Teaser Tuesdays (25)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


The Almond Picker
by Simonetta Agnello Hornby

Massimo was standing, his hands clutching the back of a chair as if he were trying to break it. In a loud voice, as if he needed everyone in the building to hear, he said, "All she ever wanted to do was mortify us. This document is dripping with poison."

It's interesting, because this book has been translated from Italian. I'm only a few chapters in, and I can't wait to get deeper into the book. I sense some scandal coming along... exciting!

Teaser Tuesdays (24)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.

Family Sold Separately
by Kate Long

"I've been thinking about things, Poll, and I want you to call me Kat." I said it quite loudly, partly because there was a bouncy theme tune to contend with, and partly because I wanted her to understand right from the word go that I was serious about it. Poll's frowning face appeared around the door. "You want me to call you a cat?" "No," said Dogman's voice from behind her. "Don't be daft. She wants you to call her a cab."

This book is a riot! It's so British and it's so funny. This is one of my favourite moments so far in the book. It's a perfect example of how Katherine's life at home is both frustrating and comical. Review coming soon!

Teaser Tuesdays (23)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.



The Girl She Used to Be by
David Cristofano

Name me. Gaze into my eyes, study my smile and my dimples and tell me who you see. I look like an Emma. I look like an Amy. I look like a Katherine.

I'm a few moments away from starting The Girl She Used to Be. The teaser is actually the first few sentences from the book. Isn't it a cool way to start?

In My Mailbox (20)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

Yaaay! I just got back from the library, which was mysteriously closed yesterday. Anyways, I have tons of cool books to show you all. Feast your eyes.

A Good And Happy Child by Justin Evans
George Davies can't bring himself to hold his newborn son. After months of accepting his lame excuses and strange behaviour, his wife has had enough. She demands that he see a therapist, and George, desperate to save his unraveling marriage and redeem himself as a father and husband, reluctantly agrees. As he delves into his childhood memories, he begins to recall things he hasn't thought of in twenty years. Events, people, and strange situations come rushing back. The odd, rambling letters his father sent home before he died. A boy who appeared one night when George was lonely, then told him secrets he didn't want to know. But when a mysterious murder is revealed, remembering the past becomes the only way George can protect himself - and his young family. - From back cover

Family Sold Separately by Kate Long
On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Katherine has a complete lack of friends, a pudgy figure, and one extremely eccentric, nearly blind grandmother name Poll. Since Katherine's father died and her mother disappeared, Poll is Katherine's only family. And not only does Poll buy all of Katherine's clothes, but she forbids her to leave the house unless it's absolutely necessary. Would a chance to go to Oxford count? But the bigger question is: How can Katherine abandon her grandma?
- From back cover

The Almond Picker by Simonetta Agnello Hornby
The child of poor farmers, La Mennulara became a maid for a well-to-do local family when she was only a girl; by dint of hard work and intelligence, she became the indispensable administrator of the family’s affairs. Still, she was a mere servant, and now (as this story begins) she is dead. As the details unfold about this mysterious woman, The Almond Picker assumes the witty suspense of a thriller, the emotional power of a love story, and the evocative atmosphere of a historical novel. Set in Sicily in the 1960s, a violent, complicated society in the midst of tumultuous change, The Almond Picker is the story of a woman who negotiated for her freedom as no one else dared. - From Goodreads

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano
After 20 years in the Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC) and eight aliases, Melody Grace McCartney hardly knows who she is. On the run since she and her parents stumbled on a gruesome murder by mobster Tony Bovaro when she was six years old, Grace saw WITSEC’s promised protection fail her mother and father when they were killed 12 years later. Now she feigns personal danger to be relocated just because she’s bored and wants a change. But before her new case officer can move her from suburban Maryland to rural Wisconsin, Tony’s son, Jonathan, tracks her down to present an alternative: protection from his family and a life of more safety and freedom than she has ever known. While federal officials pressure her to stay in WITSEC and show her Jonathan’s violent side, her attraction to him grows, and she must decide a course for the rest of her life. -From Goodreads

The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight by Gina Ochsner
In a crumbling apartment building in post-Soviet Russia, there’s a ghost who won’t keep quiet. Mircha fell from the roof and was never properly buried, so he sticks around to heckle the living: his wife, Azade; Olga, a disillusioned translator/censor for a military newspaper; Yuri, an army veteran who always wears an aviator’s helmet; and Tanya. Tanya carries a notebook wherever she goes, recording her observations and her dreams of finding love and escaping her job at the All-Russia All-Cosmopolitan Museum, a place which holds a fantastic and terrible collection of art knockoffs created using the tools at hand, from foam to chewing gum, Popsicle sticks to tomato juice. When the museum’s director hears of a mysterious American group seeking to fund art in Russia, it looks like she might get her chance at a better life, if she can only convince them of the collection’s worth.
-From Goodreads

Don't these sound fantastic? And they were all random finds, too. I tried to take out some of the books you guys suggested to me in Sunday's post, but couldn't find them. Oh well - these will keep me entertained!

Teaser Tuesdays (22)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


Mister Pip by
Lloyd Jones

"You cannot pretend to read a good book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames."

I haven't reached the part in the book that this quote is from, but it's on the back cover. I loved it so much that I had to use it for this week's teaser!

Teaser Tuesdays (21)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


Fixing Shadows by
Susan Barrett

"Perhaps it is the pain and loss of blood that make her feel so airy - so light-hearted and light-headed. It is as though the core of her has been scooped away, leaving her so hollow she could float right up to the ceiling."

Don't you just love that visual? This book started off very interestingly... I can't wait to advance more in the plot. The writing is a bit formal and stiff, so hopefully I'll get into the swing of it soon. Feel free to post a link to your own teaser - I'd love to see it!

In My Mailbox (19)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

I just came back from this used book store that I recently discovered. Actually, I've seen it on the corner of the street before, but never ventured inside! I'm glad I finally did, because I found three books for just over fifteen dollars that sound so good.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book - a beautiful volume of fairytales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity. But it's not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. - From back of book

Fixing Shadows by Susan Barrett
On the night the Duchess of Fainhope is delivered of the baby whose head the future of the title rests, her governess, Miss Mantilla, secretly gives birth to an illegitimate son of her own. But the noble heir who will secure his mother's status does not survive the night, while the other, nameless boy survives. So a swap is arranged: the dead child for the living. The two women are locked into a pact that will seal their own fates, and that of the Duchess's empire. - From back of book

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Thirteen-year-old Matilda lives on a copper-rich tropical island that has been shattered by war, from which the teachers have fled along with everyone else. Only one white man chooses to stay behind - the eccentric Mr. Watts, object of much curiosity and scorn. He sweeps out the ruined schoolhouse and steps in to teach the children when there is no one else, and his only lessons consist of reading from his battered copy of Great Expectations, a book by his friend Mr. Dickens. - From back of book

I can't wait to get started on these books! Have you read them yourself? Did you like them? And, as always, feel free to leave a link to your own IMM post.

Teaser Tuesdays (20)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.

River's Edge by
Marie Bostwick

"The tiny flowers drifted lazily through the night like snowflakes, taking their time, as if they knew this was their singular dance, their moment of glory, and that once they hit the ground they would become just another bit of fluff in a carpet of flowers, destined to be trod on by careless feet."

I wasn't expecting to like this book, but it's turning out to be a keeper! I do have a few issues with it (nothing major), but I'll leave those for the review. Keep an eye out - I'll probably have it posted by tomorrow.

In My Mailbox (18)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

I know, I know - I'm just a tad late with my IMM post this week! But after finishing Murder on the Orient Express, I literally had no books to read. What a tragedy! So yesterday I made a trip to the library and picked up these gems.

Petropolis by Anya Ulinich
Sasha Goldberg is the ultimate outsider: she's a chubby, biracial Jewish girl from the Siberian town of Asbestos 2. Her father takes off for the Unites States, and leaves Sasha to navigate adolescence in a bleak apartment block with her overbearing mother. At fourteen Sasha falls in love with an art school dropout who lives inside a concrete pipe in the town dump. Following her heart gets her into trouble at home, so she flees Russia as a mail-order bride and lands in suburban Arizona. Then, Sasha abandons her Red Lobster-loving fiance and embarks on a misadventure-filled journey across American in search of her father. - From back of book

Broken by Daniel Clay
Skunk Cunningham has a loving dad, an absent mother, and a brother who plays more Xbox than is good for him. She has a crush on her teacher, Mr. Jeffries, and fond feelings for Mrs. Buckley, who lives across the street and always has time for her questions. But Skunk also has the neighbours from hell: the five Oswald girls and their thuggish dad, Bob, are vicious bullies whose reign of terror extends unchallenged over their otherwise quiet suburban square.
- From back of book

River's Edge by Marie Bostwick
After the death of her mother, Elise Braun travels to the United States to start a new life. Her father only wants to save his daughter from the impending war in her native Germany - and the horrors of the new Nazi regime. But Elise can only feel a sense of abandonment and resentment toward the one man who is supposed to protect her. An accomplished pianist, music has become her only solace from the lonliness and loss that makes it so difficult for her to love or trust anyone... - From back of book

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous, The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, whose neighborhood is one of harsh realities and harsh beatuy. Esperanza doesn't want to belong - not to her rundown neighborhood, and not to the low expectations the world has for her. Esperenza's story is that of a young girl coming into her power, and inventing for herself what she will become.
- From back of book

The Silver Needle Murder by Laura Childs
Theodosia Browning and the sraff of Indigo Tea Shop are feeling the heat, and not just because it's August. The Charleston Film Festival has brought them a busy week of catering jobs - and first up is the opening night gala at the historic Belvedere Theatre. But the festival starts off with a bang when famous director Jordan Cole is shot on his way to the podium and the entire audience witnesses his death silhouetted across the scrim.
- From back of book

Now that I have a good suppply of books, I can get some quality reading done. Have you heard of or read any of these books? I'd love to hear about it!

Teaser Tuesdays (19)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie

"'Let us all three close our eyes and think... One or more of those passengers killed Ratchett. Which one of them?'"

I'm so, so close to finishing this book! I've already seen the movie (which seems to be a reoccurring mistake of mine), so I know who did the crime. But I've forgotten all the details, so it's nice to refresh my memory. Stay tuned for a review being posted tomorrow, maybe!

Teaser Tuesdays (18)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.

Book: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Author: Agatha Christie

" 'But, just that, monsieur. Every one of you in this room is concealing something from me.' He raised his hand as a faint murmur of protest arose. 'Yes, yes, I know what I am saying. It may be something unimportant - trivial - which is supposed to have no bearing on the case, but there it is. Each one of you has something to hide. Come, now, am I right?' "

I'm over half way done this book, and I can't help but have the feeling that something else is about to happen. I'll just have to wait and see, then!

Teaser Tuesdays (17)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


Book: Tender Morsels
Author: Margo Lanagan

"I tried - I tried as I had with the daughters, tried to dredge up the person-ness in myself, to see into the person of her. She was not like anyone I could remember - any woman, any man. She searched my eyes all the while. I hoped she saw in them, inside this confident, clumsy bear, that vestigial man and his confusions."

I have just a few more chapters left to this book. It's extremely odd, but wonderful. I'll leave the rest of my feelings for the review!

In My Mailbox (17)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

Yesterday, I made a rare trip to the book store. I usually get my books from the library, but I had this sudden urge to buy more Agatha Christie books for my collection at home. So, I did! Here's what I got.

Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha ChristieEn route to Paris, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot has booked winter passage on the fabled Orient Express. Among the assortment of fellow passengers, one wealthy American holds a unique distinction: He has been found dead of multiple stab wounds in the night compartment of the Calais coach. By dawn, thirteen travelers, each bearing a secret, will find themselves suspect in the most ingenious crime Poirot has ever solved...

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
by Agatha ChristieA widow's suicide has stirred suspicion and dreadful rumors - of blackmail, and of a secret lover named Roger Ackroyd, who was stabbed to death in his study. And there are rumors that his neighbour, Hercule Poirot, doesn't have a clue who did it.

I haven't read a Christie book in a while, and I've been craving a good, solid mystery. I saw the movie version of Murder on the Orient Express, so I kind of know what happens. But that was a long time ago, and plus - I want to read the book version. As for the other one, I don't know much about it except that it's one of her most famous books. I can't wait to get started!

What's in your mailbox? Feel free to leave a link so I can come visit!

Teaser Tuesdays (16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


Book: The Ask and the Answer
Author: Patrick Ness

"The soldiers look more astonished than angry, but they have no Noise, so there's no way to know. But they're carrying rifles. And they're raising them at us. 'And who the hell is this?' one barks, a middle-aged man with a shaved head and a scar down his jaw line."

In My Mailbox (16)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

Hey! This week I have two awesome books to show you all. I had them on hold from the library and they just came in yesterday. I'm way too excited to read them.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness:
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then one day, the bombs begin to explode... - From back of book


Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan:
Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, given to her by natural magic in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters, gentle Branza and curious Urdda, grow up in this soft world, protected from the violence and prejudice that harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever - magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga's refuge. Now, having known heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side? - From back of book

I really loved The Knife of Never Letting Go, and I've heard that The Ask and the Answer is a great follow-up. As for Tender Morsels, all I can say is that I'm curious. I have next to no knowledge about what the story is actually about, so I'm going into this one with no expectations. Let's hope it's a success!

What's in your mailbox? Please feel free to leave a link so I can come visit.

Teaser Tuesdays (15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!
- Share the title and author, too.


Book: Oryx and Crake
Author: Margaret Atwood

"Snowman opens his eyes, shuts them, opens them, keeps them open. He's had a terrible night. He doesn't know which is worse, a past he can't regain or a present that will destoy him if he looks at it too clearly."

In My Mailbox (15)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

Hello everyone! I decided to do my IMM post this week even though I said I was taking time off to (ugh) study. But I have two great books that I wanted to show off, so here goes.

Florence & Giles by John Harding:

1891. In a remote and crumbling New England mansion, 12-year-old orphan Florence is neglected by her guardian uncle and banned from reading. Left to her own devices she devours books in secret and talks to herself - and narrates this, her story - in a unique language of her own invention. By night, she sleepwalks the corridors like one of the old house's many ghosts and is troubled by a recurrent dream in which a mysterious woman appears to threaten her younger brother Giles. Sometimes Florence doesn't sleepwalk at all, but simply pretends to so she can roam at will and search the house for clues to her own baffling past.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman:
Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones. Stay true to her first love - music - even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends. Then, one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

So, those are the books that will keep me company this week. Have you read any of them? Did you enjoy them? I'd love to hear about it!

In My Mailbox (14)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

Only one new book this week - it's one that I saw on another blog and reserved it from the library right away! The plot sounds fantastic so I'm pretty excited to get started on it.

Life as we Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer: When Miranda first hears the warnings that a meteor is headed on a collision path with the moon, they just sound like an excuse for extra homework. But her disbelief turns to fear in a split second as the entire world witnesses a lunar impact that knocks the moon closer in orbit, catastrophically altering the earth's climate. Everthing in Miranda's life fades away as supermarkets run out of food, gas goes up in price, and school is closed indefinitely. But what Miranda and her family don't realise is that the worst is yet to come.

Doesn't that sound cool? I also can't wait to start it because it's told in diary format, which is always interesting in a book. Have you read Life as we Knew It? What did you think? Also, feel free to leave a link to your IMM post so I can come visit.

Teaser Tuesdays (14)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
Be careful not to include spoilers!

- Share the title and author, too.

The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness

"It's weird, it is, hiding somewhere, in the trees or outta sight, a spot where yer ears and yer mind are telling you there's no Noise. It's like a shape you can't see except by how everything else around it is touching it. Like water in the shape of a cup, but with no cup."

I'm a few chapters into this book and I can already see why everyone likes it! I need to finish this post so I can continue reading - I'm at a very suspenseful part and I'm dying to see what happens.

In My Mailbox (13)

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is where you share the recent books you've bought/received/taken out from the library.

I only have one new book this week (It was hard, but I refrained from going to the library) and it's a great one. Marce from Tea Time With Marce was too kind. All of the sudden she decided to buy some of her followers a book, just to say thanks. I thought that was very, very sweet of her! So this is the book that she bought me, and I can't tell you how excited I am to read it.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood:
Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey - with the help of the green-eyed children of Crake - through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride (from back of book).

You guys are probably tired of seeing me read Margaret Atwood books, but I can't resist not reading Oryx and Crake. I didn't know this, but it's the prequel to her newest book, "The Year of the Flood". What's in your mailbox this week? Feel free to leave a link so I can come visit.