The Content Reader

This week's book is one that I have had for quite some time on my shelves, The Book of Secrets  by Tom Harper. The back cover summary tells a story that is exactly my cup of tea. "In a snowbound village in the German mountains, a young woman discovers an extraordinary secret. Before she can reveal it, she disappears. All that survives is a picture of a mysterious medieval playing card that has perplexed scholars for centuries.   Nick Ash does research for the FBI in New York. Six months ago his girlfriend Gilliam walked out and broke his heart. Now he's the only person who can save her - if it's not too late. Within hours of getting her message Nick finds himself on the run, delving deep into the past before it catches up with him.   Hunted across Europe, Nick follows Gillian's trail into the heart of a 500-year-old mystery. But across the centuries, powerful forces are closing around him. There are men who have devoted their lives to keeping the secr...

This week, I have chosen the book Gloved Heart  by Charlotte Brentwood. A historical fiction, with an unusual story line. My review under link above. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "Screams echoed in every corner of the room, and in her mind.   There was agony, humiliation and confusion... Her dress torn, her skin ripped, and a man intent on possessing her, no matter the cost. She had never felt more helpless, worthless, or alone.    Amy woke with tears pouring down her cheeks, but the incessant cries she could hear were not her own.    It was the consequence of that hideous night: a baby born of sin. Motherhood had been thrust upon her, her life irrevocably altered." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda´s Voice "Henry was inwardly bubbling with anticipation at the idea of spending some time with her as he took her home, completely alone. But first there was a job to be done, and it was more challenging than shift...

This weeks book is the much debated 12 Rules for Life, An Antidote to Chaos  by Jordan B. Peterson. A recent purchase, not yet read, just to know what all the fuss is about. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "This book has a short history and a long history. We'll begin with the short history." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda´s Voice "The original Man and Woman, existing in unbroken unity with their Creator, did not appear conscious (and certainly not self-conscious). Their eyes were not open. But, in their perfection, they were also less, not more, than their post_fall counterparts. Their goodness was something bestowed, rather than deserved or earned."

Back to this, one of my favourite challenges! A book beginning and a quote from page 56. This week's book is a new purchase, a non-fiction book that sounds interesting. It is Prisoners of Geography, The maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics , by Tim Marshall. From the back cover: "All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements - but if you don't know geography, you'll never have the full picture." The book covers the following countries and regions; Russia, China, USA, Western Europe, Africa, The Middle East, India and Pakistan, Korea and Japan, Latin America, The Arctic. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "It has become a truism to think, and to say, that we live in exceptionally unstable times. The world, we are told, has never been more unpredictable. S...

It is Friday and time for some interesting book beginnings and to see what we can find on page 56. It is Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice who are hosting these challenges. This week I have just started to read the book for the Classic spin #19. It is, from a favourite author, Henry James and his Washington Square.  He is famous for his long sentences, and his beginning here does not disappoint. Isn't it just wonderful how much information he manages to put into the first sentence. Book beginnings on Friday hosted by Rose City Reader "During a portion of the first half of the present century, and more particularly during the latter part of it, there flourished and practised in the city of New York a physician who enjoyed perhaps an exceptional share of the consideration which, in the United States, has always been bestowed upon distinguished members of the medical profession."  The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice ""My allusions are as k...

Another week and another book beginning and page 56. This week I choose a book I have just finished. Review will come on Monday 13 August. It is one of my favourite, Swedish writers, Karin Alvtegen. Her books are psychological with a scary undertone. It is about normal people, who turn out to be not quite that. Excellent suspense. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader : "I don't know.' Three words. Each by itself of in some other context completely harmless. Utterly without intrinsic gravity. merely a statement that he was not sure and therefore chose not to reply. I don't know. Three words.   The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice : "She went on to the bookshelf. Where? Where would he hide something that she could never be allowed to find? Ws there any single place in this house where she never looked? Where he knew that his secret would be safe? Suddenly she heard the front door open." 

Difficult week to find a book for this meme since most of the books are packed. Yes, in the latter process of moving and most books are already in Sweden, and I am here in Brussels finalising the rest. I did find one by my bedside, which I am also reading for the time being, and that is Elisabeth Luard's My Life as a Wife - Love, Liquor and What to Do About Other Women. It is a humorous book as she looks back on her life. Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "This is the story of my life as a wife. Or how to stay married for forty years without actually murdering your husband. A love story. The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "'Your mother,' said Nanny, 'doesn't think much of your young man.'"

For this Friday's beginning and page 56 and I using The Tiger's Wife  by Téa Obreht, which I am reading now. I have had it for quite a while, and bought it because the blurb sounds intriguing. "A young doctor, Natalia, struggles to make sense of her grandfather's death in a Balkan country still scarred by war. From fragments of stories her grandfather told her as a child, Natalia realises he may have died searching for 'The deathless man', a vagabond who was said to be immortal. Struggling to understand why a man of science would undertake such a quest, she stumbles upon a clue that will lead her to a tattered copy of The Jungle Book,  and then to the extraordinary story of the tiger's wife." So far so good! Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "In my earliest memory, my grandfather is bald as a stone and he takes me to see the tigers." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "Apparently, this is how ...

Friday again and I don't know where this week went. I am now in Sweden and have finally organised most of the things I brought with me. I just squeezed in the books in the already overfull book cases. I just have to read some books fast in order to make space. Yes, I don't save all the books anymore. Mostly the non-fiction and some fiction that I really love. I just started Catherine Cookson's Kate Hannigan's Girl  and will use that for the beginning and page 56 this week. It was a long time since I read Cookson, and got inspired when I read the biography by Cliff Goodwin; To be a lady: Story of Catherine Cookson   (my review under link). Book beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader "Annie stood gripping her bicycle and staring wide-eyed at the tall, auburn-haired boy leaning nonchalantly across his saddle. 'What did Cathleen Davidson tell you?' she asked." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "He stared at her. Her ...

I have packed most of my books, so difficult to find something of this meme. I recently finished The Mistresses of Cliveden  by Nathalie Livingstone. A fascinating story of a house with mostly women owning it. It was built for a woman in the first place. The Duke of Buckingham built it for his mistress Anna Maria in the 17th century. From there it was enlarged and hosted different families. Book beginning hosted by Rose City Reader "In the thin light of a January morning, the Duke of Buckingham galloped towards Barn Elms, the appointed site for the duel he had so long awaited." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "The most convenient way to travel from London to Cliveden in 1671 was by boat along the River Thames." I am fascinated by old houses, castles and manor houses, and this book gives you not just the story of the house, but also the story of the fascinating people who inhabited it.

This week (sorry being late) my book beginning and page 56 come from The Secret Scripture from one of my favourite authors, Sebastian Barry. From the back cover: "Roseanne McNulty is nearing her hundredth birthday in the mental hospital where she was committed as a young woman. Finishing up his case notes before the hospital is closed, psychiatrist Dr Grene finds himself intrigued by the story of his elderly patient. While Dr Grene investigates, Roseanne looks back on the tragedies and passions she has locked away in her secret journal, from her turbulent rural childhood to the marriage she believed would bring her happiness. But when Dr Grene finally uncovers the circumstances of her arrival at the hospital, it leads to a shocking secret."  Book beginning hosted by Rose City Reader "The world begins anew with every birth, my father used to say. he forgot to say, with every death it ends. Or did not think he needed to. Because for a goodly part of his l...

This week my book beginning and page 56 come from The Edge of the World, How the North Sea Made Us Who We Are by Michael Pye. From the blurb: "This is a story of saints and spies, fishermen and pirates, traders and marunders - and of how their wild and daring journeys across the North Sea built the world we know." Seems suitable for someone from Scandinavia. A thorough history and background to developments in this area. Will be interesting to read. Book beginning hosted by Rose City Reader "Cecil Warburton went to the seaside in the summer of 1700: two weeks at Scarborough on the east coast of England, north of Hull and south of Newcastle. He was not at all impressed." The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice "The whole Christian year was shaped by the date of Easter; but the Church's own rules for fixing it meant Easter fell on a different Sunday each year, a floating feast."

This week my book beginning and page 56 come from The Bugatti Queen by Miranda Seymour. I  very much enjoyed her biography of Robert Graves and look forward reading this during 2018. It is about Hélène Delangle who in the life of 1920s Paris, caught the attention of Ettore Bugatti and motor-racing. Sounds intriguing. Book beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader "She had kept the gloves because they reminded her of the way in which one of her most charming lovers, Philippe de Rothschild, had introduced himself to her. " The Friday 56 (57) hosted by Freda's Voice "She had no modesty; when he suggested that her role as a Greek nymph might be more convincing if the took the sequinned bandeau off her breasts, she pulled her skirt off as well and went through the rest of the rehearsal in her knickers. "

Christmas is coming closer and closer. A lot of people in the shops today, doing their last Christmas shopping. We went to Lund to see Hannes (our son) play and informal match of padel. Tomorrow, PDL, hosts a private tournament, so we will probably pass by and have a look. Since we are being guests this year, we don't have to prepare more than presents, and it feels very luxurious. Time for another book beginning and page 56 quotations. This week I chose one of my favourite books; The Shadow of the Wind  by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. An absolutely wonderful and thrilling story. He is a master writer and I love all his books. Rose City Reader, is hosting Book beginnings on Friday . Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Freda’s voice is hosting Friday 56 . Grab a book, ...

Rose City Reader , is hosting Book beginnings on Fridays. Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Freda’s voice is hosting Friday 56 and the rules are: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) *Post it. *Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. *It's that simple. My book this week is One Hundred Years of Solitude  by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I think it is a great beginning. Book beginning: " Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice ." Page 56: ...

Rose City Reader , is hosting Book beginnings on Friday. She says: Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Freda’s voice is hosting Friday 56 and the rules are: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) *Post it. *Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. *It's that simple. My book this week is The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley This absolutely fantastic book has one of the most famous book beginnings ever. Beginning "The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there." Page 56 "I decided it would be impossible to like him, and immediately...

Better late than never! Here is my contribution for last Friday! Rose City Reader , is hosting  Book beginnings on Friday . She says: Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Freda’s voice  is hosting  Friday 56  and the rules are: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)  *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) *Post it. *Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. *It's that simple. My book this week is: I had never heard of this gruesome couple from the 19th century Paraguay. She is Eliza Lynch of Irish origin and he is Francisco Solano López, Paraguayan. Together they managed to kill almost a whole...

Rose City Reader , is hosting Book beginnings on Friday. She says: Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name. Just bought today Norse Mythology  by Neil Gaiman. I wanted to read something by him for a long time. You all write so well about him. So here I am, and here is the first paragraph of the Introduction. "It's as hard to have a favourite sequence of myths as it is to have a favourite style of cooking (some nights you might want Thai food, some nights sushi, other nights you crave the plain home cooking you grew up on). But if I had to declare a favorite, it would probably be for the Norse myths" Freda’s voice is hosting Friday 56 and the rules are: *Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (...