Where Is Your Bookmark? (Secret Societies/Interruptions/A Little Friday Fun)

I nearly finished with Jenna Blum's Those Who Saved Us, and have been enjoying the read-along discussion over at at the War Through the Generations Challenges blog this month, which wraps up in another week. In order to pace myself with that book, I am also reading The Lost Girls of Rome by Donato Carrisi, but June TBR List winner. It is about a forensic analyst with the police recently lost her husband. The authorities believe it was a suicide, but his wife isn't convinced. She begins her own investigation into his death, which leads her into dangerous territory, including a possible centuries-old secret society. And that's only a part of it. I'm halfway in and enjoying it quite a bit.

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the wonderful Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

The corpse opened his eyes. 

My thoughts: That first sentence certainly grabs one's attention doesn't it? One might assume from the first sentence this is a zombie book. I admit, it gave me pause at first, and I had to stop and ask myself, "Aren't I reading a mystery?" Which, of course, reading on, I quite clearly am.

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.


Taken from 33% of my Kindle edition of The Lost Girls in Rome:

"What about my husband, did you know him? Did you kill him?" There was no anger in her voice, just despair. "If you know something you have to tell me. Or I swear I'll kill you." She seemed sincere.

This is a quite tense scene with one character pointing a gun at the other, although it is also a very telling moment. Is he the one who killed her husband? Will she shoot him? It's obvious how much emotional pain she is in.

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

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Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

If you are at a really good point in a book and the phone rings or the door bell rings, do you stop reading or let the phone or door bell go unanswered?

I do not like talking on the phone at all if I can help it. So there is that. Luckily, I do not receive a lot of phone calls. At least on my cell phone. Most people know to text me instead if they need my immediate attention. Although that can be futile too if I am busy with my family, at work, do not have my phone on me, or do not notice the text when it comes in. If I did remember to turn the ringer back on my cell phone (I keep it on silent at work), even while reading a good book, I will likely, at a minimum, look to see who may be calling. If it is my husband, my daughter's school or my mom, chances are good I will answer it. Anyone else . . . probably not. I'm going back to that book instead.

If it's the land line, I rarely, if ever, answer it at all. Chances are, it is someone wanting me to buy something, donate money, or the IRS threatening to send the police to arrest me for not paying my taxes (a scam, obviously). Most of the time, I do not even register the landline is ringing when it does ring. It is set to a generic song which doesn't sound like an actual ringing phone (to avoid waking up the baby during a nap--when she was a baby, anyway; I just never changed the ring once she got older). So, yeah, the good book will win out every time when it comes to the landline ringing.

I am not one of those people who likes unexpected drop in visits. As it is, most people who knock on my door are people trying to sell something. Frankly, I'd rather not be bothered.  And so, admittedly, there was a time when I never answered the door unless I was expecting someone. Just over six years ago someone tried to break into my home. The man knocked on my door and rang my door bell. Thinking I wasn't home, he tried to kick down the door. This was a month after someone had already broken in when we weren't home and robbed us. Except, this time, I was home. He ran away after I yelled through the door I was calling 911, thankfully. But I have never completely gotten over the experience.  Now, anytime my door bell rings or someone knocks on the door, anxiety shoots through me--even when I'm completely lost in a good book. So, whether I open the door or not, my attention from the book will be broken. I have to get up and see who is at the door. Besides, it might be the mail person with a book I ordered!

What about you? Do you bother to answer the phone or door while engrossed in a good book?

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Every Friday Ellen from 15andmeowing.com and Ann from McGuffy’s Reader get together to host the Friendly Fill-Ins. You can be serious or funny--the idea is just to have fun.

1. A recurring dream I have is of me exploring a house: sometimes familiar but other times unfamiliar; it might be big or rather small; I may be afraid and trying to hide or full of curiosity and wonder, excited to see what's behind the next door.

2. Turning my favorite book  into a movie can either make me very happy or especially disappointed.

3. My daughter's daycare summer camp program schedule is driving me crazy!

4. Lately, I have been feeling extra stressed and overwhelmed.


I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.