Welcome to another Bookish Friday, in which I share excerpts from books…and connect with other bloggers, who do the same.
Let’s begin the celebration by sharing Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and let’s showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.
To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.
Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!
What better way to spend a Friday!
Today’s featured book is one I purchased a while ago, in September 2014; the author, however, is one I’ve enjoyed with several more recent books. Dream of the Blue Room, by Michelle Richmond, depicts the powerful intimacies of marriage, friendship, and family that shape our paths and the bonds of home that buoy us—wherever home may be.
Beginning: In the dream Amanda Ruth is not dead, she is only sleeping. We are lying under a sycamore tree beside a rugged mountain path. The grass around us is littered with the pits of fruits we have eaten: peaches and figs, plums and nectarines. Her fingers are still wet from our feast.
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56: As I lay on top of Amanda Ruth, I felt a nervousness rattling in my stomach, and along with it a feeling of being in exactly the right place and with the right person, a wholeness I had not felt since we’d last been together. Her body felt as familiar as my own, although she had changed since that day in the boathouse, gained a softness and a stillness that wasn’t there before.
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Blurb: Jenny and Amanda Ruth were best friends in a small Alabama town until eighteen-years-old Amanda Ruth was murdered. Now, fourteen years later, Jenny has traveled with her husband to China to scatter Amanda Ruth’s ashes and finally fulfill her friend’s dream of visiting her Chinese father’s homeland. It’s also, Jenny hopes, an opportunity to repair her own troubled marriage. But as she journeys through a foreign landscape, the guilty secrets of Jenny’s past rise up and her life will be inexorably altered.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog (“Highly recommended [for fans of] authors like Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard” —Library Journal, starred review) and No One You Know (“Luminous . . . will keep you thinking long after the last page has been turned”—Family Circle),
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It has been a while since I last read a novel by Richmond, but I was drawn to this one because of how much I’ve enjoyed her other books. What do you think? Would you keep reading?
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I think this book sounds beautiful, and well written. I am going to look out for it. Happy reading. Here’s my Friday Book Shop.
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Thanks, Bev, I agree….and I’m a big fan of the author’s later works, so I wanted to search for the earlier ones, too.
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I am a little confused by the quotes. Who is laying on top of the girl? Isn’t the girl dead? My Friday Quotes
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If I’m not mistaken, and correct me if I’m wrong, Laurel…that would be Jenny’s guilty secret…that her and Amanda had a love affair in the past. At least that’s what I got from it. Sounds interesting.
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I think you’re right, Michelle, and thanks for stopping by.
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Yes, confusing…I think she is dreaming, Anne…or remembering. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your Friday pick.
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This sounds very intriguing – I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it floating around the library! 🙂
Check out my Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings).
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Thanks, Lauren, I found it by searching the author’s earlier works (on Amazon).
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The beginning of Dream of the Blue Room is beautifully written, it sounds fascinating.
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I thought so, too, Whitney…thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!
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Your teases have me curious, though the cover doesn’t say much to me.
sherry @ fundinmental Friday Memes
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I agree about the cover, Sherry…I don’t know why that particular one was chosen! Her other covers are awesome. Thanks for stopping by.
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It’s something I wouldn’t’ve picked up based on the cover itself but after reading these few excerpts I am definitely intrigued to see what’s going on and what things in Jenny’s past are being brought up.
Danica @ A Redheaded Bookworm
I feature Burial Rites on my blog.
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Agreed….it’s too bad when covers don’t draw us in. Thanks for visiting, Danica.
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I haven’t heard of this one. It isn’t one that would normally catch my attention. I hope you are enjoying it. This week I’m spotlighting The Obsession by Nora Roberts. Happy reading!
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Thanks for visiting, Kathy, and I can’t wait to read your pick!
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I’ve had dreams like that. So real I could almost taste them. This sounds like the kind of book I enjoy. Thank you for introducing me to this author. I’ll be looking for her books.
Thank you, too, for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.
Sandy @ TEXAS TWANG
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You’re welcome, Sandy, and thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!
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I like the sound of this one and hadn’t heard of it before. May have to add it to my list.
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Me, too, Catherine. Thanks for stopping by.
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That beginning is POWERFUL The excerpt is certainly beautiful. Nothing like that often elusive feeling of being exactly the right place and with the right person 🙂
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Yes, that’s it exactly. Thanks for visiting, Daniela.
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I love the title, cover and beginning. It has a really lyrical quality to the writing. I haven’t read anything by this author but I’d definitely like too!
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I think so, too, Katherine, and I loved this author’s Year of the Fog. Thanks for stopping by.
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The synopsis sounds wonderful. As does the writing. Not so crazy about the cover. Trying to figure out how it pertains to the story. And being from Alabama, I enjoy stories set in a familiar location.
My 56 from A Monster Calls
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I’m not sure about what the cover has to do with anything…except for the “blueness.” LOL
Thanks for stopping by, Laura, and enjoy your pick.
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They seem a little closer than friends, but I like the sound of the writing. Happy weekend!
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Yes, I sensed that, too, Freda….and I liked the writing as well. Thanks for stopping by, and for hosting. Enjoy the weekend!
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Ah, seems the protagonist lost more than just a best friend. I wonder if the murder was brought to justice. Hope you have a nice weekend!
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Thanks, Alicia, and I hope there was justice….enjoy your weekend!
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I love the cover and the author’s voice is very good – not sure this is for me but I hope you really enjoy it. Here’s my Friday meme
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Thanks, Maria, glad you could visit! Enjoy your weekend.
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I really like the writing style here, sounds like the author is a very capable storyteller.
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Thanks, Brooke, I completely agree! I am loving the book so far.
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What a lovely beginning .. the writing has a lovely flow to it. I hope you’re enjoying it …
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The book continued to have that lovely flow, Aloi…and that lyrical quality, as well as trying to sort out what was real and what was a dream…it all kept me moving along until the end. Thanks for stopping by.
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