Get Lost in Literature

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader - 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. "The only impartial witness was the sun." The Wager by David Grann It's summer and the mere mention of the word 'sun' sent me overboard (pun intended). I could picture clearly in my eye, the sun shining in a flawless sky. Now the sky in this book is rarely flawless but I didn't know that at the time I read the first sentence...and so I kept on reading. Book Blogger Hop Q:   Has your perspective on reading changed as you've grown older? If so, has it affected how you write your reviews?  ( submitted by Billy @  Coffee Addicted Writer ) Yes, my perspective has changed a little. I have always read for fun and will continue to do so, so don't get me wrong, but when I was in college, I took a ton of literature courses,...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "Jake. There is so much I want to tell you, but we've always found it hard to talk to each other, haven't we?" - The Whisper Man by Alex North This is a thriller that starts with a lot of intrigue... First, a letter from a father to his son and the reader is immediately left wondering what inspired the letter. Soon after, a child goes missing and the feeling of dread creeps in because you just know something bad is about to happen.   Book Blogger Hop Q: Have you ever wondered why a passionate book blogger might suddenly stop posting or delete their blog without notice? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: Yes, and then no. I imagine there are a lot of reasons why that happens, the first thing that comes to mind i...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist." Circe by Madeline Miller I'm currently reading Circe and it's delightful. It's a retelling of a Greek myth about a witch-goddess but I can't tell you much more about it because I've never actually heard of Circe before... I resisted googling the story behind the story because I want to keep the ending a surprise. Seeing that The Song of Achilles was a tragedy, I'm assuming that this one is too, but I don't know yet. Book Blogger Hop Q: What are some of your favorite books to re-read? (submitted by Nicole @ The Christian Fiction Girl) A: Call of the Wild is at the top of the list, I think I have it memorized. There's Let the Right One In and The Fall of ...

Book Beginnings on Fridays  by  Rose City Reader  -  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. "Twice upon a time - for that is how some stories should continue - there was a mother whose daughter was stolen from her. Oh, she could still see the girl... But the child was silent, and her eyes remained closed." The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly I absolutely loved John Connolly's book The Book of Lost Things so when the sequel came out, The Land of Lost Things , I rushed out to get it. If you liked the stories of the brothers Grimm, you'll like these books too (most likely). They're about people who get swept away into the darkest of fairytales. Book Blogger Hop Q:   What's your typical process for writing a book review, from reading the book to publishing the review on your blog? (submitted by Page @ Pa...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader - 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 was beginning to believe that I was never going to see a horse capture the Triple Crown." American Pharoah by Joe Drape This is the first sentence from the author's note at the beginning of the book, and I'm in total agreement. I wasn't even alive in 1978 when Affirmed claimed the title. I was beginning to think it couldn't be done. Book Blogger Hop Q: Have you ever read a Nicholas Sparks romance novel? If so, what is your opinion on his endings? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: No, I haven't read anything by Nicholas Sparks as I don't read a lot of romance.

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "On the White House roof, tucked into a corner of the Promenade, there's a bit of loose paneling right on the edge of the Solarium. If you tap it just right, you can peel it back enough to find a message etched underneath, with the tip of a key or maybe a stolen West Wing letter opener." Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston I just finished my first romance novel Red, White & Royal Blue . It was cute. Maybe someday I'll read another one. Book Blogger Hop Q: Do you prefer to read series one book after another, or can you read other books in between? (submitted by me, Idea-ist @ Get Lost in Literature) A: I prefer to read a series one book after another, but sometimes that's not possible if the sequel hasn't...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader - 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. "Zodiac's unmasked features first came into focus one blazing summer day upon the crystal face of a watch." Z odiac Unmasked by Robert Graysmith I'm reading my first true crime novel this month. I had tried to get a copy of the original Zodiac book, by the same author, but they haven't adapted it to an e-book format, and I downloaded this from my library instead.    Book Blogger Hop Q: January is National Hobby Month. Do you have any pastimes or interests other than reading that go well with your love of books and literature? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: Oh, boy, do I have pastimes. I do counted-cross stitch and that takes up a lot of time, I have an embarrassing stack of adult coloring books that I bought during the craze...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "Delilah Bard-always a thief, recently a magician, and one day, hopefully, a pirate-was running as fast as she could." A Conjuring of Light by VE Schwab I'm on the final installment of the Shades of Magic trilogy , and it's still the rollercoaster ride I remembered. But I think the rereads did break my reading slump, as I'm already planning my first books to read for 2025. I recommend this trilogy, if fantasy is your thing, it's a lot of fun. Book Blogger Hop Q: Do you have any reading goals for the new year? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: I always set a goal of 12 books to read in the new year, and usually read more (sometimes less). This year I'm adding a secondary goal of reading at least 6 books off my cu...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "Kell wore a very peculiar coat. It had neither one side, which would be conventional, nor two, which would be unexpected, but several , which was, of course, impossible." A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab So I quite loved this series and am rereading it to break out of a reading slump. I think it was better than The Villians duology which was also quite lovable, and way better than The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue which was however enjoyable, a little overrated (unpopular opinion). And the fact that I'm using it to break out of a reading slump makes today's Book Blogger Hop question very well timed.  Book Blogger Hop Q: How do you deal with reading slumps or moments when you can't get into a book? (submitted by Bill...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "Richard Strickland reads the brief from General Hoyt. He's at eleven thousand feet. The twin-prop taking hits as hard as a boxer's fists." This is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time. And while I don't remember what came first the movie or the book, either way it's great. If you've never heard of Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, it's a sci-fi/fantasy/romance about a mute woman who falls in love with a thing that's essentially The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Book Blogger Hop  Q: Do you like to annotate your books or leave them untouched? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: I leave them untouched and take notes in a separate notebook.

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "The blaze of sun wrung pops of sweat from the old man's brow, yet he cupped his hands around the glass of hot tea. He could not shake the premonition." The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty The book was great, and the movie stayed close to the source material. Book Blogger Hop Q: Which horror-themed book or novel is your all-time favorite? Which one made you shiver or made you feel like it was Halloween? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: These are actually two different books, but I would consider them both horror classics. My favorite horror novel is actually Dracula by Bram Stoker. And the one that makes me feel like it's Halloween is The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty .

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader - 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. "You will rejoice to hear no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings." - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley  In a book that's all about disaster, let us open with a joke. Book Blogger Hop Q: What novel would you recommend that blends characteristics of your favorite genre with horror concepts, and why? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: I'm going to have to go with Frankenstein Or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley  It's a science fiction and horror in one. I love the history behind it, that it was basically written on a whim. Even more so, I love that it portrays the hubris of man, the flaws in a patriarchal society, with feminist undertones....

Book Beginnings on Fridays  by  Rose City Reader  -  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. "Horror and fatality have been stalking abroad in all ages. Why then give a date to this story I have to tell?" -  Metzengerstein by Edgar Allan Poe Feuding nobles and a haunted horse. You really can't go wrong with Edgar Allan Poe. Book Blogger Hop Do you have a favorite book or author you turn to every October to celebrate Halloween? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) I can't really narrow it down to just one author there are too many good ones out there. As repetitively stated, I absolutely love John Ajvide Lindqvist and have re-read his stories multiple times. But Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe are also on the list of re-readables. But October is the one month I'm not likely to re-read, preferring instea...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader - 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. "BIGFOOT DESTROYS TOWN. That was the title of an article I received not long after the Mount Ranier eruption. I thought it was spam, the inevitable result of so much online research." Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Ranier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks  It's October! Okay, this book is a little out there, but it delivers on chills and thrills, which is what I'm after this month. Book Blogger Hop Q: Are there any books that you find particularly creepy or unpleasant, even if they aren't horror novels? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer.  A:  Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.  The movie and the tv show introduce this super intense relationship between Louis and Lestat but the book makes them come of...

Book Beginnings on Fridays by Rose City Reader -  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. "Let's start with the end of the world, why don't we? Get it over with and move on to more interesting things." The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth trilogy) by NK Jemisin I loved the start of this book. Maybe sarcastic, maybe jaded... could be, based on the events that follow, angry. After all, what could be more interesting than the end of the world? And shortly after, N.K. Jemisin delivers.  Book Blogger Hop Q: September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. What role have libraries played in your reading journey? Do you have any recommendations for books or fond recollections involving libraries? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A: I don't remember how old I was when I got my first library card but I remember my mo...

It's Friday!  Thank you for joining me for Book Beginnings on Fridays  and Friday Book Blogger Hop. Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by  Rose City Reader . 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. "You can't kill the truth." Mira Grant, Feed   I'm not reading Feed  right now, but I loved the book when I read it and wanted to share the opening line for it. It starts with this ominous statement that completely sets the tone for the whole book, but at the same time the main characters are sarcastic, blasé young adults who keep the story from being too depressing. It's a political thriller with zombies. Book Blogger Hop Q : Can you suggest a book that you believe everyone should read at least once in their lifetime? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) A : The Call of the Wild by Jack London Let me know what y...

Happy Friday! I'm trying something new today: Book Beginnings on Fridays  is hosted by  Rose City Reader  -  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. "He was an easy mark."  - The City of Brass  by SA Chakraborty I'm just starting this book, and it starts with one tiny sentence. The first word that comes to mind is: cocky. "He was an easy mark,"  not "He was my mark." The use of 'easy' makes all the difference. The second word that came to mind was: sly. Who has a 'mark' anyway? Hitmen and thieves, and people who are generally up to no good... I've waited all summer to start this book, the anticipation was driving me up a wall and from the first five words, I'm not yet disappointed. I'm also here with my usual: Book Blogger Hop This week's question: Q: What are you...

Book Blogger Hop Q: Some people find when the days lengthen in August, they have more time for leisure reading. Do you have a list of books you want to read at the end of summer? If yes, what titles are on it?   ( submitted by Billy @  Coffee Addicted Writer ) A: I actually find I have less time to read in August. As summer draws to a close, I begin packing as much outdoor activity into my life as possible in a desperate attempt to keep the sunshine from leaving. I do however have a list of books I'm hoping to fit in before summer's out. I have two ARC's, Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey  and Elphie by Gregory Maguire. I also have a copy of City of Brass by SA Chakraborty  waiting to be read.