Showing posts with label Book Beginnings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Beginnings. Show all posts

Book Discussion - Jewel of Persia


By Katie Marie
Hey all! Hope your weekend went well. Can't beleive another week has already come and gone. Wow, day's seem to go by SO fast recently! Today I am going to be doing a short book discussion on Roseanna White's new release, Jewel of Persia, and I hope you all will join in with your thoughts on the book, favorite scenes, most touching moments, etc. :-) Remember, a discussion only can happen when people join in to talk. And what better to talk about then BOOKS! :-D

Jewel of PersiaSo! Jewel of Persia. Have you read it? No? *gasp* Go read it!! Yes? Oh, good! I'm glad you're not missing out. If your curious as to what I thought about the book, please know I gave it 5 BIG stars and posted a review, which you can read HERE. (But just to tell you up front, I spend around 500 words just raving about how much I liked it! :-P)

Back on track! We like to point out some of our favorite parts for the book discussion. Hmm...I'm trying to think...because just about the WHOLE book was amazing and touching! :-) Hmm....

Well, one part I really enjoyed reading (and even stopped to go back and savor the moment) was when Kasia was brought to the king that first night. That scene was SO well written and touching! When I came to the end of the chapter, I just stopped for a moment and sighed. How sweet! Right then I knew I'd cheer for Xerxes, even though (because of some research I'd done not too long ago) I knew how bloody and violent the king was. Kasia was a perfect wife for him. He changed with her...seemed like a completely different man...it was so sweet.

I know we usually only point out our favorite parts...but what often makes a book or author so good is when they can evoke emotions out of us just from reading the story--both happy and sad emotions. One of the most depressing moments in the book was when Xerxes sent Kasia back in anger. I wanted to cry! I was like "No, Xerxes! Don't do that! You need her!" LOL! :-) I felt myself mourning the loss of their relationship along with Kasia and I can't tell you how excited and thrilled I was as I watched their relationship rebuilt. I was dancing in my heart! "Yes! Y'all are meant for each other!!"
Well, I've babbled on long enough. What about you? What was your favorite scene in Jewel of Persia? Most touching? Sad? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book and have some fun talking about all the sweet, funny, sad, touching, tender, suspenseful, tear-jerking parts in Roseanna's AWESOME book!
Category: 5 comments

Book Beginnings - The Brotherhood


By Unknown
 

As you all know, when Friday rolls around Book Pondering joins in the weekly post, Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and it's always fun to participate in this! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post! Today I chose The Brotherhood!
The Brotherhood

1 : 5 8   a . m . ,   F r i d ay ,  De c e m b e r   1 6 ,   2 0 1 1
“Wanna take this one yourself, Rook?”
Boone Drake shot his partner a double take. The 911 dispatcher had broadcast a domestic disturbance in progress at 
a seedy apartment building on West Jackson Boulevard in 
Chicago’s most dangerous precinct, Harrison, District 11.
“Myself?”
“I mean take the lead,” Jack Keller said, eyes fixed on the 
pavement as he maneuvered the blue and white Crown Vic 
squad through icy streets. “I’ll have your back.”

This was an awesome opening that immediately grabbed my attention. A rookie cop going in for his first job on his own? Immediately the suspense grabs you and makes you curious about what is to happen. The following pages continue to pull you into this action-filled, sobering story. I can't wait to finish that one!

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 0 comments

Book Beginnings - Indelible


By Katie Marie
 

As you all know, when Friday rolls around Book Pondering joins in the weekly post, Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and it's always fun to participate in this! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post! I decided to use Indelible, by Kristen Heitzmann, that I just finished yesterday. (Which, by the way, you can read the review I just posted this morning for it on my blog, HERE).

Indelible: A Novel

A veined bolt of lightning sliced the ozone-scented sky as Trevor plunged down the craggy slope, dodging evergreen spires like slalom poles. Rocks and gravel spewed from his boots and caromed off the vertical pitch.
"Trevor." Walt skidded behind him. "We're not prepared for this."
No. But he hurled himself after the tawny streak. He was not losing that kid.
"He's suffocated," Whit shouted. "His neck's broken."
Trevor leaped past a man--probably the dad--gripping his snapped shinbone. Whit could help there. Digging his heels into the shifting pine needles, Trevor gave chase, outmatched and unwavering.

Just reading this, I can feel the adrenaline and urgency that is coursing through Trevor. It's like I'm there. The scene is brought to life before my eyes. I know it's kind of fuzzy what's going on, but another paragraph or two would've cleared it all up...or you can just read the first sentence on the back of the book -- "Rescuing a toddler from the jaws of a mountain lion, Trevor..." Hope the picture is clear for you now! I was totally enthralled with this scene, unable to stop. Talk about a gripping opening to a gripping read! 

Oh! And just a tidbit...if you want to read the rest of this scene - the whole first chapter, actually - then check out the post on my blog today. You'll find the first chapter there so you can continue reading...and beg for more when you reach the end. :-P

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 2 comments

Book Beginnings - Found


By Unknown
 

As you all know, when Friday rolls around Book Pondering joins in the weekly post, Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and it's always fun to participate in this! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post! This Friday I decided on Margret Haddix's teen suspense - Found!

It wasn't there. Then it was.
Later, that was how Angela DuPre would describe the airplane -- over and over, to one investigator after another -- until she was told never to speak it again.
But when she fist saw the plane that night, she wasn't thinking about mysteries of secrets. She was wondering how many mistakes she could make without getting fired, how many questions she dared ask before her supervisor, Monique, would explode. 

Wow what an opening! A disappearing plane?! What's going on? This opening is great and immediately gets the reader wondering what on earth is going on. It's a wonderful start to a mystery/suspense teen book. I started reading this book to my brothers a while back and they absolutely loved it! This book's beginning promises an adventure and the following pages deliver in full! ;)

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 0 comments

Book Beginnings - Making Waves


By Katie Marie

 

As you all know, when Friday rolls around Book Pondering joins in the weekly post, Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and it's always fun to participate in this! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post! Today I decided to use Making Waves, which never fails to make me laugh! :-P

Making Waves: A Novel (Lake Manawa Summers)

If forced to endure Roger Gordon for five more minutes, Marguerite Westing would die. Dead. Gone. Buried. Six feet under Greenlawn Cemetery.
Her parents would need to purchase a large headstone to fit all the words of epitaph, but they could do it. Money wasn't an issue, and after bearing this unbelievable torture, she deserved an enormous marble marker complete with a plethora of flowery engravings. She could see the words now:
Here lies Marguerite Westing.
Only nineteen, but now she's resting.
Strolling through the park with Roger Gordon,
Once full of life, she died of boredom.

HAHAHA! I love reading those first few paragraphs. What a humorous beginning to a fun and witty book. :-) Lorna writes her books so well and with such dry humor for her characters that whenever I feel like reading something that will make me chuckle...I pick up either of her two books! I just reviewed her second book on my blog, A Great Catch, so go HERE if you want to read it. It was just as good as the first! :-D

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 3 comments

Book Beginnings - Cascade


By Unknown

It's Friday, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!


Cascade: A Novel (River of Time Series)

Mom freaked out when she saw us, of course.I couldn’t blame her, with Lia in her medieval gown. And melooking like I’d been mauled by a bear. Especially when two meaty guards were hauling us into Dr. Manero’s tent. “It’s all right, Mom,”I said, hands out, as she rushed toward us. Her face was white.
“Lasciateli,”  
she shouted in irritation— 
let them go 
—brushing the guards’ hands off our arms, staring at the blood on me. “Girls, what in the—”

“She’s all right, Mom,” Lia began. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“It’s okay,” I said, pushing her hands away as she touched my underdress—a gown made hundreds of years before—and tried to figure out what kind of wound had made me look like I’d been doused in ketchup. “I’m fine, Mom. Really.”



    This book picks up right where Waterfall left off - immediately making you wonder what's going on and what's to happen - especially after the ending of Waterfall! While Waterfall takes a chapter or two to really get into, Cascade obviously grabs you from the get go - pulling you right back into the story where you left off. The story that follows will not disappoint - Katy and I enjoyed it more than the first, even! Make sure to snatch this one when it releases next month!!


We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 0 comments

Book Beginnings - Riven


By Katie Marie
If any of you saw yesterday's book review for a little before it disappeared, or visited our blog last night and couldn't see a new post....Blogger decided to have a little attitude problem and kicked all us bloggers off our blogs so that we couldn't even try to write a post or anything! It wouldn't let us comment on any posts and even deleted some posts that we written earlier yesterday (which is why you cannot find our book review that we posted yesterday).

But, thankfully, it is back up and running this morning. Today is actually Kait's turn to post our Book Beginnings, but since she couldn't get on earlier to write it and is now busily engaged with setting up for her graduation ceremony tomorrow...I will be your host! :-D So let's get started!

 

As you all know, when Friday rolls around Book Pondering joins in the weekly post, Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and it's always fun to participate in this! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post! Today, Kait picked out Riven by Jerry Jenkins.
Riven

Adamsville State Penitentiary   -   Death Row

With the man's first step, the others on Row began a slow tapping on their cell doors.
The tiny procession reached the end of the pod, and the rest of the way through security and all the way to the death chamber was lined on either side by correction officers shoulder to shoulder, feet spread, hands clasped behind their backs, heads lowered. As the condemned reached them, each raised his head, snapping to attention, arms at his side, feet together.
What a tribute, he thought. Who would have ever predicted this for one who had, for so much of his life, been such a bad, bad man?

Since Kait isn't hear and didn't tell me what she liked about this beginning, these will be my thoughts on it. :-) It is such a powerful beginning. I am already wanting to know who is this man who is on his way to his death. The feeling you get from the writing is cold and grim. I can almost feel the chill that is probably in the air as this condemned man walks down corridor between cells of other inmates who will, ultimately, be traveling the same way soon. Sobering! This opening definitely makes you want to continue!

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 4 comments

Book Beginnings - Seek Me with all your Heart


By Katie Marie

It's Friday, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday! Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!


Seek Me with All Your Heart (A Land of Canaan Series)

Emily stood behind the counter of her family's country store, watching as the tall man walked down each isle, the top of his black felt hat visible above the gray metal shelving. First thing that morning, he'd strolled in and shot her a slow, easy smile, white teeth dazzling against bronzed skin. He moved slowly, sometimes glimpsing in her direction.
Emily twisted the string on her apron with both hands and tried to slow down her breathing. Her heart pulsed against her chest as she glanced out the window toward her family's farmhouse in the distance. Where is Jacob? her brother knew she didn't like to be left alone in the story, and he'd promised to be right back.


     I like this beginning because, in the first paragraph, everything seems normal. There is some guy looking for stuff in her family's store. Nothing odd with that, right? But then in the second paragraph we instantly get a wary, fearful reaction from Emily as she longs for her brother to be there. The tension continues to build as Emily gets more agitated and fearful of the stranger. 
     Instantly, I'm wondering what could possibly be the matter with Emily that would make her scared of the stranger. This is a really neat beginning for an Amish book -- not something I really see with other Amish books. And the rest of the book was just as good as the beginning. I enjoyed this from start to finish!


We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 2 comments

Book Beginnings - Artemis Fowl


By Unknown

It's Friday, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday!Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!

Artemis Fowl (new cover)

How does one describe Artemis Fowl? Various psychiatrists have tried and failed. The main problem is Artemis's own intelligence. He bamboozles every test thrown at him. He has puzzled the greatest medical minds, and sent many of them gibbering to their own hospitals. 
There is no doubt that Artemis is a child prodigy. But why does someone of such brilliance dedicate himself to criminal activities? This is a question that can be answered by only one person.And he delights in not talking.
~~
This immediately makes you want to know who this Artemis guy is. Criminal activities? Exceptional intelligence? Who is this kid?!  And as you continue reading through the prologue and into the first chapter, you learn a lot about Artemis - he's quite the character! But I shall stop here so I don't give anything away. ;)

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 2 comments

Book Beginnings - False Pretenses


By Katie Marie

It's Friday, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday!Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!

False Pretenses: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou)

Shelby Sieger sat straight up in bed, clutching her pillow. Trembling. Had she called out again--or imagined it? She clamped her eyes shut and listened. Had she awakened anyone else at the Woodmore House?
An entire minute passed without a sound. She threw back the covers and slid her legs over the side of the bed, groping the nightstand until she found the thin metal chain on the lamp--and pulled it. Sicty watts instantly transformed the room. Why should a twenty-seven-year-old woman feel safer with the light on?

~~
While it isn't a heart-pounding beginning, it certainly intrigued me to keep reading! :-) I cannot wait to be able to read the rest of this book. I haven't ever read anything by Kathy Herman, but I have heard a lot of good things about her book. So...we shall see! :-)

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 10 comments

Book Beginnings - Thicker Than Blood


By Katie Marie

It's Friday again, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday!Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!

Thicker than Blood


Christy Williams didn't see the cop until his red lights flashed in her rearview mirror. By then it was too late. He was tailing her, and she had no choice but to ease her Honda Accord onto the snowy shoulder of the freeway and let the cruiser slide in behind.
Jerking up on the emergency brake, she threw herself back into her seat with a curse. She hadn't been speeding. She was sure of it. Christy forced herself to focus on the cruiser, squinting to see past its blinding headlights. She could barely make out the cop's silhouette behind the wheel. What was he doing?
At last the burly officer emerged from the patrol car, approaching slowly, his hand resting on his holster.

~~

While Thicker Than Blood isn't a heart-stopping, oh-my-word-whats-gunna-happen, it still makes the reader ask dozens of questions! :-) I love a start that raises questions and the curiosity of the reader from the first pages. This opening kept me reading and even though I began this book late at night and told myself "only one chapter", I couldn't stop reading for a few chapters! :-)

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 0 comments

Book Beginnings - Mission: Out Of Control


By Unknown



It's Friday again, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday!Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!
Mission: Out of Control (Love Inspired Suspense)




Was it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet in his so-called R&R? Apparently Brody Wickham - ex-Green Beret, current on-leave security operator for Stryker International - had turned into a magnet for trouble, and he knew inside his gut that someone was going to get hurt.

~~

Oh this makes you want to keep reading! What is going on and why does Brody now feel like a magnet for trouble? Why does he think someone is going to get hurt? Great beginning that promises excitement in the following pages! 

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)


Category: 1 comments

Book Beginnings - No Safe Haven


By Katie Marie

It's Friday again, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday!Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!

No Safe Haven
The passenger door slammed, the vibration rippling through his bones, like a skeleton rattled by the wind. He shook his head. Dark thoughts and a sense of foreboding. Things had to happen. Fast.
Before that foreboding became reality.

~~

Ohh! This promises of adventure and suspense to come! :-) I am intrigued and can't wait to find out why things have to happen fast. And what foreboding thoughts could become reality.

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)
Category: 4 comments

Book Beginnings - Gods and Kings


By Unknown

It's Friday again, so here is my Book Beginnings on Friday!Katy, over at A Few More Pages, hosts this every week and we thought it'd be fun to have Book Ponderings join! If you are interested in doing this for your blog, check out Katy's blog for details on what to include in the post!


Gods and Kings (Chronicles of the Kings #1)






The rumble of voices and tramping feet awakened him. Hezekiah sat up in bed his, heart pounding, and for the first time in his short life he was terrified. Overnight his safe, quiet world in the king’s palace had vanished, and he listed with mounting panic as the commotion in the hallway outside his room grew louder, closer.  Men’s voices shouted orders. Doors opened and closed. Children cried out in fear.
.

~~
This beginning will catch your attention immediately, making you wonder what is going on in the palace. Why is Hezekiah so scared, and what is all the commotion about? As you continue reading through the first chapter you will be struck with horror at everything that takes place...but I'l not tell you what happens. If you want to find out what's going on in young Hezekiah's life, you will have to pick it up and read it yourself! This is one of my all time favorite books - I highly recommend it! :)

We'd love to hear what's the first line - or paragraph - of your current read. Feel free to share it with us in the comments! Are you liking the book so far? Was the first few lines enough to grip your attention? We're looking forward to hearing from you! :-)

Category: 1 comments
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Photo credit: Lori Warman