Opening Lines

Two Anniversaries, Two Books #NASA #TheRaven

2012-01-29T17:05:00.000-08:00

Two big book related anniversaries this week, well technically one book related and the other is related to one of my big interests. The first was the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 1 accident, but as the twins learned this past summer, it made the moon landings possible. Today, the 29th, is the publishing anniversary of, The Raven.

Not sure I ever mentioned it on here, but last year I went on an incredible, once in a lifetime, trip to Titusville, Florida. Seeing a space shuttle launch was one of those must see in my lifetime things that came down to the wire with the space shuttle program ending. My sisters and I packed ourselves into a car, and drove from Chicago to Titusville in 21 hours to catch the last launch-- STS-135. It was crazy incredible!

You can watch our unedited video, here

Anywho, back to the anniversary. Before we took off on our trip, I made my sisters read and watch as much NASA related stuff as they could stomach-- most of it I already owned because I'm a total NASA nerd. One of the biggest themes in anything NASA is safety, and the things they learned from each disaster that did happen. I wasn't alive for Apollo 1, nor was I around when Apollo 13 went wrong. I was very young for the Challenger disaster, but I clearly remember the Columbia disaster-- and the ramifications that mission had.

Astronaut memorial, Kennedy Space Center, FL Apollo 1 mission is on the bottom row, center.

Forty five years ago, on the 27th of January, 1967, Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee were finishing up a launch pad test to prepare for their upcoming Apollo 1 mission. A wire sparked and the entire cabin, which was filled with 100% oxygen, caught fire, killing all three in minutes. It was very unfortunate and a tragedy for the space program, but what NASA learned from that accident was tremendous, and many NASA engineers say that without it we might never have made it to the moon.

Here is a great NOVA video segment that talks about the men and the Apollo 1 mission.

And the book to go with the anniversary, A Man on the Moon, which I think is my absolute favorite Space Exploration related book. Its not stuffy, dry, or full of facts, but instead is the voice of all the astronauts that took part in the Apollo missions on their experiences.

As for the second anniversary, The Raven, was published today in 1845! Ok, this is going to sound really bad, but whenever I think of Poe and The Raven I remember that Gilmore Girl sepisode when they have the Poe festival and there are a ton of Poes reciting, The Raven, one after the other. When I was younger the cover of The Raven scared the poop out of me so I never read it. Well, honestly, I am still scared of the cover, but I have read it. It's a classic for a reason.

Download this Kindle edition and read it for free-- choose Kindle once you get to Amazon and its $0 (and you don't need a Kindle to read it either, download the Kindle for PC or Mac, or whatever you have).

Did you all know that a movie, The Raven, is coming out this year based on the last days of Poe's life? I think Hollywood is suffering from writer's block because there are tons and tons of books being made into movies this year. Oh, The Raven and books based on movies just reminded me of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, which is also a fab book being made into a movie coming out this year! Lincoln loved Poe-- just sayin'.

And to tie things all together, I leave you with this photo. I know there is a diff between crows and ravens, but I can't tell between the two and its not like we plan for these things.

A raven, or crow, sitting on the observation tower at Kennedy Space Center, NASA.

Downton Abbey Reading List #downtonabbey

2012-01-14T03:47:00.000-08:00

I was blabbing about Downton Abbey on my other blog the other day-- the blog where I let myself blab on and on about everything I enjoy-- and I got to thinking about books that I have read in the past that remind me of Downton Abbey, cover the Edwardian Era, and World War I. I really had to dig because while I have read a lot on WWII, I have not read as much on the first World War.

Fortunately, I love a good excuse to read another book, and because Downton Abbey is not a script written from a book (like Brideshead Revisited or Lark Rise to Candleford), I have put together this Downton Abbey reading list.

The World of Downton Abbey
First up is, The World of Downton Abbey, a new book written by the niece of Julian Fellowes, Jessica Fellowes. I am so in love with this series that I have purchased it, my very first behind the scenes book for any movie or tv show-- EVER.

The World of Downton Abbey

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
Another very recent publication, I have not yet had the chance to read this but it is penned by the current Lady Carnarvon and tells the story of the 5th Countess of Carnavon. Lady Almina's fortune saved, Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey is filmed, and did in fact turn the Castle into a hospital during the war.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

All Quiet on the Western Front
When I think of World War I, I think of this book. Primary sources are the best and even though he was a German vet, it is a very necessary read. Since it has been years wince I read, All Quiet on the Western Front, it is going to the top of my reading list. Similar Read: Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon and then the Pat Barker WWI Trilogy and prelude, Regeneration

All Quiet on the Western Front Publisher: Ballantine Books

A Farewell to Arms
Another great, and from my favorite author. For some reason I don't find this love story as sad as others seem too. I think its because I appreciate it as a love story, even if it is sad and not all peaches and cream, it is their story.

A Farewell to Arms

Wait for Me! Memoirs
Memoirs of Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire. If you want to read more about the life that the Crawley sisters led, this is the perfect way to get a very clear idea. Because Deborah's sisters were writers, there is a lot published about the Mitford's, Chatsworth, and the life they led (See list below). Similar Read: Testament of Youth

Wait for Me!: Memoirs

The Remains of the Day

I read, Kazuo Ishiguro's, novel after I found and watched the movie (starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson) following the first season of Downton Abbey. Like everyone else I could hardly contain myself, with the long wait, and went in search of new movies and books. Loved the movie, and I loved the book even more. I highly recommend this if you have not read it, I later noticed that it was on so many "Top Lists" and even won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Similar Read: What the Butler Winked At: Being the Life and Adventures of Eric Horne, Butler

The Remains of the Day

Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor
While Remains of the Day and What the Butler Winked At look at a great house like Downton Abbey from Carson's view, we get O'Brien's view from Rose. I actually just started reading this so I have nothing to add yet, but will do so as soon as I finish. Similar Read: Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey"

Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor

Mrs. Dalloway
I have read most of Virginia Woolf, including Mrs. Dalloway, but have decided to go back and reread this one in order to glean as much as I can. Similar Read: The Return of the Soldier Free Kindle Edition

Mrs. Dalloway (Annotated)

Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy
In order to get a well rounded idea of the time period, it only makes sense that you study what was going on in society. It was immediately before and then following the war that the British aristocracy changed, or declined, and this is something we hear a lot about in Downton Abbey. Similar Read: The Great Silence: Britain from the Shadow of the First World War to the Dawn of the Jazz Age

The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy

The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm

As the title suggests, The Perfect Summer, takes place just before the storm in England hits and all hell breaks loose. It looks at life through the eyes of folks from all walks of life and stations in Edwardian society. Also Recommended: Parade's End (Vintage Classics)

The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm

War Poems
Knopf republished their collection of War Poems as a result of the Downton Abbey Craze, but I found this free Kindle collection of pretty much the same pieces. Similar Read: The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon, Free Kindle Edition

A Treasury of War Poetry British and American Poems of the World War 1914-1917

Even more Downton Abbey related reads dealing with World War I, the British aristocracy, social change, and the Titanic (because there was some fabulousity going on then and the series does start with its sinking).

I will add more as I find and read, or as my readers recommend.

First Chapter Read: Heading Out to Wonderful

2012-01-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

I have started putting together my list of books I want to read for the first half of 2012, made infinitely easy by publisher's sneak peeks and first chapters. Yesterday I came across a couple new books from Algonquin, one of my favorite publishers, and added three or four soon to be published books to my list.

Adding, Heading Out to Wonderful, by Robert Goolrick, to the list-- due out mid June. Algonquin has this nifty first chapter reader thing they use, that I love. Check out the excerpt and first chapter here.

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller A Reliable Wife returns with a novel about the dark side of passion set in midcentury America in a small Virginia town.

An attractive and enigmatic stranger–Charlie Beale, a loner recently home from war in Europe–wanders into the town of Brownsburg, a sleepy village of only a few hundred people nestled in the Valley of Virginia. He brings with him two suitcases: one contains all his worldly possessions, including a set of butcher knives; the other is full of money.

Excerpt From Robert Goolrick's Heading Out to Wonderful

Does, Heading Out to Wonderful, sound like something you will get around to reading?

What books are you looking forward to this year?

The first 2012 reads I have planned are already out (leftover from last year's list).

The State of the Blog

2012-01-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

With the new year one gets to thinking about all the things they have going on in their lives and how they can improve them. It would make sense that at some point I get to thinking about my blogs (I have two of them that I actually post on, and a bunch of others that I refuse to begin till I have a decent amount of time open to me to put some effort into).

Anyway, when I started this blog, I kinda just wanted a place to blab about the books I was reading, books I loved, and the lines that I commit to memory. I've continued doing all that IRL, but I have not been good about doing so on the blog as much as I wanted to.

What I have done, and what I want to continue doing, is share a wider variety of books and random book related things. See, in real life I am into everything bookish. Book art, book tours, book gifts, book related travel, and especially indie book stores, so it only makes sense that I would take to blabbing about all of that too.

Not sure how many of you noticed, but a couple months ago I was messing around with a bunch of templates and finally settled on this one. With all the personal stuff going on in my world, I did not have the time to get everything customized and working. But I do know that I like it, and I also know that I can use it to help me blab about all the things I want to blab about- as well as keep it organized.

Last year was great for the blog, I know people are reading it, sharing books and their thoughts about books with me (I kinda messed up when I was testing templates and did not back up all the Intense Debate comments before uninstalling and installing). This year though I want to do so much more with the blog, interview more authors, invite other book bloggers to guest blog (especially those that blog genres that I normally don't read), talk more about writing, and tons of other stuff.

So, tons of great things going to on this year. Promise.

Seven Halo Series Kindle Celebration

2011-12-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

I just got wind of a Kindle giveaway in celebration of the release of another novel in the Seven Halo series, Tin Soldier. I've yet to read the series, but one of my readers is a fan and I thought there might be a few of you out there that would enjoy both the books and the giveaway.

Author, Monica Leonelle is a young adult fantasy and science fiction writer who penned, Silver Smoke, the first book in the series about celebrity kids who find out they are descendants of archangels. From her blog:

Brie van Rossum has fame, fortune, and beauty, but there’s one thing she doesn’t have–the name of her mother’s supernatural killer.

The Hallows, descendants of the archangels, don’t think Milena was murdered.. but can Brie trust them when their government, the New Order, wants her dead?
She’d better figure it all out soon…

… because when Brie finds out who she really is, the hunt will begin.

And Milena might not be the only casualty.
Like mother, like daughter…

Interested in entering the contest for a Kindle of your own? You will need to hurry, because the deadline is tomorrow.

To enter:

(3 entries) Blog about this contest and forward a link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com (see copy + paste instructions for the contest below)
2. (5 entries each) Forward a receipt of purchase of the Silver Smoke ebook (buy for yourself and/or a friend) to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com (Note: You may do a screen shot and black out any personal info if you prefer.) Purchase the book at:
- Amazon ($0.99):
- B&N ($0.99):
(10 entries each) Write an honest Amazon and/or B&N review of Silver Smoke and forward a link to monicaleonellecontests@gmail.com

The Prize:

Grand Prize Winner: Kindle Fire (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
2nd Place (two winners): Kindle Touch (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)
3rd Place (three winners): Kindle (or cash-equivalent Amazon gift card)

Good Luck if you decide to enter!

The Kindle Fire Smells Great!

2011-12-29T22:07:00.001-08:00

I would just like to assure everyone out there, the Kindle Fire smells great. Not exactly like a book, but I've never sniffed two similar smelling books- and I sniff a lot of books.

I actually bring you this post via my new Kindle that I received right before Christmas. Like other book hoarders I was a stubborn holdout right up to the point when the device was thrust upon me and I had no choice but to charge it up.

I sniff books. New ones. Old ones. Yes, even previously owned ones. I can't help myself, it's a disgusting habit and my only vice. The minute a great book that I know I have to read comes into my hands, I must sniff it.

Other book sniffers out there know what I'm talking about. They understand why a Kindle could never replace a well picked personal library. Don't worry though, at least for the first couple dozen kindle purchases you can sneak a sniff. Go ahead, I won't judge.

You sniffed it, didn't you? :)

The beauty of the Fire though, it's not really meant to be a full on reading device like the earlier versions. There is no way I would clear my shelves and go digital. It is a great book lending option though (I can lend up to 15 books at a time through my public library), and an even better way to read all the galleys I get. The Fire does make my reading experience better though especially with apps like Evernote running at the same time. See when I read I take notes- lots of them. I can run through half a pack of index cards filled with notes and things of interest I want to check out later.

Yes, the Kindle and I are going to get along just fine.

Free Kindle Books & Kindle Deals 12/26

2011-12-26T11:45:00.001-08:00

Did you get a Kindle for Christmas? If so, its time to shop for some new books! Every day Amazon makes a different book for sale at just .99 as part of their Amazon Daily Deals and then there are a few different books that are made available for free for a limited amount of time. Make sure that the daily deal price still says .99 and free books say $0.00 before buying.

One of my favorite books, Life of Pi, is today's Daily Deal over on Amazon! Grab it for less than a dollar.

Some free books I found today include:

Gift Guide: Books for Gardeners

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you have a gardener in your life that is anything like me, they like to read about gardens, gardening, plants, nature, and the history of gardens too! It might seem like a dull subject, but there is so much to be learned and gardening fits into so many other subjects and facets of life. I have tons of old favorites, but here are some of the newer ones that have come my way.

Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree Planting Tribe

You know how all the guilt you feel at buying something goes away when you notice the little PR blurb on the bottom of a company's site that says something like, "No Harm, No Foul. We plant trees with every purchase." Well, read this book and that feel good feeling will go right away. Problem with this read though, you can't find the book anywhere and not even the kindle edition is for sale:/ I was lucky enough to read someone else' advance copy before it expired.

Gardens in Time
Now that I told you about a book that you cannot get, I have one that is the perfect tabletop book. I have Gardens in Time stacked with a couple other beautiful gardens books I love.

In Search of Paradise: Great Gardens of the World
Another book filled with beautiful pictures, but an entirely different focal point.

Edith Wharton's Italian Garden
A perfect example of what I mean when I say that gardening makes its way into so many other interests. Fans of literature will find this worth a read.

Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History
You might not think plants do much, but chances are they are better for a lot more than you know.

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation
Read this earlier this year and it reminded me about a lot of the reasons I was first attracted to the subject of history growing up.

Weeds: In Defense of Nature's Most Unloved Plants
I had a professor that despised the word, weeds, and docked us a point every time we used it. They really are good for a lot and this book pointed out more weed facts and info than I could ever use but now have, just in case.

Seeing Trees
I thought this was a great book on a subject that I have pretty much ignored when it comes to working outside.

The Opening Line's Book Picks of 2011

2011-12-13T04:19:00.000-08:00

There were so many wonderful books written in 2011, several of which I am still reading and many which have found a permanent home in my library. As expected, very few of my favorite books have ended up on most of the "Best of" book lists. They very rarely do, but that's of no consequence because I like what I like and that's that.

Because I read and loved so many books this year that were published in years past, I think I will make an additional list of my favorite reads that were published prior to this year. But till then, check out my book picks of 2011, in no particular order, of course.

State of Wonder
Adventure in the Amazon. A secret drug. Groundbreaking research. State of Wonder has it all.

Madame Bovary's Daughter

Historical fiction, Paris, fashion. What's not to like?!

Paris to the Past

I loved, no, love this book. Ina Caro thinks about travel the way I do, chronologically. I can't wait to explore Paris with this book!

In Malice, Quite Close

This novel truly did a number on me. Nothing was expected, and I was always intrigued.

Between Shades of Gray

This is the only young adult book that made the list for me this year, and I really think everyone should read it. Not only is it well told, but it covers a very neglected part of history.

The Wise Man's Fear

It was a long, but very worthwhile wait. None of use slept for a couple days after this book came out, reading it whenever there was not something else that had to be done (and sleep is one of those things you can go without when a book comes out).

In The Garden of Beasts

Erik Larson is now on my favorite author list as well, and, In the Garden of Beasts, is a favorite read.

To Be Sung Underwater

Not sure why I waited so long to crack this book open, but when I finally got to it, I loved it. It kinda served to remind me to always grab the bull by the horns.

The Help

Loved the book and the movie even more.

Day of Honey

One of the first books I read this year and I knew before I even began that I was going to enjoy it. A memoir based in Baghdad, Day of Honey lets you into a part of the world that is so closed and foreign to so many.

So there they are, my ten favorite books published this year. There are many more books that came out this year that I have not had the chance to read yet, and even more published previous years that I only just discovered.

What are your favorite books of 2011?

Give Me Your Books December!

2011-12-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

Each month here on, The Opening Lines, I host the Give Me Your Books! Giveaway linkup where readers can find book giveaways to enter and bloggers, authors, and publishers can list their contests. December is a great month for book giveaways, think Christmas gifts, so keep coming back all month to enter the growing list!

If you are listing a giveaway it can be for any hard copy or digital books, and gifts related to books or reading. Please include Giveaway Item & End Date (ex. Chicken Soup, 11/25) so that I can easily manage the list throughout the course of the month.
Good Luck!

The Werewolf's Guide to Life, The Twisted Version

2011-11-28T02:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I don't know what to think of the news, it is so fantastic I can only laugh-- like I do when I read, The Onion. Recently there was a lot of hoopla in the news about a couple of young women and a black magic book, The Werewolf's Guide to Life, that led them astray. Heard of it?

So apparently, a pair of female roommates invited a male internet friend to join them for an extended stay with a few escapades mixed in. What resulted was more than they/he bargained for, or at least it sounds that way.

How does the book fit into all of this? Well, apparently more than a few news outlets, websites, spouters of all things gold dubbed the tome everything but what it actually is when it was listed as evidence to the non-crime. When I realized what book it really was I couldn't help but laugh my head off, because you see, there is nothing satanic, evil, cultish, etc about it at all.

Its listed as humor and actually is a lot of fun. Missy and I have read a couple of little gems in there, laughing our butts off over coffee. It's kinda like the other laugh your butt off books that I have mentioned, and even bought, The Zombie Survival Guide and How to Be a Villain.

Reading the author's blog, and this piece on Salon.com, I have to say that I agree with the author's opinion and thoughts on how the reporting was done. At the very least you could say that the entire concept of the book was twisted. In all honesty, I think the author was too nice in calling the various "reporters" lazy, because it was just sheer stupidity.

Can anyone else remember any other book being this confuzzled or caught up in something like this before?

I Write Like....Fun Blogging Widget

2011-11-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

I was blog hopping and came across an interesting widget on a fellow blog that I thought was worth sharing. It's called the I Write Like analyzer and it basically analyzes your writing style and word choices, comparing them to published authors. All you gotta do is copy and past some of your writing into the text field, hit a button and bam, your results are ready.

Interestingly, it turns out I write like an author that I don't even really like-- Chuck Palahniuk. I read one book and couldn't read anymore as a result of that one read. Even more interesting is that every blog post I entered spit out the same result, but when I copied bits of the novel I am writing for NaNoWriMo I get an entirely different result.

Check it out, and maybe even add the badge to your blog. (Mine is on my sidebar for the time being, till I find something else to replace it with.)

Poking Through Libraries, The Value in Learning What Others Know & Think

2011-11-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

Ever poked through someone else's library, or just a shelf? I do it all the time. It's the best way to learn about people.

So yesterday when I pulled, Hitler's Private Library: The Books That Shaped His Life out of the library and got a funny look from the librarian-- a why would you want to read what Hitler read look-- I started wondering how many other people out there think of libraries in the same way I do. See, even when it comes to someone that I detest, do not want to learn from, etc. there is value in learning about them, where they are coming from, and most importantly how their beliefs, values and ideals were formed. This is the reason why I grabbed this book, read it, and learned from it.

Anyone who has taken any sort of course in apologetics knows that this is the best way to defend what you yourself believe in. Kinda like that saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. So yeah, I poke through other people's libraries. I collect books about other people's libraries-- From the Library of C. S. Lewis is a favorite.

And one of my favorite sites, Library Thing, happens to be filled with catalogs of other folks libraries-- plain old folks like me and famous folks too.

So, a curious mind wants to know. Does anyone else poke through libraries? Have a dream library? I've always wanted The Beast's (From Beauty and the Beast) filled with half of Henry Higgins' library, my own growing library, and books from this used bookstore we discovered in Florida.

Jane Austen, Murdered?

2011-11-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have seen the article regarding the possible murder of Jane Austen that was on the front page of Yahoo! the other day. The things is, like most aspects of her life, the death of one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen, is a mystery. She died young, spoke of a variety of mysterious ailments in the letters that we do have.

Now, novelist, Lindsay Ashford has written a book surrounding the possible murder of Jane Austen, only she doesn't mean it to be fiction. First, Ashford believes Austen died of arsenic poisoning, a totally plausible explanation, and one I have actually read before. Because of her experience with arsenic, something she has heavily researched for other crime novels, Ashford claims many of the ailments described by Austen herself fit.

Where Ashford goes a step further is to suggest that Austen was not just accidentally poisoned through constant use of products that contained arsenic, but that Jane was intentionally poisoned and killed. The proof? Who knows. The one thing I never do recall reading about Austen's life is that someone, anyone, had a vendetta for her.

So, it makes sense to me that Austen could indeed have been suffering from arsenic poisoning, which led to her early death. It is well known now that the arsenic based cosmetics, cleaners, household products etc that were used poisoned the people using them. In the new novel, The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen by Lindsay Ashford the claim is that the arsenic poisoning may have been intentional and that there is a possible motive.

Even I have to admit that this is an entirely new angle and topic for Austen fans. But is it just a ploy to sell tons of books? Guess I am going to have to read it to find out.

What does everyone else think? Ploy? Truth? Some truth?

Amazon does have some new copies of the book and a kindle edition:

Teaser Tuesdays 11/15/11

2011-11-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, but remember to:

-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
--Share two sentences from the page as a teaser, without giving anything
crucial away.
-Share the title and author so other readers can find it.

Here's mine:
"May's moving quickly now, brush to palette to canvas, and I resist the urge to move. To pose, after all, is to agree to a form of enchantment."

From, Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman

This title can be purchased in paperback and Kindle edition on Amazon:

You'll love this book if you liked:

Book Haul Find of the Year!

2011-11-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

I'll be the first to admit that I get too excited by the books that I find, but I like it that way. I've been too distracted to post all the recent book hauls that I have had in the last couple weeks to share them with you all, but there is one book that I found today that I am over the moon about.

In the "Misc. Books" section I spied a huge Dictionary titled, The Dictionary of Imaginary Places. The dictionary is huge and filled with information on every Imaginary Place mentioned in history and literature. Every entry in the dictionary is as thorough as an encyclopedia of places would be and at the end of each entry is a reference to where you can the imaginary place.

The copy in the photo is taken from Amazon and is actually of the updated version, 2000, but the copy I found is from 1980, so I am sure the newest edition is even bigger. There are illustrations and maps- almost too much to handle. Not sure I can find anything better this year, or next. Even if you are not a fantasy or sci-fi buff you are going to love this book- there are only a couple dozen fantasy books on my shelf, but I recognize tons of authors and books

My copy is going on the huge ottoman that I am having made. If you want your own, I did find some on Amazon, used and new.

Give Me Your Books! Book Giveaway Linkup for November

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Each month here on, The Opening Lines, I host the Give Me Your Books! Giveaway linkup where readers can find book giveaways to enter and bloggers, authors, and publishers can list their contests. November is a great month for book giveaways, think Christmas gifts, so keep coming back all month to enter the growing list!

If you are listing a giveaway it can be for any hard copy or digital books, and gifts related to books or reading. Please include Giveaway Item & End Date (ex. Chicken Soup, 11/25) so that I can easily manage the list throughout the course of the month.

Teaser Tuesdays 11/8/11

2011-11-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, but remember to:

-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
--Share two sentences from the page as a teaser, without giving anything
crucial away.
-Share the title and author so other readers can find it.

Here's mine:
"It's a Madonna, but there must have been a hundred Madonnas in these rooms, and when Marina is tired and hungry, they start to blur into one another. She is always tired and hungry, even just after eating."

From, The Madonnas of Leningrad: A Novel by Debra Dean

Available in Paperback and Kindle Edition on Amazon:

James Flanagan on New Series, The Brotherband Chronicles!

2011-11-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

My twin sisters are huge fans of the Ranger's Apprentice Series. Still, at about Book 7 they stopped reading them, even though we bought them the new books. Apparently the author did something with/to one of the characters and it made them sad, so they ditched the rest of the series and reread the first 6 books. It's funny because I did and still do the exact same thing with series that I love, but as a reader feel something went wrong (Why was Echo in the Bone written?).

Anyway, I saw a video the other day of James Flanagan, the author of Ranger's Apprentice, talking about this new series, The Brotherband Chronicles, that he is writing which takes place in the same world/time as Ranger's Apprentice. The twins are super excited and can't wait to get their hands on the first book.

Here's the video:

Are you excited for the new series? How about the possibility of a movie based on, Ranger's Apprentice?

To learn more about The Brotherband Chronicles visit, TheBrotherbandChronicles.com

Purchase the first book of the series, The Outcasts, on Amazon: The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles)

Kindle Edition: The Outcasts

This Weeks Library & Used Book Haul

2011-10-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Late last week I had the chance to hit my favorite book store, Half Price Books, and I brought home a mix of historical fiction and nonfiction history. I don't know what it is, but it always happens that way-- I end up grabbing several books on the same topic instead of getting a nice mix (last time it was travel reads, and before that nonfiction science). I guess it kinds works out well in the end because after several trips I have something in every genre I am interested in.

The new to me books include:
It was a pretty good nonfiction history day for me, and had I not been practicing restraint I would have brought home about ten more. All three of them are pretty heavy topics, but ones I like to keep myself well informed of.

As for the fiction I bought, it was all pretty much historical fiction.

In all honesty, I was really bothered by the fact that, March, was published and I had somehow missed it. I am a huge Little Women fan and I have read all of Geraldine Brooks other books, but somehow knowledge of this book had completely escaped me. It wasn't until I peeled back the price tag that I noticed the 2006 Pulitzer Award seal. 2006 was the year of graduation, research projects, lab work from 9 to 9, and the big move-- I literally did not read anything that wasn't a lab report.

As for the library haul, I told myself that I was just there to supervise and could not check anything out. Right now I have about 50 books downloaded that I need to read and a stack of about 40 books for pleasure reading that I have purchased and only allow myself to pick up when I get through at least two of the must reads a week.

Obviously, I did not succeed in leaving the library without. But, I did manage to walk away after snatching up two reads.

Hopefully I will get everything read in the next two weeks, but I am certain that the nonfiction reads will require more time.

Anyone else get any good books to read this week?

WebGL Bookcase Fun, But Not Entirely Practical

2011-10-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

WebGL Bookcase is one of many Chrome Experiments, but this one is an experimental interface for the Google Books API. I have definitely warmed up to reading books electronically and Google Books is one of my favorite resources to find new and old reads. So, when I saw the most recent Chrome Experiment I was very excited, especially because of the way in which you browse, flipping up and down, back and forth through a spiraling bookcase.

Take a look

Pretty neat, huh?

Neat yes, when I downloaded the bookcase I just loved messing with it, but there are a lot of things that need tweaking and done to make it practical enough for folks to run with it.

For starters there is absolutely no search function, so unless you are going to use Google Books for a total random read, don't expect to find anything easily.

It could be a little faster.

The covers are hard to read on the bookcase because the original Google Books covers are kept. Some of the writing on the covers is so tiny, or not even legible and there is no hover feature so you really need to click on random books to see what they are.
There is absolutely no organization to the books, just divided up by theme and then tossed on the shelf so without a way to search and nothing done in any type of order it is literally impossible to find a specific title.

I am sure that Google will work on all that though, so definitely check it out if you have a touch response device. Download it here.

On Conquering & Being Conquered: Conquistadora

2011-10-12T04:51:00.000-07:00

The Opening Lines:
"Ana was a descendant of one of the first men to sail with the Grand Admiral of the Ocean Sea himself, don Cristobal Colon. Three men on her father's side were among the first conquistadores, Basque sailors with intimate knowledge of the sea and fearless curiosity about what lay beyond the sunset."

I don't think, Conquistadora, was meant to be a sad tale, and I certainly wasn't looking for one when I pulled it from the shelf, but it was for me. You have a woman, Ana, who starts out miserable and unsatisfied with life, goes on to lead an even more miserable and unsatisfying life, and ends up pretty much miserable and unsatisfied. But I said this was going to be about conquering and being conquered, so it wasn't just misery, but misery with a little progress mixed in.

Ana spends her youth despising her family's living, basking in the glory of their ancestors, and fantasizes about adventure of her own when she meets her future husband and his twin brother. Finding out about the neglected Puerto Rican plantation the family owns, Ana convinces the twins that her desire to conquer the island is their own. Ana says goodbye to her family, her life, and her country and literally sails off-- along with the twins and their entire family who are so close knit they can't fathom being separated from each other.

The thing is, Ana is busy doing all this daydreaming and calculating, but neither she nor the twins have any idea what they are about to face. Unlike her Basque ancestors, those first conquistadores, they had no way of even understanding what kind of work they were going to have to do, what difficulties awaited them, the dangers, the life, the people, the land etc.

True, Ana does make some headway. She does get the plantation working. And she does it pretty much without the twins help-- though not without Severo. Throughout it all, and there is a lot that happens to this woman, Ana does not give up. She is absolutely determined to conquer the land, conquer her inner demons, and conquer all the men in her life.

Tiring, no?

It was a good read though. Some things about Ana reminded me about myself, which was a good thing because there are a lot of lessons that you can take away from her story-- however fictional it is. Still, it is not a keeper because I don't think I could bring myself to read it again, not like, When I Was Puerto Rican, which is also by Esmeralda Santiago.

Till the next opening lines!

Read Pink With the Penguin Group

2011-10-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

For the second year in a row, Penguin Group, presents READ PINK, a promotion and educational event dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. Penguin will offer eight bestselling titles from participating authors, Bertrice Small, Amanda Quick, Lynn Kurland, Catherine Anderson, Laren Willig, Christina Dodd, Jillian Hunter, and Nora Roberts.

Special edition copies feature the Read Pink seal on the cover, with additional information on the back cover. The Read Pink editions support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and additional information for readers to get involved can be found at the Foundations website.

$25,000 will be donated to the Foundation, and book sales through the Read Pink project will be added to that amount.

You can read more about Read Pink, here, see the list of books, as well as find out more about additional ways to donate.

Give Me Your Books! Book Giveaway Linkup for October #Books #Giveaway

2011-10-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Each month here on The Opening Lines I host the Give Me Your Books! Giveaway linkup where readers can find book giveaways to enter and bloggers, authors, and publishers can list their contests. October is a great month for book giveaways, especially mysteries and thrillers so keep coming back all month to enter the growing list!

If you are listing a giveaway it can be for any hard copy or digital books, and gifts related to books or reading. Please include Giveaway Item & Date so that I can easily manage the list throughout the course of the month.

Classic #Halloween Reads, Great for Teens Too! #Books

2011-09-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

This year we are really stressing the importance of reading the Classics, and have made a point of reading them together. To get the twins attention even more, I put together a list of classic Halloween reads that they might be interested in reading independently, and together-- you're never too old to read or be read to.

It also happens that I signed up for a fall read-a-thon with a frightful theme and a couple other Halloween reading challenges, so in addition to reading all the classic Halloween reads I told the twins about I will be reading a couple other scary themed books and telling you all about them.

Here's my list:

Perfect scary read to start of the month with, especially since Irving pretty much was the first American novelist that had any success as a writer. If you have never read it, give it a whirl. The twins and I are currently reading through this one together and they are totally into it, Anime & fantasy fans that they are :)

I have never been a huge fan of Frankenstein, but I appreciate it for the classic that it is and the influence it has had on every generations. I'll probably start this one now myself, so that I make it through by the end of October-- I have a tendency to hide things that scare me.

Not sure why Dracula never seemed as scary as Frankenstein, but I have read it many times and love it. The twins, on the other hand, have never read the original, so this is going on their required reading list for the month.

The twins love Shakespeare, so I think we will go with Hamlet to mix things up. Macbeth is another great option.

A collection of Halloween classics would not be complete without a couple works by Edgar Allen Poe. I think I will have the girls read, The Cask of Amontillado, and read some of his dark poetry myself.

I have not read this, but I am really going to try to get through it. If you didn't already know, I am a chicken shit-- seriously. I can't even read scary.

Considering the twins read about a book a day, I don't think they or I will have a problem getting through these classics. I'll fill you in on the other Halloween reads as I get to them.