Welcome to some bookish fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.
To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.
Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!
If you have been wanting to participate, but haven’t yet tried, now is the time!
What better way to spend a Friday?
Today I’m happy to share an ARC from next week’s list: Small Blessings, by Martha Woodroof, an inspiring tale of a small-town college professor, a remarkable new woman at the bookshop, and the ten-year old son he never knew he had.
Beginning: There she was, as welcome in this insular community as fresh air in a multiplex, a woman who, rumor had it, risked being happy. Tom had heard the most about her from Russell Jacobs, his colleague in the English Department, and now he was looking at her in the flesh, at this tall, slender, dark-haired creature, oddly stylish in her ill-fitting, baggy trousers and white T-shirt.
***
56: Agnes hesitated, then shook her head decidedly. “No, I’m teetering on the edge of maudlin as it is. I hate maudlin drunks.”
“It beats argumentative ones.”
***
Blurb: Tom Putnam has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life. An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing the oddball faculty in his department and caring, alongside his formidable mother-in-law, for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom’s brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.
Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop’s charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner, out of the blue, her first social interaction since her breakdown. Tom wonders if it’s a sign that change is on the horizon, a feeling confirmed upon his return home, where he opens a letter from his former paramour, informing him he’d fathered a son who is heading Tom’s way on a train. His mind races at the possibility of having a family after so many years of loneliness. And it becomes clear change is coming whether Tom’s ready or not.A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, Small Blessings‘s wonderfully optimistic heart that reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never can have imagined.
This sounds like a terrific story. I like books where someone’s orderly life is turned upside down and changed forever, and it sounds like that’s what happens here. I’ll be watching for your review of this one.
Here’s the link to my Friday post: WHAT MATTERS MOST.
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Thanks, Sandra, I am very excited to have this one…and glad you could stop by.
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This does sounds like a really nice read, I can see why you were excited for it! I love the description of Agnes in the beginning! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend!
My Friday post
Juli @ Universe in Words
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Thanks, Juli, and I hope you have a great weekend, too. I am so looking forward to this book.
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This sounds very good.
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I think so, too, Lisa, and thanks for visiting.
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You had me at “small-town college professor.” Sounds like my kind of read. My Friday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/07/friday-focus-friday-56-book-beginnings_11.html
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I love the set-up, too, Catherine….it sounds like the truly engaging kind of read I love. Thanks for visiting.
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This sounds interesting! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I’ll definitely have to look for it.
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Thanks for stopping by, Katherine; I’m very thrilled to have a copy of this one.
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Bookstores and Shakespeare? How can you go wrong? 🙂
THANKS for sharing and for stopping by my blog.
Going to checkout your review of Little Mercies.
How do you maintain so many blogs and have them looking so beautiful and organized? 🙂
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Book Beginnings
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Oh, thanks for the compliment, Elizabeth…I enjoy playing with the blogs…they are a time suck, but fun. I’m glad you could stop by, and I hope you enjoy your weekend.
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I am intrigued and have this on my wishlist now. Good choice!
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I am so happy to have a review copy, Rita…better for the budget, and it’s a chance to read the books early. Thanks for stopping by.
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The story intro is very appealing! I think I would enjoy reading this hopeful, up-beat book.
🙂
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Thanks, Pooch…I agree. Glad you could stop by.
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I would be eager to see how his wife reacts to the unknown son and how Rose figures in this. I bet Rose falls i love with the son! Let us know if that’s right!
Harvee
Book Dilettante
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I like those possibilities, too, Harvee…there are many surprises ahead. Thanks for stopping by.
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I would probably agree with that. Maudlin is better than argumentative.
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Definitely! Argumentative is my least favorite character trait. Thanks for visiting, Moonglint.
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Small Blessings sounds like a wonderful read. I will have to add this one to my list. It looks perfect for summer!
Happy Reading,
Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate
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I am looking forward to it, Rebecca…thanks for stopping by!
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Love the cover art! I think self pity is better than argumentative but still a bit sad. The affair doesn’t help either. This would hold my attention. Sounds like a good one. Happy summer!
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I agree, Lady D…thanks for visiting. Enjoy your weekend.
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I don’t like argumentative drunkards either. I’ve known a few in my time though, sadly.
Happy weekend!
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Ah, yes, Freda…I can say the same. Not a fan. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend.
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Oh, I definitely agree. I’m not a fan of argumentative characters either. The drama they bring to the table is often over the top.
This sounds like an interesting read. I’ll have to add it to my TBR so I can see how Tom will handle his new-found situation!
Thanks for sharing, Laurel!
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I am eager to see how the characters handle everything, too. Thanks for stopping by, Keira.
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I don’t think I would like this Tom character but I’m glad you’re enjoying it 😀
My BB & 56
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Yes, his behavior is somewhat questionable. Thanks for visiting, Fiza.
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“…a woman who, rumor had it, risked being happy”
I’d like to take more risks in this area. I fear the risk of happiness because once it’s taken for you, the aftermath is painful. I would read this book just to experience this risk through Agnes 🙂
Sparrow’s BB & Friday 56
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Yes, I like that idea, Claudia…better to experience it with a character in a book! Thanks for stopping by.
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This sounds really good. Have a great weekend!
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Thanks, Yvonne…I am really excited about this one.
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I woudn’t prefer either 😉 I hope you’re enjoying your summer so far!
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I am enjoying my summer, Aloi, and thanks for stopping by.
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I also prefer maudlin to argumentative and small-town college professor is appealing. I hope you enjoy the book!
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I just started it this afternoon and haven’t really gotten into it very far…but so far, so good. Thanks for stopping by, Bea.
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