First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Enon; Paul Harding

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?  I haven't begun this book yet, but, I hope to within a few days. The reviews made it seem like one I would enjoy.  Have your read it?

Enon; Paul Harding

Random House - 2013

"Most men in my family make widows of their wives and orphans of their children.  I am the exception.  My only child, Kate, was struck and killed by a car while riding her bicycle home from the beach one afternoon in September, a year ago.  She was thirteen.  My wife, Susan, and I separated soon afterward.

I was walking through the woods when Kate died.  I'd asked her the day before if she wanted to pack a lunch and go to the Enon River to hike around and feed the birds and maybe rent a canoe.  The birds were tame and ate seed from people's hands.  From the first time I'd taken her she'd been enchanted with the chickadees and titmice and nuthatches that pecked seeds from her palm, and when she was younger she'd treated feeding the birds as if they depended on it."

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

What do you think? Would you keep reading? Feel free to join us by linking your First Chapter post below. 

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop has begun ~ Nov 9 - 13

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop hosted by Judith @ Leeswammes’ Blog, has begun and will run from Saturday,  November 9th through Wednesday, November 13th.  Nearly (40) bloggers are participating, each will be giving away some great books in the process.

For those of you who may be visiting my blog for the first time, my name is Diane, and I've been blogging for (5+) years. I'm married, (2) great adult children, both married and one sweet granddaughter and more sweet surprises  on board and arriving in 2014. My dear husband and I have (3) cats to entertain us. We love life here in New England.

My blog is a mixture of book reviews: generally, literary or contemporary fiction, and some non fiction. On occasion, I also enjoy reviewing books for younger children.  I also like to profile soon to be released books that appeal to me, and I'll occasionally post some photos of of pets, trips and nature sightings.

If you are new to my blog, I hope you will become a regular visitor. If you are an old friend, THANK YOU, as you all make blogging worthwhile. I LOVE COMMENTS.

For my giveaway, I've chosen (2) books to give away to readers.

  Night Guest ( new ARC) a terrific story I really enjoyed. 

Amazon Best Book of the Month, October 2013: At age 75, Ruth is a widower, who lives alone in a remote beach home in Australia until one day a mysterious caretaker named Frida shows up to help around the house. But can Frida be trusted? Ruth's mind isn't what it once was, but she suspects her new friend isn't all that she seems. The Night Guest is an impressive debut--a tender novel about old age and a psychological meditation on isolation--that moves with the curious pace of a mystery.

 

 Burial Rites (audio book on cds)

Amazon's Best Book of the Month, September 2013: Exploring the final months of an Icelander maid charged with murder and condemned to execution in 1829 is hardly a reader-friendly subject for a novel. But in her mesmerizing debut, Hannah Kent offers a retelling of actual historical events that makes it impossible not to become invested in understanding the guilt--or innocence--of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, the last person to be executed in Iceland. Kent seamlessly shifts between historical documents and different characters’ perspectives with a lyricism that makes every tortured thought and charged interaction echo in the silence of Iceland’s stark landscape. As details of Agnes’s involvement in the crime come to light, this thoroughly researched debut novel asks us to examine the significance of stories--both the ones that others tell about us and the ones that we tell about ourselves--ultimately offering Agnes a chance at a more compassionate story than the one history has given her.

 

  DETAILS for a Chance to Win

• Loyal followers; just leave a comment (with your 1st choice in the event you win), I'll find you if your name is chosen, I'm sure!
• If you are new to my blog and have never commented here before, please become a follower and be entered in giveaway. Don't forget to mention your 1st choice in the event you win the giveaway.
• GOOD LUCK EVERYONE
• THANKS so much for stopping by. I hope you'll all become regular visitors here.
•  Off to visit some new blogs now

Here is a list of the blogs who have signed up for the Literary Giveaway event. Be sure to visit them and discover some new literary blogs in the process.

Good luck and enjoy yourself! Don’t forget to visit the other blogs listed below.
Linky List:

Leeswammes Ciska’s Book Chest Sam Still Reading The Things You Can Read (US) Col Reads Guiltless Reading Love at First Book (US) Maurice On Books (US) Mythical Books Books by Judith Bees Knees Reviews (US) River City Reading Too Fond Exurbanis Curiosity Killed the Bookworm Book’d Out Roof Beam Reader Books Speak Volumes The Relentless Reader (US) Under My Apple Tree (US) Booklover Book Reviews Nishita’s Rants and Raves Ephemeral Digest Julia Crane Author (US) Melissa Pearl Author (US)

Read Lately (US) Readerbuzz Lucybird’s Book Blog (Europe) The Misfortune of Knowing Bibliophile By the Sea The Novel Life Kinx’s Book Nook US) Dolce Bellezza Nose in a book Book-alicious Mama (US) Anita Loves Books (US) Words for Worms (US) Wensend A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall

My Own Miraculous; Joshilyn Jackson

 My Own Miraculous; Joshilyn Jackson

2013-William Morrow Impulse

Harper Collins

 My Own Miraculous begins with an intro to Shandi Pierce, the young mother of three-year-old Natty. 

"I was twenty-one years old when I became a mother, though if I wanted to get technical, Natty happened three years and nine months earlier, inventing himself secretly inside me in the summertime when I was seventeen.  That was just biology. It didn't instantly remake me as a mother......
 
I wasn't a mother, I was just a daughter with a son."

I was quickly drawn into the Shandi and Natty story, anxious to learn more about Natty who is not a typical 3-year old. He can read and even solve a Rubic’s cube in 10 minutes. His mom is not sure what to make of his ability and plans to have him tested. Unfortunately Natty’s gift has also attracted the attention of a girl who now seems obsessed with him.

My Own Miraculous is a very brief read. The eBook ends with an intro to Somebody Else’s Love Story , a continuation of the Shandi / Natty story.  I am very anxious to continue their story which will be released this month.  Although this was very good, I don’t think you need to read this prequel, before you read, Someone Else’s Love Story.  

Honestly, I don't think I've ever been disappointed by this author. 

(4.5/5 stars)

(3) Fun New Books for 2013: The Runaway Hug; Nick Bland ~ The Bad Birthday Idea; Madeline Valentine ~ I Am Pusheen the Cat; Claire Belton

 

 The Runaway Hug; Nick Bland and Freya Blackwood (Illus)

Random House Children's Books - December - 2013

From a very early age, most of us have learned that bedtime and hugs seem to go hand and hand.  So when little Lucy asks her mom for a hug and Mom announces that she only has one left, Lucy decides to do all she can to protect that hug and see that it stays safe.

Sometimes though, even well intentioned plans can fall apart.

Follow Lucy as she goes all out to try and keep mom's last hug safe.  The story is very cute, however the print is very tiny for older, tired eyes.  The illustrations are well done in pastels, and they have a good old-fashioned quality about them.

A fun story and a very nice book overall. Perfect for ages 3-7.

(Thanks to Knopf Young Readers / Random House and Edelweiss for eGalley)
 

 The Bad Birthday Idea; Madeline Valentine

Random House - Knopf Young Readers - Nov - 2013

Big Brother Ben likes to play with Robots and his younger sister Alice likes to play with dolls. Whenever Alice wants to play with Ben, he tells her, "no dolls allowed." It's his policy.

So when mom and dad ask Alice what she would like for her birthday, Alice asks for the very special robot (Roboy 2000) that her brother Ben has been drooling over.

When Ben hears about this, he is jealous and thinks it is so unfair that his sister should get Roboy 2000 as her present. He just can't resist sneaking a careful peek, even though the present is already gift wrapped. Ben carefully unwraps the present, but now he can't resist trying out the robot, and then something terrible happens.  Just how is Ben going to fix the mess he has gotten himself into?

Of course, as with most children's books, this one ends on a happy note and Alice gets just what she really wanted for her birthday after all.

I liked this story a lot. It's a realistic portrayal of young siblings and the happy ending makes it perfect.  The illustrations are very cute and done in watercolor pastels.  Perfect for the 3-7 age group.

(Thanks to Random House and Edelweiss for eGalley)

 I Am Pusheen the Cat; Claire Belton

Touchtone - Oct - 2013

I first learned about the adorable fat cat Pusheen as an online blog, so when I saw there was a book of his own coming out, I couldn't wait to take a peek. It's adorable, and just so fun. It's the perfect book to put a smile on your face when you it the most.

The book is done in comic book block style. For readers who are not familiar with Pusheen, there is an intro section, but hey, Pusheen has similar attributes to other cats we've known and loved. She is lazy, sleeps a lot, eats a lot and can get into some unusual situations and trouble! Pusheen also has a younger sister named Stormy who gets into the act as well.

Although this was very fun as an eBook, I suspect that this one would be even better in print. It would be great to be easily be able to flip though the pages when you needed something to make you smile. Take a peek; it's not just for cat lovers.

(thanks to Touchstone and NetGalley for a download)

The Last Winter of Dani Lancing; P.D. Viner

 The Last Winter of Dani Lancing; P.D. Viner (Crown Publishing - 2013)

The Last Winter of Dani Lancing was a challenging read for me.  I almost tossed it aside at the 40+ page mark. The writing was all over the place. However, based on a few rave reviews I had read, I decided to continue, anxious to find out more about Dani Lancing.

In a nutshell, twenty years earlier, Dani Lancing was a college student who had been kidnapped, raped and murdered. It was a crime that had never been solved. Everyone who loved Dani were deeply affected. Her parents, Patty and Jim, watched their marriage dissolve afterward. Even Dani's boyfriend Tom was deeply affected. He has made a career of investigating crimes and violence against women. With a promising lead in the 20 year old case and new advances in DNA testing, there is still a slim chance that someone might be brought to justice.

The story of Dani's life through the time of her death, is told in bits and bobs and follows no particular sequence. Probably the only character that I liked in this story was Jim, Dani's father. Her death had such a profound effect on him. He clung to the memory of his daughter. He spoke to her daily and her ghostly presence helps him to get from one day to the next. All this was touching, but then again some seemed a bit too strange as well. As for Dani's mom Patty, she was so full of anger and to me seemed only interested in getting revenge.

For me the novel was one that took focus, commitment and concentration for too little reward. Along the way there were a lot of leads that look promising, but they didn't pan out. While that generally works well in a mystery for me, it just didn't work with this story. In addition, being pulled from the present, back to the 1980s and then back to the present again, coupled with too many points of view only served to weaken my overall enthusiasm for finding out how this one might end.

Sorry, folks, even though I generally enjoy psychological mysteries, this one did not work for me.

2/5 stars

(review copy - Amazon; Crown Publishing and Edelweiss)

The Night Guest; Fiona McFarlane

 The Night Guest; Fiona McFarlane

Faber and Faber - 2013

Ruth Field is a 75-year-old widow living in a coastal town in Australia. She has two sons who telephone her regularly, and she seems to be doing fairly well living alone with her cats. One night Ruth wakes up to what sounds like a large cat --not her cats-- something much bigger. She thinks that there must be a tiger in her house. She lies still and does nothing, but she is sure about what she hears. The next morning all seems well, but while Ruth is in her garden a stranger, a woman with suitcase, appears from the area of the dunes.  She tells Ruth that her name is Frida Young, and that she has been sent by the government as a care giver to help Ruth around the house. Ruth does not seem suspicious of this woman or of this strange turn of events. She accepts what Frida says and allows her into her home.

It's at this point that serious red flags appeared for me -- first the tiger, now this stranger who appears out of no where. The more time Ruth, spends around Frida, the more fuzzy her memory seems to become. Bit by bit Ruth is beginning to live in the past, thinking about her childhood in Fiji and a man named Richard that she once loved.  It's hard to tell what is real or imagined, but the reader knows that something isn't right.  It seems unlikely that care giving is the real reason Frida has shown up at Ruth's home. Since Ruth’s sons Jeffrey and Phillip do not live close by, Frida is able to make Ruth dependent on her and to manipulate her in the process. 

The Night Guest made me open my eyes to the subject of loneliness and the plight of some elderly living alone. The story had all of the elements that I love in a novel: well drawn, believable characters, a story that moved at a good pace, and even though I  disliked Frida, I really liked the story.  I was so impressed to read that this is the author's first novel, I can't recommend it highly enough. I will be looking for more books by this talented young author in the future.

Read It!  4.5/5 stars

(review copy received through Amazon Vine)

First Chapter ~ First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Starter House; Sonja Condit

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?  I haven't begun this book yet, but, I hope to soon.

 Starter House; Sonja Condit 

December 2013 - Harper Collins

"It was June, and the Miszlaks still hadn't found a house.  Eric wanted guarantees: no lead, asbestos, mold, termites, crime or trouble. Lacey wanted triangles.

"Triangles," Eric said, as if he'd never heard of such a thing.  They shared the backseat of the Realtor's Tahoe, he with his binder of facts sheets organized by street name, she with her sketchbook, outside of their one hundred and eighth house. Lacey wanted to like it.  She wished she could say, This is the one, I love it, for Eric's sake, because he was getting anxious as their list of houses dwindled from the twenties to the teens, but she just couldn't.  The house with its square utilitarian front. so naked and so poor--if Eric settled for it, he'd be miserable by Christmas.  They had enough of square houses, bland rooms no better than the motels she'd grown up in and the apartments they'd lived in together, houses without memory.  They couldn't live that way anymore, with the baby coming."

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

What do you think? Would you keep reading? Feel free to join us by linking your First Chapter post below.