Mailbox Monday

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).

Book Dragon's Lair is hosting in October.  Please stop by this friendly blog to find reviews and recommendations for your next fantasy novel, cozy mystery, romantic suspense, or who knows . . . .

One of the best things about living in Portland is Powell's Books and I am particularly lucky in that my office is a short 15 minute walk away.  On a lunchtime walk the other day, I did a quick swing through the famous City of Books and found a few, no surprise.



Without My Cloak by Kate O'Brien.  This won the James Tait Black Prize back in 1931.  I'm working my way through this list, so was excited to find a reprint.



Venusberg and Agents & Patients.  Anthony Powell (no relation to Powell's City of Books) is a favorite author of mine. I already have a copy of Venusberg, but loved the cover on this duel edition (the first American edition of both).



Faces in My Time, Vol. III of the memoirs of Anthony Powell.  I have the first two volumes and have been looking for these last two.



The Strangers Are All Gone, Vo. IV of the memoirs of Anthony Powell. 

Book Beginnings: Cold by Stella Cameron

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.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I am trying to follow all Book Beginning participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

MR. LINKY



MY BOOK BEGINNING

How long had it taken to change a life forever?

-- Cold by Stella Cameron.  This is the first book in a new series of English mysteries featuring Alex Duggins. I haven't read Cameron's other books, but this one looks right up my alley. I can't wait to dive into it.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

You can't outrun the past... ...and tripping over a frosted corpse is a complication that could destroy Alex Duggins' attempt to restart her life. The discovery of a murder victim threatens to unearth some old secrets, including her own. As the tiny town of Folly-on-Weir braces for a chilling winter and snow blankets Britain's Cotswold Hills, a killer faces a deadline. A terrible crime was believed to be safely hidden, but time and conscience can wear on a secret. The clock ticks and with the police breathing down her neck, Alex knows she's at the top of the suspect list. Desperate to clear her name and find the real murderer she begins to peel back the layers of deception that have long-concealed one of the town's darkest secrets. But time is also running out for a killer who has nothing left to lose. What's one more murder? Someone intends that Alex will be the next snow-covered body found in the beautiful hills above the town.

Teaser Tuesday: The Great Leader by Jim Harrison

They quickly loaded her small tacklebox, two spinning rods, and the picnic hamper. She was so effervescent that it verged on playacting and he cautioned himself in his haze against looking for something wrong rather than right.

-- The Great Leader by Jim Harrison.  This is a good example of Harrison's prose, because it touches on his favorite themes -- fishing, eating, and sex -- and uses words that are out of the ordinary enough to catch your attention (effervescent and playacting) without being pretentious. 

I'm a big Jim Harrison fan and always enjoy his novels, novellas, essays, and memoirs.  His latest books, The Farmer's Daughter (reviewed here) and The English Major (reviewed here) didn't light me up the way his earlier books did.  I don't know if it is because I'm getting older or Harrison is.  But I still enjoy reading whatever he writes.

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

Mailbox Monday

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).

Book Dragon's Lair is hosting in October.  Please stop by this friendly blog to find reviews and recommendations for your next fantasy novel, cozy mystery, romantic suspense, or who knows . . . .

One book came into my house last week.  It is a new mystery set in the Cotswolds in England.  It looks terrific and I plan to get right to it, even though I normally let books percolate on my TBRF shelves for years.




Cold by Stella Cameron.  This is the first book in a new series of English mysteries featuring Alex Duggins. I haven't read Cameron's other books, but the description of this one has everything I like.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

You can't outrun the past... ...and tripping over a frosted corpse is a complication that could destroy Alex Duggins' attempt to restart her life. The discovery of a murder victim threatens to unearth some old secrets, including her own. As the tiny town of Folly-on-Weir braces for a chilling winter and snow blankets Britain's Cotswold Hills, a killer faces a deadline. A terrible crime was believed to be safely hidden, but time and conscience can wear on a secret. The clock ticks and with the police breathing down her neck, Alex knows she's at the top of the suspect list. Desperate to clear her name and find the real murderer she begins to peel back the layers of deception that have long-concealed one of the town's darkest secrets. But time is also running out for a killer who has nothing left to lose. What's one more murder? Someone intends that Alex will be the next snow-covered body found in the beautiful hills above the town.

Book Beginnings on Friday: The Great Leader by Jim Harrison

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.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I am trying to follow all Book Beginning participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

MR. LINKY



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Detective Sunderson walked backward on the beach glancing around now and then to make sure he wasn't going to trip over a piece of driftwood.

-- The Great Leader by Jim Harrison.  This is Harrison's latest novel, the story of a retired (just) Michigan State Police detective tracking a cult leader on the lam for child abuse charges.  The "mystery" plot is secondary to typical Harrison musings on age, sex, and the natural world.  

I'm a big Jim Harrison fan and always enjoy his prose -- novels, novellas, essay, and memoir.  His latest books, The Farmer's Daughter (reviewed here) and The English Major (reviewed here) didn't light me up the way his earlier books did.  I don't know if it is because I'm getting older or Harrison is.  But I still enjoy reading whatever he writes.