Where Is Your Bookmark: A Peek Into Gone with the Witch & Other Friday Fun

I am currently reading Gone with a Witch by Angela M. Sanders. Oh, how I would love to have her kind of magical connection with books! I have enjoyed earlier books in this series and so far this is proving to be a good one too.

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.

"Poor devil." Duke gazed into the open grave. In a nod to custom, he wore black. Black jeans with a crease, a black Western shirt, and black work boots. A raindrop slipped off his Brylcreemed hair. 

"Whoever he was,"  added Desmond, also in black work clothes. [opening of Gone with the Witch]

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Our wonderful host Freda of Freda's Voice is on a break, and Anne of My Head is Full of Books  has stepped in to host! 

"Have you learned anything more about [name withheld to avoid spoiler]?" I worked to keep my tone neutral.

I hadn't fooled Sam. From the stove, where he turned on the burner under a pot of water, he gave me side-eye. "You aren't thinking of getting involved, are you?" [excerpt from 26% of Gone with the Witch]

Being that this is a cozy mystery, it is a given that is exactly what Josie plans to do. She isn't very good at hiding it. 

Gone with the Witch (Witch Way Librarian Mysteries #5) by Angela M. Sanders

Small-town Wilfred has turned into a quaintly cozy Oregon destination—but it also keeps turning up corpses! As the bones pile up, librarian and apprentice witch Josie Way will need to use all the sorcery at her disposal to stop a killer . . .

When human bones are discovered beneath an old outhouse covered in blackberry vines, no one knows who they once belonged to. But elderly Helen Garlington wants Sam the sheriff to test the remains, suspecting they may solve the mystery of her long-vanished husband. It’s not a match, and Helen takes it hard, drowning her disappointment in sherry at the tavern—where she sees a contestant on a game show who she swears is her missing spouse, Martin. To ease the woman’s mind, Josie contacts the show to track down the look-alike guest, who kindly agrees to travel to Wilfred—and is then found dead the next morning.

Horrified by this fatal turn of events, Josie asks the spellbound books for help, seeking the aid of Sherlock Holmes. But strange things continue to happen—frightening images flash on the screen of a long-abandoned movie theater and flocks of crows seem to appear wherever she goes. Is Josie about to meet her own Moriarty? It will take all her courage to untangle the twisted vines of this mystery before this chapter in the colorful story of Wilfred claims another life . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Does this sound like something you would enjoy? If you have read it, what did you think?

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 hosted by Linda Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Jen from That’s What I’m Talking About. Join in by answering this week's question in the comments or on your own blog.

Describe yourself in three words.

This should not be so hard to do. But it is. So, in my typical fashion, I took an online quiz. Because I could.  

Quiz Results: Creative, Observant, Quiet

And then I asked those closest to me for help.

Mouse: Kind, Smart, Protective

Anjin: Funny, Serious, Thoughtful 

I think all of these are fairly accurate.   

What three words would you use to describe yourself? 

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.

What was your gateway book--the book that made you want to read more--into reading or into a specific genre? (submitted by Meezan Caboodle)

This question is from last week, but I did not get a chance to post about it then. I thought I would go ahead and fit it in this week. It is difficult to pinpoint a gateway book that got me hooked on reading. My love for reading has always been a part of my life. To this day I enjoy a wide variety of books, including different genres. I cannot even begin to tell you what first got me into some of them, but here are a few that I could (more or less) think of. 

My love for mysteries most likely began with the Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol and Carolyn Keane's Nancy Drew books. And from there I branched out into many of the subgenres. 

While I enjoyed fantasy as a child (The Chronicles of Narnia were a favorite), it wasn't until I was in college and my husband introduced me to Valdemar and Mercedes Lackey that I really became hooked on high fantasy. Thanks to Laurel K. Hamilton I discovered urban fantasy, which opened up even more doors in the fantasy genre for me.

I fell hard for romance in high school and college. I read all the Harlequin Intrigue Romance and Silhouette novels the public library carried. My interest in romance faded for a time after that, and I avoided the genre for many years, other than when it wasn't the main ingredient in a novel. I have since come back to the romance genre (although not so much through Harlequin and Silhouette), and while it doesn't make up a big part of my reading, I do enjoy it from time to time. 

I got my love of history from my dad. He was really more of a nonfiction reader when it came to history, but I have always leaned more toward fiction. Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (nonfiction), Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry by Mildred T. Taylor were among my early favorites when I was a child and paved the way for my continued love for the genre. 

Although I am sure there were other books that got me into the thriller/horror genre, I most remember being really taken with John Saul books when I was in high school and college. I avoided trying Stephen King until much later. 

I cannot say what my first graphic novel was, but I know I got more into reading those after my husband and I were married. He was into manga too, but it was not until my daughter began to read manga that I decided to give it a try. I do not read nearly as much of it as she and my husband do, but I have come to really enjoy it.  The Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama books were what sold me on manga. 

I am sure I am forgetting something, but these are the ones that most come to mind as possible gateway books that lead me deeper into their genres and reading in general. Obviously this doesn't cover every genre I read and enjoy, but it's a good start. 

Can you think of a book that served as your gateway into reading or perhaps a particular genre? 

This week's topic: 

Do you use a book's Synopsis for your review? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Sometimes I will post the synopsis from Goodreads with my review on my blog, but my preference is to try to write my own. I always try to include some sort of description of what the book is about with my reviews. I know when I read other people's reviews, that is something I like to see included. I try to keep the synopsis as spoiler free as possible, but what constitutes a spoiler can be subjective.

If you write reviews for your blog, do you include a synopsis?

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

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