Mailbox Monday: Queen of Spades by Michael Shou-Yung Shum

One new book came to me last week How about you?



Queen of Spades by Michael Shou-Yung Shum. This debut novel re-imagines Pushkin's fable of the same name, but set in a Washington state casino in the 1980s. Forest Ave. Press puts out terrific books with eye popping covers, many of them like this one designed by Portland artist Gigi Little.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

Book Beginning: Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The boulevard du Cange was a broad, quiet street that marked the eastern flank of the city of Amiens.

It took a long work trip to get me to finally read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks.

I know everyone seems to love Birdsong, but I’ve had my fill of WWI books. That’s why it took me so long to get around to this one. There are only so many descriptions of trench warfare I can read. I'm now halfway through and I'll finish it, but I can't say it's doing all that much for me. And I find this blurry cover insipid. Thoughts?

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, Instagram, 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.





MY ORIGINAL POST THIS WEEK:

PLEASE JOIN ME FOR BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS!

Pardon this makeshift version. I’m in the Missoula, Montana airport, trying to get this post up. My flight was delayed two hours and I am without laptop.

I’ll fix this in the morning. For now, please leave your Book Beginning link here:

Teaser Tuesday: I'm Dyin' Here by Tim Grobaty

The newspaper never closed. . . . The thundering presses in the basement worked without rest, churning out five editions each day to meet the needs of readers' varied preferences and habits.

-- I'm Dyin' Here: A Life in the Paper by Tim Grobaty, published by Brown Paper Press.

Grobary's lighthearted essays look back at his life as a newspaper columnist, contemplating whether he will die at his desk or the industry will die around him.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday

Two new books came into my house last week. How about you?



Bitter is the Wind by Jim McDermott. This coming-of-age, father/son novel is described as a "deft and timely deconstruction of the American dream." It's getting good reviews, like this one on Huffington Post.



Legends of the Northern Paiute, as told by Wilson Wewa, compiled and edited by James A. Gardner, published by OSU Press. This is the culmination of a cool project to preserve the previously unrecorded Northern Paiute legends. The picture on the cover is Monkey Face Rock in central Oregon.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

Book Beginning: I'm Dyin Here by Tim Grobaty

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I am. I'm dying here. Ask my doctor.

-- I'm Dyin' Here: A Life in the Paper by Tim Grobaty. This collection of essays looks at newspaper life, contemplating that, as the newspaper industry dies around him, this longtime columnist might just die at his job.

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, Instagram, 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

Teaser Tuesday: My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

The physical act of cooking gives me enormous pleasure, but I also like watching what it does for others. Even the angriest person is soothed by the scent of soup simmering on the stove.

-- My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl. When Gourmet magazine abruptly shut down in the fall of 2009, its Editor in chief, Ruth Reichl, "disappeared into the kitchen" to figure out how what to do with herself. At 61, she was not ready to retire, but had no plans for what to do next.

Reichl reads the audiobook herself, which I love for nonfiction books.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Book Beginning: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Sorry for not posting last night -- my work day got away from me! I don't usually write here about my work, but the news about the Boy Scouts letting girls has my head spinning.

As a lawyer who has represented over 100 adults who were sexually abused as kids in Scouts, I have big reservations about letting more girls in. Girls have been in Explorer Scouts since 1971. I currently represent six women who were sexually molested by the leader of their coed Explorer post when they were as young as 11. I really think the BSA needs to offer full transparency about its history of sexual abuse before inviting more, and younger, girls to join.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

MY BOOK BEGINNING



One upon a time, there was a man named Jack Gilbert, who was not related to me -- unfortunately for me.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am getting a lot out of this short book. It is aimed at artists or writers, but her thoughts are applicable to anyone who wants to think more creatively about a career or enthusiasm.

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, Instagram, 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

Teaser Tueday: The Inheritance of Shame by Peter Gajdics

The political history of Europe, which both of my parents discussed without hesitation, interested me far less than their personal experiences of war, which neither would even mention. I could never ask them anything about their "emotional lives" in Europe, that much I knew.

-- The Inheritance of Shame: A Memoir by Peter Gajdics, published by Brown Paper Press.

Gajdics grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, raised by Eastern European parents who struggled with trauma from their own pasts.

His new memoir explores his struggle of growing up gay, spending years in "conversion therapy" trying not to be, suing his psychiatrist, and finally reclaiming his life on his own terms.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Malcolm Bradbury

Eating People is Wrong has always been my favorite book title, and I love campus novels, but I’ve never read Malcolm Bradbury’s books. So I went on a mini-binge and got these four from Book Depository because I love the covers.

Eating People is Wrong

The History Man

Rates of Exchange

To the Hermitage

Any Malcolm Bradbury fans?

Unfortunately, there are two others from the same re-issued editions that are not available. I would love to have a complete set!

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

Book Beginning: The Inheritance of Shame by Peter Gajdics

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

By the third time the car had circled the block, I knew the man was interested.

-- The Inheritance of Shame: A Memoir by Peter Gajdics, published by Brown Paper Press.

Gajdics grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, raised by Eastern European parents who struggled with their own tormented histories. His new book tells the story of growing up gay, spending six years in "conversion therapy" trying not to be, suing his psychiatrist, and finally attempting to reclaim his life, his family, and his truth.

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, Instagram, 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

Teaser Tuesday: My Father's Ledger by Mary Mills

“I would like to begin today by saying that I don’t have any expectations for either of you to make any kind of statement or apology to me. In fact, I would almost prefer that you didn’t try to say anything to appease me.”

-- My Father's Ledger: Sex Abuse by a Catholic Priest - A Family's Story of Grace Survival and Healing by Mary Mills, from Chapter One, "Grace: At the Table With the Priests."

Mary Mills' memoir tells the story of how her Catholic family was torn apart when their priest seduced the mother and later sexually abused her younger sister. But she goes further and explains how they were able to come together again as adults.

This book touches me personally because I was one of the attorneys who represented the sister in her claim against the Jesuits. The scene above is from the meeting between our client and the perpetrator priest and a representative from the Jesuits, which we negotiated as part of the resolution of her claim so she could speak her piece.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Mailbox Monday: Brown Paper Press

I'm excited about these three books from Brown Paper Press! Two are essay collections, one is a memoir.



Burdens by Water: An Unintended Memoir by Alan Rifkin. A collection of essays about life in Southern California.



I'm Dyin' Here: A Life in the Paper by Tim Grobaty. In this collection of essays, the author contemplates life as a newspaper columnist, including the ideas that he might die at his job and that the newspaper industry is dying around him.



The Inheritance of Shame: A Memoir by Peter Gajdics. The author spent six years in a cult-like version of conversion therapy that attempted to “cure” him of his homosexuality.

A little backstory: My parents turned me on to Brown Paper Press. My folks have been good friends since the 1950s with the parents of founder Wendy Thomas Russell. When our parents were visiting this summer, they put it together that I have a book blog and Wendy is a book publisher, so they hooked us up. Good connection! I think the last time we saw each other, I was maybe in first grade and Wendy was in a stroller!

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.