Book Beginnings on Friday (5)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a weekly meme hosted by Gilion over at Rose City Reader.  She recently took over this weekly meme.  Basically, we post the opening sentence for whatever book we are reading and what we think about it.  I’ve never really done anything like that, and only occasionally pay attention to the first sentence of book…usually only if it really appeals to me. Clicking the image above will take you to Gilion’s Book Beginning for today.

I’m still reading The Count of Monte Cristo and I posted that first sentence last week.

But I have started F nish  Th s B   k by Keri Smith since last week, so here’s the first line of that one:

“INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Complete this book in order. Do not skip ahead (unless instructed to). You will be presented with assignments as you need to learn them.”

There is actually a quote from If On a Winter’s Night A Traveler, but I wanted to put the first words from the book itself.  It’s a pretty interesting book, very interactive.  There are actually 3 steps to the instructions.  But you’ll have to get a copy yourself to see the rest!

Happy Friday everyone!

WWW Wednesday (5)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.  Each week, we’ll answer three questions about books. Click the image to be taken to MizB’s WWW post for today.

• What are you currently reading? 

Still reading The Count of Monte Cristo.  I kind of put this aside to read another book.  Now I’m really going to focus on it.  Especially after writing that I started it in last week’s WWW and got some good comments about it.

Also reading F nish Th s B  k by Keri Smith.  It’s an interactive paperback book where you get to “write the book”.  I’ve only just begun it, so I’m hoping it’s fun to do.  It appeals to the kid in me that likes mysteries, fill-in-the-blanks, become-part-of-the-story type stuff.  Check it out on Amazon.

• What did you recently finish reading? 

I finished reading The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil.  (I’m not sure if that’s pronounced “gill” or “jill”…but the author is female).  Anywho, I’ll have a review posted on it probably tomorrow.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Random.org generator to the rescue!

[I'm posting before MizB, so I'll link up to her page later!]

Book Beginning on Friday (4)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a weekly meme hosted by Gilion over at Rose City Reader.  She recently took over this weekly meme.  Basically, we post the opening sentence for whatever book we are reading and what we think about it.  I’ve never really done anything like that, and only occasionally pay attention to the first sentence of book…usually only if it really appeals to me. Clicking the image above will take you to Gilion’s Book Beginning for today.

“On February 24, 1815, the lookout at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the arrival of the three-master Pharaon, coming from Smyrna, Trieste and Naples.” – The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

I’ve never read The Count of Monte Cristo and only recently started it.  I haven’t gotten too far into it, but I can tell you that when I copied the first line, it didn’t really jump out at me as other first lines have.  But, I have it on good authority (a few fellow readers/bloggers/friends) who have enjoyed the book, so we’ll see what happens.  It is long, so I hope it doesn’t eat up a lot of my time.

Because it is so long, I have decided to read a second book at the same time (plus I was able to borrow it for free from Amazon with a trial of Amazon Prime!), in case the length is getting to me and I need a break, I’ll have the second book waiting for me….

“It’s seven o’clock on Monday morning and the movers have been here since six.” The Beach Street Knitting and Yarn Society,  Gil McNeil

Well, it’s a fairly interesting opening.  Why is the narrator moving and what in the world makes anyone get movers to show up at their house at 6 a.m.?!  I’ve only just begun this one, too, so I don’t have any insight.  But I love reading books about knitting (I am a knitter myself) so hopefully it is another knit-fiction that I will enjoy.

Happy reading everyone!

[This was posted before Gilion's, I will link it later today!]

WWW Wednesday (4)

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.  Each week, we’ll answer three questions about books. Click the image to be taken to MizB’s WWW post for today.

• What are you currently reading? 

I’m currently reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (translated by Robin Buss). I never had to read it in school, and never took it upon myself to read it before. A friend of mine, whose book opinion I trust, has read it and enjoyed it.  I’m hoping to enjoy it as well.  Whenever I hear the title, I think of the scene in Shawshank Redemption when they’re putting the library together and one of the guys says “dumbass”.  Then Andy tells them it’s about a prison break and Red asks if it should be placed under “Educational”.

• What did you recently finish reading? 

I finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and for all of you who have been reading my blog know that this became one of my favorite reads.  Read it.  Here is my review.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m going to use the Random.org generator to choose the next book from my Mount TBR list.

Musing Mondays (4)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Monday, a book- or reading-related question will be posted and we blog our answers, then link back to the original post. (You can find this week’s original post by clicking on the above image).

This week’s musing asks…

What are you currently reading? And, is it better, as good as, or worse than your last read?

I have The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas up and ready to go as my next read.  I had all intentions of beginning it last night, but ended up getting sidetracked by Inside West Coast Customs (season finale, a Darth Vader build…awesome!)  And I’m not sure how much of it I’ll get done tonight since it’s Game 3 of the Bruins’ Quarterfinals against the Capitals…priorities, people, priorities!

Anyway, it’s a classic and I’m using it for my Back to the Classics Challenge and it’s a translation.  I have a feeling it will not be as good as The Night Circus (see my review here).  I really enjoyed that book a LOT.