Sandra Nachlinger's Blog, page 56

Boomer Lit Friday - March 8

We're pleased to participate in Boomer Lit Friday for the first time today. 

Our snippet is taken from Chapter 1 of I.O.U. SEX.  In this scene, lifelong friends June, Kiki, and Peggy read June's high school diary, reflect on their teenage years, and come up with the idea of searching for their old boyfriends. [WARNING: This post contains one bad word and a bunch of innuendo.]

      Kiki rolled her eyes. "Shit, if I'd known then what I know now, things would have been very different. When I think of the staying power of those eighteen-year-old guys ...." She sighed. "Too bad we wasted it."
      Peggy put her hand over her mouth to keep her drink from spewing out with her laughter. She shook her head as if to dislodge Kiki's words from her ears. "Please, I'm serious. Those boys must have felt as sad as a fiddle with one string. So disappointed. So...unfulfilled. It must have been hard on them."
     "Unfulfilled?" June grinned. "That's priceless."
     Kiki arched an eyebrow. "That's also an understatement if I ever heard one, but you're sure right about the hard part."
            
Here's the criteria for Boomer Lit Friday posts:

The excerpt must be from a work that fits in the Boomer lit genre, which means it must focus on Boomer characters or issues faced by Boomers today, not nostalgia or coming of age set in the 50s and 60s.

For links to more Boomer Lit Friday posts and excerpts from some great books, click HERE. 

To link to I.O.U. SEX on Amazon, click on the book's cover to the left of this post.

Enjoy Boomer Lit Every Friday

Teaser Tuesday: The Law of Similars

My favorite Chris Bohjalian book (so far) is MIDWIVES, but I enjoyed this one too. No matter what he writes, I learn something new through his stories. That's always a plus for me. In this book, the subject was homeopathic medicine.

Today's Teaser is from Page 3 of my trade paperback copy:
"But about a week after Elizabeth's funeral, when Abby and I were just starting to settle into a routine that would become our life, I think the concept that Mommy really and truly wasn't coming back became a tangible reality in my little girl's mind--more real, perhaps, than the lunch box I packed every night for day care, or the stuffed animals that lined the side of her bed against the wall. It happened after midnight."

Title: The Law of Similars
Author: Chris Bohjalian
Number of Pages: 336
Amazon Link: Here

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
From the number one bestselling author of Midwives comes this riveting medical thriller about a lawyer, a homeopath, and a tragic death.  When one of homeopath Carissa Lake's patients falls into an allergy-induced coma, possibly due to her prescribed remedy, Leland Fowler's office starts investigating the case.  But Leland is also one of Carissa's patients, and he is begining to realize that he has fallen in love with her.  As love and legal obligations collide, Leland comes face-to-face with an ethical dilemma of enormous proportions.  Graceful, intelligent, and suspenseful, The Law of Similars is a powerful examination of the links between hope and hubris, love and deception. 
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Teaser Tuesday - Ten Tiny Breaths

Today's Teaser Tuesday is from the prologue of TEN TINY BREATHS by K.A. Tucker
    êêêêê "What the hell does a tiny breath do? Why not a deep breath? Why ten?"

Amazon Link
Goodreads Link
Number of Pages: 264
Genre: 
Contemporary Women's Fiction (maybe Young Adult)

Partial Synopsis (from Goodreads):
     Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.     
     But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Modern Day Lumberjacks

Doorbell rings and young man says to me, "My name is Jake. I'll be your climber today." Doesn't that sound like a good start for a book? 

We're having a couple of trees removed behind our house today, and this is the guy who's going to be climbing up them and lopping off branches - a modern-day lumberjack.

This photo is from our last tree removal about five years ago.


I hate to have trees taken down, but when they're threatening to fall on the house, there's no choice.

Quote: Lucille Ball

"I would rather regret the things that I have done than the

 things that I have not."

 - Lucille Ball

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 - Dakota Blues

Indie author Lynne M. Spreen says (on Goodreads):  
"Dakota Blues is about coming alive at midlife. Here's what I want to know: At middle age and in the second half, are we too old to start over? Is it foolish to try? Should we be winding down or giving it our all, burning bridges and blowing things up in a last attempt to realize our dreams? How best to travel this later-in-life pathway? These are the questions that fascinate me, and about which I crave to write."
BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY:         Karen's fingers hovered over the keyboard while she tried to remember the killer argument she'd been about to make, but the idea had faded. Not for the first time that day, she wished the hall outside her door hadn't become the official gathering place for coworkers in search of gossip and idle chit chat.
        It wasn't like her to lose focus so easily.
THE FRIDAY 56 (from 56% on my Kindle):        Karen agreed. "The van runs beautifully, and I'm planning to take it around the Divide, through Albuquerque so I can avoid the higher elevations. It's a bit farther, but safer."        "Always play it safe, that's our Karen," said Frieda.
Author: Lynne M. Spreen
Genre: Women's Fiction
Number of Pages: 306
Amazon Link: DAKOTA BLUES 

MY THOUGHTS:
         This is such a good book! Fifty year old, high-powered executive Karen Grace faces three life-changing crises, all within a matter of days. When her mother dies, she must leave California for her rural hometown in North Dakota to attend the funeral; her husband threatens divorce because his young girlfriend is pregnant; and her career is in serious jeopardy. But when she meets 90-year-old Frieda, she's offered an opportunity to break away and make some changes. Her journey makes for a fascinating story that I highly recommend.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts 
(sponsored by Rose City Reader.)Find other Friday 56 bloggers here (sponsored by Freda's Voice). 

                

Teaser Tuesday - Scarlet Nights

  Where do you get your books? Some of mine come from big bookstores (usually Barnes and  Noble). Others I buy online, either as paperbacks or eBooks, and some I check out of the library or borrow from friends. But I also like to buy used books at Comstock's Bookshop in downtown Auburn, Washington. That's where I got Jude Deveraux's Scarlet Nights, written in 2010. Unfortunately, I just discovered that this is the third book in the nine-book Edilean series! Guess I'd better track down #1 and #2. In the meantime, here's today's Teaser Tuesday excerpt from Page 17 of my hardback edition of Scarlet Nights.

TEASER:
After days of heavy rain that nearly flooded the town, he'd discovered an old tunnel. It had been shored up with heavy timbers, and the floors had been laid with handmade brick--and it opened into the floor of Tess's apartment.

Author: Jude Deveraux
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 376 Pages
Amazon Link: Scarlet Nights




Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasersLeave a comment on MizB's Teaser Tuesday post (HERE) and include your link so everyone can find your post.

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 - Love and Sleepless Nights

                              
Today I'm featuring LOVE AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS for my Book Beginnings on Fridays and Friday 56 post.

Author: Nick Spalding
Genre: Women's Fiction / Humor / Romance
Number of Pages: 170
Amazon Link and Synopsis: Love and Sleepless Nights

                                        








BOOK BEGINNING:
Laura's Diary - Monday, April 1st
Dear Mum,
     Well, it's finally happened. I've achieved my lifelong ambition. 
     It's been many years in the making, but I can now honestly say that I, Laura Newman, have successfully thrown my guts up in front of a group of men at an important job interview.

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. To play, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires and then add your name to the Linky list HERE.
                                                   
THE FRIDAY 56 (Laura is holding her newborn daughter):
      A sudden up-swell of tears rises from the depths of my being and now I start to cry with a combination of relief, awe - and not a little pride, if I'm being honest.
      I take the very small package into my arms, feeling the undeniable weight of new existence through every fibre of my being.

To participate in The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, post a few sentences from Page 56 of your current book (or from 56% on your eReader) and then add your name to the Linky list HERE.

MY THOUGHTS: Anyone who has ever had a baby (especially first-time parents) will relate to the emotions, experiences, doubts, and joys portrayed in this book. Presented as a series of diary entries (Laura's) and blog posts (her husband Jamie's), I enjoyed every single word.

Teaser Tuesday: Confessions of a Predatory Lender

[image error] 
Today's Teaser Tuesday sentences come from CONFESSIONS OF A PREDATORY LENDER, a novel by Irma Fritz, author of IRRETREVIABLY BROKEN and an indie author like me. I like to read indie books, as well as books by well-known authors, and I especially like to learn a little something while I'm enjoying a story's plot. That's definitely the case with this book. I'm about halfway through and engrossed in this enjoyable story, while learning a little about the home mortgage crisis.

Here are two sentences from 17% on my Kindle.

TEASER:
Megan has one hand in her hair, returning her painstakingly gelled and coiffed hairdo to its naturally messy state. "Um, it's my impression that we won't be verifying ... you know, the customer's ability to repay the loan?"


Author: Irma Fritz
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 420
Amazon Link: Confessions of a Predatory Lender

Goodreads Synopsis:
       The year is 2006 and everyone knows you can make a killing in mortgage lending. Christy and Megan, two small-town girls from the Palouse region of Eastern Washington, arrive in Seattle with newly minted finance degrees and dollar signs in their eyes. Both are eager to grab their chance at becoming mortgage loan officers. If only they can pass the training class!
       "Good girl" Christy is our guide through the maze of predatory lending with BFF Megan her ever-present and irreverent sidekick. Together they’re an irresistible combination as they love, shop, and lend their way through this hilarious novel toward an ending we’re all too familiar with.



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.Be sure to add a comment to Miz B's Teaser Tuesday post, leaving a link to the post on your blog.

Book Beginnings and Friday 56: Perigee Moon

PERIGEE MOON is my featured book for today's Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 post.

BOOK BEGINNINGS:
When the kids on Henley Street were seven and eight and nine, there was no one to blow the whistle. There wasn't a leader among them, not one to make a decision. During the summer there could be as many as eight boys who milled around and collected together on the sidewalks. They wanted to do something interesting and fun but waited for someone else to take charge. 

(NOTE: Of course, that changes when Kate Willoughby's family moves into the neighborhood!)

FRIDAY 56:
Once the fraternity pin was in place, Kate decided it was time to take the relationship to a new level. She wanted an engagement ring and she wanted it in time for Christmas, during their junior year of college. It was time.

(NOTE: This is at 16% on my Kindle -- my estimate of where Page 56 would probably be.)

MY IMPRESSIONS:
I read this book a while back and loved it! The author took me back to a simpler time and carried me through Kate and Luke's lives - from the 1950s all the way to the present. Filled with humor and true-to-life situations that reflect the times in which the characters lived, I found myself nodding in agreement more than once! The characters and story created by Lynn Schneider will stay with me for a long time.
(By the way, Kate Willoughby is a "Fatal Attraction" type of character that you'll love to hate.)

Author: Lynn Schneider
Genre: Women's Fiction
Number of Pages: 342
Amazon link.
Link to my review on Goodreads.
~~~~~~~~~~~Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts 
(sponsored by Rose City Reader.)Find other Friday 56 bloggers here (sponsored by Freda's Voice).