Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book they are reading or that they plan to read soon.
Europa - 2021
SUNSHINE INN
'I can remember the exact moment Grandfather fell in love. In my eyes, he was ancient--already over fifty--and his new, delicate secret hit me with a wave of admiration tempered by schadenfreude. Up to then I'd always thought that I was my grandparents' only problem.
I sensed that Grandmother wasn't supposed to know about it. She's already threatened to kill him for far less offenses, like when he crumbled bread during dinner."
The intro made me smile. I already love the narrator from the brief paragraph above and, I can't wait to read more. What do you think? I hope to start this one today.
BTW - I had to look up: Definition of schadenfreude : enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.
This week I'm featuring a second new book that has me somewhat curious:
Pamela Dorman Books and Penguin Audio - 2021
"It is often said that the first sound we hear in the womb is our mother's heartbeat. Actually, the first sound to vibrate our newly developed hearing apparatus is the pulse of our mother's blood through her veins and arteries. We vibrate to that primordial rhythm even before we have ears to hear. Before we were conceived, we existed in part as an egg in our mother's ovary. All the eggs a woman will ever carry form in her ovaries while she is a four-month-old fetus in the womb of her mother. This means our cellular life as an egg begins in the womb of our grandmother. Each of us spent five months in our grandmother's womb and she in turn formed within the womb of her grandmother. We vibrate to the rhythms of our mother's blood before she herself is born."
(Layne Redmond, When the Drummers Were Women)
(I just started the audio version, read by Marin Ireland, and am enjoying it thus far.)
Both books sound fabulous! I recent downloaded The Push. Enjoy! Thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteBoth are really good so far.
DeleteThat first one sounds really interesting, Grandpa is in trouble!
ReplyDeleteYes, Grandmother is not happy - it's a fun story so far.
DeleteThose are two intriguing entries. I would definitely read further.
ReplyDeleteBoth are really good Dorothy so far - I smile a lot with Bronsky's books.
DeleteMy Grandmother's Braid sounds like a good read, and Europa can always be counted on for quality stories. I recently read The Push, and while I enjoyed it, I think it's a bit overhyped.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, I love Europa Editions as well - quality writing.
DeleteNarrations that start in the womb area always so interesting, I find. I am really curious about the Push. My Grandmother's Braid sounds good as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying both right now. My Grandmother's Braid has (2) funny characters.
DeleteI've seen The Push in several newsletters, instagram, etc. Sounds like that is going to be very interesting. As far as My Grandmother's Braid, that's going on my TBR. I've read Bronsky before and loved her debut novel so I'm curious about this one.
ReplyDeleteI LIKE BOTH SO FAR!
DeleteIn My Grandmother's Braid, the child narrator and the grandmother are fantastic characters - Their comments and reactions are so funny as I read.
These books look so good. I would want to read them both.
ReplyDeleteI'm engaged with both Yvonne.
DeleteYes! I love the cover and the title of the first one. I had to make a chart about the eggs from the intro to the second one.
ReplyDeleteLOL! In My Grandmother's Braid, the child narrator and the grandmother are fantastic characters - Their comments and reactions are so funny as I read.
DeleteI love the opening to that first one. Like you, it made me smile.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator and the grandmother are fantastic characters LOL - Their comments and reactions are so funny as I read.
DeleteI find Marin Ireland a master of audiobooks! I put myself on the library waitlist for The Push (#82 on 3 copies, ugh!) ... will see if you like it.
ReplyDeleteI love her as well, always a treat. I'm on chapter 17 of The Push and so far I'm still curious.
DeleteI'm enjoying both right now. My Grandmother's Braid has (2) funny characters.
ReplyDeleteThe first book sounding so good.
ReplyDeleteI love that word---schadenfreude. It is such a perfect word for describing much of our human behavior, I think.
ReplyDelete