"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=========

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Friday Quotes, Jan. 22

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from the book.
The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56.

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. This is the book I'm reading right now:

Book Title: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

 Book Beginnings:
They say it came first from Africa, carried in the screams of the enslaved; that it was the death bane of the Tainos, uttered just as one world perished and another began; that it was a demon drawn into Creation though the nightmare door that was cracked open in the Antilles. Fuku americanus, or more colloquially, fuku---generally a curse of a doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and Doom of the New World.
Friday 56:
But my mother was the worst. It's the last straw, she screamed. The. Last. Straw. But it always was with her.
Comment: I just finished this 2007 Pulitzer prize winning book yesterday. Admittedly it is a tough book to completely understand. The opening paragraph sets up the reader to understand that the book may appear to be about Oscar but it is really about a fuku, or a curse, put on his family and the things they do to try and escape this curse. The Friday 56 quote isn't the best quote in the book (but it WAS from page 56.) The narrator of that chapter was Lola, Oscar's sister, who was acting out and in the process was irritating her mother. I ended up really liking the book but admit it isn't for everyone.

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17 comments:

  1. Laurel-Rain SnowJanuary 21, 2016 at 10:51 PM

    Thanks for sharing, and now I do want to know more. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  2. Breana M.January 22, 2016 at 12:33 AM

    I'm glad you enjoyed the book, but I don't think it would be for me.

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  3. Bev BouwerJanuary 22, 2016 at 12:46 AM

    I like that quote from p56. It says quite a lot about the mother, the daughter and their relationship.

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  4. karenJanuary 22, 2016 at 1:46 AM

    I've had a lot of "last" straws over the years. Now I'm curious about what hers were!

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  5. Juli RahelJanuary 22, 2016 at 5:24 AM

    Ooh I absolutely love the sound of this one! I've heard about it before but didn't know whether it's one for me. That opening paragraph, however, is right up my alley! I'll definitely have to check it out. Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great week!
    My Friday Post
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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  6. MariaJanuary 22, 2016 at 8:43 AM

    This is the first time I've seen this book and author - both are new to me - interesting choice - sounds like it could be quite good. Here's my Friday meme

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  7. Sandra NachlingerJanuary 22, 2016 at 9:30 AM

    I think I'd have to be in the right mood to read this book. The opening definitely makes me curious about the curse and how it affects this family. Sounds like a good story.
    My Friday post features THE LIGHT OF HIDDEN FLOWERS.

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  8. Kim GriffinJanuary 22, 2016 at 12:06 PM

    Thanks for sharing! It sounds interesting. I've never read a book about a curse before. Thanks for visiting my Friday post!

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  9. Alicia @ A Kernel of NonsenseJanuary 22, 2016 at 12:46 PM

    Hmm, it sounds interesting enough, even if you say it isn't for everyone. I might need to find out more about it. Happy Friday!

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  10. Yvonne @ Fiction Books ReviewsJanuary 22, 2016 at 2:32 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. Yvonne @ Fiction Books ReviewsJanuary 22, 2016 at 2:34 PM

    Hi Anne,

    I'm not sure that this one is for me, and to be honest, even after reading the full synopsis, I'm still not certain that I know what it's all about!

    I hope that it is one of those books which makes more sense when you are actually reading it, as the opening paragraph is really intriguing.

    Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend :)

    Yvonne

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  12. fredamansJanuary 22, 2016 at 4:07 PM

    That dark beginning pulled me in. The 56 intrigued me too. Happy weekend!

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  13. guiltlessreaderJanuary 23, 2016 at 8:37 AM

    I've had this on my TBR for a while. I think this is just up my alley; I've never read anything by Junot Diaz!

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  14. MargaretJanuary 23, 2016 at 10:41 AM

    I'm having trouble getting myself to read these days. I love it, and have books I want to read, but I think it's a question of energy and motivation.

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  15. UnknownJanuary 23, 2016 at 3:23 PM

    Hmm, not sure about this book. I am curious about that curse though.

    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2016/01/22/the-friday-56-93-the-wolf-gift/

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  16. Lisa MandinaJanuary 23, 2016 at 4:32 PM

    I had no idea what this was about, but now that I've read that first paragraph, I think I'm going to have to read it! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2016 at 7:32 AM

    I didn't find it a hard book. I really enjoyed it. Connected more with the dictatorship of Trujillo. Might have spelled his name wrong. The footnotes were helpful as well.

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