Where Is Your Bookmark? (03/21/2017)

I currently am reading The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens, which is about a college student, Joe, who decides to interview a man convicted of rape and murder for a class assignment. The subject of his paper is a war hero, having served in Vietnam. Could he really be a cold blooded murderer too? As Joe digs deeper for his assignment, he also must deal with his own present day drama--an alcoholic mother and an autistic brother who demand his time and energy as well.

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon. It is also where I share my first impressions about the book I am sharing.

I remember being pestered by a sense of dread as I walked to my car that day, pressed down by a wave of foreboding that swirled around my head and broke against the evening in small ripples. There are people in this world who would call that kind of feeling a premonition, a warning from some internal third eye that can see around the curve of time. I've never been one to buy into such things. But I will confess that there have been times when I think back to that day and wonder: if the fates had truly whispered in my ear--if I had known how that drive would change so many things--would I have taken a safer path? Would I turn left where before I had turned right? Or would I still travel the path that led me to Carl Iverson?

Every Tuesday, Ambrosia from The Purple Booker hosts Teaser Teaser at which participants grab their current read, open to a random page, and share two or more sentences from that page while avoiding any spoilers.

Teaser from page 67 of The Life We Bury:

"He didn't do it," Vigil [sic] snapped. "He pointed to the phone number on his card. "You call me. We'll talk."

What do you think? Would you keep reading?  

I could not help but wonder what would cause our main character to doubt his choices in that opening paragraph. It certainly hooked me instantly.

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it anything you would recommend?

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.

This week's  Top Ten Tuesday Top Ten Books Read In One Sitting Theme. It's rare that I have time to read a book in a day anymore. It's been rare for years now. Not for lack of wanting to, but because, well, life. In the spirit of today's theme, I went with the shortest books I've read in the last four years that certainly could be read in one sitting, even if you lead a busy life.

1.

Monstress, Volume One: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda ~ I haven't posted my review of this one yet, but it was awesome. It is a graphic novel, so perfect for when you have an hour or two to spend reading.

2.

Rebecca Chastain's gargoyle series make perfect bite sized reads if you are short on time. And there are three of them (Magic of the Gargoyles, Curse of the Gargoyles and Secret of the Gargoyles)! I have only read two so far, but I have the third ready to read soon.

3.

While not exactly a quick read, if you want something short, beautiful and sad, I highly recommend The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam.

4.

The Ocean At the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman has a nice mix of mystery, horror and fantasy. It was impossible to put this one down when I started reading it.

5.

Rebecca Walker's Adé: A Love Story is beautifully written and unforgettable.

6.

Paradise Drive by Rebecca Foust is a collection of interconnected poems. I not only read this once in one sitting--but twice. It was that good.

7.

Duke City Split by Max Austin is a fun crime fiction novel that is action packed from the start, and doesn't let up until the end.

8.

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman was a surprise hit for me. I didn't except to like it as much as I did.

9.

The Wanderer in Unknown Realms by John Connolly was my first taste of the author's work and what a taste it was! Horror is a genre I can be very picky about and this story won me over instantly.

10.

Royal Enchantment by Lia Davis ~ A romantic fantasy novel that swept me off my feet from the start.

What are some short books that would make perfect one sitting reads?

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