First Lines Fridays: January 26, 2018

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
(Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, book 1)

Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

Together, this dynamic pair began a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed, ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod’s girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he’s bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? For all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!

Review: Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan

What started as a harmless fortune-telling gimmick leads to new-in-town Sarah being labeled a witch by her religious, conservative schoolmates. And now she’s dreaming of the Salem Witch Trials. Something sinister is brewing in Pine Crest!

Rating:  ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Genre:  young adult fiction, ya horror, ya thriller, ya paranormal mystery
Pros:  fairly realistic characters, interesting premise, easy read
Cons:  slightly rushed in some parts

I think this book is best described as “thriller-lite”. It would be a decent starter book for people wanting to try out the Thriller or Paranormal Mystery genres with something that won’t be too scary or confusing.

Some of the paranormal explanations felt a bit rushed and info dump-y; aside from that it wasn’t a bad story. I wouldn’t say it’s Duncan’s best novel, but it’s a decent easy read.

As fantastical as some of this book was, the part that stood out to me was the realistic portrayal of the insular, religious small town full of conservative bigots. At first glance, these characters might seem over-the-top, but I could almost mistake some of them for actual people I knew from my childhood.

I didn’t enjoy the use of the g*psy slur or the negative stereotypes about Romani people that were voiced by one of the characters. It’s actually a part of characterization not some preachy narration, so it wasn’t too bad, but if that is a thing which upsets you, skip this one.

Goodreads | Book Depository | Author’s Website

Thursday Quotables: January 25, 2018

This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week; whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written.


What kind of a world was it where in order to be on top you had to push others under — as if you were pushing heads down underwater — and hold them there until they drowned, and then you could be on top.

Summary:

The prospect of freedom is weighted with danger in this tale of high adventure, the third book in the Tales of the Kingdom series from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt.

Oriel has always stood out as someone who would not bend. No matter how much he has had to endure, the Damall’s cruelty cannot corrupt him. Griff, a boy who has watched and admired Oriel, is the opposite. He has learned to keep out of sight, to bow in the face of force. Yet the two became friends, and together they escaped from the terrors of the island and take with them the Damall’s most prized relic—the beryl, a green gemstone engraved with a falcon, its wings unfolding. But as they seek a new life, it’s not as easy as they’d hoped, for ahead lie raiding Wolfers, rival armies, and unspeakable dangers…


Thank you Bookshelf Fantasies for this fun book meme!

Tag THURSDAY: January 25, 2018

So the lovely Kelsie @ Bilbo Bookins has started doing a weekly Tag Tuesday post where they do a random book tag. Of course, I didn’t see the post until Wednesday, so here’s my Tag Tuesday Thursday!

Reading Habits:

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
No way man, I’ll read anywhere at all. Which is typically fine, except when it means I accidentally spend 3 hours on a stationary bike because I was too into a book to realize time was passing…
2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
Bookmarks! I just made myself stop dog-earing my books and use bookmarks, but I absolutely will not use random scraps of paper. I have no real reason, it just bugs me. The only non-bookmark thing I’m willing to use is a business card.
3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter or a certain amount of pages?
Oh sure, if it’s an interesting book I can set it down mid-sentence and not have a problem picking it back up again. Don’t tell my husband though or he’ll never let me get away with “just let me finish this page” ever again.
4. Do you eat or drink while reading?
Wait you expect me to put my book down long enough to eat a whole meal? Are you nuts? I’m always that person ignoring my dinner companions because I’m reading and eating. In fact, come to dinner with me and my mother and you can be ignored by us both!
5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
I actually have issues with certain ambient sounds so I keep the tv or some music on at all times. I just make sure it’s something I’ve seen before and it doesn’t distract me at all. As for music, I can be rocking out and singing along and still keep reading, so that’s an easy one.
6. One book at a time or several at once?
I used to be a strict “one book at a time” sort. It actually wasn’t until the past couple of years that I let myself read multiple books at one time. Now I actually like it a lot. My only rules are: no books in the exact same genre, and if it’s more than two books one has to be a reread.
7. Reading at home or everywhere?
Oh I never ever leave my house without a book (sometimes two). I read while I walk, I read while I wait anywhere, I’ll even read in the movie theatre if I don’t like the film.
8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?
I tend to read silently just because it’s faster, but there are some books that the writer’s voice is so enjoyable I will read long passages aloud to myself or to my husband.
9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?
Nooooooo. No. NO.
10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
See if I buy a book used and the spine is broken it doesn’t bother me at all, but when I buy a book all new and pretty I can’t bring myself to hurt it!
11. Do you write in your books?
I never write in a book, but not because I don’t like it. I just have really bad handwriting and can’t write small enough. If I want an annotation in a book I put it on a post-it and stick that to the relevant page.

Readabits:

1. When do you find yourself reading? Morning, afternoon, evening, whenever you get the chance or all the time?
Oh I’m an all-the-time reader for sure. That said, I do a lot more afternoon/evening/oops-I’ve-stayed-up-all-night reading, but that’s mostly because my sleep schedule is a joke.
2. What is your best setting to read in?
I’m not really sure I have an ideal setting, but that’s just because I don’t really have enough options to come up with one.
3. What do you do first–read or watch?
If I hear that a book is being made into a film to show I will prefer to read the book first, but a lot of times I don’t even realize something I’m watching was a book until I’ve already watched it, so I don’t have a hard and fast rule.
4. What form do you prefer–audiobook, e-book, or physical book?
Oh I completely prefer physical books, but not for any decent sort of reason. They just make me happy. I can’t feel at home in a place if I can’t see books somewhere. I do read ebooks though. It’s really just audiobooks that I don’t use and that’s just because I can’t focus on them very well.
5. Do you have a unique habit when you read?
I do a weird thing with the pages while I’m reading. I don’t know how to explain it. But I’ve been trying hard to not do it anymore because it’s technically damaging the page. Other than that, I mark words I like and write them in a notebook later with their definitions and etymology and the sentence from the book where I saw the word, but I wouldn’t call that exactly unique.
6. Do book series have to match?
I mean my head says no, but my OCD says yes…

She thought it might have been his thought that wakened her, as he crept toward the solitary holding; she thought that the danger in his thoughts had reached out to awaken her as surely as an alarm bell ringing out across the night.

– Cynthia Voigt, On Fortune’s Wheel, page 391 – 392

Version:
Paperback, 432 pages
Published May 26th 2015 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

WWW Wednesday: January 24, 2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?


Currently Reading:  The Wings of a Falcon (Tales of the Kingdom, book 3) by Cynthia Voigt

I’ve actually lost track of how many times I’ve read the Tales of the Kingdom books, but they are still my favorite.

Anytime I talk about a Voigt novel I talk about loving the way the protag thinks, and it’s never more true than in The Wings of a Falcon.

There is, and always will be, a special place in my heart for Oriel and Griff.

Note:  Also published as The Tale of Oriel, which is actually the version I’m reading this time because I don’t have access to my own copy.

Recently Finished:  Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin

I was puttering around Goodreads looking for new books or old books I had forgotten about, and was suddenly reminded how many books I read around middle school/early high school which featured teens who had been abducted as children…

This one in particular stood out in my memory and with it being a fairly easy read, I decided to just reread it that very night. I’ll admit the ending felt a bit rushed, but other than that it held up fairly well.

Reading Next:  Elske (Tales of the Kingdom, book 4) by Cynthia Voigt

Oh man I loooove me some Elske! She’s such a little badass.

It kills me that so few people seem to know about these books now, because they are so good. If you like Fantasy novels, you should really give Voigt’s Tales of the Kingdom series a try!

Note:  Also published as The Tale of Elske, which is the version I will be reading since I still don’t have access to my own copy.

I may make myself read something between Oriel and Elske just to drag it out a little longer, especially since my TBR is only growing these days. Not sure yet.

Top 5 Wednesday: January 24, 2018

So here’s the deal:  I have nothing for this week’s prompt, so I’m using last week’s prompt that I forgot to do!

Forgettable Books

Whether you loved or hated them at the time, these are books that you just don’t really remember…
To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, head over to their Goodreads Group!


Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely, book 1) by Melissa Marr

The only thing I remember from this book is the phrase:  “Don’t speak to invisible faeries.”

It was recommended in a tumblr post for books about fae, and when I looked it up I recognized just enough to know I had read it in high school, but nothing more, not even whether I liked it or not. So I got it from the library and I’m going to read it again. Wish me luck!

Palace of Stone (Princess Academy, book 2) by Shannon Hale

I’ve mentioned this before on both book blogs. I read Palace of Stone twice, once when it first came out and again when The Forgotten Sisters came out because I realized I couldn’t remember it. What makes it worse is I remember the first book perfectly and Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors, but this particular book just will not stick in my brain!

The Shadow Children Series // Margaret Peterson-Haddix

I know for a fact that I read several of the books in this series, but the only thing I remember is that it’s illegal to have more than 2 children. I do remember liking this series, but I don’t remember what happened that I liked…

The Kiesha’ra Series // Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

I mean, first of all, I haven’t even managed to finish the series, but I’ve read the first 3 (possibly 4) books 2-3 times each and I still remember nothing, aside from the fact that there are snake and bird people and they have trouble getting along. That’s it. I don’t even know what to do about this series anymore…

Literally Any Deb Caletti Novel

The thing is, I know that when I’m in a mood for a romance-y novel I have enjoyed Caletti books, and yet, despite having read some of them multiple times, I remember nothing that happened in any of them!


Let me know some books that just didn’t stick with you and why.