Where Is Your Bookmark: A Glimpse into Starling House (& Other Friday Fun)

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.

I dream sometimes of a house I've never seen.

I mean, pretty much nobody has. Logan Caldwell claims he ding-dong ditched the place last summer break, but he's an even bigger liar than me. The truth is you can't really see the house from the road. Just the iron teeth of the front gate and the long red lick of the drive, maybe a glimpse of limestone walls cross-hatched by honeysuckle and greenbriers. Even the historical plaque out front is half-swallowed by ivy, the letters so slurred with moss and neglect that only the title is still legible: 

Starling House 

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.

Arthur Starling becomes aware--gradually, in reluctant stages--that someone is watching him. His first clue was the nervy shiver at the back of his skull that told him there was a stranger on Starling land. [excerpt from 56% of Starling House]

I have just begun Starling House by Alix E. Harrow and am not too far in.  It's off to a promising start with the kind of opening I fall right into. And the second teaser, which I have not yet reached in the book, has me eager to read more. Who is watching him? What do they want? I look forward to finding out! 

A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can't stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland--and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read Starling House? Does it sound like something you would like to read?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. It is co-hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Roberta from Offbeat YA, Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About, Berl's from Because Reading is Better than Real Life, and Karen from For What It’s Worth. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.

Zombie Apocalypse: What would you do?

Ideally, my family and I would join together with other people to form a civilized community that works together to protect each other and survive. I would learn to farm, hunt, and make medicine. I think I would be well suited to teach or counsel children and adults in the community. 

Let's be honest though. I would likely be among the first or second wave of zombies. Or die tripping over a branch into a mud puddle only to be caught by zombies and eaten;  or fall off a cliff, being decapitated by a branch from the force of the fall, all the while trying to get away from the zombies or lawless evil humans chasing me. 

What would you do in a Zombie Apocalypse?

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.

Do you read anything specific in the fall? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

It certainly feels like the time of year when a more somber, spooky or atmospheric thriller might be in order. This time of year screams for all things Gothic. Or perhaps a paranormal mystery or romance. Something with ghosts or witches, perhaps. Or maybe just a book set in the fall. I sometimes pick up something to read that fits into one or more of those categories. I just finished a fun paranormal cozy mystery set around Halloween that featured ghosts and witches, which I was motivated to read because of the season, in fact. Still, I'm likely to read any of these types of books year round because I enjoy them so much. 

Do you have a favorite fall read you like to turn to this time of year? Do you gravitate towards a certain type of book this time of year?

 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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