Friday Fun- July 15th, 2017

Wow, I did it again. I neglected this poor blog for three years. Well, time to try again. I am currently participating in the summer reading program for adults at my library, so I have a slew of new-to-me books out. 

This is just a fraction of the books, as more came available after I took this picture.

I thought I would start in again with the different book parties I used to be involved with.

I am going to be sharing with 3 different book memes on Fridays: Friday Finds, Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56. So, let's get started. 

Friday Finds

(FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).)

As you can see, I have a lot of books on my TBR list. This week I will share the four that are currently waiting for me that aren't in the library book box.

It's been a few years since I've read anything by Julie Klassen. I remember how much I enjoyed Lady of Milkweed Manor, and I decided I would try another one of her books. In this book a young lady named Mariah is banished from her home and has to live in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relatives estate. We don't know what she did wrong at the beginning of the story, but she is supporting herself by secretly writing books. Quite intriguing. 

I had taken I Am Number Four out of the library a while ago, but never had time to read it. The librarian mentioned that it was on her list of series she wanted to read, but she hadn't gotten to it yet. So, I decided to try it again. I was reading it in the van while the children played outside, and I have to say, it hooked me right away. The main premise of the book is that their are some aliens living among us who have come to Earth to escape enemies who destroyed their people. They have to live apart from one another so the charm protecting them will keep them safe. However, the first three have been killed by the enemies who found them, and now they are after Number Four.

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, was one of the books on display in the children's room of the library. Yes, this is how they get me every time. It looked like a book I would enjoy, so I grabbed it up. It is about a couple of children, twins, who discover that the land of fairy tales is actually real. Well, I love the tv show Once Upon a Time, and other movies like this, so I knew I had to try this book.

Yes, I am reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This is not the first time. I found it at the library because my daughter is reading our copy, so I can include it in my Friday Finds, right? 

On to:

Book Beginnings on Fridays

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

Here are my book beginnings:

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

"The end of the only life I've ever known, thought Mariah Aubrey, looking back through the carriage window at the shrinking figures of her mother and sister. Nineteen-year-old Julia stood in the foreground shoulders heaving as she wept."

The first question that pops into my mind is, what happened to end her life as she knew it. Knowing the story of Lady of Milkweed Manor and the fact that this book takes place in the early 1800's, I figure it has to be something that probably wouldn't be that big of a deal in this day and age, but back then had earned her the disgrace of her family. I am quite curious as to find out what she did wrong.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

"The door starts shaking, it's a flimsy thing made of bamboo shoots held together with tattered lengths of twine. The shake is subtle and stops almost immediately."

Well, it seems something bad is about to happen. This is the prologue, so it occurred to me that this probably wasn't happening to the main character of the story, but to the one before, Number Three. I was quite anxious to find out what was going to happen. I didn't have long to wait. 

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

"The dungeon was a miserable place. Light was scarce and flickered from the torches bolted to the stone walls."

Well, this sounds like a charming place to visit. However, the title of the prologue is "The Queens' Visit" so I had to wonder why the queen was visiting this dank place. 

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted over at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections. 

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

"A budding tremble of hope, of eagerness and pride, was growing within him. He could see himself here. Could imagine himself master of a grand estate like this."

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

"He sighs and shakes his head. 'Don't do anything stupid. I'll be right here at the end of the day.'"

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

"' I've never met a person I didn't learn something from!' Grandma said, 'Even the most monotonous people will surprise you. Remember that.'"