I currently am listening to The Sense of and Ending by Julian Barnes. It's a bit hard to share teasers as a result, but I couldn't resist trying.
Goodreads Summary:
Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life.
Now Tony is retired. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove. .
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.
I remember, in no particular order:
- a shiny inner wrist;
- steam rising from a wet sink as a hot frying pan is laughingly tossed into it;
- gouts of sperm circling a plughole, before being sluiced down the full length of a tall house;
- a river rushing nonsensically upstream, its wave and wash lit by half a dozen chasing torchbeams;
- another river, broad and grey, the direction of its flow disguised by a stiff wind exciting the surface;
- bathwater long gone cold behind a locked door.
This last isn't something I actually saw, but what you end up remembering isn't always the same as what you have witnessed.
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.
Excerpt from The Sense of an Ending:
“How often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life. Told to others, but—mainly—to ourselves.”and another:
History isn’t the lies of the victors, as I once glibly assured Old Joe Hunt; I know that now. It’s more the memories of the survivors, most of whom are neither victorious or defeated.
What do you think? Would you keep reading?
After reading several urban fantasy/romance novels in a row, settling into this one took a minute, and I admit the opening didn't hook me right away, but now I am really curious where the author is taking me.
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 Top Ten Fandom Freebie. I struggled with this topic because I was not sure what direction to go. My ardent admiration extends in many directions. I nearly included my daughter--because I am her biggest fan (although my husband and mom might argue that point), but I decided that was too obvious. Although, anyone who knows me well will say all of my list is fairly obvious. Once I finished the list, I noticed a theme . . . Fantasy weighs heavily in my choice of fandoms.
1.
Harry Potter, et al. I reluctantly began reading this series about mid-way through, and now I wear a Ravenclaw House lanyard around my neck at work and wear a Ravenclaw House hoodie. I have been approached in public by strangers who tell me they too are in the Ravenclaw House. And once in a work meeting with the agency bigwigs, one of them, upon introducing himself pointed in my direction (I was wearing my lanyard) and excitedly told everyone he was a Ravenclaw too. Harry Potter fans are pretty cool, I think. It isn't just the books I love either. I'm a big fan of the movies too.
2.
Doctor Who. I came late to Doctor Who, although my husband tried to indoctrinate me early. It wasn't until the "newer" Doctor Who (starting with Christopher Eccleston). I actually was mad when David Tennant took on the role, and now he's my favorite. I am behind a couple seasons on the show (embarrassing to admit given how much I profess to love this show and anything related to Doctor Who). My cell phone case for a long time was of the Tardis (until it broke). It was always fun when passersby would recognize it, and say hello. I need to find a good sturdy case to replace the old one, I think.
3.
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files. Or rather, Harry Dresden. I adore Harry, and have a bit of a crush on him. I love books involving magic or having to do with witches and wizards, and Harry is one of my absolute favorites.
4.
Supernatural. My husband and I started watching this show together and were hooked early on. I am not caught up to the latest season (and am probably way behind), but I am a big fan of the show so far.
5.
The Others series by Anne Bishop. I have so much love for this series. I love everything about it. And I really need to catch up.
6.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My husband and I used to watch the television show religiously. Three of our pets (two of which are no longer with us) were named after Buffy characters (admittedly, only two of those were on purpose). The idea for our daughter's name also came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer show. We didn't want to break tradition, after all.
7.
Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Best. Cookies. Ever. Maybe not a real fandom, but I am thinking of starting one.
8.
Lord of the Rings. The movies. The books. I love them all. I just love the world and characters Tolkien created. Especially the elves. I want to be an elf.
9.
The Walking Dead television show. I haven't read the comics, but I really enjoy watching the show. Daryl and Carol are my heroes. So are Rick and Maggie. I really miss Glenn. Every time a major character dies, I rant about how I hate the show, and yet I keep watching.
10.
I am completely and utterly obsessed with reading and books. I always have a book with me in one form or another. I have books in just about every room in my house. I buy way too many books. I talk about books all the time. I blog about books. I get cranky if I am unable to fit in any reading time. Every time I see a book related tote or piece of art, I want it. I can't get enough of books.
Are you a fan of anything on my list? What are you a fan of? Please share!
1.
Harry Potter, et al. I reluctantly began reading this series about mid-way through, and now I wear a Ravenclaw House lanyard around my neck at work and wear a Ravenclaw House hoodie. I have been approached in public by strangers who tell me they too are in the Ravenclaw House. And once in a work meeting with the agency bigwigs, one of them, upon introducing himself pointed in my direction (I was wearing my lanyard) and excitedly told everyone he was a Ravenclaw too. Harry Potter fans are pretty cool, I think. It isn't just the books I love either. I'm a big fan of the movies too.
2.
Doctor Who. I came late to Doctor Who, although my husband tried to indoctrinate me early. It wasn't until the "newer" Doctor Who (starting with Christopher Eccleston). I actually was mad when David Tennant took on the role, and now he's my favorite. I am behind a couple seasons on the show (embarrassing to admit given how much I profess to love this show and anything related to Doctor Who). My cell phone case for a long time was of the Tardis (until it broke). It was always fun when passersby would recognize it, and say hello. I need to find a good sturdy case to replace the old one, I think.
3.
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files. Or rather, Harry Dresden. I adore Harry, and have a bit of a crush on him. I love books involving magic or having to do with witches and wizards, and Harry is one of my absolute favorites.
4.
Supernatural. My husband and I started watching this show together and were hooked early on. I am not caught up to the latest season (and am probably way behind), but I am a big fan of the show so far.
5.
The Others series by Anne Bishop. I have so much love for this series. I love everything about it. And I really need to catch up.
6.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My husband and I used to watch the television show religiously. Three of our pets (two of which are no longer with us) were named after Buffy characters (admittedly, only two of those were on purpose). The idea for our daughter's name also came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer show. We didn't want to break tradition, after all.
7.
Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Best. Cookies. Ever. Maybe not a real fandom, but I am thinking of starting one.
8.
Lord of the Rings. The movies. The books. I love them all. I just love the world and characters Tolkien created. Especially the elves. I want to be an elf.
9.
The Walking Dead television show. I haven't read the comics, but I really enjoy watching the show. Daryl and Carol are my heroes. So are Rick and Maggie. I really miss Glenn. Every time a major character dies, I rant about how I hate the show, and yet I keep watching.
10.
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