Book Beginning: The Gods of Second Chances by Dan Berne

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Mud and rain invaded my dreams after Donna's death.

-- The Gods of Second Chances by Dan Berne, published by the up-and-coming Forest Avenue Press.

What an evocative opening sentence! 

The Gods of Second Chances is available in a Kindle edition now, and at select book stores, like Powell's.  It will be officially released March 1.  Ask your local bookstore or library to order a copy --  The Gods of Second Chances is a book to get excited about.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Family means everything to Alaskan fisherman Ray Bancroft, raising his granddaughter while battling storms, invasive species, and lawsuit-happy tourists. To navigate, and to catch enough crab to feed her college fund, Ray seeks help from a multitude of gods and goddesses—not to mention ad-libbed rituals performed at sea by his half-Tlingit best friend.

But kitchen counter statues and otter bone ceremonies aren’t enough when his estranged daughter returns from prison, swearing she’s clean and sober. Her search for a safe harbor threatens everything Ray holds sacred. Set against a backdrop of ice and mud and loss, Dan Berne’s gripping debut novel explores the unpredictable fissures of memory, and how families can break apart even in the midst of healing.

Five Faves: Venice Books

FIVE FAVE VENICE BOOKS

It is Carnival in Venice this week, so here is a short list of my favorite Venice books:

• The World of Venice by Jan Morris (the history and vibe of Venice -- my all time favorite)
• Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (a classic of Venice-induced lust)
• Serenissima by Erica Jong (before there was Sex and the City, there was Erica Jong; reviewed here)
• Alibi by Joseph Kanon (post-WWII Venice spy stuff) 
• About Face by Donna Leon (or any of her Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries) 

I keep a list of books set in or about Venice. Any suggestions? What are your favorites?

FIVE FAVES

There are times when a full-sized book list is just too much; when the Top 100, a Big Read, or all the Prize winners seem like too daunting an effort. That's when a short little list of books grouped by theme may be just the ticket.

Inspired by Nancy Pearl's "Companion Reads" chapter in Book Lust – themed clusters of books on subjects as diverse as Bigfoot and Vietnam – I decided to start occasionally posting lists of five books grouped by topic or theme. I call these posts my Five Faves.

Feel free to grab the button and play along.  Use today's theme or come up with your own.  If you post about it, please link back to here and leave the link to your post in a comment.  If you want to participate but don't have a blog or don't feel like posting, please share your list in a comment.

Teaser Tuesday: When Patty Went Away

That space, that divide that came between us so many years ago, still weighed on Molly, and I felt she always blamed Patty over it, though Patty and Edie were only young children at the time. Molly and I never spoke of it again, but it lay there between us like something rotting.

When Patty Went Away by Jeannie Burt, published by Muskrat Press.

Jeannie Burt's debut is a literary novel with a hearty dose of mystery.  Set in eastern Oregon farm country in the 1970s, this story of a missing girl is gripping and heartbreaking.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Review: The Difficult Sister by Judy Nedry

The Difficult Sister is not the cozy you might suspect, given that it involves two fifty-something women on a road trip to the Oregon Coast. This second mystery by Judy Nedry is darker and edgier than its description suggests.

Emma Golden is a freelance writer with a penchant for adventure. After stumbling into a wine country murder in An Unholy Alliance, Emma is back in Portland and back on the wagon, ready to snuggle in for a quiet winter. But when her best friend comes to her, distraught over not hearing from her sister Aurora in weeks, Emma is game to leave a cold and soggy Portland, jump into Melody’s Mini Cooper, and head to the beach.

What they find is a coastal community divided between rich part-time residents and tourists and the year-round locals struggling to make a living or dropping off the grid. They soon realized that Aurora’s disappearance can’t be attributed to whim or her restless spirit. Something much more terrifying is going on and Aurora isn’t the only woman missing from her sleepy little beach town.

OTHER REVIEWS AND POSTS 

The New Book Journal reviews The Difficult Sister
The Hartford Books Examiner interviews Judy Nedry
Don't Need a Diagram interviews Judy Nedry

If you would like your review of The Difficult Sister listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it. 

NOTES

Judy Nedry is the author of two nonfiction books about Northwest wine and co-founded Northwest Palate magazine. The Emma Golden books are her first works of fiction.

Book Beginning: When Patty Went Away

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

I used to think if you didn't take a breath, or didn't blink, or didn't make any other kind of move, nothing would ever change, and you could hold onto that moment and that day, and you could count on it.

When Patty Went Away by Jeannie Burt, published by Muskrat Press.

Jeannie Burt's debut novel takes place in 1976, in eastern Oregon wheat country.  When a local teenager goes missing, no one seems to care except for Jack, the father of the girl's only friend.  Although Jack is struggling to keep his farm afloat and his family together, he sets out to find the missing girl.

Review: Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy’s novels appeal to some deep need for tidiness. The stories are all different, but they have the same structure: a lot of characters facing various problems share some connection; one of the characters sorts all the mess and solves the problems; the characters and the reader go away happy. These books provide the same satisfaction as the vacuum cleaner ads where the salesman dumps a huge pile of dirt and debris on the lady’s carpet and then vacuums it all up, leaving the carpet pristine.

Nights of Rain and Stars follows the same pattern, but is not nearly as satisfying as her other novels. The story involves four travelers visiting a Greek island who are drawn together when they witness a tragic accident. They all have problems and the problems all get sorted. But the book doesn’t live up to the Binchy model because nearly all the characters (three of the visitors and two of the locals) have the same kind of problem – a broken relationship between a parent and child. Because the problems are the same, the discussions are the same, and the solutions are the same. It makes the book repetitive and boring.

The only character who does not have a parent/child problem is the German television reporter conflicted over her sexual relationship with her boss. But that conflict is so muddled, it is difficult to tell what the problem is or what she wants. That plot line adds too little to shore up the rest of the story.

The romantic setting and solid storytelling are probably enough to satisfy diehard Binchy fans, but Nights of Rain and Stars is not her best, by a long shot.

OTHER REVIEWS

If you would like your review of this or any other Maeve Binchy book listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.

NOTES

Nights of Rain and Stars counts as one of my books for my personal 2014 TBR challenge, the Mt. TBR Challenge, and the European Reading Challenge. 

Teaser Tuesday: The Difficult Sister by Judy Nedry

But the rock woman was dead, drowned in shallow water.  The hairs on my arms and neck prickled.

-- The Difficult Sister by Judy Nedry.


The Difficult Sister is the second book in Nedry's Emma Golden mystery series, following the series debut, An Unholy Alliance.

Emma Golden makes a terrific heroine. She's a a 50-something wine writer turned amateur sleuth.  Here, Emma heads to the Oregon coast to find her friend's missing sister.


Judy Nedry is the author of two nonfiction books about Northwest wine and co-founded Northwest Palate magazine. The Emma Golden books are her first works of fiction. 

Mailbox Monday: The Gods of Second Chances by Dan Berne

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday!  MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event.  Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

Only one book came into my home last week, but it looks great!



The Gods of Second Chances by Dan Berne, published by the up-and-coming Forest Avenue Press.

Based on the description on the back cover, I flipped to the first page and was sucked into the story from the get go.  The writing seemed effortless and there is no tinge of purple to get in the way of the prose. I can't wait to read this one.

Look for it starting March 1, either on-line or order it from your local bookstore.  The Gods of Second Chances is a book to get excited about.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Family means everything to Alaskan fisherman Ray Bancroft, raising his granddaughter while battling storms, invasive species, and lawsuit-happy tourists. To navigate, and to catch enough crab to feed her college fund, Ray seeks help from a multitude of gods and goddesses—not to mention ad-libbed rituals performed at sea by his half-Tlingit best friend.

But kitchen counter statues and otter bone ceremonies aren’t enough when his estranged daughter returns from prison, swearing she’s clean and sober. Her search for a safe harbor threatens everything Ray holds sacred. Set against a backdrop of ice and mud and loss, Dan Berne’s gripping debut novel explores the unpredictable fissures of memory, and how families can break apart even in the midst of healing.

European Reading Challenge: Why Unite the Kingdoms?

 

The 2014 European Reading Challenge is underway with gusto.  Dozens of adventurous readers have signed up to take the Grand Tour in books and the first reviews are already posted.  There is still plenty of time to join the fun -- sign up here.

But there's been some grumbling about treating the United Kingdom as one country instead of four separate countries, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.  (Note: Ireland is an independent sovereign nation; only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.)  When I set up the ERC  three years ago, I decided to stick with the list of 50 recognized sovereign states of Europe as the list of participating countries.

A couple of people have commented or emailed me to object that the United Kingdom only counts as one country.  This is a relevant argument because the point of the challenge is to read books set in different countries or by authors from different countries.  Here is a sampling of the arguments:

• Residents and writers from Scotland, Wales, north of Ireland and England have their own distinct voices and experiences, i.e., Denise Mina, Mari Strachan, Anne Cleeves, Martin Edwards, and the many Irish and other writers. Their experiences differ, their history does, too.

• The UK is a remnant of an imperialistic culture; if you are counting the former Soviet Union's countries as separate, then Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland should be different.

These are reasonable points in favor of considering England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland as separate countries.  They deserve a response.  I have two main reasons for following the official formula of treating the United Kingdom as one country.  One is general, related to Europe; one specifically relates to the United Kingdom.

IT'S JUST POLITICS

The Welsh, Scots, and Northern Irish are not alone in claiming cultural independence from the official sovereign nation of which they are a part.  Europe is chock-o-block with groups who -- prompted by history, religion, geography, or politics -- consider themselves independent and would like to be treated as their own country.

An example close to my heart is Bavaria, where my family comes from.  Bavaria is part of Germany, but it has its own laws and considers itself an independent country, "Freistaat Bayern" -- the Free State of Bavaria.

My relatives in Bavaria call themselves Bavarians, not Germans (in fact, they refer to non-Bavarian Germans as Prussians).  They are Catholics, not Protestants.  They follow Bavarian traditions, eat Bavarian food, look for any excuse to wear Bavarian clothing, and (especially when drinking Bavarian moonshine) speak a Bavarian dialect.

But as much as my relatives and other Bavarians would like to think they have their own country, they don't.  They are part of Germany.

Likewise, Greenland is part of Denmark.  Northern Cyprus is part of Cyprus.  South Ossetia is part of Georgia.  And no one knows for sure what Kosovo is a part of.

My point is that there are a lot of people in a lot of countries whose claims to independent nationhood rival or even exceed those of the Welsh, Scots, and Northern Irish.  The European Reading Challenge is about reading books and having fun, not debating or deciding the merits of separatist causes. 

Which is why only the 50 uniformly recognized countries of Europe count for the challenge. 

EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS

The second reason I stick with treating the United Kingdom as one country rather than four is to encourage participants to get out of their comfort zone.

Most -- but not all -- of the ERC participants are in the USA or the UK and speak English as their first language.  Most bibliophiles are Anglophiles, myself included.  I naturally drift to books and authors from Great Britain and Ireland.  Last year alone I read 37 books set in, or written by authors from, the four countries of the United Kingdom, plus three written by Irish authors.

The main reason I started to European Reading Challenge was to encourage myself and challenge participants to read books from all over Europe.  If the United Kingdom counted as four countries, we could complete the highest level of the challenge (five books) by reading one book each from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Ireland and never set a metaphorical foot on the Continent.  Where's the adventure in that?

By allowing only one book from a United Kingdom country to count, I hope participants read books that are set in farther-flung countries or written by non-English speaking authors.

HAPPY READING

The important thing about the European Reading Challenge is to have fun.  Enjoy the challenge.  Read some great books.  And If you find a book that counts for Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova, or San Marino, please share with the rest of the us!

Book Beginning: The Difficult Sister by Judy Nedry

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a “Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

MY BOOK BEGINNING

February is the cruelest month in western Oregon.

-- The Difficult Sister by Judy Nedry.

With apologies to T. S. Eliot, she's right.  February in the Willamette Valley and on the Oregon coast is dark, cold, grey, and wet.  Weather forecasters usually give up and just predict "winter mix" -- a combination of any two or more of rain, snow, sleet, hail, or freezing fog.  It's a month of black ice, damp fleece, cold fingers, cabin fever, and short tempers.

You can tell that this is an opening sentence that really set the scene for me!

The Difficult Sister is the second book in Nedry's Emma Golden mystery series, following the series debut, An Unholy Alliance. I already love the heroine -- a 50-something wine writer turned amateur sleuth.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

Set on the southern Oregon coast, The Difficult Sister follows amateur sleuth Emma and her friend Melody Wyatt as they search for Melody’s missing sister Aurora. Known as “the Bolter”, Aurora has burned her way through a plethora of husbands and lovers. At age 50, freshly reinvented by modern science, the she meets a man on-line and falls in love. She moves with him from Portland to the remote fictional town of Radnor. Within a few weeks, her emails and phone calls cease. Melody becomes further alarmed when her sister’s cell phone is answered by the man, who claims Aurora left him. She and Emma drive to Bandon, Oregon to look for her. In a novel where place emerges as a key character, the two women are swept into the miasma that is the southern Oregon coast—where the “haves” live in homes overlooking the Pacific Ocean on coastal side of Highway 101 and the “have-nots” live in 50-year-old single-wide trailers on the dark side of the highway. It is a place some folks go to cook meth, disappear into poverty, or just disappear.

THE AUTHOR

Judy Nedry earned a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon and worked for two decades documenting the growth of the Northwest wine industry. She is the author of two nonfiction books about Northwest wine and co-founded Northwest Palate magazine. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Teaser Tuesday: Heist and High by Anthony Curcio

The shakes, panic and paranoia never let him think he had a long leash.  At this point, Anthony was taking anywhere from thirty to fifty hydrocodone or Oxycodone pills a day. 

-- Heist and High by Anthony Curcio and Dane Batty. Curcio went from golden boy to prescription drug addict, robbing an armored truck of over $400,000, and ending up in federal prison. This is his own story of crime and redemption.

Co-author and publisher, Dane Batty, is a technical writer and biographer who also wrote Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals.  He runs Nish Publishing Company.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Book Beginning: Heist & High by Anthony Curcio

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING

Anthony pulled the trigger on the can of bear mace, spraying the Brink's armored car messenger in the face. 

-- Heist and High by Anthony Curcio and Dane Batty. This is Curcio's own story of crime and redemption -- how he went from golden boy to prescription drug addict, robbing an armored truck of over $400,000.

Co-author Dane Batty is a writer and publisher, author of Wanted: Gentleman Bank Robber: The True Story of Leslie Ibsen Rogge, One of the FBI's Most Elusive Criminals.

2013 European Reading Challenge: Wrap Up & Winner

The 2013 European Reading Challenge
January 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014

THIS IS THE WRAP UP POST FOR 2013

TO FIND THE 2013 REVIEWS, GO TO THIS PAGE

TO FIND THE 2013 WRAP UP POSTS, GO TO THIS PAGE

THE 2014 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE IS LIVE NOW -- GO TO THIS PAGE TO SIGN UP OR READ MORE

2013 was the second year for this challenge, which involves reading books set in different European countries or written by authors from different European countries.

Big thanks to all the participants who joined me for the Grand Tour!

JET SETTER GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Edith from Edith's Miscellany was the big winner of the Jet Setter Grand Prize.  Edith posted reviews for books from 25 different countries!  She actually read 68 books set in or by authors from 38 countries, and wrote 32 reviews.  But she wins the prize for reviewing the most books all from different countries.

One of my favorite things about this challenge is that many people living in Eoropean countries participate.  Edith is a native of Austria, where she still lives and blogs.  Edith won a $25 gift card to the international Book Depository.  (Actually, she won a gift card in Euros, but I haven't figured that out yet.)

Honorary Mention (but no prizes) go to eleven participants who read 10 or more books:

• Srivalli at Valli's Book Den (23)
• Maphead's Book Blog (21)
• Jean at Howling Frog Books (16) 
• Marianne at Let's Read (16)
• Jen at Notes from the Officer's Club (16)
• Valentina at Peek-a-Book (13)
• Emma at Words and Peace (13) 
• Shonna at Canadian Bookworm (12)
• A Hot Cup of Pleasure (12)
• Ekatarina at In My Book (12)
• Bev at My Reader's Block (10)
• Julie at Smiling Shelves (10)

Congratulations to all 24+ readers who completed the challenge! Twenty-four people posted wrap-up posts.  For those who finished the challenge but didn't post a wrap-up (including me), feel free to do so now and link it on this page.

JOIN THE 2014 CHALLENGE! SIGN UP HERE.

The gist: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour.

Teaser Tuesday: Little Book of Self-Care by Della Rae

Holding on to yesterday is a self-defeating distraction.  The best thing we can do for ourselves is to begin to fully allow what happened in the past to stay there.

-- Little Book of Self-Care by Della Rae.  Della is a radio host, lecturer, and author with a background in starting and running non-profit organizations.  She is currently on the team at World Pulse, a global network connecting women through digital media.

Della's Little Book of Self-Care offers refreshingly honest advice highlighted by her personal stories.  She focuses on the basic building blocks of taking care of ourselves -- not typical self-care advice like take time to exercise, get more sleep, and pamper yourself. 

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event. 

Mailbox Monday: When Patty Went Away

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday!  MM was created by Marcia, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring event.  Mailbox Monday has now returned to its permanent home where you can link to your MM post.

Only one book came into my home last week, but it's a good one!



When Patty Went Away by Jeannie Burt.

This debut novel is set in eastern Oregon farm country in 1976, when times are tough and get worse when a local girl goes missing.  The book is generating a lot of praise and Burt has been described as a modern, darker version of Willa Cather.

The story sounds great and the setting evokes memories of my own childhood in a little Nebraska farm town. I can't wait to read this one.

I got my copy through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

Favorite Author: Wallace Stegner

Wallace Stegner (1909 to 1993) was an American historian, novelist, and short story writer, best known for writing about the American West. He founded the creative writing program at Stanford. He wrote 37 books of history, memoir, general non-fiction, short stories, and novels.

When I read Stegner's novels, I love them. But years go by when I forget to read any of his books, so I want to be more intentional about working through his novels, at least.  It looks like it will be hard to find some of his earlier works

Those I have read are in red; those on my TBR shelf are in blue.

WALLACE STEGNER NOVELS

Remembering Laughter (1937)
The Potter's House (1938; out of print)
On a Darkling Plain (1940; out of print)
Fire and Ice (1941; out of print)
The Big Rock Candy Mountain (1943)
Second Growth (1947)
The Preacher and the Slave (1950; reissued as Joe Hill: A Biographical Novel)
A Shooting Star (1961)
All the Little Live Things (1967)
Angle of Repose (1971; winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
The Spectator Bird (1976; winner of the National Book Award; reviewed here)
Recapitulation (1979)
Crossing to Safety (1987; on the Modern Library's Top 100 list)

OTHER STEGNER FANS

If you would like your reviews of Stegner books or other Stegner-related posts listed here, please leave a comment with a link and I will add it.