Book Beginning on Friday, May 11, 2012

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  include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

This week my book beginning is from Great Negotiations, Agreements that Changed the Modern World by Fredrid Stanton.  This is a non-fiction book.  Those of you who follow my blog know this is not the norm for me.  I usually mention only fiction here but I like this one enough to make it an exception.  

There are eight chapters in the book.  Each chapter is a different negotiation starting with Franklin at the French Court in 1718 and ending with The Reykjavik Summit in 1986.  Each chapter stands along and is very well researched.  I was familiar with all but one chapter.  That one is The Portsmouth Treaty, 1905.  This is a treaty Teddy Roosevelt negotiated between Russia and Japan.  This is the first chapter I read. 

Here is my book beginning for Chapter 4.  The Portsmouth Treaty, 1905.

"With the balance of power holding Russian ambition in check in Europe in the late nineteenth century, Russia turned its attention eastward."

An interesting start but to me the most interesting was Roosevelt's comments after the treaty was signed.  Pick the book up and see what Teddy Roosevelt predicted would happen as a result of this treaty.   

In My Mailbox, April 22, 2012

In My Mail Box is hosted by The Story Siren and is an opportunity to share the books I get each week.


I received a two special free books this week.  From Fredrik Stanton I got a signed copy of Great Negotiation, Agreements that Changed the Modern World.  I have always loved history and it was almost my major in college.  There are eight negotiations in the book.  I was familiar with all but one.  I had never hear of The Portsmouth Treat, 1905, so this is the one I started with.






The next one is a signed copy of The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas.  This one included a really nice letter, a post card and a signed  numbered beautiful pressed flower book mark.  The letter listed all the flowers in the bookmark and what each flower stood for.  The Flower Reader is a historical mystery set in the early years of the reign of Mary Queen of Scots.




It must be my week for free books.  I also got a copy of Death of a Kitchen Diva by Lee Hollis from Library Thing.  This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series complete with "Seven Delectaable recipes from Hayley's kitchen."  Haley Powell writes a food column and is the main character in the series.




From NetGalley I requested and received Ruined by Rumor by Alyssa Everett. This is a historical romance from Carina Press.  Alyssa Everett is a newly published author.

I purchased Hotter on the Edge, an Anthology of Science Fiction Romance Novellas from Amazon.  The three stories in the book are All That Glitters by Erin Kellison, To Buy a Wife KC Klein and Enslaved by Starlight Jeassa Slade.  The price was right for this one.  It was .99.  Those .99 books get me every time.