tragic hero from a hardscrabble farm in upstate New York across America and across the decades from 1940 to 1980. An unforgettable story of rural American life in the mid 20th century.

• My Ántonia by Willa Cather. My favorite Cather book and the best novel about immigrant pioneer life on the Great Plains.

• Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels by John Updike (Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redoux, Rabbit is Rich, and Rabbit at Rest). No matter your feelings about Rabbit, no fiction better captures the zeitgeist of the Silent Generation’s era. From basketball stardom in 1950s high school, to a rocky marriage in the turbulent '60s, commercial success in the '70s, and retirement in Florida in the '80s, Rabbit lived through it all. Updike won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 for Rabbit is Rich and 1991 for Rabbit at Rest.

• The Road Home by Jim Harrison. Like My Ántonia, this intergenerational family saga is set in Nebraska, but deals more directly with the tragic conflict between pioneers and Native Americans. At the same time, it is a great yarn with Harrison's typical wry humor, big characters, astute sense of place, and forgiving heart.

• All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren. Louisiana is like nowhere else in the United States, but could only happen in the United States, making this fictional story of Huey Long a quintessential American political novel. It won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize.

Have you rea any of these? What do you think? What book would you nominate for the Great American Novel? 

FIVE FAVES

There are times when a full-sized book list is just too much; when the Top 100, a Big Read, or all the Prize winners seem like too daunting an effort. That's when a short little list of books (or authors) grouped by theme may be just the ticket.

Inspired by Nancy Pearl's "Companion Reads" chapter in Book Lust – themed clusters of books on subjects as diverse as Bigfoot and Vietnam – I decided to start occasionally posting lists of five books grouped by topic or theme. I call these posts my Five Faves.

Feel free to grab the button and play along. Use today's theme or come up with your own. If you post about it, please link back to here and leave the link to your post in a comment. If you want to participate but don't have a blog or don't feel like posting, please share your list in a comment.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett and Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser -- BOOK REVIEW(S)

 

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett and Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

BOOK REVIEW(S)

I recently read The Calamity Club and Mona's Eyes, both new, popular books, and they hit me entirely differently. Can you guess which of these I loved and which I didn’t finish? 

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett:

Well -- suspense over -- I loved this one. Absolutely loved it. I almost didn’t start it, despite getting a review copy from the publisher Spiegel & Grau. The description on the back about three misfit women bonding together to “claim what’s rightfully theirs” gave transgressive vibes that didn’t appeal to me. I just wasn’t in the mood for Thelma & Louise set in Depression-era Mississippi. But I gave it a go and could not have been more wrong in my interpretation of the cover description!

Stockett’s story is plot-driven historical fiction at its best. The POV switches between 10-year-old Meg, stuck in an orphanage with a cruel superintendent, and 25-year-old Birdie who is stuck solving the dire financial problems of her extended family. Their stories connect through Charlie, a woman whose tragic past drives her to an audacious plan to save all three of them. The characters are compelling, the setting authentic, and the plotting steadily builds to a satisfying conclusion. It’s exactly the sort of shaggy adventure I love.

Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser:

I made it through the first third then gave up. I only wish I hit the DNF button earlier! Mona's Eyes is the contemporary story of 10-year-old Mona who may or may not go blind following a medical scare. Her grandfather decides to teach her about art, so if she goes blind, she will have good images in her mind. Under the pretense of taking her to a child shrink, he takes her once a week to a museum to study one piece of art and discuss it with him. Every chapter is their viewing and discussing one work of art.

It’s like sitting through Art History 101, but without the slides and the laser pointer. Reading about someone else looking at art is as boring as it sounds. Unlike plot-dense Calamity Club, Mona’s Eyes has no plot, at least not in the first third that I read. There are little scenes interspersed between art lessons – Mona at school or with her friends, mom worrying about Mona’s health, dad drinking and running his vintage collectibles business into the ground. But those are just scenes, not story. Maybe they will tie together to suggest a plot at some point. There's a glimmer of something involving Mona finding a secret stash of valuable figurines in her father's storeroom -- maybe he can sell them and save his business. But that is two short scenes out of 150 pages. Otherwise, I feel like I’m sitting in class.

NOTES: 

Have you read either of these? What did you think?

My book club is reading Mona's Eyes for our next meeting. I am dying to know what the other ladies think, although I won't be surprised if they loved it. Several of them are really into art and may love it just because it is a book about art. I like art as much as the next person, but if I want to learn about art, I'll read an art book or watch an art appreciation class on YouTube. I want my fiction to tell a story, not educate me. 

Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds, edited by Susan Rich -- BOOK REVIEW

Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds by Susan Rich (editor), Stephanie Delaney (author, bird notes), and Hiroko Seki (artist) (Raven Chronicles Press, 2025)

BOOK REVIEW

Birdbrains captivated me immediately, both in concept and execution. It’s not like any other bird guide (or poetry collection) you’ve ever seen. The birdbrained brainchild of editor Susan Rich, Seattle poet and novice birdwatcher, Birdbrains combines notes on 107 birds, accompanied by poems, short fiction, and memoir from 98 poets and writers, illustrated with ink sumi-e paintings by Hiroko Seki. For each bird, there is space left to note the dates and locations of your own sightings.

Stephanie Delaney’s bird notes are aimed at the beginner birder, which I appreciate. I knew from the first entry, on the Bufflehead Duck, that I would love this book because Delaney’s style is casual and friendly:

North America’s smallest diving duck, the Bufflehead is an eye catcher, with a black and white body and white head; their face appears iridescent green and purple in sunlight, black under clouds. With a small size and a plump body, the Bufflehead is a truly cute duck.

The notes all include a description of the bird, its voice, and its habitat, along with an “intriguing tidbit” about the bird, such as, “The diminutive Brown Creeper only burns 4-10 calories a day. Thus, one spider can fuel 200 feet of climbing.”

The poems and short prose pieces, including those by four Washington State Poet Laureates, celebrate each bird and make us reflect more thoughtfully on each one. A particular favorite of mine, by Katy T. Ellis, honors the Least Sandpiper:

To Say the Least

is to say the smallest –
is to say there’s no twitch of the eye.
It’s like saying there exists
in the world of peeps
some greater, faster shoreline, speedwalker.
To spot the leasts –
time-lapse stitchers of the strand
– to hear their pin-piped preet
is to count the least
among us.

Hiroko Seki’s ethereal ink drawings, many done outdoors, beautifully illustrate each bird. A visual aid is necessary for any kind of bird guide and Seki’s monochromatic images are perfect for this one.

Although Birdbrains is called A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds, it is a delight for bird and poetry lovers anywhere. These birds are common in the rest of the Pacific Northwest and most also live further afield. As Dr. Ursula Valdez wrote in her Foreword, “You don’t need to be an ornithologist or bird watcher to appreciate this book; it is for bird and art lovers of all forms, who want their curious eyes, hearts, and souls filled.”

NOTES

I was happy to receive a review copy of this book through Raven Chronicle Press because I truly love it. 

The four Washington State Poet Laureates featured in the book are Elizabeth Austen, Claudia Castro Luna, Kathleen Flenniken, and Derek Sheffield. Three Pulitzer Prize winners also included poems: Ray Armentrout, Ted Kooster, and Diane Seuss.

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

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'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.

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 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?

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

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

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

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.

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 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.

May 2026 Monthly Wrap Up -- BOOK THOUGHTS

BOOK THOUGHTS

February 2026 Monthly Wrap Up

When it comes to vacation books, I’m Team Fluffy all the way. When I go out of town, like I did in May, I pack hen lit, comfort reads, and mysteries. Many of the books I read in May are not in this picture because I left them behind when I finished.* Do you do that?

Here's a list of the books I read in May. See any favorites?

• The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey, set in Bath, England, where I started my vacation. This is the first of his Peter Diamond mysteries and I thought it was terrific. I have most of the series in Soho Crime editions and look forward to reading all of it. 

• The Art of Making Memories by Meik Wiking, author of The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living, which has so much more going for it. He followed Hygge with The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People. This is the weakest of the three. It was interesting enough, but felt like he overworked scant material. 

• Regeneration by Pat Barker, the first book in her Regeneration Trilogy about psychological injuries caused by, and closeted gay life during, WWI.

• The Eye in the Door by Pat Barker, the second book in the trilogy.

• The Ghost Road by Pat Barker, the last book and the 1995 winner of the Booker Prize. 

• The Trees by Conrad Richter, the first novel of his Awakening Land trilogy about American pioneers in the late 1700s.

LEFT BEHIND

• The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley. I greatly enjoyed this thriller involving a “fictional” royal family, even through its highly improbably spots. 

• Fellowship of Fear by Aaron Elkins, his first Gideon Oliver mystery. I read a later book from this series last summer and loved it, so wanted to start at the beginning. This one didn't do much for me. The plot just never made sense. But I will continue because I try to not judge a series from its first book and I know from the other one I read that these get better. 

• The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier. This one was just my cup of tea. It's a campus novel featuring a woman of a certain age who moves from New York City to to be a professor at Amhurst, where she renovates a big old house and tries her luck at romance.  

• They Did It with Love by Kate Morgenroth is a domestic thriller set in ritzy Greenwich, Connecticut. It was very clever, but (without giving anything away), I didn't like the ending. 

• Bookish People by Susa Coll, a cute story set in a Washington, D.C. bookshop. This one came full circle for me because I bought it while on vacation in Alaska a couple of years ago and read it on vacation this year. 

AUDIOBOOKS

• What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts) by Stanley Tucci. Entertaining, but not as good as Taste: My Life Through Food. It's easy to understand why. Taste was the story of his whole life, so he had a lot of material to draw on. It was also charmingly self-deprecating and he played down his life as a famous movie star. This one is limited to one year, so he had to make a little go a long way. As a result, it's mostly about his life as a movie star and there's a lot of name dropping.  

• The Engine House by Rhys Dylan, the first in a mystery series set in Wales, where I went on vacation after Bath. One of my book club friends recommended the series to me when I told her I like to read books set in the places where I travel. I plan to continue with the series because this first one was quite good and most (all?) are available as audiobooks from my library. 

* I love a "take one/leave one" shelf in a hotel. I love searching for some gem that will then be a souvenir of my trip. And I'm more than happy to leave behind any books I finish. But I never leave a book in an airplane seatback if I finish it on the plane. I think those just get thrown away, either immediately, when the plane is being cleaned, or later, after a long internment in a lost and found closet. What do you think happens to them?

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

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

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.

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 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 The Calamity Club:

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.

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker

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

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.

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 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.

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

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier

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

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.

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 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 The Season of Second Chances:

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.

The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley

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

“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.

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 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.

Three Books I Always Recommend -- BOOK THOUGHTS

Three Books I Always Recommend, and Why

BOOK THOUGHTS

When you are a reader, people always ask for book recommendations. Which book(s) do you recommend wholeheartedly? Three of my go to books I always recommend are Play It as It Lays, What’s Bred in the Bone, and Cold Comfort Farm. Here’s why I picked these three:

Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion is a 1970 novel about a former actress facing the meaninglessness of her life in Hollywood. It’s a spare, powerful novel I think everyone should read, particularly women who I think might get more out of it. As an overlooked classic, it’s an excellent choice for a “serious” book.

What’s Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies is thoroughly entertaining. Published in 1985 as the second novel in his Cornish Trilogy, it works perfectly as a standalone. It’s a long, shaggy story about a Canadian art collector and restorer caught up in an elaborate scheme to spy on and defraud Nazi’s in Germany during WWII. It falls square into the category of “a good yarn” and is the book I recommend when anyone tells me they just want something good to read. 

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons is a cozy blanket of a novel. This 1932 modern classic is funny (very funny), warmhearted, and worth binging on a winter evening, followed by the movie version featuring a young and dreamy Rufus Sewell. This one is more popular than the others, and justifiably so. But there are still a few readers out there who haven’t succumbed to its charms and they should really give in.

These are not the only three books I recommend to people. I could play the "recommend three books" game all day long. But these three are solid choices for great reads. I'll keep pondering and come back with more three-book lists with specific themes or genres.   

As you see, the backlist is my happy place. How about you? I prefer the patina of time to the shiny new. I definitely prefer the buzz to wear off before I decide if I want to read a book or skip it for something that’s been percolating on my TBR shelf for a while.

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

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

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

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.

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 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 Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead:

"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.

April 2026 Monthly Wrap Up -- BOOK THOUGHTS

BOOK THOUGHTS

April 2026 Monthly Wrap Up

April was a good reading month for me. I finished rereading the Narnia Chronicles for the first time since I was a kid and I knocked six books off my TBR 26 in '26 list. See any favorites?

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

The Other Family by Joanna Trollope. I always enjoy her books. This one is about a musician whose death forces his his partner and their children and his ex-wife and oldest son to interact. 

Showing the Flag by Jane Gardam*, short stories from the author of the Old Filth trilogy. I'm never as fond of short stories as I am of longer fiction (Somerset Maugham being the exception), but some of these were very good, particularly the title story. 

Homecomings by C.P. Snow.* I’m determined to finish his Strangers & Brothers series even though I find them pretty dry. This one at least had some personal story, and wasn't focused entirely on a work situation. 

Foxed Quarterly (Issue No. 51, Spring 2017). I’m working my way through some back issues. Because the quarterly is devoted to backlist and out of print books, the old issues are never out of date. 

When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. This was interesting to read but is focused on foreign missions and I was looking for local guidance.

The Food of Love by Anthony Capella* is a cute, foodie romcom set in Italy, a modern retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Death Takes a Bath by Sharon Lynn. This cozy mystery set in Bath, England is the first of a series. The heroine is a 19-year-old college student, so I'm not the target audience and am unlikely to continue with the books, but it was fun to read in preparation for a trip to Bath. 

Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore, a reread. More psychology than I remember. I had it confused with The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life, which I loved and now need to reread.

Steaming to Bamboola by Christopher Buckley*, his memoir about a year in the merchant marine. 

The Boss Dog by M.F.K. Fisher*, a fictionalized account of living in Aix with her two daughters. It was fun to read, but repetitive of her nonfiction about her life in France.

Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love by Anne Fadiman* was a letdown. Read my review here. 

Frozen Assets by P.G. Wodehouse. Hilarious, as always.

NOTES

* Denotes a TBR 26 in '26 book. 

What was your April favorite?