Thursday, August 14, 2025

Old Bones by Aaron Elkins -- BOOK BEGINNINGS


BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Old Bones by Aaron Elkins

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.

I'm at sea. I mean that literally, in that I'm on a cruise with my mom and sister. I pre-scheduled this post, so I hope it works. 

MY BOOK BEGINNING
So still and silent was the fog-wreathed form that it might have been an angular, black boulder.
-- from Old Bones by Aaron Elkins.

Old Bones is the fourth of 18 books in Aaron Elkins's Gideon Oliver mystery series. I haven't read the first three and, normally, I don't read a series out of order. But I am trying to be less regimented about that and just jump right in. Old Bones is the only Elkins book I have on my TBR shelf. It won the Edgar Award for best mystery in 1988. Because I had it and am trying to read all the Edgar winners, I took the bold (for me) move of reading it first. Wish me luck!  

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.

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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 Old Bones:
They sat in silence as the Breton coast's wide sky and low dunes gave way to the rolling hills of the Rance estuary, and then to the somber heaths and dark little forests of the interior. At an intersection with a narrow graveled road a primitive wooden sign with the word "Ploujean” pointed left.

I love mystery books set in European countries, France especially.  

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
“With the roar of thunder and the speed of a galloping horse comes the tide to Mont St. Michel,” goes the old nursery song. So when the aged patriarch of the du Rocher family falls victim to the perilous tide, even the old man’s family accepts the verdict of accidental drowning.

But too quickly, this “accident” is followed by a bizarre discovery in the ancient du Rocher chateau: a human skeleton, wrapped in butcher paper, beneath the old stone flooring. Professor Gideon Oliver, lecturing on forensic anthropology at nearby St. Malo, is asked to examine the bones. He quickly demonstrates why he is known as the “Skeleton Detective,” providing the police with forensic details that lead them to conclude that these are the remains of a Nazi officer believed to have been murdered in the area during the Occupation. Or are they? Gideon himself has his doubts.


Thursday, August 7, 2025

The Austen Sisters by Dee Blankenship -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

The Austen Sisters by Dee Blankenship

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. 

I am still cruisin' with my mom and sister, so pre-scheduled this post. Apologies if there are any problems! 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The eldest of the five sisters, Elinor Austen, is possessed with all the qualities expected of an older sister. 
-- from the Prologue to The Austen Sisters by Dee Blankenship, subtitled "A Modern Day Tale of Pride, Persuasion, and Sensibilities."
Eleanor caught sight of the gate for her flight and let out a sigh of relief.
-- from Chapter 1, "Elinor."

I like the way The Austen Sisters starts. The first sentence of the Prologue sounds like something Jane Austen would have written, with old fashioned words. A modern translation might be, "The oldest of the five sisters, Elinor Austen has the typical personality of an older sister." Then the first sentence of Chapter 1 makes is very clear we are in modern times because she is at an airport. Cleverly done. 

2025 marks the sestercentennial* of Jane Austen's birth. I'm commemorating the event by rereading her six main novels in publication order, one every other month. I finished Emma (my favorite) in July and have only Northanger Abby and Persuasion left. 

I had intended to incorporate Austen fan fiction into my celebration, but am not really a fan of fan fiction. Then I saw The Austen Sisters and knew I had found an homage I wanted to read. 


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!
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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 Austen Sisters:
With an easy grin, Frank Churchill spoke up. "One of our buddies isn't feeling his best this morning, so we were hoping to charm one of you lovely ladies into joining us."
Frank Churchill is a flirtatious charmer in Emma. I like that the characters in The Austen Sisters have the names and mannerisms of the characters in Jane Austen's books. 

FROM THE PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION
In this contemporary reimagining of Jane Austen’s beloved novels, five sisters, each embodying the spirit of Austen’s heroines, gather at the luxurious Mansfield Park Resort for their cousin Fanny’s wedding.
As the festivities unfold, tensions rise, misunderstandings abound, old flames reignite, and the sisters find themselves swept up in a whirlwind of romance that feels strangely familiar. After all, love, even in the modern day, still follows the timeless wisdom of Austen’s pen.

* Of all the potential words for a 250th anniversary -- semiquincentennial, sestercentennial, bicenquinquagenary, and bisesquicentennial -- sestercentennial is the only one I can possibly pronounce, so I'm sticking with it. I've also seen quarter millennium, but that just sounds wrong. 


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