"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Friday, August 22, 2014

Friday Memes---August 22

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. I'm reading---

Book: Going Over by Beth Kephart

Book Beginnings:
We live with ghosts. We live with thugs, dodgers, punkers, needle ladies, pork knuckle. We live where there is no place else to go.

Friday 56:
I'm not supposed to be here with Savas, but he is beside me, my warrior boy on my best friend's bike, trying to be brave and fearless. Is fear here?

My thoughts: The book is set in both West and East Berlin in 1983. Savas is a preschooler who has run away from home and the narrator is a teen who is railing against presence of The Wall. It has taken me about 50 pages to understand how the book is organized, with alternating chapters and points of view. I'm hoping to learn more about Berlin and how the wall separated the city.

20 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of historical fiction... It just makes my eyes water :P But thanx for sharing! :P

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    1. It is funny to think of 1983 as historical fiction but I guess it really is. Ha!

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  2. I had this one bookmarked for a while, then I forgot about it. Now I must go back and get it! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. I also wanted to note that this one especially appeals to me because my eldest son, a photographer, has been living in Berlin for a few years, and in 2009, photographed the Wall that had numerous artistic renderings on it.

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  3. Sounds like a raw look at two youths trying to reach a better place, the West. I take it the preschooler is just following the leader ( teen ). Dialogue is used ( I think) as a shock effect. It works....it has grabbed my attention!

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  4. Not my usual kind of read, but it sounds intriguing.

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    1. I selected this book because it shows up on Best YA books of 2014 lists. I wanted to see for myself.

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  5. Cool cover. Even though it is not a book I would normally pick up, it has your tease have caught my interest. Thanks for stopping by fundinmental and have a great weekend.

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  6. It does seem odd that 1983 is considered historical. I'll probably skip this one but I hope you enjoy it.

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  7. Sounds interesting but I'm not sure I could deal with the style. BTW, Feral by Holly Schindler is a very creepy thriller - no werewolves involved. Happy reading!

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  8. I'll wait to see what you think of the book as a whole. The concept is interesting but I'm a little concerned about the alternating POVs and jumping around. Done well that can really work or it can just be confusing!

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  9. Love the opening! the story sounds interesting but complicated styles of writing can be irritating for me. Happy reading!

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  10. Wouldn't be one I would choose on my own, but I really like the beginning, and the 56 is good too.
    Here's My 56

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  11. I'm curious to know more!

    Happy weekend!

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  12. Interesting story line of a preschooler running away, etc. I'd like to know more, too.

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  13. Sounds like something I'd not normally read. Would like to know how it goes for you when you're finished.
    Here is my 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/08/22/the-friday-56-33-thunder-moon-by-lori-handeland/

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  14. Interesting time in history. Alternating points of view can be confusing and I can see why it took some time to understand what was happening.

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  15. The opening lines really caught my interest. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.

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  16. I do enjoy historical fiction a great deal and both the opening and Friday 56 caught my attention; thank you for sharing! :)

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  17. Nice snippets. I would never have thought it based on the cover!

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