First Chapter First Paragraph ~ Tuesday Intros - The Marrying of Chani Kaufman; Eve Harris

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where I share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book I am reading or thinking about reading soon. Care to join us? This week's pick is a book from my summer reading pick list.

The Marrying of Chani Kaufman; Eve Harris

2014 - Black Cat Press

Chapter 1

Chani. Baruch.

November 2008 - London

"The bride a stood like a pillar of salt, rigid under layers of itchy petticoats.  Sweat dripped down the hollow of her back and collected in pools under her arms staining the ivory silk.  She edged closer to The Bedeken Room door, one ear pressed up against it.

She heard the men singing. Their shouts of 'lai-lai-lai!' rolled down the dusty synagogue corridor.  They were coming for her.  This was it. This was her day. The day her real life started.  She was nineteen and had never held a boy's hand.  The only man to touch her had been her father and his physical affection had dwindled since her body had curved and ripened."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think? Would you keep reading? 

Feel free to join us by linking your First Chapter post below

First Chapter First Paragraph ~ Tuesday Intros - The Transcriptionist; Amy Rowland

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where I share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book I am reading or thinking about reading soon. Care to join us? (Started this one at lunch and enjoying it)

The Transcriptionist; Amy Rowland

Algonquin - 2014

Chapter One 

Scientists Celebrate Theory of Everything

"No one can find it. That's the first thing. The Recording Room is on the eleventh floor, at the end of a rat-hued hallway that some workers at the newspaper have never seen; they give up on the ancient elevator, which makes only local stops with loud creaks of protest.  Like New Yorkers who refuse to venture above Fourteenth Street, there are newspaper workers who refuse to go above the fourth floor for fear of being lost forever if they leave the well-lit newsroom for dark floors unknown.  The newsroom, renovated, almost aglow with new computers and pale paint, seems to float in the center of the hulking institution, as if someday it will break off, drift over to Broadway, and join the Clifford and Barney balloons in the annual Macy's parade."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think? Would you keep reading? 

Feel free to join us by linking your First Chapter post below

What Strange Creatures; Emily Arsenault

What Strange Creatures; Emily Arsenault

William Morrow - 2014

Theresa Battle, is a 30-something, young woman who has been working on her PhD for seven years and still isn’t done with her dissertation. She writing about Margery Kempe, a 14^th century mystic, or at least she was purported to be one.

Her lack of focus and her life in limbo is not all Theresa’s fault though.  She comes from a dysfunctional family, and she’s had some setbacks along the way – a marriage and a divorce, and now she is working at a dead end job writing for a local candle company. She’s an animal lover too, as animals don’t disappoint you. In fact each time Theresa ends a relationship she acquires a new pet, right now it’s (2) cats and (1) dog.

Things do get a bit more exciting in Theresa’s life when she agrees to watch the dog of her brother’s  girlfriend (Kim). When girlfriend, Kim, never returns to pick up the pooch Jeff, a directionless guy who has a bit of an issue with alcohol, tells his Theresa that he doesn’t know where Kim is. However, it isn’t long before Kim's body is found, and Jeff is arrested for her murder after some incriminating evidence is found.

Theresa, refusing to believe that her brother Jeff is guilty, starts her own amateur investigation with a list of possible suspects.

The writing style is very good, with a good balance of suspense and humor which helps to drive the story along. I think I would classify this book as a literary mystery.   I loved the main character -she was quirky, gutsy, and yet very down to earth.  I found the info, dispersed along the way, about her PhD subject, Margery Kempe added interest to the story as well, and I was happy that the mystery itself was not predictable. I definitely plan to read more books by this author.

4.5/5 stars 

(review copy from publisher)

Hello Summer - My Summer Reading Picks for 2014

For many of us it is officially the first day of summer. Warmer and longer days, ice tea, trips to the beach or relaxing by the pool, on the porch or deck. For me, summer means lighter reads and a time when I tend to pick books, I really want to read solely based on the description provided by the publisher. I may review all the books I read, but I won't feel pressured to do so. For me summer is about pleasure reading.  So to kick off summer, I've picked (20) books that called out to me. Hoping to read at least (15) of them by Labor Day. Do you have a summer list?

  summer-2014-picks

A Man Called Ove

by Fredrik Backman

The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals

by Wendy Jones

The Marrying of Chani Kaufman

by Eve Harris

The Shadow Year

by Hannah Richell

The Conditions of Love

by Dale M. Kushner

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

Dog Gone, Back Soon

by Nick Trout

My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope

by Ellie Laks

The Vacationers

by Emma Straub

North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both

by Cea Sunrise Person

The Transcriptionist

by Amy Rowland

I Love You More

by Jennifer Murphy

The Arsonist

by Sue Miller

Good Chinese Wife: A Love Affair with China Gone Wrong

by Susan Blumberg-Kason

The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing

by Mira Jacob

Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

by Chris Bohjalian

The Good Girl

by Mary Kubica

Dear Daughter

by Elizabeth Little

The Mountaintop School for Dogs and Other Second Chances

by Ellen Cooney

The Story Hour

by Thrity Umrigar

The Vacationers; Emma Straub

The Vacationers; Emma Straub

Riverhead  and Penguin Audio– May 2014

With summer officially in gear this week, I thought, what better book to kick off my summer reading than with Emma Straub’s, The Vacationers. (I also felt I was way overdue for a fun read).

In this story the Post family of New York is heading out for a (2) week family vacation to the Spanish island of Mallorca, hoping to enjoy its white sandy beaches and picture perfect blue waters. Jim and Franny are celebrating their 35^th wedding anniversary and, their daughter Sylvia has graduated from high school. Also joining them is their older son, Bobby, and his unlikeable girlfriend Carmen. Also joining them is a longtime friend of Frannys – Charles and his husband Lawrence.  Sounds great right? Not so fast.

The vacation gets off to a rocky start with Jim, age 60, suddenly retired (early). He’s just confessed to Franny that he’s had a fling with an intern at the company where he worked.  But it’s not just Jim who has issues, each of the other characters has some drama going on in their lives as well. All of this ramps up the tension and pretty much eliminates the possibility of anything close to a peaceful, idyllic vacation.

Family dysfunction is running high in this novel. This was a fun read for me,  even though the characters did feel somewhat stereotypical. It made me thankful to be far beyond the whiny-teenager days as a parent. Funny at times, insightful in ways as well, the author creates a good balance of the highs and lows of family life. One final thought, after reading this story, you may just rethink how and with whom you spend your next vacation. 

The audio version is read by Kristen Sieh; she did a nice job.

3.5/5 (Edelweiss and Penguin audio)