Where Is Your Bookmark? [September 26th Edition]

One of my current reads, The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, is everything I hoped it would be so far. Let's take a peek!

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by Gillion of  Rose City Reader. Also linking to First Line Friday hosted by Carrie of Reading is My Super Power.

Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches. That was what Nana Alba used to say when she told Minerva bedtime stories; it was the preamble that led into a realm of shadows and mysteries.  [opening of The Bewitching]

This is the kind of opening that makes me fall instantly in love with a book. 

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of My Head is Full of Books  has stepped in to host! 

"It was here," Alba said, and pulled the curtains open. "In the trees. It was floating there. It woke me. It screamed."

"An owl?" her mother asked.

"No, although it was noisy as one. It glowed. It burned." 

They looked out the window. There was no wind to make the branches of the trees shiver, no whisper from the treetops. The moon lay hidden behind clouds. It was so dark outside that even if someone had been holding a lantern it might have been difficult to glimpse in the trees.  

[excerpt from 56% of The Bewitching]

I am not here yet in the book, so this was a bit of a spoiler for me. I cannot wait to get to this scene though. What does Alba see out her window? Is it a witch? A ghost? Whatever it is, it's not something we would prefer not be there. 

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved. [Publisher's Summary]

Does this sound like something you would enjoy reading? If you have read it, what did you think?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.

Which fictional character do you wish were a real person?

*I decided to pull characters from books I have read this year to make it easier on myself.* 

I would love to hang out with Joe in their Misty Divine persona or even just Joe, and please can Miles, their adoring partner, come too? These Murder in a Dressing Room characters from Holly Stars cozy mystery seem like such a nice pair. They would not mind that I am on the quiet side and would be such fun to hang out with, whether it's light-hearted fun or for serious conversation. 

Lindsay from Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller also comes to mind. Maybe she would be willing to help me spread some banned book love in the local little libraries around my area. Her mom, Beverly, seems like a great person too. Considering their fictional world isn't too different than reality, I imagine they would fit right in. 

We all need a Vera Wong in our life. Jesse Sutanto's character from her Vera Wong series may get into mischief a lot, but she has a big heart and a way of bringing people who together, especially those who need a helping hand or a friend the most. 

And just because, I am going to throw Marcellus from Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures in there too. Because we all need an especially intelligent octopus in our lives. 

Is there a fictional character you wish was a real person?

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Do you ever get strange looks from strangers while browsing the book aisle in department stores? What do you think is going through their minds?

The department stores I shop at these days do not carry books. You are more likely to find me browsing bookshelves in one of the many local bookstores, and, there, most people, like myself, are too engrossed in their own bookish wanderings (and wonderings) to give anyone else much thought. There are occasions when I see someone pick up a book I have read and I consider speaking up, telling them how much I liked it, but I chicken out. One time a fellow bookstore customer paused in her browsing to highly recommend a manga my daughter and I were debating getting. Then there was the time a gentleman asked me what drew me to the display of diverse books, if I had read any of them, and that turned into a friendly discussion. I also remember an instance when I was looking over a table of books with sprayed edges, and a salesclerk asked me if it was the edges I liked or the genre displayed. I told her it was more about the genre for me, and she said it was the same for her. So no strange looks, but there have been moments of bonding over books. More often than not, I pay more attention to the books than the people around me. 

Have you ever gotten strange looks while looking at books in the bookstore? Do you ever recommend books to other customers or have they recommended any to you?

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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