Book Beginning: Family Album by Penelope Lively

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.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

1.	Guiltless Reading	15.	Liz @ Freyja Eats Books	29.	Sharon @ Faith Hope & Cherrytea
2.	Kim @ Bookworm Book Reviews	16.	Adriana @ Books On Her Mind	30.	Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my!
3.	Laurel- Rain @Rainy Days & Mondays	17.	Hayley @ Rather Too Fondof Books	31.	Freda @ Fredas Voice
4.	Maria@ Queen of All She Reads	18.	Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews	32.	Abbi@ Christian Novels
5.	Jinan	19.	Debbie Rodgers @Exurbanis	33.	Susanne@ Living To Tell
6.	Friday Books @ Bev's Blog	20.	Kathy @ Ms. Martin Teaches Media	34.	Cara @ Periods and Semicolons
7.	Lauren @ Always Me	21.	Harvee@ Book Dilettante	35.	Tavleen @ Travelling Through Words
8.	Anne@ Head Fullof Books	22.	Kathy @ Inside of a Dog	36.	Fiction Zeal
9.	Yvonne@ Fiction Books	23.	Mareli @Mareli Thalk Ink	37.	Terra Terragarden
10.	Sandy @ Writing With a Texas Twang	24.	Lisa Ks Book Reviews	38.	Heather@ worthgettinginbedfor
11.	Marie @ Pages to Explore	25.	Karen @ The Well- Read Pirate Queen	39.	bookstraveller
12.	Mark @ Carstairs Considers	26.	Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library	40.	stacey@ Living the Dream
13.	Sam @ Bakey's Book Blog	27.	Clare @ Dual Reads	41.	Tea
14.	sherry @ fundinmental	28.	Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews	42.	You're next!

Please leave a comment after linking... Thank you!
Click here for Mister Linky's name/URL cookie removal tool.

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Gina turned the car off the road and into the driveway of Allersmead. At this point she seemed to see her entire life flash by.

-- Family Album by Penelope Lively.

This Aga Saga has a bite to it as we pick through the growing up years of the sprawling Harper family. It's reminiscent of Ian McEwan's family novels, as one would expect from the author of Moon Tiger, the Booker winner about a brother and sister enjoying a particularly close relationship.

TBT: Review: How to Find Morels

Throw Back Thursday

This review of How to Find Morels by Milan Pelouch, was first posted on March 29, 2008. I chose to repost it now because I've recently recommended this book to several people thinking of going morel mushroom hunting and because I love the enthusiasm in this little book. It will inspire anyone to dive into a hobby.  

Milan Pelouch is a 78 year old mushroom hunter who, in his charming guide, How to Find Morels (subtitled Even as Others are Coming Back Empty Handed) teaches how to identify and locate his favorite morels.

This slim volume is packed with practical information such as photographs identifying “true” and “false” morels, when to expect morels in different regions, and how to locate elusive morels by finding specific types of trees on which the mushrooms thrive. It is also full of folksy advice like the best way to carry morels while hunting (in a cloth bag) and the best way to store them (sauté in butter and freeze in plastic bags). He even includes several of his wife’s best morel recipes.

The book is a refreshing exhortation to enjoy the healthy, educational, and tasty pastime of mushroom hunting. Even for an armchair forager, How to Find Morels is a delight. As Pelouch says, “In less than an hour you can gain the needed know-how and will be flashing a big smile on the way home from a successful hunt instead of stewing in frustration after being skunked once again.” You can’t beat that!