Friday, July 28

Friday Fun - First Lines for July 28, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 


The Book Review Bulletin, a monthly link-up for review posts, is open and I'd like to invite you to stop by and share a review or two. Book Review Bulletin for July will wrap up on Monday, and Book Review Bulletin for August will open on Tuesday morning.



And now for some First Lines: I'm falling behind on my reading goals, and yet I can't stop myself from picking up new books anyway! I couldn't resist accepting this one for a review, and since I'm reading it on my Kindle, I'll share just the beginning today and maybe will remember to share a Friday 56 later on as I'm reading. 

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October 1943

Everything around me whispered lies.
Artificial moonlight spilled into a manufactured alley, slowly filling with fake fog. Real haze didn't have a stench.

~From the beginning of The Starlet Spy by Rachel Scott McDaniel


Hollywood Star Turns Spy

In 1943, movie producer Henrik Zoltan approaches Amelie Blake under the guise of offering the Hollywood star a leading part in his upcoming film, but he has a more meaningful role in mind. Amelie's homeland of Sweden declared neutrality in the war, but Stockholm has become the "Casablanca of the North." When top-secret atomic research goes missing in Sweden, the Allied forces scramble to recover the files before they fall into Nazi hands.

The United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) needs someone who's subtle enough to spy on the Swedish elite without triggering suspicion. Who better than the "all beauty, no brains" Scandinavian starlet? Fluent in three languages and possessing a brilliant memory, Amelie loathes being labeled witless but uses the miconception as her disguise. She's tasked with searching for the crucial files, but Finn Ristaffason keeps getting in her way. Is the charming shipping magnate after the missing research? Or does he have other reasons for showing up at her every turn?

With the Gestapo on her heels, Amelie must rely on her smarts in addition to her acting skills to survive and world of deadly spies and counterspies.



Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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RimSP button

First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.
*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.
*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Do you enjoy reading memoirs?

My Answer: I don't often go looking for memoirs to read, but I do enjoy them from time to time. Memoirs by a personality I recognize and like generally catch my eye more than just straight subject matter. 



©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Monday, July 24

Monthly Bookshelf Review - July 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 



It is thanks to my evening reading alone that I am still more or less sane. ~W.G. Sebald

Sane or not, I do try to keep up with evening reading at the very least! Recently, I've had some trouble keeping up with reading, because I've started a part-time job, but until this past weekend my husband and I were still sharing one vehicle which meant a lot of extra running around so that I could have the car to get to my job. Needless to say, lots of time that I would otherwise spend reading and doing a lot of other things was spent working or driving! We bought a second vehicle on the weekend, so hopefully my schedule will settle in a little bit now.

July's Books Completed and Reviewed

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera's discovery of forged artwork at a relative's estate sparks a murder, and Kiera and Gage must find out who the clever killer is before they strike again. (Read my full review HERE)




During July I started reading:

Reykjavík: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jónasson and Katrín Jakobsdóttir - Thirty years ago, a young girl disappeared without a trace, and the case has haunted the detective and the country ever since. A journalist starts to probe again, but clearly someone does not want any questions asked.



Rebecca (Daughters of the Lost Colony Book 3) by Shannon McNear - An alternative viewpoint telling of some of the events of the Lost Colony of Roanake, focusing mostly on Pocahuntas, the daughter of a Powhatan chieftain.



The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright - a dual timeline story centering around a castle and its mysterious residents who have an ominous reputation. I'd hoped to have this one signed by the author last weekend but didn't make it to the book festival. Since I have some review books to prioritize, this will probably have to be paused until I catch up a bit!




During July I continued reading:

Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover - A combination guidebook and textbook for engaging writing, which I'll be reviewing soon!




Where My Books Took Me in July . . . On Budget Tales Book Blog, there's a monthly meme about "Places My Books Have Taken Me" along with a one-word summary or review of the book. Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.


A Perilous Perspective took place in Scotland.
One Word: Poisonous

Reykjavík: A Crime Story takes place in Iceland, as the title indicates!
Rebecca (Daughters of the Lost Colony Book 3) is set in what is now Virginia and some of the surrounding areas.
The Vanishing at Castle Moreau isn't set somewhere in Europe as one might expect from the title and cover, but in Wisconsin.


Coming Up in August!

The Starlet Spy by Rachel Scott McDaniel
A Fatal Illusion by Anna Lee Huber
Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber


   

   


What I'm Highlighting . . . My monthly link-up for review posts launched almost one month ago, and a few reviews have been shared there. The Book Review Bulletin for July will be open until the end of this month, and a new link-up for August will open on August 1st. I'd love for you to drop by and share a review or two, and comment on someone else's review. The hope is that we can comment on actual reviews and share them.



On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:



On Homeschool Coffee Break:



And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:



This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; at Budget Tales Book Blog; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date. 


bookworms monthly linky

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Friday, July 21

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for July 21, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 


The Book Review Bulletin, a monthly link-up for review posts, is open and I'd like to invite you to stop by and share a review or two. Find it here: Book Review Bulletin for July 



And now for some First Lines: I recently won a Proof copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway and it just arrived a few days ago. I'm looking forward to reading it, but to be honest, I can't start right away. I have at least four review titles that I need to make sure I'm on top of, and since I started working I have less time for reading too. (Also why I'm posting late in the day instead of in the morning!)

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1821 London, England

Dumping the contents of my last trunk onto the floor, I wanted to shriek. I checked again and again, ripping at petticoats, throwing gowns into the air in my suite at the Osborne Hotel.
Nothing.

~From the beginning of Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley


Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti's Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.

The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.

In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indifference from former allies in Britain and the new United States. Louise desperately tries to steer the country's political course as King Henry descends into a mire of mental illness.
 
In 1820, King Henry is overthrown and dies by his own hand. Louise and her daughters manage to flee to Europe with their smuggled jewels. In exile, the resilient Louise redefines her role, recovering the fortune that Henry had lost and establishing herself as an equal to the kings of European nations. With newspapers and gossip tracking their every movement, Louis and her daughters tour Europe like other royals, complete with glittering balls and princes with marriage proposals. As they find their footing―and acceptance―they discover more about themselves, their Blackness, and the opportunities they can grasp in a European and male-dominated world.

Queen of Exiles is the tale of a remarkable Black woman of history―a canny and bold survivor who choose the fire and ideals of political struggle, and then is forced to rebuild her life on her own terms, forever a queen.



Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

***************
RimSP button

First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.
*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.
*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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"The swine of the south are already plotting my demise." Henry ground his teeth. "He and all of his brown followers, all the murderers of our late emperor, can come at me, and I'll cut them to pieces."

~from page 56 of Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley




The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Which plot twist is your favorite?

My Answer: Hmmm. One that comes to mind is when a supporting character that seems annoying or hostile to the goals of the lead character turns out to be an ally in some way. Not necessarily in an enemies-to-lovers plot, but perhaps a rival of some kind who teams up with the lead partway through the story to solve a mystery when they realize that they are actually working towards the same thing. Sometimes it's a character that initially was a suspect or in cooperation with the villain, but somehow changes course to help the good guys.



©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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Saturday, July 15

Route 60 - The Biblical Highway #Route60MIN

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Route 60 - The Biblical Highway

I'm always interested in movies and documentaries like this! Seeing the real sites where historical events took place, and where historical figures walked is fascinating to me. Even more so when it's Biblical history! I recently got the news about this movie and have been asked to pass along the news, and since I really want to see it, I'm happy to share it here too.

Route 60 is a documentary about Israel's famous highway, one that passes through sites of great historical significance, places where the patriarchs, kings and prophets, disciples, and Jesus himself walked.

Synopsis: 
Carving through the heart of the Promised Land is the biblical spine of Israel, sometimes referred to as the Path of the Patriarchs and officially designated as Route 60. A highway of deep historical significance while often the scene of unrest and violence, this 146-mile road of asphalt and concrete begins in Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city, and ends in Beersheba, one of Israel's high-tech centers. Running north to south, Route 60 connects ancient Israel with modern Israel, Jews and Christians with Muslims, and Israelis with Palestinians.

This trek is far more than a two-lane highway; it is a historic, sacred link to the roots of Judaism and Christianity and the stories of the Old and New Testaments. Follow world-changing diplomats David Friedman and Mike Pompeo as they venture down this sacred road, treading the very ground Abraham, Jacob, King David, and Jesus once walked. Discover the history, witness the healing, and realize the hope along Route 60, the Biblical Highway.



Visit the movie's website Route 60 Movie to find out more.


Hashtags: #Route60MIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork



©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Friday, July 14

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for July 14, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 


The Book Review Bulletin, a monthly link-up for review posts, is open and I'd like to invite you to stop by and share a review or two. Find it here: Book Review Bulletin for July 



And now for some First Lines:

This book just arrived yesterday so I haven't had a chance to read much more than these opening lines, but I'm very excited about it. Especially because the author will be at the Columbus Book Festival this weekend, so I'm planning to get my book signed. 

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MAY 8, 1801

When I was a little girl, my father would often come to my bedside after my screams wakened him in the night. He would smooth back my damp ringlets, the mere feel of his callused and strong hand inspiring an instantaneous calm.

~From the beginning of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright


A haunting legend. An ominous curse. A search for a secret buried deep within the castle walls.

In 1870, orphaned Daisy François takes a position as housemaid at a Wisconsin castle to escape the horrors of her past life. There she finds a reclusive and eccentric Gothic authoress who hides tales more harrowing than the ones in her novels. As women disappear from the area and the eerie circumstances seem to parallel a local legend, Daisy is thrust into a web that could ultimately steal her sanity, if not her life.

In the present day, Cleo Clemmons is hired by the grandson of an American aristocratic family to help his grandmother face her hoarding in the dilapidated Castle Moreau. But when Cleo uncovers more than just the woman's stash of collectibles, a century-old mystery and the dust of the old castle's curse threaten to rise again . . . this time to leave no one alive to tell the sordid tale.

Award-winning author Jaime Jo Wright seamlessly weaves a dual-time tale of two women who must do all they can to seek the light amid the darkness shrouding Castle Moreau.



Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

***************
RimSP button

First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.
*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.
*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

***************

She sucked in a sob, pushing back the thoughts that threatened to be remembered. Memories buried under layers of the dirt of life, grinding them into the ground and determining to lock them in a coffin that shouldn't ever be exhumed.

~from page 56 of The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright




The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.
*Find a snippet, short and sweet.
*Post it, and share in the Linky.

***************

And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: What are your thoughts on "happily ever after" endings?

My Answer: In general, I like a "happily ever after" as long as it feels like the major plot questions have been appropriately resolved. Not everything has to wrapped up in a neat bow, especially if it's a series, but the mystery should be solved, and the conflict for the couple (or lead characters) should be reconciled. And in a believable way. I've read a few books that gave me the impression that the author was coming to a deadline or the maximum number of pages for the book, so they quickly had the characters kiss and make up while seeming to leave the conflicts as elephants in the room. That's not satisfying. 



©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.



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