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’s feature is a review book called Tears and Tequila, by Linda Schreyer and Jo-Ann Lautman.
Beginning: All she could see was the emptiness.
No flowers bloomed beside the gray stones. No weeping willows reached down to caress the ground. The trees were bare. The sky was gray. The air held a mix of cold and snow.
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56: (And a portion of p. 55)
“Joey, ” Daniel called. She looked over. He was striding toward her, looking frazzled. “I’m glad you’re still here. I’ve called everyone I can think of. I can’t find anyone to lead Grief Group tonight. So I thought of you.” He talked to her through the open passenger window.
Joey eyed him, stunned. “Me? Why?”
“You said you minored in psych, co-led groups with a psychiatrist, and worked in hospice. You’re a natural.”
“I’m not a grief counselor,” Joey said with indignation.
***
Blurb: Joey Lerner has been running, from place to place and job to job. Now, at 32, she’s running from her home in New York City, where the last surviving member of her family has died, to Los Angeles, where she hopes to start over. Never one to follow the rules or take the obvious path, and thanks to her grandfather’s hands-on training, Joey gets herself hired as the ‘handyperson’ at a funky community center owned by an Australian surfer. Soon, the job of leading a Grief Group of young widows and widowers falls into her lap. The problem is – Joey hasn’t yet healed from her own losses. Over the next nine months Joey and the Grief Group journey from death to life, together and alone. Along the way, Joey discovers the work she was born to do.
Tears and Tequila is a story of love, loss, friendship, courage and, most of all, renewal; it tells of the healing that happens when you become part of a community in which everybody is missing someone.
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Yeah, I excerpted more than two or three sentences, but I wanted to get to the end of a thought. What do you think? Does it grab you? I hope you’ll stop by and share your thoughts.
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Sounds like a great book. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks for visiting, Jo, and enjoy your book!
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You had me at tequila…. then I read on and felt like it was gonna be the saddest read on the planet and the only purpose tequila served was for drowning the misery… lol… I can still relate. 🙂
Happy weekend!
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Yes, tequila is a great partner in those sad moments, IMO; but yes, it does sound like a sad, but possibly uplifting (at the end?) book. Thanks for stopping by, Freda.
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Let me guess…Joey ends up leading the grief group! Sounds like a fun read. Anne’s Friday Post
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Yes, a somewhat reluctant leader, it sounds like…but I am eager to find out more. Thanks for visiting, Anne.
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‘Tears and Tequila’ sounds like a bad night out! The beginnings makes the landscape sound really abandoned, but I guess that works really well together with the idea of grief! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I hope you have a great weekend.
My Friday post
Juli @ Universe in Words
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Yes, even the cover makes me think of deserts and bleakness….a good backdrop for this kind of story? Thanks for visiting, Juli.
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The beginning was sad, sounds so lost. So maybe if she takles the job leading the group she can find her own healing. This is going to be a deep read.
Here is my 56 – http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/09/05/the-friday-56-35-cursed-a-guardian-chronicles-novel-by-trakena-prevost/
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Yes, I think that’s how it works, usually; helping others, you help yourself. Thanks for stopping by, Laura.
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You always have the best books! I haven’t heard of this one but I love the descriptiveness in the beginning. And I want to see how Joey does as a grief counselor. Thanks for sharing! This is going on my wislist.
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Oh, thanks, Katherine…I do try to pick interesting books…LOL. And I am eager to find out more about Joey’s stint as a grief counselor. Thanks for stopping by!
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I saw tequila and thought, oh yeah. LOL
sherry @ fundinmental
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Ha-ha…Yes, very eye-catching. Thanks for stopping by, Sherry.
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Love the title of this one!
Check out my Friday 56
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I do, too, Lisa…glad you could stop by.
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Great description in the opening. So bleak! This sounds like the kind of book I adore. Another one to add to my list.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.
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Thanks, Sandra…so glad you could stop by.
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What a gorgeous description and a gorgeous cover.
Thanks for sharing. Sounds great.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Book Beginnings
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Yes, it is gorgeous in its stark way….thanks for visiting, Elizabeth.
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I haven’t heard of the title. I love the excerpts. Makes it so real and sad.
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This one was new to me, too, Hattie…I had to give it a try! Thanks for visiting.
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Has the title deceived me!? After reading the book beginning and Friday 56 though, I can see how someone with tears can confine in a good shot (or perhaps more than one) of tequila. The mood feels grim and lonely; sounds like something I would read 🙂
Sparrow’s BB & The Friday 56
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Definitely! Thanks for visiting, Claudia…enjoy your choice.
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It sounds a bit on the sad side but hopefully but that isn’t always a bad thing. Thanks for sharing (and visiting my FF)
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Oh, sometimes sad books are just what I need! A good cry…and usually there are uplifting moments in those books. Thanks for visiting, Cleopatra.
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It doesn’t seem like a ery welcoming location.
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Oh, definitely not…maybe you need a sparse location for grieving. Thanks for visiting, Tea.
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The opener is a very good lead-in for a story about grief and loss. Here is my Friday Meme Post.
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I think so, too, Bev…thanks for stopping by.
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I like the sounds of this one!
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Thanks, Yvonne…I am eager to begin reading it. Glad you could stop by.
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This sounds sad, despite all that tequila!
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Yes, but it had a triumphant ending….thanks for stopping by, Aloi.
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