It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Summer

After nearly 9 years of blogging and posting (2 to 5 days a week), I'm feeling like I need a break. We had a few 90 degree days last week and, now, I'm ready for an early summer and looking forward to trying a few new things.  I'll still be reading, of course, and I'll update my "Books Read in 2017" list here as well -- just no regular posts.  Wishing you all a nice summer!

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Her Every Fear; Peter Swanson

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros sharing the first paragraph, maybe two, of a book that I'm reading or plan to read soon.

Her Every Fear; Peter Swanson

William Morrow / Harper Collins - 2017

Chapter 1

"THE FASTEST ROUTE FROM LOGAN Airport to downtown Boston is a mile-long tunnel called the Sumner.  Dark, damp, and low ceilinged, the Sumner feels as though it were built a hundred years ago, which it very nearly was.  And on Friday, April 24, a warm spring evening, a Boston University freshman ran out of gas halfway though the tunnel, reducing rush-hour traffic to just one slow-moving lane, instead of the usual two.  Kate Priddy, who had never been to Boston and had no idea how she would wind up in a tunnel under Boston Harbor, sat in the back of a stopped taxicab and began to panic."

Base on this intro, would you read more or take a pass?

Feel free to join in by posting your link to your Tuesday Intro below.

Books Read and Week in Review - W/E - 5/13/2017

Happy Mother's Day

On Mother's Day I'm feeling very proud and grateful for having (2) wonderful children who continue to amaze me with the compassion and love and work ethic that they display everyday. I love you both and thank you for the beautiful granddaughters you have given me.

Christmas in May

Books Read

(finished (2) books this week)

The Fall of Lisa Bellow; Susan Perabo
Simon & Schuster Audio- 2017

(My Thoughts) Meredith Oliver is a 13 year old girl, Lisa Bellow is her nemesis.  One day during an armed robbery at the local Deli Barn Lisa is kidnapped, while Meredith crouches on the floor nearby. Over the next several months, Meredith struggles to make sense of what has happened and even imagines what possibilities her kidnapped classmate is now experiencing.  he Fall of Lisa Bellow explores, what happens to the girl who is left behind. There are several threads running through this story which I thought seemed to distract from the focus of this story. Although I enjoyed listening to the audio, in the end I felt like I wanted something more in terms of a resolution. (3.5/5 STARS)

Anything is Possible; Elizabeth Strout
Random House - 2017 (eGalley)

(My Thoughts) - I loved Strout's last novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, and having read that book certainly added to my enjoyment of, Anything is Possible, which returns the reader back to rural Amgash, Illinois and many of the characters we read about previously.  This novel reads like a collection of interconnected stories and it delves into the private lives of those who still reside in this close-knit community. Although Lucy Barton managed to escape Amgash and the hardships and her painful childhood, now 17 years later, she is a successful novelist, returning home to visit her brother Pete whose life somewhat resembles that of a hermit.  Strout knows how to delve into the psyche of her flawed characters, revealing what makes these humans tick.  I was very happy I read this one but, I do recommend reading Lucy Barton first. (4.5/5 STARS)

At the Movies

(We managed to see (2) movies this past week)

The Zookeeper's Wife - 2017

The Zookeeper's Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion.  (IMDB)

I read about this true story about 9 years ago and although I liked the book, however,  the movie was even better (IMO). Jessica Chastain was amazing. (Be sure to see it)

The Dinner - 2017

Based on the novel by Herman Koch, The Dinner, had a limited release in our area but, we managed to see it on the big screen. Great cast, Richard Gere came across as the most normal of the parents.   The movie was okay but, in this case I liked the novel better.   Two sets of wealthy parents meet for dinner to decide what to do about a crime their sons have committed - IMDB.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Book of Polly; Kathy Hepinstall

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros sharing the first paragraph, maybe two, of a book that I'm reading or plan to read soon.  (I started this book last night and I am loving it thus far).

The Book of Polly; Kathy Hepinstall

Pamela Dorman Books / Viking 2017

"I'm not sure at what young age I became frozen with the knowledge, certainty, and horror that my mother would die one day.  Spared the passing of my father, the Captain, by my status as a fetus, I was cowering in the womb when my mother found my father dead in his chair.

Polly told me the story when I was old enough to hear it.  She was smoking a cigarette, a habit I feared and detested.  One of my earliest memories was reaching up and trying to snatch a cigarette from her lips.  Even then I knew my enemy.  But she was too fast for me, and by the time I heard the story of my father's death I'd mostly given up trying.  So I just sat watching the trail of smoke.  The Captain was once a navy man, you know that. Anyway, he got this wooden lobster from the Philippines when he met Ferdinand Marcos--another story--but when he died the lobster was sitting there in his lap.  I guess he'd taken it down from the wall to admire it just before the stroke got him.  And that's what happens when you die.  It's no more complicated than that, if you're lucky."

Would you read more or pass on this one?

Feel free to join in by linking your INTRO Post below.