Where Is Your Bookmark? (Then and Now - A Peek Into Rules of Magic)

I had hoped to crack my current read open sooner than I actually managed to, but personal reading time seems to be in short supply these days. My daughter and I have been reading more together again (yay!) and have gotten into The Haunted Library series by Dori Hillestad Butler. We also discovered the Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski, which Mouse insists we read more of--and soon.    

My personal bookmark is in The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman at the moment. I really hope I can carve out some quality reading time soon! I am enjoying what I have read so far.

For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man. 

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk. 

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse. 

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy. [Goodreads Summary]

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

Once upon a time, before the whole world changed, it was possible to run away from home, disguise who you were, and fit into polite society. [opening of The Rules of Magic]

Initial Thoughts: I cannot tell if it is my enjoyment of Hoffman's writing or the opening itself that has me settling in right away for a well-written story. In terms of the opening line itself, it really does seem like "once upon a time" when thinking of being able to disappear like that.With social media and technology today, it takes a lot of effort to completely disappear and start again even putting on a new persona. 

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.

As it happened, Franny soon found herself pulled into consciousness in the middle of the night, awaking with a gasp. It was as if someone had reached into her soul and grabbed her to pull her from her sleep. Her name had been spoken, although how, and by whom, she had no idea. [excerpt from page 56 of The Rules of Magic]

My thoughts: I have had that feeling before, although I imagine it is for different reasons than it is for Franny. I wonder what woke her up? And what will she decides to find out?

Does The Rules of Magic sound like something you would like to read? What are you reading right now? 

A weekly meme in which readers look at what they were reading 

last year at this time and compare it to what they are reading now.  

Hosted by the great Maria from ReadingMaria.

In honor of Readers Imbibing Peril XV (R.I.P. XV) this year, I thought a book involving witches would be a great way to go. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I enjoy reading stories involving witches. And so at the beginning of the month, I enlisted you all to help me pick this month's TBR List book, and Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic won. I am not too far into it, but I have high hopes given how much I have enjoyed Hoffman's writing in the past. 

This time last year, I needed something light after reading a couple of dark reads in a row so turned to rom-com Well Met by Jen DeLuca, and what a delight it was! It is set around a Renaissance Faire, which just adds to the novel's charm. I definitely need more books like this in my life right no (Maybe the sequel, Well Played will be in my near future?). You can find my bookish thoughts on Well Met here.

 

These two books are quite a bit different from one another in terms of subject matter, although both focus some on characters carving out new paths for themselves in their lives. Having not gotten far into The Rules of Magic, it is hard to compare too much. I loved one and hope to love the other. 

What was the last book you read this past year around this time? How does it compare to your current read? Have you read Well Met? If so, what did you think?

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A glimpse into what I was reading 5 years ago: 

 The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig

 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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