Welcome to some bookish fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.
To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.
Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!
If you have been wanting to participate, but haven’t yet tried, now is the time!
What better way to spend a Friday?
Today I am excerpting from Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova.
Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children—Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.
Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.
A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.
A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.
Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny—her new, true life—may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.
***
Beginning: (Prologue)
I think some small part of me knew I was living an unsustainable life. Every now and then, it would whisper, Sarah, please slow down. You don’t need all this. You can’t continue like this. But the rest of me, powerful, smart, and determined to achieve, achieve, achieve, wasn’t hearing a word of it.
***
P. 56: I put my hand on Bob’s arm. This is going nowhere. Bob is gritting his teeth and is probably seconds away from walking out.
***
I can’t wait to read this one. Now…what are the rest of you reading? What excerpts are you sharing? Come on by and chat.
SNOW SPARKS 
I think we all know, deep down, that we don’t really need everything we think we do….Most of us remain unconvinced, though.
Here’s my Friday Memes.
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And it usually takes something big to change our attitudes, Bev. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend.
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This book sounds slightly traumatic, I can’t imagine how terrible it must be to suddenly be paralyzed. Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend!
Juli @ Universe in Words
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I think I haven’t read it sooner because I can imagine the horror and wasn’t sure I was in a good space to read it. Now I am going to do that. Thanks for stopping by, Juli.
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Sometimes it becomes difficult to listen to the little whisper to slow down! Interesting beginning! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Happy weekend!
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I know that we get fixated on our goals and lists, etc., and slowing down just isn’t on the agenda. Thanks for stopping by, Valli, and enjoy your weekend.
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My wife read this and liked it. It seemed a little melodramatic for my tastes, but the disease sounds very intriguing, in a morbid way.
Here’s my Book Beginnings Post.
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Before now, I wasn’t in a good place to read this…I’m still a little anxious about it. Thanks for stopping by, Chris, and have a great weekend.
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I can see why you’d want to be in the right mood to read this, but it sounds like it may have a hopeful ending. I think I’d enjoy reading it.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.
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I am glad you could visit, Sandra, and so far I’m enjoying the book, although what I’m reading now is “before,” and knowing that the terrible events will unfold is a bit tense for me.
I think it probably will have a positive ending, though.
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I’ve heard great things about this book!
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Me too, and so far I’m enjoying it, Freda. Thanks for stopping by.
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Oh, been there done that in the corporate world.
An interesting premise for a story. Sometimes it takes something drastic to get us to slow down. In my case it was simply my husband’s transfer. The slower life is wonderful.
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It takes what it takes….I think we all need to slow down. Thanks for stopping by, Squirrel Queen, and enjoy your slower pace.
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Sounds like a good read!
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So far so good, Yvonne…thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your read.
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