Book Beginnings: On the Rocks

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings.  You can find me @GilionDumas. I have tried to follow everyone who participates, but if I missed you, please send me a direct tweet as a gentle reminder.  I also recently signed up for Google+ and have a circle of book bloggers. Please let us know if we can find you there as well.

MR. LINKY: Please leave a link to your post below. If you don't have a blog, but want to participate, please leave a comment with your Book Beginning.



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Edith Lewis got out her easel and watercolors and set them up near the edge of the bluff in front of their cottage on Whale Cove.

-- On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery by Sue Hallgarth.  Set in 1929 on Grand Maras, a Canadian island, this historic, literary mystery is the first of what looks like a terrific new series.

Review: Personal History

 

Katharine Graham deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History. Graham lived a fascinating life, from her childhood of wealth and privilege, through her tumultuous marriage to Phil Graham that ended in his suicide, to her increasingly powerful role at the helm of the Washington Post Company.

Graham's father bought the Washington Post in 1933. Her husband ran it during their marriage. When she took over after his death, she had no real work experience, no concept of the magnitude of her new job, and little support from the male-dominated publishing industry.

Learning as she went, and making many mistakes along the way, Graham grew the Washington Post Company into a media powerhouse. Under her watch, the company went public, became famous -- or infamous -- for its coverage of the Watergate scandal, and broke the unions' stranglehold of the newspaper industry after a five-month strike.

Throughout these busy years, Graham also maintained a dizzying social and community life. She traveled extensively, held positions on several professional and academic boards, and hobnobbed with politicians and other prominent figures, including among her friends the likes of Truman Capote, Henry Kissinger, and Warren Buffett.

Her first-hand account is crisply written, unflinching, and honest, but always dignified.  She discusses her family relationships and friendships, but without any intimate details.  The focus most definitely is on her public and professional life, which makes it all the more interesting.        

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of Personal History listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

I've been meaning to read Personal History for years and finally got around to it to complete the 2012 Chunkster Challenge.

Review: The Prestige

Why did I assume I would dislike The Prestige? There were several reasons:

• It is about magicians, a class of entertainers I tolerate only slightly better than mimes or clowns.
• It is set during a period of time I am bored with, no matter how enduringly popular in novels – the Civil War through World War I.
• I had already seen the movie, and I dislike reading a book when I already know what the story, especially a story with big secrets like this one.
• I really do not like speculative fiction in any of its broad forms – fantasy, paranormal, or science-fiction.

But I read it anyway because it won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and I am working my way diligently through that list. I am so glad I did!

Christopher Priest's novel is the story of two rival magicians at the turn of the 20th Century, vying to outdo each other in an illusion featuring a disappearing man. Both have secrets that follow them to the grave – and beyond – that are only revealed when their grandchildren meet up decades later.

Because Priest is such a first class storyteller, he created a drama that is entirely believable – no matter how scientifically farfetched – and mesmerizing, even for readers who know the secrets from the movie. I was completely entranced.

Even though The Prestige runs contrary to many of my book prejudices, it could end up as my favorite book of 2013 – pretty big words, considering it is only January.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

The Prestige counts as my second Black winner for the 2012 Battle of the Prizes, British Version, which runs through January 31, 2013.   I have now finished that challenge.  Whew!

Teaser Tuesdays: Interpreter of Maladies

As a result of spending all her time in college with Raj, she continued, she did not make many close friends. There was no one to confide in about him at the end of a difficult day, or to share a passing thought or a worry.

-- from the title story in Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.  This won the Pulitzer Prize and has been on my TBR shelf for a while. 

Short story collections are never my first choice, so I am finally getting around to this one because it fell within my random choice method of selecting books for my 2013 TBR challenges.


Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Mailbox Monday & Giveaway Winner

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday! MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event (details here).

Lori at Lori's Reading Corner is hosting in January.  Please visit her fun blog for giveaways, reviews, and lots more.

GIVEAWAY WINNERS: Three lucky readers each get one copy of On the Rocks: A Willa Cather and Edith Lewis Mystery by Sue Hallgarth, a historic, literary mystery set in 1929 on the Canadian island of Grand Manan.  On the Rocks is the first of what looks like a terrific new series.

Congratulations to the winners:

• Debbie at ExUrbanis
• Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews
• Rhonda at RhondaReads

And thanks to the wonderful book publicist Mary Bisbee-Beek for my copy and the giveaway copies.  Mary will be in touch with the winners to arrange delivery.

MY BOOKS LAST WEEK:

I was inspired by the 2013 Vintage Mystery Challenge to pick up a short stack of pre-1960 mysteries when I was out by Booktique in Lake Oswego.  A couple of others caught my eye as well.



The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith. Only the first was published before 1960.



Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. Does this count as a mystery? I love the Penguin cover!



Old Mrs. Camelot by Emery Bonett. I've never heard of this book or author.



Too Much of Water by Bruce Hamilton. Same with this one.



Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies. Not a mystery, but I have been meaning to read more of his books.



Washington by Meg Greenfield. I finally finished Personal History by Greenfield's former publisher and friend, Katharine Graham.



The Players Come Again (a Kate Fansler mystery) by Amanda Cross. I've read one of this series and liked it.



The CEO of the Sofa by P. J. O'Rourke. He always makes me laugh.