Friday Bookish Post - May 13, 2016

    

Thanks to Freda from "Freda's Voice" and Gilion at "Rose City Reader" for hosting these bookish link-ups!  Click one of the buttons to go to the link-up page.  Since I will have two reviews tomorrow, I thought I'd do BBOF on one and F56 on the second.

SYNOPSIS

Indulging their pleasure in travel and new experiences, recently retired private school head Maggie Detweiler and her old friend, socialite Hope Babbin, are heading to Maine. The trip—to attend a weeklong master cooking class at the picturesque Victorian-era Oquossoc Mountain Inn—is an experiment to test their compatibility for future expeditions.

Hope and Maggie have barely finished their first aperitifs when the inn’s tranquility is shattered by the arrival of Alexander and Lisa Antippas and Lisa’s actress sister, Glory. Imperious and rude, these Hollywood one-percenters quickly turn the inn upside-down with their demanding behavior, igniting a flurry of speculation and gossip among staff and guests alike.

But the disruption soon turns deadly. After a suspicious late-night fire is brought under control, Alex’s charred body is found in the ashes. Enter the town’s deputy sheriff, Buster Babbin, Hope’s long-estranged son and Maggie’s former student. A man who’s finally found his footing in life, Buster needs a win. But he’s quickly pushed aside by the “big boys,” senior law enforcement and high-powered state’s attorneys who swoop in to make a quick arrest.

Maggie knows that Buster has his deficits and his strengths. She also knows that justice does not always prevail—and that the difference between conviction and exoneration too often depends on lazy police work and the ambitions of prosecutors. She knows too, after a lifetime of observing human nature, that you have a great advantage in doing the right thing if you don’t care who gets the credit or whom you annoy.

Feeling that justice could use a helping hand--as could the deputy sheriff—Maggie and Hope decide that two women of experience equipped with healthy curiosity, plenty of common sense, and a cheerfully cynical sense of humor have a useful role to play in uncovering the truth.

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY

Maggie Detweiler, new-minted woman of leisure and not at all sure she was going to like it, had no sense of impending tragedy as she posed in front of the broad stone veranda of the Oquossoc Mountain Inn that bright October morning.  She didn't really know what made her say to Hope, "When your picture's being taken, don't you always wonder if it's the one that will run with your obituary?"

~~~oOo~~~

SYNOPSIS

Walking the red carpet at the Academy Awards with a bow-tied Bullmastiff draws Nic and Nigel Martini plenty of attention from the press. But that’s nothing compared to the attention they receive at the A-list after party, when Hollywood royalty learn that Nic and Nigel have discovered behind the scenes footage from A Winter’s Night, an acclaimed film known for backstage love triangles and the tragic death of its original star, Melanie Summers.

Returning home after the party, Nic and Nigel find their house in shambles and their employee DeDee Evans beaten within an inch of her life. And when the weapon used to pummel DeDee implicates beloved actress Christina Franklin, Nic and Nigel drink and banter their way into a modern-day version of a golden-era crime caper.

THE FRIDAY 56

He quietly drummed out a rhythm on his leg for a few more minutes before narrowing his eyes and asking, "You don't have any questions?" 

"Oh, I have lots of questions," I assured him.  "However, I assumed that you came here to tell us something.  But if you're trying to do so through Morse Code, I should warn you  that I'm a bit rusty on my dashes and dots."

~~~oOo~~~

   

Thanks to Billy B at the "Coffee Addicted Writer" for hosting this link-up!  Click on the buttons above to go to his blog.

This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews.  I'm actually going to paraphrase:

Is there a reason you chose your blogging platform (Blogger, Wordpress, etc.) over another?

My scintillating answer?  Nope. :p

~~~oOo~~~

Also welcoming the weekend with:

        

Thanks to Ramona at Create With Joy, Janice at Mostly Blogging, and Tina at Mommynificent for these fun link-ups!  Click on the button to visit the sites to join in!  The more the merrier...really! :O)

Friday Bookish Post - March 25, 2016

    

Thanks to Freda from "Freda's Voice" and Gilion at "Rose City Reader" for hosting these bookish link-up!  Click one of the buttons to go to the link-up page.

SYNOPSIS

When Hayden Kent’s mentor and friend discovers her son Mike’s dead body, dressed in full scuba attire, washed up on Pigeon Key, she needs Hayden. Her paralegal and dive skills may help unravel the tragedy of Mike’s last days. He’d recently discovered a sunken Spanish galleon and rumors that he hit the mother lode ran through the Keys like wildfire.

Hayden’s dive on the treasure site uncovers gold, and clues that Mike’s death was something far more sinister than an accident. When two different wills, both signed the day Mike died, are delivered to the courthouse, the suspect list grows, as do the threats against her. The danger escalates as she tries to save herself, discover the motive, and find the killer.

BOOK BEGINNINGS

This is the book's second paragraph:

"Of all the mornings to be late.  I scooted past her into my office, dumped my burdens on one of the guest chairs, rounded my desk, and punched the button to activate my computer.  Our email program recorded all voicemails.  The computer was going through its usual beeps and boops when my boss and supervising attorney, Grant Huffman, pushed open my door, a pink message slip clutched in his hand.  He had his jacket off and the sleeves of his shirt cuffed back to just below the elbow.  I knew instantly something was wrong.  The light banter of questions about his weekend died on my lips."

FRIDAY 56

"Judge, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I have a few questions about a restraining order against my paralegal, Hayden Kent. .... Judge Rodriguez entered the order ex parte because Lisa said she felt threatened that you went to her house and her child was present."

NOTE:  I will review this book on the blog on Monday and you are all invited back!

~~~oOo~~~

   

Thanks to Billy B at the "Coffee Addicted Writer" and Ramona at "Create With Joy" for hosting these link-ups!  Click on the buttons above to go to their blogs.


This week's question submitted by Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews:

How much of your day is devoted to your blog, and how much is devoted to reading? 

My Answer:

I am something of an introvert, so the solitary act of reading better suits my temperament than does blogging.  Part of me gets a little nervous when I think that there may be (hopefully) some (many?) reading what I write, and the "is it good enough" voice tries to speak up.  So it brings up a little anxiety for me actually, to hit the 'publish' button.

But I have tried, somewhat successfully, to try not to let anxiety or fear dictate my actions.  The greatest successes of my life have come when I was afraid or anxious, but did the event anyway.

So, that's my long-winded way of saying I spend more time reading than blogging ... maybe 2:1 reading:blogging, maybe a higher ratio.

~~~oOo~~~

Great News!

Extra special thanks to Ramona of "Create With Joy" for making me 'Friend of the Week' on her Friendship Friday Link-up!  I first started doing link-ups for the three that she hosts on her blog each week:  "Inspire Me Monday" (last Monday had 318 links), "Wordless Wednesday" (last Wednesday had 76 links) and "Friendship Friday" (221 links last week).  She works tirelessly on behalf of her blogging friends and I respect her enormously.

Friday Bookish Post - March 11, 2016

    

Thanks to Freda from "Freda's Voice" and Gilion at "Rose City Reader" for hosting these bookish link-up!  Click one of the buttons to go to the link-up page.

SYNOPSIS

English professor Lila Maclean is thrilled about her new job at prestigious Stonedale University, until she finds one of her colleagues dead. She soon learns that everyone, from the chancellor to the detective working the case, believes Lila—or someone she is protecting—may be responsible for the horrific event, so she assigns herself the task of identifying the killer.

More attacks on professors follow, the only connection a curious symbol at each of the crime scenes. Putting her scholarly skills to the test, Lila gathers evidence, but her search is complicated by an unexpected nemesis, a suspicious investigator, and an ominous secret society. Rather than earning an “A” for effort, she receives a threat featuring the mysterious emblem and must act quickly to avoid failing her assignment…and becoming the next victim.

BOOK BEGINNINGS

When summoned by the department chair, one shows up on time.  I hurried past the row of faculty mailboxes with minutes to spare and greeted Millicent Quayle, a squarish middle-aged woman whose dull brown hair perfectly matched her suit.  As executive assistant, Millicent presided over the front desk that guarded our leader's inner sanctum.  She was practically humming with efficiency as her fingers flew over the keyboard, and I stood quietly until she mustered up the will to drag her attention away from the computer screen.

FRIDAY 56

I picked up my bag, turned off the bulb and pulled the door shut behind me, noticing that there was light spilling into the hallway through the half-open door to the next room.

That light had not been on before.

Was someone else down here?

~~~oOo~~~

   

Thanks to Billy B at the "Coffee Addicted Writer" and Ramona at "Create With Joy" for hosting these link-ups!  Click on the buttons above to go to their blogs.

This week's BBH question from Vicki Lee @VLZBooks.com:

Do you believe audio books are the future and why do believe? 

If we're talking audio will dominate the book world and make print and e-books obsolete, no I do not believe that.  Many people predicted that ebooks would be the death of print, but that hasn't turned out to be true either.  Each media in which a book appears (print, ebook, audio, video, etc.) brings something unique to the table.

Sometimes there's just nothing like holding a physical book (aka 'bookbooks') with a glass of my favorite cold beverage (or cup of my favorite hot beverage), putting up my feet and getting lost in the pages.

I love my ereader because it allows me to store a ton of books.  Seriously, if I had to have physical copies of each book in the house, they could probably be stacked from floor to ceiling and cover every inch of available wall space in one of our rooms.

Video books  (movies, etc.) have the added benefit of a visual as well as an audio component.  Sound and visual effects can be powerful conveyors of a book's message.

Friday Bookish Post - March 4, 2016

    

Thanks to Freda from "Freda's Voice" and Gilion at "Rose City Reader" for hosting these bookish link-up!  Click one of the buttons to go to the link-up page.

SYNOPSIS

Texas transplant Pru Parke has put down roots in England, but she never dreamed she’d live in a grand place such as Greenoak. When her former employers offer Pru and her new husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, the use of their nineteenth-century estate while they’re away for a year, she jumps at the chance. Sweetening the deal is the prospect of further bonding with her long-lost brother, Simon, who happens to be Greenoak’s head gardener. But the majestic manor has at least one skeleton in its closet—or, rather, its garden.

Working on renovations to the extensive grounds, siblings Pru and Simon squabble about everything from boxwood to bay hedges. But when the removal of a half-dead tree turns up the wreckage of a World War II–era German fighter plane and a pile of bones, the arguments stop. That is, until a rival from Simon’s past pays a surprise visit and creates even more upheaval. It’s suddenly clear someone is unhappy their secrets have been unearthed. Still, Pru’s not about to sit back and let Simon take the fall for the dirty deed without a fight.

~~~oOo~~~

Book Beginnings

The large terra-cotta pot, weathered from the seasons, sported an inch-wide crack that strained at the wire wrapped around its circumference.  Roots of the bay tree, seeking to break free from their encircling confinement, had insinuated themselves through the crack, found open air, and dried up.  The small tree itself seemed to slump, as if resigned to a second-class existence.  Pru and her brother, Simon, stood gazing at it in silence.

~~~oOo~~~

Friday 56

The figure lunged and shoved her away.  She fell back and landed on her bottom in the gravel, shouting in alarm.  As the person ran past her toward the opening, she managed to grab his ankle, and she struggled to stand and keep hold.  The figure kicked loose from her grasp, and the force sent her staggering.  She caught her foot on a guy rope from the marquee, danced a few steps, and went down hard on her stomach.

~~oOo~~~

   

Thanks to Billy B at the "Coffee Addicted Writer" and Ramona at "Create With Joy" for hosting these link-ups!  Click on the buttons above to go to their blogs.

This week's question for the Book Blogger Hop is:

Do you tend to read more in the winter or in the summer months? 

The amount of reading I do does not really change, but the location might.  In winter, I read almost exclusively indoors.  During the summer, I love to sit on the side porch for hours and read. ;)

Look Both Ways by Carol J. Perry - #BookBeginnings #Friday56

"Please join Rose City Reader 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."

~~~oOo~~~

  

LOOK BOTH WAYS by Carol J. Perry

"Maralee, come here.  You won't believe this!" 

I hurried from my sparsely furnished bedroom to the kitchen, where Aunt Ibby sat on an unpainted and slightly wobbly wood stool.  She pointed to the new TV, which was propped against a carton of books on the granite countertop. 

"Look," she said.  "It's exactly the same, isn't it?"

~~~oOo~~~

*Click the button to go to Freda's Voice, to link up your Friday 56 post!

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

 *Post it.

LOOK BOTH WAYS by Carol J. Perry:

(from location 1948 of 3478):

Daphne followed, looking absolutely gorgeous.  She wore the mink coat and carried the stole, a large box of chocolates, and an armful of movie magazines.  She walked around the blue chair without enthusiasm and gave a pretty shrug.  "It's all right."

I am currently reading this book for a tour that starts next Friday, so you're all invited back for the review.  There will also be a Rafflecopter giveaway during the tour.  The tour is being run by Lori at Escape With Dollycas.  Hope to see you there!

So, what do you think?  Sounds like Maralee and Daphne come from different worlds, doesn't it?

Friday 56 / Book Beginnings - Kolea

 

The illegitimate child of Maui’s King is spirited away and raised in seclusion by a mysterious Hula Dancer and a blind warrior. Follow the child, Kolea, to Molokai where he is trained by the warrior and pursued by an evil half-brother. A daring escape in a voyaging canoe leads north and the adventure continues as the Hawai’ian men and women warriors meet natives of the North American Coast.

The voyagers join a community of Tlingit Indians and Kolea grows in wisdom and courage. Thoughts and yearning draw the voyagers south and point their hearts and the bows of their canoe toward home.

~~~oOo~~~

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.

Rules:
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.
*It's that simple.

As they prepared for the coming change of season, the crew soon realized that many of the ways they had brought with them were no longer workable.  Making shelter for what would be a winter like they had never exerienced would require men and women to work together and more the heavy pieces.  And if clothing were to be available, men would be doing much of the sewing as well.

The kapus against eating together were maintained, but many of the others were  dismissed by Makanunui and Kolea

~~~oOo~~~

Please join Gillion 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.

The echo of laughter rang off the cliffs as the naked girls swam through the stream like fish, pulling one another under the surface and splashing.  The carefree children sunned themselves until they were dry and then fastened their pa-u about their waists and strode up the trail toward the village of Kaupo.

~~~oOo~~~

Y'all are invited back to the Back Porch here on Monday (August 17) for my full review of Kolea by Russell Cahill.  Thanks to Sage at Sage's Book Tours for including me on this tour!

Friday 56/Book Beginnings

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme, hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.  It's Friday, let your hair down and play along by clicking on the logo at the top of this post!

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it.

*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url.

*It's that simple.

 

SYNOPSIS
 
A boy receives a very large parcel from his grandpa, and inside is the biggest cheese he has ever seen. The giant cheese soon attracts the attention of people from near and far who all want to taste it. Will the boy get to taste a teeny, tiny bit of his giant cheese before it all runs out?

My Friday 56 is taken from about 53 pct on the Kindle Reader:

"After the glitz and glamour of the red carpet even, the boy decided it was time to go home but he suddenly remembered something.

His Uncle Tony, who lived in the middle of the desert, wanted a teeny, tiny bit of his giant cheese, too.  The boy nearly forgot!"

I know, I know, a children's book (suitable for readers ages 3 and up)?  Well, it's a cute story, for one, and nice to read after so many books about how we adults mess up our world.  'Nuff said.

~~~oOo~~~

I don't think I've done a BBoF before, but saw it on Sherry's blog  Fundinmental.com and it looked like fun, so here I am!  Click the linkup button to join in the fun and find out what other folks are reading this week!  

Gilion, the hostess at Rose City Reader invites readers with:

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.  

  So here goes!

 

SYNOPSIS

Daphne Martin’s wedding to Ben Jacobs is only a couple of weeks away. An award-winning cake decorator, Daphne is busy designing their wedding cake. Her twin nephew and niece, Lucas and Leslie, are excited about being in the wedding party. And Daphne’s brother-in-law Jason is planning a bachelor party for Ben. Everything is going beautifully until Daphne’s ex-husband Todd shows up. Just released from prison after serving a sentence based on his shooting a gun at Daphne, Todd comes to Brea Ridge to profess his undying love for her.

Despite Daphne’s attempts to make Todd leave town, he insists on hanging around to reconnect with people he used to know. When he’s found murdered, Daphne finds herself at the center of the investigation. Now she must track down Todd’s killer before she becomes the next victim. Can she still make it to the church on time? 

 

The beginning:

For what seemed like the millionth time, I sat at my computer, scrolling through images of wedding cakes.  I decorate cakes for a living, but this was my wedding cake.  And Ben's, of course.

I'll be posting my full review of Gayle Trent's book, Killer Wedding Cake, this coming Monday, and y'all are invited the the Back Porch to have a look see!

~~~oOo~~~

I hope you've enjoyed your visit today.  Which book grabs your attention more?  Let me know in the comments.  You can also check out more books at the other link-up participants by clicking on either of the relevant buttons above.  Have a great weekend! 

Friday 56:

"The Friday 56" is a link-up hosted at Freda's Voice.

Rules: 

*Grab a book, any book.

 *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. 

*Post it. 

*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

~~~oOo~~~

She huffed and waved her hands in the air.  "That's not what I signed up for, Ruby, I did not become Mrs. Tripp Wolcott Sullivan to be thrown out like hog slop and left on the side of the road."

~~~oOo~~~

So what do you think?  Did you like it?  Would you want to read the book?  Come back on Monday for my full review!

Also sharing with:

Friday 56: When Camels Fly by NLB Horton

(hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice blog)

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.

~~~oOo~~~

(cover picture linked to GoodReads)

Quote from Page 56:

"His long, white robe with a checkered scarf -- kaffiyeh -- held in place by a braided rope -- agal -- was peasant clothing seen all over the Middle East.  His iconic pose, enabled by flexibility earning the name Grasshopper, was authentic: knees to shoulders and heels flat on the ground."