Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Wait! I'm here! See my big face? 

I was missing in action last week, I know. Sorry! In all the years of hosting Book Beginnings on Fridays, I've never before completely forgotten to post. But I did last week. I didn't remember until Saturday, and then figured it was completely too late. It was a combination of Christmas prep, work deadlines, and a funeral for a friend's husband last Thursday afternoon that erased my brain of anything extra, including that I was supposed to post Book Beginnings, like I do every Thursday afternoon. 

So please join me now to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week, or just a book you want to share. If you want to leave two links, one for this week and one with your post from last week, please do! 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

In these times of ours, though concerning the exact year there is no need to be precise, a boat of dirty and disreputable appearance, with two figures in it, floated on the Thames, between Southwark bridge which is of iron, and London Bridge which is of stone, as an autumn evening was closing in.

-- Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. I meant to read this one for Victober but didn't get to it. Now I am happy to be reading Dickens in December because it is such a rich and funny book, perfect for cozy reading by the Christmas tree. I love it. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

Please add a link to your Book Beginnings post in the Linky box below. Like I said, if you want to add an extra link to your post from last week, please go ahead. Again, I'm sorry I forgot to post! As always, if you share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings. 

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THE FRIDAY 56

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

From Our Mutual Friend:

It struck eleven, and he made believe to compose himself patiently. But gradually he took the fidgets in one leg, and then in the other leg, and then in one arm, and then in the other arm, and then in his chin, and then in his back, and then in his forehead, and then in his hair, and then in his nose; and then he stretched himself recumbent on two chairs, and groaned; and then he started up.

What are you reading this Christmas week? I hope it is festive and fun and doesn't give you the fidgets!

3 Days to Christmas!

 

4 Days to Christmas!

 

5 Days to Christmas!

 

2022 European Reading Challenge -- My Wrap-Up Post!

 

THE 2022 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE

MY WRAP-UP POST

COMPLETED

There's another week or so to go before the end of the year and the end of the 2022 European Reading Challenge. But I don't foresee finishing any additional books for this challenge before the new year.

I read 58 books set in European countries or written by European authors in 2022. Under the rules of the challenge, only one book per country counts. I read books set in, or by authors from, nine different European countries. 

My list of books and countries is below, in the order I read them. See any of your own favorites?

BOOKS I READ

• Kathrine by Anya Seton (UK)

• French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano (France)

• Island of Gold by Amy Maroney (Greece)

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Czech Republic)

• Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir Of Science, Faith, And Love by Dava Sobel (Italy)

• The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (Russia)

• Holy Orders by Benjamin Black (Ireland)

• Windfall: The End of the Affair by William F. Buckley, Jr. (Portugal)

• The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor (Switzerland)

THE CHALLENGE

The European Reading Challenge has been around since 2012 so 2022 is the ten year anniversary! Every year, the idea is to tour Europe in books by reading books written by authors from different European countries or set in different European countries. You pick the books, the countries, and how many books you want to read. You can complete the challenge by reading 1 to 5 books, depending on what level of participation you chose.

If you want to read more, you can compete for the Jet Setter Prize. The prize goes to the person who reads and reviews the greatest number of books from DIFFERENT countries. Only one book from each country counts towards the prize, so the greatest number of books that could be read is 50, because there are 50 official sovereign states in Europe:

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

PLEASE JOIN US IN 2023 FOR THE NEXT GRAND TOUR IN BOOKS!