Book Beginnings on Friday August 9, 2013

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Gilion at Rose City Reader. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

This week my Book Beginning is from The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James.  I won a copy from Dear Author.  They had a contest featuring the RITA Finalist for the Best First Book Award.  You could leave a comment and choose which book you would like to read.  I had read several of the finalist and I choose The Haunting of Maddy Clare (one I had not read).  I was the winner of the contest and The Haunting of Maddy Clare won Best First Book.  So I am featuring a double winner this week.

Here is the book beginning:

"The day I met Mr. Gellis, I had been walking in the rain.  

In the morning, unable to face another day alone in my flat, I wandered through the bustle of Piccadilly, the collar of my thin coat pulled high on my neck."

I just started the book (I am on page 35)  and I have already been thrown a curve.  I like books that are not predictable and The Haunting of Maddy Clare appears to be just that.

What Else I Read in July 2012

 What Else I Read In is a monthly post featuring books I read during the month but did not write a full review on.  If you have a similar post leave a comment and a link and I will visit to see what else you read.  Also on your post leave a link back to my post so others can also share. 


Paranormal:

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher - I listened to this as a audio book.  Jim Butcher includes so much back story in his books that even though I have skipped around in the series I was never lost.  Now I just have to wait for the next one.


The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L. J. Smith - This is one I got free from Barnes and Noble.  It is a YA and I had seen it on several other blogs.  For me it was just so-so.  I just did not identify with the main female character and most of the time I really did not like her. This is a series and the book leaves you hanging.  I won't continue to read the series.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare  Blake - This was a free audio book from SYNC Downloads.  It is YA.  I had heard a lot about it and it is a good story.  In a way it is a love story but no HEA.  It is listed as Anna One so there will be more.

The Scottish Prisoner  by Diana Gabaldon - I listened to The Scottish Prisoner as an audio books.  I can say that I would probably never have picked it up to read but I did enjoy it.  In this one Lord John and Jamie Fraser have to work together.  So far I have listened to all of the Lord John stories.  They are good listening.  This one is told from Lord John's view and then from Jamie Fraser's view.  Two different men read the story.  I liked the voice for Lord John but thought the voice for Jamie made him sound weak and not at all the picture I have of him.

Historical Fiction:

The Marquess by Patricia Rice looks like a take on the beauty and beast story.  The Marquess is a wounded American who inheres a title with a large home but no land and no money.  When I local and wealthy heiress is injured in a fire she ends up hiding at the home of the Marquess.  Sounds like she would be the one but no.  It is her companion who attracts the Marquess.  Then it turns out the companion is the one in danger and everything moves from there.  This is a fun read with a twist.  If you like Regency books pick up the Marquess.  It is part of a series.  I won The Marquess on Library Thing.

A Lily Among Thorns by Rose Lerner - This is a great love story.  Serena is a fallen woman and Solomon is the man who rescued her.  Except, he did not know that was what he was doing when he threw his entire quarterly allowance into the room and ran from the brothel 6 years ago.  When they meet again unexpected things happen.  There is a mystery, there is romance, there is suspense and there is a great story.  Rose Lerner writes a very good story.

Anthology:

Down These Strange Streets edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois  This is listed as All-New Stories of Urban Fantasy.  I checked it out of the Library because there was a  story by Diana Gabaldon, Lord John and the Plague of Zombies.  The time line is after The Scottish Prisoner.  It is a good story but hardly Urban Fantasy.  It is set on an island in the Caribbean in the 1700's.