TEASER TUESDAYS — WICKED APPETITE — MARCH 1

CHECK OUT THE TEASER!

Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays, the bookish meme hosted by Miz B, at Should Be Reading. We share excerpts from our current reads, and then click around the blogosphere seeing what everyone else is reading.

Here’s how it works:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

Today I’m excerpting from a stand-alone book from Janet Evanovich, entitled Wicked Appetite.

 

Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins. With delectable characters and non-stop thrills that have made Janet Evanovich a household name, Wicked Appetite will leave you hungry for more.

 

Teaser:  I thought about rolling my eyes, but I’d been doing a lot of that lately.  I also refrained from sighing, grunting, or doing what I really wanted to do, which was take him up on his offer. p. 146

 

What do you think he was offering?  LOL

How about what you’re teasing us with today?  I hope you’ll stop by and share….

 

A BIT OF ME (ME) — THE WRITER’S LIFE — FEB. 26

 

 

 

Good morning, and welcome to A Bit of Me (Me), the event that allows us to share bits and pieces of our lives—outside the blogging world.  Hosted by There’s A Book, each week we are presented with questions to ponder.

This Weeks Question: What would your dream job be?

That’s a good one, isn’t it?  Would you be surprised to know that I’m actually doing my “dream job” now? From the time I was a kid, I wanted to write.  I had to put that dream on the back burner while I worked for more than three decades at a profession that paid the bills.  Not that I hated that career, or anything, but it wasn’t what I’d dreamed about…back in the day while I read and imagined my own name on a book cover.

Here is one of my earliest visual images of the writing life…probably gleaned from the pages of old favorite books like Little Women.

The Writer’s Life

Later, my vision expanded and here’s the writer’s world I imagined.

Gorgeous Writer’s Den

Actually, now that I look at it, that chair doesn’t look too comfy!

But here’s what I actually have, and here are some of my creations.

My Daily World

MY CREATIONS – Click image to visit my website

My favorite part is waking up, hurrying to the computer, and, still wearing pajamas, beginning my day, with only my coffee, my computer, and the world inside my head.

Of course, now that blogging is also part of that picture, I can connect to others, too.  Writing and blogging…my dream life!

What about you?  What do you imagine as the best possible job for you?  I hope you’ll stop by and share….

FRIDAY MEMES: BEGINNINGS & FRIDAY 56 — FEB. 25

Good morning!  It’s Friday again, and time to celebrate the memes that take us within a book’s pages to excerpt and share. Book Beginnings, hosted by A Few More Pages, takes us to the very opening lines, where we showcase what we love (or don’t love) about the books we’re reading.  For The Friday 56,  hosted by Freda’s Voice , we pick a sentence off of p. 56 to share.

Today I’m spotlighting a book on my reading list for this coming week. The Three Weissmanns of Westport, by Cathleen Schine, is a delightful homage to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and delves into the lives of its characters, with one of them taking off for Westport after being dumped.

Blurb: A geriatric stepfather falls in love with a scheming woman half his age in Schine’s Sense and Sensibility–flecked and compulsively readable follow-up to The New Yorkers. Betty Weissman is 75 when Joseph, her husband of nearly 50 years, announces he’s divorcing her. Soon, Betty moves out of their grand Central Park West apartment and Joseph’s conniving girlfriend, Felicity, moves in. Betty lands in a rundown Westport, Conn., beach cottage, but things quickly get more complicated when Betty’s daughters run into their own problems….

Beginning: When Joseph Weissmann divorced his wife, he was seventy-eight years old and she was seventy-five.  He announced his decision in the kitchen of their apartment on the tenth floor of a large, graceful Central Park West building built at the turn of the last century, the original white tiles of the kitchen still gleaming on the walls around them.

Now I feel compelled to keep reading, because this sounds like a story I will love.  The old building sounds elegant, as described in the opening lines, and sets the scene for the dramatic announcement.  I can almost see the apartment….and the contrast between the “still gleaming” kitchen and the now defunct marriage feels poignant.

P. 56: She glanced at Frederick and saw that he was surrounded by young women and middle-aged men.  An interesting demographic.  Where did she fit in?

Okay, now I’m curious about what the rest of you have discovered today.  I hope you’ll stop by and share….

CAT THURSDAY — HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALICE! — FEB. 24

 

 

Welcome to a special Cat Thursday, which celebrates our host’s unique family member’s birthday.  Yes, that would be Alice, who is four years old.  Check it out at The True Book Addict.

In honor of cats everywhere, we share favorite pix or ones we find here and there.

Today, I’m showcasing:

 

Don’t you love the interesting places that cats get into? That one reminds me of one I took years ago:  Sage and Sebastian, enjoying their view of the world outside (and in).

 

 

What special cat moments are you enjoying today?  Hope you’ll pop in and share….

A BIT OF ME (ME) — BEWITCHED — FEB. 19

Here we are again, on another Saturday morning.  It’s a bit cold and crisp, but we can huddle in the warm house dreaming about today’s question on A Bit of Me (Me), hosted by There’s A Book.

This Weeks Question: What super-power would you most like to have, and why?

I didn’t have to think about this one too long.  My mind flew back to the sixties and a show I loved then.  Bewitched was a story of an ordinary woman with extraordinary powers.  She was a housewife, then a mother; she could twitch her nose and look cute…and make things happen.

Who wouldn’t want to twitch away those unpleasant realities of daily life and replace them with a fantasy or two?

She was a cute witch, as well.  I wouldn’t want to be the stereotypical one with the bump on her nose and warts….LOL

Her mother, Endora, was not your typical mother, either.

But you have to admit that she had a—well, presence!

So what about you?  What magic would you love to possess?  I hope you’ll stop by and share….

FRIDAY MEMES: BEGINNINGS & FRIDAY 56 — FEB. 18

 

 

Good morning!  Welcome to our Friday memes, in which we share excerpts from our current (or upcoming) reads.

Beginnings is hosted by A Few More Pages, and The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.

For our beginnings, we excerpt one or two opening lines, and then share our reactions to them, then link up at the host’s site.

In the p. 56 event, we excerpt something from that page, and then link up at the host’s site.

This coming week, I plan to include this title in my stack to read.  Freedom:  A Novel, by Jonathan Franzen, has received a lot of buzz, including an Oprah nod.

With 562 pages, I’m adding it to my list this week, but will probably take awhile to finish it, since I’ll be reading other books, too.  But I’ve been eager to dive into it for some time.

Here’s an Amazon Snippet:

Freedom…is a wrenching, funny, and forgiving portrait of a Midwestern family (from St. Paul this time, rather than the fictional St. Jude). Patty and Walter Berglund find each other early: a pretty jock, focused on the court and a little lost off it, and a stolid budding lawyer, besotted with her and almost burdened by his integrity. They make a family and a life together, and, over time, slowly lose track of each other. Their stories align at times with Big Issues–among them mountaintop removal, war profiteering, and rock’n’roll–and in some ways can’t be separated from them, but what you remember most are the characters, whom you grow to love the way families often love each other: not for their charm or goodness, but because they have their reasons, and you know them. –Tom Nissley
Now for the Beginning:

The news about Walter Berglund wasn’t picked up locally—he and Patty had moved away to Washington two years earlier and meant nothing to St. Paul now—but the urban gentry of Ramsey Hill were not so loyal to their city as not to read the New York Times. According to a long and very unflattering story in theTimes, Walter had made quite a mess of his professional life out there in the nation’s capital.

This opener tells me that we’re going to be reading a bit about this character’s flaws and mistakes.  It doesn’t really captivate me, but I am curious.

 

Now for p. 56:

Eliza’s parents were big-deal Twin Cities psychotherapists and lived out in Wayzata, where everybody was rich, and she had an older brother, a junior at Bard College, whom she described as peculiar.

 

What have your discovered within your pages today?  I hope you’ll stop by and share.…

CAT THURSDAY — FEB. 17

Welcome to Cat Thursday, hosted by Michelle, at The True Book Addict.  Check out her special post today about the plight of animals in war-torn Egypt.

Because of the serious thoughts I’m now having about the poor cats abandoned in Egypt, I have chosen to post a photo of a cat who is loved and cherished.  Something all animals deserve.  This photo of my grandson’s cat Stewie, with his beloved friend Noah, tells a story of its own.

TWO FRIENDS -- STEWIE AND NOAH

What would you like to share today?  I hope you’ll stop by and leave a link.

A BIT OF ME (ME) — TRAVELING — FEB. 12

Today’s A Bit of Me (Me) adventures, hosted by There’s A Book, take us to the places in the world we’ve visited and loved.

Here’s this week’s question:

What is the single best trip you’ve ever taken?

I have only been out of the country to two destinations—Mexico and Canada.  I was a kid when we went to Mexico, so I scarcely remember it.  I loved Canada…but there have been other trips I recall and loved more.

Something very close to Canada is a place I’ve loved for years.  Seattle!  My first visit there was in the seventies, and I remember looking out at Puget Sound and watching the fireworks on Fourth of July.

Later, I went a few more times, but the most recent trip was to a nearby island, reached by ferry.  I attended a wedding there, and we had a weekend of beautiful sights of  Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island.

FRIDAY HARBOR -- SAN JUAN ISLAND

I can’t leave the topic of beautiful destinations without mentioning one I’ve often remembered nostalgically...a trip to Boston in the autumn, back in the early eighties.  I went on a business trip, but as luck would have it, I had to stay the entire weekend.  That left time for sight-seeing.

Boston Public Gardens

Cobbled Streets

Ah, the Boats!

I had some of my own photos of these events, but I would have had to scan them…and crop out the people for their anonymity!  LOL

 

So these are some of the best, but I’ve also loved road trips, and traveled through several states as a kid.

Then there are my Arizona trips, which give us this:

THE GRAND CANYON

Okay, I’m done!  As you can see, I had trouble stopping with just one….

 

What delightful tidbits and images would you love to share today?  I’m eagerly anticipating your visits….

FRIDAY MEMES: BEGINNINGS & FRIDAY 56 — FEB. 11

 

Is it Friday already?  Oh, my, what a week!  The good news:  time for Book Beginnings, hosted by A Few More Pages, and The Friday 56, led by Freda’s Voice.

Here’s how it works:

For Beginnings, excerpt the first line or two from your book, sharing the title and author; then link up at the host blog.

56:  Grab a sentence or two from page 56, link the title and list the author; then hop on over to the host page.

Visit all the others to see what they’re excerpting.  It’s fun!

Today, my book is an ARC, so the final printing might be slightly different.  The Book of Tomorrow, by Cecelia Ahern, is “a sweet, life-affirming tale…with a liberal sprinkling of magic.”  Marie Claire UK

From Amazon:

“[Ahern] takes a more gothic turn in her latest, recasting herself as a lost Bronte sister for the Facebook set. . . . Lovers of stories involving crumbling castles, nefarious family secrets . . . will be ecstatic.” (Entertainment Weekly )

“A veritable modern-day Gothic, Ahern’s engrossing new novel is filled with family secrets, intrigue, and magic aplenty.” (Booklist )

“Ahern’s tale-spinning prowess keeps the reader riveted.” (Publishers Weekly )

 

Beginning:  They say a story loses something with each telling.  If that is the case, this story has lost nothing, for it’s the first time it’s been told.

Wow!  I like that…I’m very curious to dive in and find out more about this story that’s never been told.

In this next excerpt, our character is exploring a room filled with books.

P. 56:  The floor felt like it was uneven, sloping from the fireplace to the bookshelves, making me feel a little seasick.  The busiest area seemed to be around the fireplace; an open fire that made me shudder with its contraptions that looked like something out of a medieval torture chamber:  wrought-iron pokers with animal heads, coal shovels of different sizes, an ancient bellows, a black cast-iron fireguard with an animal of some sort emblazoned on the front.

 

Ooh, I’m getting that creepy, crawly feeling!

 

What have you found today?  I hope you’ll stop by and share…..

 

RESHAPING THE EVENTS OF LOSS — A REVIEW

In Elizabeth Berg’s novel Home Safe: A Novel, we are almost immediately plunged into the world of loss. It begins in the preface, when, as a nine-year-old girl, Helen Ames experiences the death of a classmate: she describes everything she sees, up close, from the hands on a wristwatch to the top of the mother’s head and the sound of her weeping – and completely immersed in this experience, she becomes obsessed with these details. And then she describes: “Nothing helped until the day she took a tablet and pencil into the basement and moved the event out of her and onto paper, where it was shaped into a kind of simple equation: loss equaled the need to love, more. With this, she was given peace.”

Predictably, this is the onset of this writer’s life. And we meet her again, some years later, when she is struggling with losses all around her – from her husband’s death months before, to the elusiveness of her daughter, to the struggle she now faces to find the words that once flowed so freely – and we begin again. The journey to reshape the events of loss and make some kind of sense of her life in the present.

As I delved into this Berg novel, I realized again why I await each of her creations so eagerly. She has the uncanny ability to draw the reader in. Partly because her topics are cut from the cloth of daily life and shaped with such detail that we can immediately feel part of what’s going on with the characters – their innermost thoughts, fears, and even those negative emotions we all feel in some moments of our lives – and then we can watch as the characters struggle to reshape their world into a semblance of a new reality despite their losses.

So this is how we observe and learn about Helen Ames, her daughter Tessa, and the relationships that formed them – before and after these significant losses. Somewhat emotionally dependent on her husband, Helen begins to form an over-dependence on her daughter afterwards; Tessa chafes against the smothering bonds and moves further away emotionally.

Helen flails about, fearing she will drown in this new life. Sometimes she stays in her pajamas all day while she desperately tries to pound words out of the computer, to no avail. She even considers a job in retail sales, but thinks better of it. She goes to a speaking engagement – something familiar to her in the past as a writer – but cannot even connect with her audience. Her words seem to lie there in the air, with no visible reaction from the listeners.

Then, just when she thought nothing could get any worse, she discovers that substantial sums are missing from their retirement accounts.  And her search for clues leads nowhere.  At least she has an action to take, she thinks, as she plunges into trying to uncover the mystery. Then she receives a phone call, and the trail takes her on a very strange journey.

Now what will happen? Will Helen finally be able to reshape the events of her life and begin again? And will she rediscover that bond with her daughter, or at least develop a new one? Then, for those of us who are writers, we wonder if she will regain her “words” to create again.

I was actually sad to turn the last pages to the book’s conclusion. As with all of Berg’s other novels, I felt like I belonged in the world of the characters and did not want to see the last of them. Definitely a must-read for any of her fans, and all those out there who love reading as “comfort” food.