First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Color of Water in July by Nora Carroll

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts this fun way to share a bit of the book you are currently reading or a book you want to read soon. And even more important is the chance to take a peek at what others are reading to see if you might find one you want to try. Be warned!  Your TBR list could grow a lot.


This week I am reading a book that has been on my Kindle for sometime. I was attracted to the cover at first. Then I read the blurb on Goodreads.  However, you know how it is. So many books, so little time, and I did not get to it right away. Well, along comes a reading challenge in the Goodread's group, Love of Reading. One of the categories is to read a book with one of the following words in the title: "July", "Flag","American", "Day", "Sun", "Nation", "Patriot", "Duty","Freedom", " Birth", "Red", "Blue", "White" or "County".  There were lots of books to chose from, but I had this one already downloaded on my Kindle and so it is the one I chose.

The Color of Water in July
Nora Carroll
Published March 2011 by Amazon Digital Services
  (first published in a slightly different form with the title Hemingway Point)

Jess age 34

Chapter One

There must be a precise moment when wet cement turns dry, when it no longer accepts footprints, or scratched in declarations of love; on ordinary moment, unnoticed, just like any. But in that moment, the facts of life can change.

At the age of thirty-three, Jess thought she knew everything there was to know about leaving places: getting on a plane or stepping into a car, and moving forward, on to the next thing. 

She had not yet learned the art of going back. 

So would you try this one?  I am wondering why she is going to need to go back?

Check out the Goodreads synopsis HERE.


Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Saturday Snapshots The Bad, the Ugly and the Good of the Season 7-4-15

Saturday Snapshots is hosted each week by  West Metro Mommy Reads . To share a photo or a few  there are a few rules, check them out at Melinda's blog.

On Thursday this week, Mr. Busy and I were watching Longmire. ( His Father's Day gift, the season 3 CD).  The window were open, the evening was warm, there had been fireworks earlier in the evening. They are prohibited in our town, by the way, but I don't call the PD because it's dark and you can't really tell who is setting them off or exactly where they are coming from. I got up to get us some ice cream and noticed a orange/yellow glow. I moved to the patio door and saw flames leaping into the sky at least 18 feet. I yelled at Mr. B to call 911.

About that time, I heard sirens so knew that someone already had called the Fire Department. My husband decided to use the garden hose in the back yard to wet down the tree that stands directly behind our garage and about 2 1/2 feet from the neighbors hedge.  ( He is a retired volunteer fireman).

Long story short (Mr B says I lay every nail in the railroad when I tell a story ), this is a picture from across the street of our house. I had the dog and my purse and my cell phone , just as the FD arrived. The neighbors juniper shrubs were on fire from a smoke bomb the kids had rolled down the street.

This is about 5 minutes later and you can see there is just smoke , the fire is basically out. We did not lose anything, nor did our neighbor (except his hedge) and no one was hurt. So all is well, but it was close to our house and our neighbor's. Thankfully the FD responded quickly and there was no wind.

In the daylight it doesn't look  quite so scary, but you can see the burned remains of the hedge surrounding the front yard of our neighbor's yard. The large tree on the right is ours, and located directly behind our garage.

                                  On a happier note        Happy 4th of July. 

 This is a quick snapshot of our buffet, inherited from my mom when she moved into the nursing home. I try to decorate it with signs of the season each month if I can. I made the scrappy table runner to fit. It is only 36" across, short for a table runner.  The other things are just candles and a picture that were elsewhere in the house.

This is a little banner that I made last year. It makes me smile and hangs by my front door.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend. Let's make memories and smores!!

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - State of the Onion - Julie Hyzy

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. It is a place to share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon. Post about your first chapter first paragraph then link up at Diane's blog. It is a great way to get a glimpse into a book you have been thinking about too or maybe one you never would have considered otherwise. 

State of the Onion
Julie Hyzy
Berkley Prime Crime
2008


Chapter 1
  
I slid my employee pass into the card reader at the Northeast gate of the White House, and waited for verification--a long, shrill chirp that always made me wince. The pedestrian gate unlocked with a click and one of the guards, Freddie, emerged from the checkpoint to greet me. Like all of the staff here, he was fit, smart, and imposing. But he had a soft spot for those of us in the kitchen. We gave the guys cookies when we had time to make an extra batch.

" Hey, Ollie," he said, looking at a bulky parcel in my hand, "What's that?"


A pretty benign beginning, but setting up the chapter pretty well. Do you read cozy mysteries?  I have come to like them a lot. They are a favorite genre. I have a lot of favorites...most of them. 

Would you read on?


Hoping to finish this one today and then begin the another library find. I'll probably feature that one next week. 


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

The Boston Girl - What's In a Name Challenge 2015

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Addie Baum begins to tell the story of her life to her 22 year old granddaughter, when Ava asks, "How did you get to be the woman you are today?"  Addie is 85 and begins her story in 1915, the year she joined the library group at a neighborhood settlement house for girls. It was there that she found her voice, and made friends with teachers and other young girls who would become lifelong friends.

I love how the story is told as a grandmother talking to her granddaughter. It feels private and personal and truthful. The chapters all have names, like What are friends for?, or How do you go on after that?, and It made me feel like a real Boston girl.

Ms Diamant tells an unforgettable story about family, remarkable friendships, and feminism from the POV of a young Jewish girl growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century.


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Saturday Snapshots - A Boy and his dog!

Join us at West Metro Mommy Reads to share a photo or a few. There are a few rules, check them out at Melinda's blog.

Our grandkids have a new puppy. He is an English Bulldog and his name is Stoic. Our great grandson thinks he is pretty special. And Stoic likes JR too.

"Come Stoic"

Stoic sound asleep on JR's splat mat underneath the highchair. "zonked"


There is something special about a small boy and a puppy.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. The Summer Hideaway

Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. It is a place to share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon. Post about your first chapter first paragraph then link up at Diane's blog. It is a great way to get a glimpse into a book you have been thinking about too or maybe one you never would have considered otherwise. 

The Summer Hideaway #7 in The Lakeshore Chronicles

Susan Wiggs

Published 2010 by Mira Books

Prologue

Korengal Valley, Kunar province, Afghanistan

His breakfast consisted of shoestring potatoes that actually did look and taste like shoestrings, along with reconstituted eggs, staring up at him from a compartmentalized tray in the noisy chow hall. His cup was full of a coffeelike substance, lightened by a whitish powder. 

At the end of a two-year tour of duty, Ross Bellamy had a hard time looking at morning chow. He'd reached his limit. Fortunately for him, this was his last day of deployment.  It seemed like any other day--tedious, yet tense with the constant and ominous hum of imminent threat. Radio static crackled along with the sound of clacking utensils, so familiar to him by now that he barely heard it.  At the comm station, an ops guy for the Dustoff unit was on alert, awaiting the next call for a medical evacuation. 

I shared two paragraphs today. I felt like the first one did not give you a good indication as to where this story might be headed.


I am on page 21, barely started, but already I think I have an idea of what will happen next. So would you read on?

This definitely falls in the genre of contemporary romance, fictions, chick lit, etc. I used to read more of this genre, but not so much lately. However, it was loaned to me by a friend and it is summer so I decided to make this one the book I leave in the car. I have a small canvas bag that hold a book, a notebook and a pen. It is there when I need it to pass the time waiting in line, waiting on my DH while he is in the hardware store or any other time I am idle.


Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Working on completing a challenge - Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is why I am a Jodi Picoult fan. She takes the tough parts of life and lets us see how they affect us all.

I developed a kind of love/hate relationship with Paige O'Toole. She was beautiful, talented, loved, but still she couldn't see that she was also valuable, strong, and worthy. I guess like all of us. And I really did not like Nicholas. A whinny spoiled kid who is a skilled cardiac surgeon, but obviously with no bedside manner whatsoever. He patients like him because he is good and he is gorgeous!  Really!!!

Ms. Picoult did address issues like postpartum depression, abandonment, lack of self worth, and also strength, forgiveness, and the power of love of a child to really to bottom of some of our more self-centered issues.

If you are a Picoult fan, you no doubt will like this book. Although lots of her books are more compelling this one is pretty insightful, in my opinion.



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