Friday 56 #49 & BB #25 – What Shall We Tell the President by Jeffrey Archer

Posted on August 7, 2015 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it..

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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I have tried to come up with a way to make things simpler for myself when it comes to choosing my next novel to share. This is what I have come up with.

I am starting with the first author on *this* bookshelf and…

now I am moving on to Jeffrey Archer and Shall We Tell the President?

2015-07-23 03.12.21

I have read numerous books by Jeffrey Archer and never hesitate to pick up another one when I see it.

Shall We Tell the President by Jeffrey Archer

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY FRIDAY 56

“Emergency over, son?”

“Yes,” March said, lying.

.

“Nothing at all.” Another lie.Was he sounding too unconcerned? “We just can’t find out which bar he’s in.”

(56% of a hardcover published in 1977)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The United States had for the first time in its history produced two brothers to hold the most coveted position in American political life.

His hand still resting on the Duay Bible, the same book on which the Thirty-fifth President had taken the oath, the book which had belonged to their grandmother, the Fortieth President smiled at the Forty-third First Lady. It was the end of one struggle and the beginning of another.

SYNOPSIS

After years of great sacrifice and deep personal tragedy, Florentyna Kane’s has finally become the first woman president in America. But on the very day that she is sworn into office, powerful forces are already in motion to take her life.

The FBI investigates thousands of false threats every year. This time, a reliable source has tipped them off about an assassination attempt. One hour later, the informant and all but one of the investigating agents are dead. The lone survivor: FBI Special Agent Mark Andrews. Now, only he knows when the killers will strike. But how can he alone unravel a ruthless conspiracy—in less than one week? The race to save the first woman president begins now…

I love covers!

What does this one say to you?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

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Was this review helpful? If so, please consider voting for it on Amazon or like it on GoodReads.

Friday 56 #48 & BB #24 – #SteveAlten and Megladon

Posted on July 31, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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I have tried to come up with a way to make things simpler for myself when it comes to choosing my next novel to share. This is what I have come up with.

I am starting with the first novel on *this* bookshelf and…

now I am on to the second novel, Meg by Steve Alten

2015-07-23 03.12.21

I have been a huge fan of Steve Alten’s for some time now. I find his creatures amazing and love having them come alive on the pages as I read each new story. I am always eager to see what he will come up with next and I think he is taking this series of novels in a direction most of us fans never saw coming.

BUT, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

Meg by Steve Alten

Are you afraid to enter the ocean?

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY FRIDAY 56

Jim shot a quick glance over his right shoulder and saw jaws wider than a school bus snap shut, catching nothing but water. As the Meg’s torso plunged headfirst and down into the wave, the surfer cut again hard to his right, accelerating n the dark, shooting past the last place he’d seen the luminescent white monster.

(56% of a hardcover)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The Professor:

“Imagine a great white shark, fifty to sixty feet in length, weighing close to forty thousand pounds. Can you visualize that?” Professor Jonas Taylor looked at his audience of just over six hundred and paused for effect. “I find it hard to imagine myself sometimes, but this monster did exist. Its head alone was probably as large as a Dodge Ram pickup. Its jaws could have engulfed and swallowed four grown men whole. And I haven’t even mentioned the teeth: razor-sharp, seven to nine inches long, with th e serrated edges of a stainless-steel steak knife.”

SYNOPSIS

Revised and Expanded. On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean’s deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he’s sure he saw but still can’t prove exists – Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds. Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub. Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he’s never imagined. MEG is about to surface. When she does, nothing and no one is going to be safe, and Jonas must face his greatest fear once again.

I love covers!

Meg has a couple of covers for different editions.

Which one do you like the best and why?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #47 & BB #23 – Sharknado would like you to meet Zorro by Isabel Allende

Posted on July 24, 2015 by fundinmental

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We came. We saw. We conquered.

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Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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I have tried to come up with a way to make things simpler for myself when it comes to choosing my next novel to share. This is what I have come up with.

I am starting with the first novel on *this* bookshelf and…

2015-07-23 03.12.21

So…that means my first book will be:

Zorro by Isabel Allende

Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator)

I bought this hardcover, first edition novel a while ago, can’t remember when. It was published in 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers. Designed by Nancy Singer Olaguerra. I love maps and Zorro includes one by Jan Adkins.

I wonder what would happen if Zorro and Robin Hood were to meet. 🙂

MY 56

The exploit of the beast, exaggerated and embellished to the point of impossibility, spread by word of mouth; with time, it crossed the Bering Strait, carried by traders in otter skins, and circulated as far away as Russia. Diego, Bernardo and Garcia were not excused from the whipping administered by their parents, but no one could contest their fame as champions.

(Page 56 in hardcover).In October, when the town was still talking about nothing else, they were attacked by pirates.

(Page 56 in hardcover)

BOOK BEGINNINGS

This is the story of Diego de la Vega and of how he became the legendary Zorro. At last I am able to reveal his identity, which for so many ears we kept secret, though I do so with some unease, since a blank page is more intimidating to me than the naked swords of Moncada’s men. With this document I intend to set the record straight before the slanderers who are determined to defame Zorro have their say…

SYNOPSIS

A swashbuckling adventure story that reveals for the first time how Diego de la Vega became the masked man we all know so well. Born in southern California late in the eighteenth century, Diego de la Vega is a child of two worlds. His father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior. At the age of sixteen, Diego is sent to Spain, a country chafing under the corruption of Napoleonic rule. He soon joins La Justicia, a secret underground resistance movement devoted to helping the powerless and the poor. Between the New World and the Old, the persona of Zorro is formed, a great hero is born, and the legend begins. After many adventures — duels at dawn, fierce battles with pirates at sea, and impossible rescues — Diego de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, returns to America to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for all who cannot fight for it themselves.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the “magic realism” tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at several US colleges. She currently resides in California with her husband. Allende adopted U.S. citizenship in 2003.

I love covers!

What do you think of the cover for Zorro by Isabel Allende?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #46 & BB #22 – Northwoods Wolfman by Scott Burtness

Posted on June 26, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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I told Scott Burtness that I would share Northwoods Wolfman with my readers, but I thought I would kill two birds with one stone. Do you like a little humor with your horror? Check out the guest post from Scott and let us know what you think.

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Northwoods Wolfman by Scott Burtness

Monsters in the Midwest – Book Two

Check out this cool cover.
MY 56

“That can’t be but a mile, maybe two into the woods, but there ain’t nothing out there. I think maybe an old, abandoned cabin. Otherwise, just empty woods. Why draw me a map to go there?”

(Page 56 on Kindle).“It has feasted on my blood. It might help someone. Or not. Just like the rest of your ‘potent panacea.'”

(56% on Kindle)

BOOK BEGINNINGS

IT HAD TO START SOMEWHERE…

The egg hatched, releasing the young Dermacentor vaiabilis larva upon an unsuspecting world. Wriggling away from the nest into the surrounding grass, it had no thoughts, no plans, no aspirations. Those were the burdens of more evolved creatures. Only one desire occupied the tiny ganglion of nerves that served as the wood tick brain. It was tie to feed.

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GUEST POST

I am so happy to have Scott Burtness here to share his new book. Take it away Scott.

Title: Northwoods Wolfman

Series: Monsters in the Midwest, Book 2

Author: Scott Burtness

Publication date: June 24^th, 2015

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Comedy

Buy on Amazon

Author Links: Amazon / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook

Author Bio

033 Scott lives in the Midwest with his wife and their boxer-pitt mix, Frank. He’s a horror, urban fantasy, and dark comedy fan, and also enjoys beer, bowling, karaoke, and rooting for the underdog. After not nearly enough consideration, he decided to write about the things he enjoys. The result was the Monsters in the Midwest series.

Description of the Book

When Dallas is recruited by an ancient order of monster hunters, he’s more than happy to sign up. The self-proclaimed Hero of Trappersville did kill a bloodthirsty vampire, after all. As far as Dallas is concerned, monsters are monsters, and they have no place in Wisconsin.

Or do they? And does Dallas really get to choose which side he’s on?

Excerpt

“You’re needed.”

The nasally voice cut through the whiskey fog, rousing Dallas from his stupor. Before he could put meaning to the words, turn his head and identify the speaker, the person was gone.

“Haven’t seen him b-before,” Stanley commented.

“Stanwee?” Dallas slurred. “Whend’choo get here?” Stanley had hung around with Dallas and Herb for years. Wiry, fidgety, and a terrible bowler, he had rounded out their backwoods version of the Three Musketeers, or more like Two Musketeers and That Stuttering Guy Who Claimed He Was Abducted by Aliens. Since Herb’s death, he’d been Dallas’s near-constant drinking companion.

“J-just now,” Stanley replied. “Saw you talking to that guy,” he said, pointing toward the door.

Dallas’s bleary gaze followed Stanley’s finger, and he locked eyes with a stranger across the bar. The two considered each other for a moment before the man nodded and walked outside.

With a shrug and a short belch, Dallas returned his attention to Stanley. His friend was scrutinizing a business card, a perplexed look layered on top of the usually perplexed look he wore as a matter of course, making him look especially… Dallas groped for the right word… perplexed.

“Crap on a cracker, Stanley. You looking for the cure for cancer on that thing? Give’er here and let me help you with the big words.” Swiping the card, he read out loud.

“Find us. You’re needed.”

Dallas borrowed Stanley’s perplexed look and tried it on for a moment. He’d heard that before. Recent like. A nasally voice. For some reason, the face of the man he’d just been trading looks with popped back into his mind. The voice he recalled seemed like it would fit the man’s face. Gaunt, squinty eyes, straight brown hair slicked back from a dark widow’s peak, scraggly hairs making a go at becoming a goatee. Yeah, it could’ve been that guy, but why was he talking to Dallas? What did they talk about? Why leave the card? A closer look popped the tab on a deeper mystery. Why leave a card telling him to find someone but not leave an address or a number? It was a mystery, pure and simple, and there were few things Dallas hated more than mysteries.

“Guy must have a busted furnace,” Dallas reasoned out loud, causing Stanley’s head to bob in assent. “Jackass didn’t leave a number though. How the hell am I supposed to help if he didn’t leave me a number?”

“Something’s on the b-back,” Stanley offered, a touch of drama coloring his tone. Unlike Dallas, Stanley liked mysteries. He had every season of Murder, She Wrote, Columbo, and Veronica Mars, and took great pleasure in rewatching them and solving the crimes before Angela Lansbury, Peter Falk, or Kristen Bell.

Dallas turned the card over, and sure enough, there was more.

TURN 2 2 AT 2 2 2

Dallas read the line once, then twice, trying to make it make sense. Sometimes, the right amount of alcohol allowed for just the kind of out-of-the-box thinking a riddle like this might need to solve. Sadly, this wasn’t one of those times. This time, the amount of alcohol Dallas had imbibed didn’t help him to think around corners, so to speak. It just helped him get more upset in less time. A win from an efficiency standpoint perhaps, but otherwise a complete loss.

“The hell does that mean? Well, I guess the jackass will just have to freeze.” With a grumbled curse, Dallas crumpled the card and dropped it on the bar. Slapping Stanley on the back, he stumbled toward the door and into the gathering night, the strange man and even stranger card already forgotten.

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I love covers! What do you think of Scott Burtness’ covers?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #45 & BB #21 ~ Cruising with Robert Thornhill

Posted on March 27, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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LADY JUSTICE AND THE CRUISE SHIP MURDERS

by Robert Thornhill

I read this some time ago, but would like to share it with you.

You can see my review here.

Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders (Lady Justice, #11)

MY 56.Thankfully our flight from Dallas to Vancouver was uneventful.

The obnoxious kid and his family went in a different direction, which so far, was the highlight of my day..

(page 56 in paperback).

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BOOK BEGINNINGS

Dear Mr Stewart,

By way of introduction, let it suffice to say for now, that I am a historian and amateur archeologist in Skagway Alaska.

My studies have led meto some documents that are linked to your great-great grandfather, John D Stewart, a prospector during the Alaskan Gold Rush.

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SYNOPSIS.

.Ox and Judy are off to Alaska on a honeymoon cruise and invite Walt and Maggie to tag along.
Their vacation plans are soon shipwrecked by the murder of two fellow passengers.
The murders appear to be linked to a century-old legend involving a cache of gold stolen from a prospector and buried by two thieves.
Their seven day cruise is spent hunting for the gold and eluding the modern day thieves intent on possessing it at any cost.
Another nail-biting mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat one minute and laughing out loud the next.

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Have you ever been on a cruise?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #44 & BB #20 ~ Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

Posted on March 20, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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TIME OF DEATH by Ellis Vidler

I read this some time ago, but would like to share it with you.

You can see my review here.

MY 56

Isobel continued. “Under that bad-boy charm, Connor’s a man with a mission. Something’s driving him. but he’s sexy enough to keep you awake at night” Her eyes closed briefly, then she blinked and pursed her lips. “you’ll have to be more careful. I don’t see Connor as buying the family gift – or maybe curse, in your case. He seems wild, but he’s pretty hard-nosed. At least that’s his reputation in court. Very focused and intense. It’s the only reason he keeps his job.”

(page 56 in paperback)

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BOOK BEGINNINGS

Startled by the approach of two men in business suits, Alex wobbled on her perch in the great oak. She tightened her grip on her camera and inched further up against the branch as they slogged across the sandy soil toward the beach.

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SYNOPSIS

Artist Alex Jenrette has a psychic streak—or is it a curse? While visiting on an island near Charleston, she draws scenes of murder that turn out to be real. The police think she’s involved, prosecutor Connor Moran fears a psychic witness will destroy his case, and the killer believes she was there. But she wasn’t, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it.

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Do you believe in psychics?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #43 & BB #19 ~ Taking the Fall by Margaret Chatwin

Posted on March 13, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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TAKING THE FALL by Margaret Chatwin

I read this some time ago, but would like to share it with you.

You can see my review here.

MY 56.Mike had chosen another very heavily wooded area to spend the night. So wooded, in fact, that the sky was hardly visible. As a result the place was damp and cold. That was okay at the moment, because she was hot from her long uphill hike. But after helping Mike pitch the small two man tent, eating, and finally settling down to rest, she could tell it was going to be a long frigid night.

(page 56 in paperback)

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BOOK BEGINNINGS

She was bound and determined to get through this on her own and that was why his presence there was so downright annoying.

Besides, he was a man, and Karen Hill did not need help from any man. especially not a man as good looking as Undercover Narcotics Officer Michael Tanner.

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SYNOPSIS

Karen Hill does not need a hero clad in shining armor! She has never been saved by anyone except herself, and the last thing she needs is Michael Tanner claiming he’s going to save her now. Save her from what? As far as she’s concerned, he’s the only thing she needs saving from! Under Cover Narcotics Officer Mike Tanner is accustomed to being patient. Waiting and watching to see how things will play out. During his latest case, he has discovered that SharShay Cosmetic Company is distributing a major amount of pure cocaine and that the owner of the company, Miss Hill, is oblivious to it all. He’s content to let it stay that way, until a naive comment she makes put her life – and his – in jeopardy.

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Do you ever pick up a book just because you like the cover?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #42 & BB #18 ~ Tiger Paw by Charles A Cornell

Posted on March 6, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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TIGER PAW by Charles A Cornell

I read this book some time ago, but it is so awesome, I wanted to share it with you!

You can read my review here.

Check out this awesome cover!

Isn’t it gorgeous and very creatively done?

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY 56

“So they were victims from the start?”

“Carleton created IPO’s for them, turned a spectacular profit and everyone in the game won. Greed greased the wheels and the machine accelerated. It became a feeding frenzy.

“Just when we got in way over our heads, he dumped his stock – big time – and began short selling behind our backs.”

“You mean ugly enough to kill?”

(56% on Kindle)

BOOK BEGINNINGS

New York City was paralyzed four blocks either side of Broadway, all the way from Central Park to Wall Street. What had started as a relatively small Occupy Wall Street demonstration had now grown to over one million people – one million very determined people.

People without a clear mission.

Except to be angry.

Very angry.

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SYNOPSIS

As a serial killer wreaks havoc on Wall Street, dismantling a corrupt financier’s empire one body at a time, FBI profiler Scott Forrester uncovers the deadly secret of a demon-worshipping Hindu cult that is determined to change the very fabric of society. Firmly in their assassin’s crosshairs, Scott Forrester is forced underground to stop the killing spree. But will he survive the deal he must make with the Devil to thwart their satanic plan?

Royal Palm Literary Award Winner for Best Thriller of 2012 –from the Florida Writers Association
Best Indie Thriller Nominee – Kindle Book Reviews

“A great variation to the thriller genre…the author blended a detective storyline with a thread of the esoteric which makes it stand out from other thrillers. The ending leaves you guessing… a well thought out story, with lots of action. Recommended for all lovers of thrillers and action books.” – Midwest Book Review

“5 Stars! – This book had my juices flowing-my heart pounding, blood boiling, anger, rage, PISSED OFF. It had me thinking of all kinds of things. So applicable to what is going on today. Believable. For a debut novel, I was really impressed.” – Sherry Fundin, Fundinmental Book Reviews

“This book goes far beyond a 5 STAR rating! Charles A. Cornell is a magnificent storyteller and his debut novel is brilliant. Tiger Paw was a very tumultuous read for me. It touches on everything that’s wrong in government and Wall Street. I can imagine the challenge he faces when writing the next novels. It will be hard to top this.” – Laura Thomas, FU Only Knew Book Reviews

What do you think of the cover?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Friday 56 #41 & BB #17 ~ Death of a Schoolgirl by Joanna Campbell Slan

Posted on February 27, 2015 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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DEATH OF A SCHOOLGIRL by Joanna Campbell Slan

I read this some time ago, but would like to share it with you.

You can see my review here.

MY 56..I told her about my trip in the mail coach and the incident with the thief. I ended my recitation with, “I hate the thought of telling Edward I have lost the Rochester diamonds!”

(page 56 in paperback).

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BOOK BEGINNINGS.

When Jane Eyre first wrote her autobiography, it was intended as a multivolume work, for she’d lived a rich and varied life despite her harsh beginnings. But after publication of the first volume of her early life, from her birth to her marriage in 1819, the book received such an overwhelming amount of attention – some positive, but much negative – that it quite turned her again publishing the rest of the story she’d written.

…reader discovered a handwritten manuscript…

And so, dear reader, her story continues…

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SYNOPSIS

In her classic tale, Charlotte Brontë introduced readers to the strong willed and intelligent Jane Eyre. Picking up where Brontë left off, the year is now 1851, and Jane’s life has finally settled into a comfortable pattern. She and her beloved Edward Rochester have married, and have an infant son. But Jane soon finds herself in the midst of new challenges and threats to those she loves…

Jane can’t help but fret when a letter arrives from Adèle Varens—Rochester’s ward and Jane’s former pupil, currently at boarding school—warning that the girl’s life is in jeopardy. Although it means leaving her young son and invalid husband, and despite never having been to a city of any size, Jane feels strongly compelled to go to London to ensure Adèle’s safety.

But almost from the beginning, her travels don’t go as planned—she is knocked about and robbed, and no one believes that the plain, unassuming Jane could indeed be the wife of a gentleman. Even when she arrives at the school, the headmistress takes her for an errant new teacher, and berates her for her late arrival. Most shocking to Jane is the discovery that Adèle’s roommate has recently passed away under very suspicious circumstances, yet no one at the school seems concerned. Taking advantage of the misunderstanding, she decides to pose as the missing instructor—and soon uncovers several unsavory secrets, which may very well make her the killer’s next target…

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Do you read autobiographies or historical novels?

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Let’s Meet Pulitzer Prize Winning Author Rick Bragg

Posted on February 20, 2015 by fundinmental

SHERRY_&_RICK_BRAGG

Recently, I was fortunate to be able to meet Rick Bragg, a pulitzer prize winning author. He was taping a program for PBS in the WSRE Amos studio at Pensacola State College in Florida. He also did a free ‘lecture’ for all those who wished to attend.

He is the guy next door, a warm and friendly person with a knack for telling a story in rich and vivid detail. He reminds me of my Uncle Eddie, who we describe as a large, cuddly teddy bear. He believes his poor upbringing has filled his life with stories to be told. His first novel is about his mother, All Over But The Shoutin’. I loved it, when he said he never knew his grandfather, so, he made one, thus, Ava’s Man. Rick wraps up his family stories in the American Saga series with The Frog Prince, inspired by his relationship with his ten year old stepson.

I could sit and listen to him for hours, so I can only imagine how I will feel about his books. Let’s check out his latest novel, Jerry Lee Lewis, His Own Story by Rick Bragg.

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Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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Jerry Lee Lewis, His Own Story by Rick Bragg

Add to Goodreads

My Friday 56

He was a student of mischief, and even a lifetime later he relishes it almost as much as he relishes the early music, relishes any discomfort or awkwardness or devilment he took part in, the way he remembers the taste of his mama’s tomato gravy. Some men outgrow their boyish devilment.

(page 56 of hardcover)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

The water would rise up every few years, wash across the low, flat land, and take everything a poor man had, ruin his cotton and corn and drown his hogs, pour filth and dead fish into his home, even push the coffins from the earth and float his ancestors all the way to Avoyelles.

“Oh Lord, Maxine, the Rapture has done come and the Lord has left us here.”

SYNOPSIS

The greatest Southern storyteller of our time, Rick Bragg, tracks down the greatest rock and roller of all time, Jerry Lee Lewis—and gets his own story, from the source, for the very first time

A monumental figure on the American landscape, Southern boy jerry Lee Lewis spent his childhood raising hell in Ferriday, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi; galvanized the world with hit records like “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” that gave rock and roll its devil’s edge; caused riots and boycotts with his incendiary performances; married his thirteen-year-old second cousin—his third wife of seven; ran a decades-long marathon of drugs, drinking, and women; nearly met his maker, twice; suffered the deaths of two sons and two wives, and the indignity of an IRS raid that left him with nothing but the broken-down piano he started with; performed with everyone from Elvis Presley to Keith Richards to Bruce Springsteen to Kid Rock—and survived it all to be hailed as “one of the most creative and important figures in American popular culture and a paradigm of the Southern experience.”

Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story is the Killer’s life as he lived it, and as he shared it over two years with our greatest bard of Southern life: Rick Bragg. Rich with Lewis’s own words, set in context by Bragg’s richly atmospheric narrative, filled with rare and unpublished images, this is the last great untold rock-and-roll story, come to life on the page.

ABOUT RICK BRAGG

Rick Bragg is the Pulitzer Prize winning writer of best-selling and critically acclaimed books on the people of the foothills of the Appalachians, All Over but the Shoutin, Ava’s Man, and The Prince of Frogtown.

Bragg, a native of Calhoun County, Alabama, calls these books the proudest examples of his writing life, what historians and critics have described as heart-breaking anthems of people usually written about only in fiction or cliches. They chronicle the lives of his family cotton pickers, mill workers, whiskey makers, long sufferers, and fist fighters. Bragg, who has written for the numerous magazines, ranging from Sports Illustrated to Food & Wine, was a newspaper writer for two decades, covering high school football for the Jacksonville News, and militant Islamic fundamentalism for The New York Times.

He has won more than 50 significant writing awards, in books and journalism, including, twice, the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993, and is, truthfully, still a freshman at Jacksonville State University. Bragg is currently Professor of Writing in the Journalism Department at the University of Alabama, and lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Dianne, a doctoral student there, and his stepson, Jake. His only real hobby is fishing, but he is the worst fisherman in his family line.