Happy Independence Day weekend to my Friends in the USA! I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July celebration lined up.
It looks like things are going to be pretty low-key around our place. I went on my first work trip since before the pandemic last weekend and came home with covid. Just like that! I thought I might be one of the few people to escape getting it, but no luck. I've been home from work all week, although more to quarantine myself because my symptoms are mild. Now Hubby has it and he is quite cranky with me!
I hope you take the time from your holiday (or not) weekend to share the first sentence (or so) of the books you are reading with all of us here on Book Beginnings on Fridays. You can also share from a book that caught your fancy this week even if you are not reading it right now.
MY BOOK BEGINNING
The twelve men congregated in the smoking room of the Crown Hotel gave the impression of a party accidentally met.
-- from Part One, "A Sphere within a Sphere," The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton.
Catton won the 2013 Booker Prize for this chunkster of a historical novel, set in the 1860s goldrush in New Zealand, packed with opium, fortune tellers, whores, tricksters, and lovers. I just finished it today and really liked it even if I didn't completely love it. The style and tone are pitch perfect and the story is enthralling. But it gets caught in occasional swirling eddies where the story spins around but doesn't move forward. And a lot of very complicated questions get only obliquely answered in the final chapter, and only in the subtitle, which is pretty cheeky.
YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS
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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 FRIDAY 56
Thrice already that morning the politician had protested the introduction of a new theme, returning always to his imperious patter about ships. Every time Balfour began to speak of local news, the politician declared himself sick to death of useless brooding about the hermit and the whore — when in fact, Balfour thought with annoyance, they hadn't discussed either event in any real detail, and certainly not from all corners and all sides.
So sorry to hear you and your husband have Covid. I hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon!
ReplyDeleteThe writing is definitely good. I like your description of the story caught in the eddies. I've read some books like that.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon!
Ooh yess, this one is also on my list! I have the audiobook version so I just need to find a week where I have 30 hours to spare xD I hope you recover soon, such a shame that your first trip with work ended this way! I hope you have a lovely weekend nonetheless :)
ReplyDeleteJuli @ A Universe in Words
Boo for Covid! I hope y'all recover quickly and symptoms stay mild. I'm currently reading The Luminaries, too! I like your description of it getting caught in occasional swirling eddies. That sounds about right. My husband read it first, loved it, and told me I'd love it, too, so I'm giving it a go.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear you and your husband have covid, hopefully his is mild as well. That's a very unique cover, hope you enjoy it. Have a great weekend! Cindy from Cindy's Book Corner.
ReplyDeletesorry to hear you've been dealing with covid. I really think everyone will at some point. Happy Reading!
ReplyDelete