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Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.
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“You are not fond of poetry? I thought all young ladies adored poetry. Poets are such romantic creatures, are they not?”
“I am afraid I must be a philistine,” she replied. “As soon as I hear a rhyming couplet, my eyelids begin to droop.”
Waite laughed. It was a warm laugh of genuine amusement, and at the sound of it, Rose felt her heart flip-flop in her chest. Such an odd feeling! She wanted to grin like an idiot. And stare. She wanted to stare and stare until she could remember every inch of him.
Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers
He held her more firmly. "You will not die, Emma. I will not let you die."
Posted for The Friday 56, which is hosted by Freda's Voice
Title: Tennessee Bride
Author: Rosanne Bittner
ISBN: 9780445206342
Publisher: warner books/1998
Pages: 384
Sixteen year old Emma Simms, born in a small village in the Tennessee mountains. Her mother dies in childbirth and Emma is now all alone with her cruel stepfather, Luke Simms.
Tommy Decker, a lecherous neighbor attempts to rape Emma, but she manages to escape and gives Tommy the beating of his life. Tommy is angered and swears she will pay for it. Meanwhile, Luke decides to sell Emma to Sam Gates, a man who uses the women he bought to service men in his saloon in Knoxville.
But Emma has always been under the watchful eye of River Joe, a white man, who was taken in by the Cherokee when he was only five years old after his parents were attacked by a band of white marauders- his mother raped and both parents killed. By the time he comes for her, Emma has been sold to Hank Toole, and is on her way to Sam Gates. River Joe manages to rescue Emma, and they return to his people's village, at the top of the mountain.
I found out about this challenge from Yvonne of Socrates' Book Reviews today as she posted about completion of the challenge. I have been reading a lot of e-books so decided to join it. I have already read 48 e-books so far, therefore I will aim for level Hard drive – 75 ebooks.
The 2014 Ebook Challenge.
Encouraging readers to expand past just physical books to embrace ebooks in all forms.
Challenge Guidelines:
Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.
Ann Olson and her six-year old son were alone in the house. It was already dark.
“Mom, can you read the story again? Please. I have to make sure that the bird finds his mother.”
Ann scooped up the book and placed it on the shelf next to Travis’s bed. Tucking the blue
striped quilt around her only child, she said, “I’ve read it three times. It’s time to go to sleep, sweetie.” She kissed her son’s freckled nose and stood up. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Mom?”
She knelt and caressed his soft brown hair. “What, honey?”
He pulled the blanket to his neck. “I’m scared of the dark.”
Title: Sufficient Ransom
Author: Sylvia Sarno
ISBN: 9781484884591
Publisher: Savvy Scribe Press/2014
Pages: 326
6-year old Travis goes missing one day while playing in the backyard. Ann Olson is frantic. At first the police suspect her and her husband for his disappearance.
Just before Travis went missing, a welfare officer, Kika Garcia, had wanted to take the boy away, citing Ann as a bad mother. When Kika is traced, she too is worried about Travis. Without any clue, Ann turns to religion but her husband, Richard is none too happy.
Ann can go to any length to get back Travis. She does not heed the police or her husband and we see her traversing to seedy Mexico to find him. She gets embroiled in it all. Drug dealers, murderers and preachers. All these seem to be somehow connected. When the truth comes out, everyone is devastated.
This novel keeps us on edge. The writing is easy and flowing. The plot is good. The characters are well etched. It is scary yet evil can never get away. A good thriller.
December
This cold has taught me
about the nature of souls.
Although I have known
a long time ago that the body
is meant to be a sieve for
the soul fermenting inside,
I am still surprised by the fog
of breath coming out of my mouth.
So dense. It seems that I am not the only one
who is exhaling in this frozen yard.
Night Fish by Kristine Ong Muslim
Night Fish is a 13-poem chapbook. The poems refer to water, all kinds of water bodies and watery life. Life is compared with the uncertainty of the ocean and how the human mind adapts to it.
A key poem that familiarises the reader to the whole collection is “Heat Stroke”, a condition where moisture is non-existent and grief has triumphed. Heat Stroke is palpable. We can almost touch it----
We ultimately learn to slice impressions,
separate them according to texture.
Smooth-skinned on top. Rusty underneath.
Grit and cruelty crammed in the middle.
Heat presents itself in the form of waves
melting the world away. Squandering nothing.
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:
Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach
I received the following, thanks to the authors/publicists:
Under the Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes
Two women share one fate.
A suspected murder at an English Farm. A reported suicide at a local quarry.
In the crisp, early hours of an autumn morning, the police are called to investigate two deaths. The first is a suspected murder at a farm on the outskirts of a small village. A beautiful young woman has been found dead, her cottage drenched with blood. The second is a reported suicide at a nearby quarry. A car with a woman's body inside was found at the bottom of the pit.
As DCI Louisa Smith and her team gather evidence, they discover a shocking link between the two cases and the two deaths-a bond that sealed their terrible fates one cold night, under a silent moon.
In this first entry in a compelling new detective series, Elizabeth Haynes interweaves fictional primary source materials-police reports, phone messages, interviews-and multiple character viewpoints to create a sexy, edgy, and compulsively readable tale of murder, mystery, and unsettling suspense.
The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White
A haunting and beautifully written debut novel by an exciting new talent. When Betty Gardiner dies, leaving behind an unkempt country home, her grandson and his young wife take a break from city life to prepare the house for sale. Nowell Gardiner leaves first to begin work on his second mystery novel. By the time his wife Vivian joins him, a real mystery has begun: a local girl has been found dead in the woods behind the house. Even after the death is ruled an accident, Vivian can't forget the girl, can't ignore the strange behaviour of her neighbours, or her husband. As Vivian attempts to put the house in order, all around her things begin to fall apart.
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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.
I finished reading the following (5):
91. Their Virgin Captive by Shayla Black (Erotica)
90. Taken By the Duke by Jess Michaels (Historical Romance)
89. Song for Sophia by Moriah Densley (Historical Romance)**
88. Unforgivable by Joanna Chambers (Historical Romance)
87. Tennessee Bride by Rosanne Bittner (Historical Romance)
I am in the midst of reading:
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose by S.H. Villa
Damnatio Memoriae by Michael Meyerhofer
ugly to start with by John Michael Cummings
I posted reviews of the following:
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~ It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.
Recently I bought a Tab and a Mobile phone. Both Android devices. I am posting pictures of both.
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| SAMSUNG TAB |
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| Photo taken by TAB |
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| Moto G Smartphone locked |
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| Moto G Smartphone with apps |
"What kind of life did you have planned for him, Holly? Oh, that's right, you don't have a plan. How many years will he suffer because you decided to bring him into the world? If I were to butcher him in cold blood, he would suffer less than what you have in store for him.”
Posted for The Friday 56, which is hosted by Freda's Voice
Unseen by John Michael Hileman
Jake starts seeing pregnant women, toddlers and an old woman. Only he can see them. And then his estranged sister, Holly's son is kidnapped. Most likely by a serial killer who targets children from single mothers.
How are these two connected? But why are they only seen by him? The children Jake sees are not ghosts.
We see two parallel stories going in there. And both keep us engrossed. Revealing more would spoil the story. This novel did not get much publicity but it is very engrossing and the supernatural element keeps us going. The characters are flawed in a realistic way. The conclusion of the book was worth it.
Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.
On an icy cold November morning in 1956, Bartholomew Jones died in the Poynter Coal Mine. His death came as no surprise to anyone. He was only one of the countless men forever lost to the mine. They were men loved and mourned by their families, but to the world they were faceless, nameless people, not worthy of mention in the Charleston Times.
Morning after morning those men descended into the belly of the mountain, into a world of black dust that clung to their skin with a fierceness that no amount of scrubbing could wash away. In the winter the sky was still black when they climbed into the trolley cart that carried them into the mountain. And when they returned twelve hours later, daylight had already come and gone.
Jubilee's Journey by Bette Lee Crosby
Paul, 16 and Jubilee, 7 are orphans. After their father's death, they travel to find a relative in Wyattsville. Paul gets shot in the midst of robbery in a shop, where he had gone to ask for a job. Jubilee waits for him on a bench where Paul had told her to wait. Ethan Allen, 13 sees her there and with much coaxing takes her to his grandmother Olivia's place. Olivia takes to the girl immediately and vows to herself to help the girl.
Meanwhile, Paul has been taken to the hospital in a comatose state and he is suspected to be one of the robbers. No one knows the two children in Wyattsville and hence no one reports them missing. Jubilee knows that her brother did no wrong. Olivia is determined that no harm should come to the girl. Ethan Allen is very caring about Jubilee.
This story touches us at many levels. Love between siblings. Paul has always taken care of Jubilee and when her turn comes, she does the same for him. Ethan Allen, a orphan himself, takes to the little girl easily enough. Olivia, although thinks Ethan a handful, does not mind looking after Jubilee. In a strange place, there are people who still care about kids who are not theirs.
There are beautiful use of metaphors and the human element is so palpable. It also contains an evil person who thinks nothing of killing people. One of the best novels, I read in 2014.
I had a dream last night
that I stood in a field of pure white wheat
and it swayed and bowed to the will of the wind.
The sky grew angry and started to cry.
The wheat wilted and rotted away.
Underneath the wheat
crows had been hiding
and now hundreds of them
spread their wings and took to the sky,
turning day to night.
~from The Crow, Silver Threads by Jade Kennedy
Title: Silver Threads
Author: Jade Kennedy
Genre: Poetry
ASIN: B0088GV99Y
Publisher: Valley Press/2012
Pages: 34
Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.
Eva Carradine’s foot tapped a staccato rhythm as she sat back in her chair and waited for her computer to connect. Green velvet curtains shrouded the window beside her. An umbrella lamp and gas fire combined with the light of her laptop to produce a soft hue in the room, just enough for her to view the buttons on her keyboard.
Naomi’s face appeared on the screen in front of her. No pleasantries were exchanged. No gestures made. “I can’t do this anymore.”
Eva’s stomach fisted. She stared at her friend’s crumpled face. “Naomi, don’t… We said we wouldn’t talk about this. We promised.”
Title: The Truth Will Out
Author: Jane Isaac
ISBN: 9781909878556
Publisher: Legend Press Ltd/2014
Pages: 256
Eva witnesses Naomi being attacked via skype and knows that it is her turn next. She calls the ambulance and without letting them know about identity, she runs away to safety. Eva is not aware that Naomi has been murdered. Enter DCI Helen Lavery. For her it is a difficult case to solve. There are no leads and the only witness has disappeared.
DCI Helen Lavery knows that they have to find the person, who called the ambulance, to get a breakthrough. Drug smuggling, murder and a psychopath, these make it a very engrossing novel. Helen has her own set of problems, what with two teenaged boys and a relationship on and off. Yet she comes out to be strong character, knows what she is doing professionally.
Set between the Midlands and the Scottish Highlands, The Truth Will Out is a wonderful psychological crime thriller. The combination of plot and characters are very good. A very engrossing police procedural, where blood, gore and violence is not so apparent. However, the drug thing cannot be ignored.
Title: To Sleep...Perchance to Die
Author: Donald R. Grippo
ISBN: 9781938501128
Publisher: Turn the Page Publishing/2013
Pages: 222
Two people set out to destroy another. Why? Now that is complicated. Jake and Brett are oral surgeons. Mia, unknown to Jake, chooses him to be in her life. He is much in love with her and kills for her. So much so that he traps his best friend, Bret Manley in their plotting. Mia seduces Bret, marries him. She and Jake carry on with their affair behind his back.
With surgical precision, they destroy his life. Bret ends up in jail for murder he did not compete. However, his uncle Hubie Santos is a well known criminal attorney. He sets out to find out the truth by hiring a private investigator. For more than a year, there is no breakthrough. Then the PI hits the jackpot....
It works well as a psychological thriller. Mia and Jake are evil. The way he uses his medical knowledge to kill is very scary. For Mia, he is prepared to die. And Mia?
It might not appeal to all but for crime fiction readers, I would say go for it, if you like deception, passion, betrayal and murder, all thrown in good measures.
Do check out the Tour Schedule for To Sleep...Perchance to Die. Some bloggers are having giveaways.
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:
Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach
I received the following, thanks to the authors/publicists:
A Photographic Death by Judi Culbertson
Nineteen years ago, Delhi Laine's two-year-old daughter, Caitlin, disappeared from a park in Stratford-upon-Avon. After a frantic but inconclusive search, authorities determined that she must have fallen into the river in the picturesque area, her body washed away.
Although the wound has never healed, the family has moved on. Then a mysterious letter containing the ominous words, YOUR DAUGHTER DID NOT DROWN, arrives their lives are once again thrown into turmoil. For Delhi the choice is easy. No matter how tenuous the thread, she cannot leave it unexplored.
Even if it takes her back to England and a path that includes murder. Even though Caitlin's twin, Hannah, and Delhi's husband, Colin, are deeply against her search. Even though it may split the family and lead to danger and shocking truths. Despite these conflicts, Delhi plows ahead. What she finds is something none of could them could ever have imagined.
Lethal Spice by Swati Kaushal
A hundred-year-old stage steeped in tradition. Six contestants with a world to gain and everything to lose. Three judges who stand between them and their dreams.
It is October in Shimla. The air is crisp, the mist is rising and the stakes are sky-high as the finalists of India's No. 1 reality cooking show, Hot Chef, are pitted against each other in a live shoot at the historic Gaiety Theatre. The spices are ground, the fires are lit, the knives have been sharpened?
Then things start to go horribly wrong. As she picks her way through a maze of testimonies and motives, Shimla's Superintendent of Police, Niki Marwah, is more determined than ever to get to the bottom of a perplexing mystery - a mystery that this time around is dangerously close to her heart.
The Founder's Plot bt Frank M. Victoria
When California Governor Michael J. DiGrasso pushes through a tough immigration law, the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional, but the decorated Vietnam veteran refuses to accept the ruling. This ignites a clash between federal, state, and judicial power that threatens to jar the country’s political and justice systems. And it leaves the governor’s long-time friend, President of the United States, Martin W. Ballard, with the decision of whether to federalize the California National Guard to enforce the Court’s order.
One subplot involves DiGrasso’s close personal friend, Congressman Manuel Mendoza, who is indicted for taking bribes. Another concerns two Mexican families in the country illegally and the tragedies that befall them because of the new immigration law.
The unfolding of these interwoven events creates a tense, fast-paced thriller that parallels the current tumult over illegal immigration and the on-going debate on Constitutional interpretation that will leave readers craving for the eventual outcome.
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