Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Where Is Your Bookmark? (02/21/2017)

This morning I was able to start reading Terrie Farley Moran's Read to Death, a cozy mystery about a Florida book group, where one of the members could be a murderer.



Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea 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. It is also where I share my first impressions about the book I am sharing.

In the parking lot of Read 'Em and Eat Café and Book Corner, I stood by the side of the sky blue van with oversized white letters advertising the "Gulf Coast Cab and Van" etched on the center door panel. I mentally counted the members of the Cool Reads/Warm Climate Book Club as they settled in. All six were present. My BFF and business partner, Bridgy Mayfield, was busily stowing thermoses of sweet tea and pastry boxes in the carrier right behind the driver.

Every Tuesday, Ambrosia from The Purple Booker hosts Teaser Teaser at which participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two or more sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.


Teaser from 10% of Read to Death:
Ophie gave a wide good-bye arm circle to the group, but when she opened the door, she stopped dead still. She stuck her head out the door, looked back at me and barked, "Sassy, get over here." 

What do you think? Would you keep reading?  

Right from the start I am eager to go on a field trip with the Cool Reads/Warm Climate Book Club. I think it would be fun! My participation in an in-person book group was very short-lived, I am afraid. Some day, when my time is more my own, I might give it a try again.

The teaser instantly has me wondering what Ophie has seen--or found. I am looking forward to reading more!

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it anything you would recommend?


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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.

This week's  Top Ten Tuesday Ten Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would in the last three years. I ended up doing five of each: Five books I thought I would like more than I did and five I liked (and even loved in some cases!) more than I expected.

Books I thought I Would Like More Than I Did


1. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl ~ I love stories about witches and magic, and was so excited to dive into this one. While I enjoyed parts of it, I was left feeling disappointed. I haven't read more in the series; not sure I want to.



2. Ripper by Isabel Allende ~ For years, I have heard wonderful things about Isabel Allende's writing, and when given the opportunity to read Ripper, I jumped at the chance. It was a change of pace for the author--maybe I should have stuck with her older work which had come recommended. I do plan to give her another try.



3. Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin ~ I so wanted to love this book. There were some beautiful parts to it. In the end though, I came away feeling I'd missed something important. 



4. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving ~ A book I read after hearing how beloved it was--and ultimately being let down. It had its moments, but overall, I did not care for A Prayer for Owen Meany all that much. 



5. Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley ~ I adored Lena Coakley's Witchlanders and was excited to read this one by her. Not to mention it featured the BrontĂ« siblings. I barely made it through this one, to be honest. 


Books I Liked More Than I Expected


1. The Good House by Ann Leary ~ I admit to being a bit weary of books that feature alcohol abuse by a main character. I absolutely loved The Good House, however. It was both intense and insightful.



2. Naked in Death (In Death #1) by J.D. Robb, Narrated by Susan Eriksen ~ I didn't like this book the first time I read it. I am not sure why I gave it another chance; maybe because people continued to recommend the series, because I got a copy as a gift, or because I am in a different place now than when I first read it, I decided to listen to the audio version and give it a another try. Although I cannot say I especially loved the book, I did like it the second time around and have since listened to the second book in the series and plan to continue with the series.



3. Paradise Drive by Rebecca Foust ~ I enjoy reading poetry from time to time (even though I often feel intimidated by it), and ended up reading this collection twice, back to back. Something I never do. I just loved this collection of inter-connected poems.




4. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell,  Narrated by Rebecca Lowman, Sunil Malhotra ~ Contemporary YA is not my go to genre; in fact, I tend to shy away from it. I kept hearing about Rainbow Rowell though, and decided to give this one a try. I ended up loving it--loving Eleanor and Park.



5. A Man Called Ove  by Fredrik Backman ~ Love, love, love! I went into this one a bit reluctantly. Even put off reading it. Came way feeling nothing but love.


What about you? What books did you like less than you thought would would? What books did you like more than you expected?


© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

42 comments:

  1. I love cozies set in bookshops or coffee shops...combining those two is my favorite "cozy" thing. I would enjoy this one, I think.

    Of your Top Ten, I also really loved The Good House. It was supposed to be made into a movie with Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep...but no sign of it yet.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain - Me too! A dream job--especially in one of these small towns often featured in one of these books. :-) Maybe with less murder though. LOL

      I am glad you loved The Good House too! I remember rumors of a movie. I don't know whether to look forward to it or not if it does come out. I worry they'd ruin it. But Robert DeNiro and Meryl Streep would put me in the "looking forward" to category!

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  2. I liked Beautiful Creatures but not loved it either. And I am glad you liked In Death series the second time around, I love that series.
    New GFC follower here!
    Here's My TTT

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    1. Priyanka - I think timing was everything for me in regards to the In Death series. I'm glad I gave it another try. Thank you for following! I added you to my Inoreader feed. :-)

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  3. Well it is hard to resist a book set in a bookshop and with food thrown in... of course I'd keep reading ;-)

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  4. Those are certainly some Southern-type names in READ TO DEATH. You know, I may be one of the only people who doesn't like 'sweet tea'. I like my tea unsweetened - at least when it's cold. Now hot tea is a different matter. I love the J.D. Robb series.

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    1. Kay - I had that thought about the names too. :-) I am not a tea drinker, and so don't really care for it either way. Give me water or lemonade instead, and I'll be quite content.

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  5. Good post! I've never read any of these books, except the first 2 JD Robb, and they just didn't grab me that much back when I read them, but they have an incredible following, so maybe I'll continue on and give them another chance. I don't enjoy audio, so I don't know if they present better when listened to, hmm.

    I do want to read The Good House and Man Called Ove. someday. Thanks for sharing your bookish thoughts!

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    1. Rita - I so rarely re-read books, especially books I didn't like the first time around. It's only happened twice that I remember. I have heard the later books are better, so maybe you'd like another of the books farther down the line. Or maybe not. I won't say it's my favorite series--because it's not. I have enjoyed the first couple of books on audio though.

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  6. I loved this book! I really wish the bookstore/cafe they own was real. You'd definitely find me at the Agatha Christie table! I had forgotten about The Good House. It's been on my TBR for ages and it sounds good. I've been a little concerned about the alcohol abuse of the main character but it sounds like it's handled well.

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    1. Katherine - I remember your review of this one. :-) I'm enjoying it so far. It's my first time reading the series, although I know it's not the first book. I was really surprised at how much I loved The Good House. It was a very realistic portrayal of alcoholism. I hope you like it if you read it.

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  7. I've read 3 of the books on your second list and loved all of them.

    I'm reading Finders Keepers by Stephen King and enjoying it so far.

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    1. Kathy - I've been curious about Finders Keepers! I'm glad you are enjoying it.

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  8. I really like the sound of 'Read to Death' - I haven't ever taken part in a real book club, either. Like you, these days I simply don't have the time! I thoroughly enjoyed your like/don't like list - Himself is a huge fan of J.D. Robb and I must have another go at her writing! Thank you for sharing, Wendy:)

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    1. Sarah - I am enjoying Read to Death so far. It's a fun group of characters in the book club. :-)

      Someday perhaps we'll both find time to join a real book club. I think it would be fun. My dad really enjoyed J.D. Robb's books when he was alive. That's still a little fact that surprises me given my dad's usual reading tastes.

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  9. You chose a good one. I love the cozies and this book entertains! Your showcase has a few books I'll be adding to my list too.

    My TT from Ice Hunt

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  10. The title and the cover of Read to Death sure caught my attention!

    There're a few books which didn't catch my attention initially but I liked it when I gave it a second chance. Nora's In Death series is one of them, though I'm so way behind with this series. And I loved A Man Called Ove; I'm so glad to read it after reading all the reviews and recommendations. :)

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    1. Melody - It's a cute cover and the premise of the book is definitely appealing to a book lover. :-) I don't know if I'll ever catch up with the In Death series, but you never know. I'm glad you loved A Man Called Ove too! It's one I see myself re-reading at some point.

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  11. Your cozy sounds fun. I belong to 2 book clubs now that I'm retired - you'll find the time some day too. I was thinking about your comments on a member of the book club as a murderer. I wonder if a member of my clubs committed murder would we know. Something to think about.

    I so agree with you on Eleanor and Park. A real favorite. I also like your comments on A Man Called Ove. It's on a book club list in March. Now I'm really eager to get to it. Thanks.

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    1. Margot - I look forward to retiring and being able to join book clubs. :-) I had to chuckle at your comment about wondering if you would know if one of your clubs' members committed murder. That sounds like something I would wonder too. Maybe we read too many mysteries. LOL

      I hope your book club enjoys A Man Called Ove!

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  12. Your current read sounds like my cup of tea. I'm going to look into this series. I loved Ove also, and if you haven't already done so, see if your library has the movie version. It was every bit as good as the book.

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    1. Catherine - It's a fun one so far. I am eager to see what happens next. I will definitely look for the movie version of A Man Called Ove. I am glad to hear you enjoyed it!

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  13. I have a few of the books that you liked on your top ten on my TBR list. I really need to read J.D. Robb soon.

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  14. I read the first Moran book and liked it, the Florida setting and the quirky characters. And that's good to know about Eleanor & Park.

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    1. Greg - This is my first in the series and so far I am enjoying it. I do kind of wish I had read the previous books so I would know just how much trouble the women get into. It sounds like a lot. LOL

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  15. When a book exceeds out expectations it is such a nice surprise. When one does not meet expectations it can be so disappointing. So much time is devoted to reading the average book. It is a shame to waste that time.

    All the books on your "liked better list" sound good.

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    1. Brian - Yes, that's it exactly. I am not one to give up on books easily, although I have gotten better at it. With the above listed that disappointed me, I still feel I got something out of them even if I found them to be only fair--but my time could have been better spent. Especially given how rare and valuable reading time can be to me these days.

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  16. Sounds like a book I'd enjoy right about now. Hope you like it Wendy.

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    1. Diane - Thank you! I am enjoying it so far. It's nice to read something light after finishing The Handmaid's Tale!

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  17. I've heard so many great things about A Man Called Ove - I need to read it especially since I loved the movie so much. :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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    1. Lauren - I hope you do get a chance to read A Man Called Ove. I look forward to seeing the movie one day. I am glad you liked it.

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  18. I haven't read any of these, but I REALLY want to read Naked in Death.

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  19. LOL! I'm with you about Owen Meany. I was disappointed. We're reading Man Called Over for our April book club and I'm really looking forward to it. I had to go through a few so-so book groups before finding a good one a year ago.

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    1. Stacy - I hope you enjoy A Man Called Ove. It isn't often I run into someone who agrees with me about Owen Meany, but there are a few of us out there, I know. :-) I am glad you were able to find a good book group. Hopefully someday my schedule won't be so tight and I can fit one in.

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  20. I like the sound of Read to Death, looks like a good one. I've been wanting to read Eleanor & Park for so long, I've heard good things. Happy weekend!

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    1. Naida - It's good so far! I hope you get to read Eleanor and Park at some point. It's so good!

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  21. Eleanor & Park was such a fabulous read wasn't it? Great list of books. I still need to check out some of these.

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