Tuesday Teaser - tempt us with your current read! Showing 951-1,000 of 1,166

[Tien]

One day, a great flood washed away the walls of the Yándi prison and the slaves escaped, disappearing into the wildlands beyond the city walls. The Korelians used their pale Highlanders slaves to track down the Yándi, and after a fierce battle with the Korelians the remaining few Yándi were cornered. In that desperate moment, with nowhere left to run, and with all their weapons broken, the sky gods stepped down from the stars and told the Yándi to cover themselves in red earth.

Lightning Tracks (Song Gate #1) by Alethea Kinsela AA

[Kylie]

Beth Farlow waited inside the main reception area on the inside of the security barriers. She should have gone back to work but she'd seen Dr King go into the interview room and she didn't think speaking to him would do any harm. Her own interview had unnerved her for a reason she could not quite explain. No, that wasn't true. There was a reason for her disquiet, but she didn't feel she could share it with the officers. The man, the sergeant, seemed nice enough, but the inspector, the way her eyes seemed to see right through her. Beth shrugged. How come the police made her feel guilty even though she hadn't done anything wrong? And could she really be guilty by omission if that omission had no real solid base anyway?

From Before She Falls by Dylan Young

[Jazzy]

“14 East 95th St.
November 18, 1949
WHAT KIND OF A BLACK PROTESTANT BIBLE IS THIS?
Kindly inform the Church of England they have loused up the most beautiful prose ever written, whoever told them to tinker with the Vulgate Latin? They’ll burn for it, you mark my words.
It’s nothing to me, I’m Jewish myself. But I have a Catholic sister-in-law, a Methodist sister-in-law, a whole raft of Presbyterian cousins (through my Great-Uncle Abraham who converted) and an aunt who’s a Christian Science healer, and I like to think none of them would countenance this Anglican Latin Bible if they knew it existed. (As it happens, they don’t know Latin existed.)
Well, the hell with it. I’ve been using my Latin teacher’s Vulgate, what I imagine I’ll do is just not give it back till you find me one of my own.
I enclose $4 to cover the $3.88 due you, buy yourself a cup of coffee with the 12¢. There’s no post office near here and I am not running all the way down to Rockefeller Plaza to stand in line for a $3.88 money order. If I wait till I get down there for something else, I won’t have the $3.88 any more. I have implicit faith in the U.S. Airmail and His Majesty’s Postal Service.
Have you got a copy of Landor’s Imaginary Conversations? I think there are several volumes, the one I want is the one with the Greek conversations. If it contains a dialogue between Aesop and Rhodope, that’ll be the volume I want.
Helene Hanff”

~Helene Hanff, 84, Charing Cross Road

[Sally906]

My teaser comes from A Love so True by Caroline Mickelson

This is a sweet little romance set in WWII England.

As the taxi drove past Laurel manor and wound its way through the grounds towards the cottage, Andrej's spirits lightened. All distractions aside, notably his thoughts of Emma, he looked forward to learning more about the work that awaited him. All that mattered to him was that he was not going to be 'Andrej, the world renowned concert pianist' but instead a regular man with a job that supported the war effort.

[Carolyn]

Sarai had become the weapon that Minya wanted her to be, and punished humans in the only way she could: through their dreams. Fear was her medium, and nightmares her art. Every night, for years, she had tormented the sleepers of Weep. “Did you make anyone cry?” Minya would ask her in the morning, “Did you make anyone scream?”
The answer was always yes.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

[Kylie]

Will hadn't mentioned the antenatal classes they had been told to attend. "Are they essential?" he'd asked Sir Phillip, who looked at him quizzically before replying.
"I would classify them as being highly recommended rather than essential," he said. "They certainly contribute to a healthier and safer birthing experience."

From Secrets Between Us by Valerie Keogh

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Approaching the patio, he watched a possum scurry out from under a cane chair, across the front lawn, and then dart up the trunk of the paperbark tree Sarah loved so much. Hardy hibiscus and bougainvillea bushes covered the front of the cottage. Insects buzzed around the light his mother had left on for him and geckos darted to catch their dinner - it was an outback buffet like no other. Kicking off his boots, he tugged open the flyscreen door and stepped inside.

Return To Rosalee Station by Mandy Magro

[Jazzy]

“As Rhys Jones reminds us, reflecting on the moment of invasion,
'The newcomers struggling through the surf were met on the beaches by other men looking at them from the edge of the trees. Thus the same landscape perceived by the newcomers as alien, hostile, or having no coherent form, was to the indigenous people their home, a familiar place, the inspiration of dreams.'”

~Billy Griffiths, Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia

[Marianne]

We also got back to the hotel without dying.
It was going to be that kind of day. Brushed my teeth, didn't die. Stepped outside, didn't get shot. Ate breakfast, didn't get poisoned. Got in our hotel, nobody waiting.

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris

[Sally906]

My teaser this week is from The CEO by Aussie Author Victoria Purman:

‘I’ve planned three large black pots out here with succulents in them. I would recommend zamia furfuracea.’

He gave her a sideways glance. ‘I love it when you talk dirty.’

She tried not to shiver because that look of his was dirty, too. ‘It’s Latin,’ she managed.

‘Even better.’

[Kylie]

Tayte paced the room towards the chart. 'I was looking into Matthew Parfitt here,' he said, pointing at the corresponding box on the wall. 'A letter turned up proving that Matthew Parfitt was Lowenna and Mawgan's son.' He raised his arm to indicate them on the chart. 'It gave Simon all the proof he could want. That's what I gave him this morning when I was trying to get Amy back.'
'But why try to kill you over it?' Bastion said. 'What does it matter who knows? Surely he wants everyone to know he's part of such a family. Sir Richard Fairbourne's a baronet after all and very well connected.'

From In the Blood by Steve Robinson

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

"Just coming here is a bit of an adventure for me," I admitted. "I'm a homebody. But this opportunity just seemed too good to pass up."
Greer shot me a warm grin. "We're very happy to have you here. Your photography is stunning. I can't wait to see what you come up with. I know it will be very special."
I breathed deeply, hoping like hell I could live up to the faith she seemed to have in me. "I'm still pinching myself I got this job."

Stranger in the Woods by Anni Taylor

[MaryG2E]

'I must say, this is wonderful stuff,' said Ellison, dabbing some crumbs from the side of his mouth. 'I always thought my late wife made the best shortbread in the colony, but you may well have surpassed her - I should whisper that, in case her shade can hear me and decides to pay a reproachful visit.'
He chuckled. Oh yes, Hannah thought. The passing of your wife, poor woman, must be a source of endless amusement.
'Would you care for some more tea?' she said, wondering if he would notice that her smile was stiff and fixed.
The Power Game by Meg Keneally and Tom Keneally

[Marianne]

"For a boy your age you tell a story remarkably well," said Greyfur. "You should do something about it. You would make a very good drover."
"Why a drover?"
"Why not?"
"But drovers don't earn their living by telling stories."
"That's true," she said, "but just imagine how happy a drover would be if he could tell stories like you. It's far better to be a happy drover than a sad anything else."

Whispering in the Wind by Alan Marshall

[Carolyn]

My teaser is from the opening of The Owl Always Hunts At Night by Samuel Bjørk

Completely naked and yet his body was covered by .... feathers? He was curled up in a corner, a birdlike, crooked creature from another world, with something in his mouth. A small animal. A mouse? Her brother was covered in feathers and held a dead mouse between his teeth.
This was the image that would change her life. her brother turned slowly and looked at her, his eyes filled with wonder, as if they did not know who she was.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Goodness Carolyn!!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I'll be starting The Girl They Left Behind next, so my teaser is from the start :)

Bucharest - January 1941.

The girl sits alone in impenetrable darkness. Shivering, she wraps her arms around her tiny body and buries her face in the collar of her wool cardigan. Out here on the building steps, she tries to remember exactly what her mother had told her. Did she say how long she'd be gone? It was still light out when she last saw her parents rounding the corner, her mother with her shoulders slumped forward, trembling in her thin dress, her father shuffling down the frozen sidewalk just steps behind her.

[Kylie]

The elements were peaceful. A cloudless sky, a gentle breeze, an unruffled sea. It should have been a perfect summer morning. And the beach should have been inviting. Terrace houses, some five storeys high, fronted onto the broad expanse of sand, a pretty setting, echoing past holiday-makers' delight. But it was no holiday haven today.
Today black smoke dimmed the sun, and the sea and sky merged to a murky grey as layer upon layer of German aircraft swooped from high to unleash their 1,000-pound bombs on the English destroyers. The elements were peaceful, but mankind was bent on death and destruction.

From Pacific by Judy Nunn

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Sounds good Kylie :)

[Kylie]

Brenda wrote: "Sounds good Kylie :)"

It's the start of the Prologue Brenda. I haven't read Judy Nunn before :)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Oh you should read Spirits of the Ghan, Elianne and Sanctuary then. Loved them all :)

[Kylie]

Brenda wrote: "Oh you should read Spirits of the Ghan, Elianne and Sanctuary then. Loved them all :)"

Thanks, I'll have to put them on my list :D

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I haven't read the one you're reading .. hope you do 😊

[Carolyn]

Brenda wrote: "Goodness Carolyn!!"

That's what I thought too Brenda! Definitely a bit of a startling eye-opener on the train first thing this morning but I guess that's Nordic Noir for you!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Carolyn wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Goodness Carolyn!!"

That's what I thought too Brenda! Definitely a bit of a startling eye-opener on the train first thing this morning but I guess that's Nordic Noir for you!"

Are you still enjoying it?

[Marianne]

"I've got time," Cardilini said looking at his watch knowing he had no time.
"My time. I've maintained those records for fifteen years. I'm the only one who will go through them," Mrs Pass said leaving no room for doubt.
"Okay. When would you have time?" Cardilini addressed Mrs Pass.
"Why do you want them?"
"Why? I want them. That should be sufficient," Cardilini insisted.
"Perhaps for you."
"Those records could help me identify a murderer. And, actually, I don't have time. So are we going to do something or are we going to sit on our bums playing pat-a-cake?" Cardilini clenched his teeth and swore under his breath before saying, "That mightn't have come out as I'd intended."
"Seemed clear to me," Mrs Pass said....

Man at the Window by Robert Jeffreys, this is set in 1965 and sometimes the protagonist has me laughing out loud :)

[Jazzy]

'Let's swear,' says Stella. 'You go first.'
'Bum,' says Susan, her eyes darting.
'Bum,' says Stella.
They looked at each other quizzically. Not as thrilling as expected.

~Tracy Sorensen, The Lucky Galah

[Sally906]

My teaser comes from How To Marry A Werewolf by Gail Carriger - I know, I know it is December and it is NOT a Christmas book but it jumped out of my TBR pile with such a pleading look I had to read it.

The MC Faith is from America and she is preparing for her first ball along with her cousin's family.

The big night arrived and Mrs Iftercast was patently nervous on the way to the ball. With Faith's mother, this would have meant tiptoeing around her for fear of a slap or a cruel rebuke. But with Mrs Iftercast, it only manifested in the form of her talking nonstop. She issued instructions to her three children without pause for the entire quarter hour's drive. Faith imagined her as a small, round brigadier hell-bent on strategic attacks of virulent politeness.

[Deb]

"He who drinks a tumbler of London water has literally in his stomach more animated beings than there are men, women and children on the face of the globe".

Charming isn't it? written in 1834, hopefully thing have improved since then.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

On the farm where she'd been born, Fallon Swift learned how to plant and grow and harvest, to respect and use the land. She learned how to move through fields and forests, silent as a shadow, to hunt and fish. To respect the game, and take no more than needed, to take none at all for sport.

The start of chapter 1 of Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts

[Kylie]

I looked at Christa and the understanding in her gentle features. It was fortunate the Reich didn't know what an effective spy they had deep in their own nest.
I tried to lighten the gloom. 'I may be wrong, but I think our best chance of getting away, of surviving this, is to stick together, just our little team. What we're doing isn't collaboration-' I had to say it out loud to make myself believe it '-it's what we would do for any woman in need, with a baby to birth. To keep us alive, all of us.'

From A Woman of War by Mandy Robotham

[Sally906]

My Tuesday teaser comes from by Robert Thorogood - it is the first in the Death in Paradise series. Robert actually wrote the screenplay for this BBC production - but this book is a separate story from the series.

The scream seemed to be coming from one of the treatment rooms in the middle of The Retreat's largest lawn: a timber and paper Japanese tea house that had been christened the 'Meditation Space.

[Deb]

"I somehow have the strangest sensation that this is all I have ever dreamt of, ever since I was just a little girl - of owning a modest yet exquisite house, a house like this, surrounded by fields and the odd neighbour."

from

[Kylie]

'Drive your car?' Taylor queried.
'It's just a car, Doc.' A smile crinkled the skin near his eyes.
Doc.
The nickname was every bit as warm and familiar as Brix's earlier JT in the street. It even had the same sense of history behind it. Three days of soy lattes, tug-of-war with Bruno and flying a bird with a swimmer's name.

From The Cafe by the Bridge by Lily Malone

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Two-and-a-half days later, Thomas awoke early, having gone to bed early. He lay quietly in the dark, listening to the rain pattering on the roof, enjoying the sound since it meant spring's dissolution of snow and ice, and he relished his present comfort, especially after the last two days' wet misery.

A Dream of Steam by James W. Barry

[Carolyn]

Deborah wrote: ""I somehow have the strangest sensation that this is all I have ever dreamt of, ever since I was just a little girl - of owning a modest yet exquisite house, a house like this, surrounded by fields..."

That sentence just says to me this book is not going to end well!

[Marianne]

The Hardware Store had earned its name because it had, at one point in time, sold the kind of tools and machines that every self-respecting man and farmer needed, and every self-respecting boy wanted. Now it was more like a supermarket which also sold hammers.
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

[Kylie]

Sanchez and I were in the backroom of the Kwik Mart on Eighth and Turner. We had convinced the reluctant owner, a small Vietnamese man named Phan, to allow us to review his security tapes on the night of Amanda's murder. We informed him that he had sold alcohol to a minor, and that we could prove it, but in exchange for his cooperation, he would receive only a warning. He obliged.

From Dark Horse by J.R. Rain

[Jazzy]

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

~Dr. Suess - How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

[Kylie]

Add because I forgot yesterday was Tuesday lol:

She took the file Troy Lester gave her to bed. The obituary for Harry's parents was something he'd never shared. Despite his material generosity he hadn't really been the sharing type, always buzzing off to his meetings and reading endless financial newspapers. He'd rarely sat down to chat like she'd just done with Betsy. Had he ever seen this clipping?

From Blackbird Fly by Lise McClendon

[Kylie]

The clue teased them as it ran across the bottom of the screen. 'A Greek god has a message for you. Find an object that starts with "E", ends with "E", but only has a single letter in it. Enter the third digit of each number in the message and you shall be free.'
'A Greek god? The only god I can think of is Hades,' said Sam. 'That's fitting, given how dark and hellishly hot it is in here. The lord of the underworld?'

From The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

They took him to Kentish town police station, where he was examined by a doctor and had blood, DNA and fingerprints taken. His clothes were exchanged for a pair of overalls and he was led to an interview room, given a cup of tea and told his solicitor was on his way.

The Promised Land by Barry Maitland

[Kylie]

Ken took over. "Okay, love. So...did you go down the shaft and try to latch up with Dylan?"
"No. There's really no point."
"Why?"
"Dylan's dead, I'm afraid."
"What?" I said. "What...makes you think that?"
"The fact that I killed him yesterday."

From The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

[Sally906]

My teaser is from Splendid by Julia Quinn

"How could something so lovely have come from those god-forsaken Colonies?"

"They're not our colonies anymore Dunford," Alex muttered, remembering Meg's tirade. "They've been free for several decades and really should be refered to as the United States of America. It's only polite."

[Sally906]

My teaser today comes from A Family Affair by Mary Campisi

Blurb: When Christine Blacksworth's larger-than-life father is killed on an icy road in Magdalena, New York, a hundred miles from the 'getaway' cabin he visited every month, she discovers a secret that threatens everything she's always held to be true. Her father has another family which includes a mistress and a daughter.

She watched the house from down the road, her car tucked between a Chevy Blazer and a Ford Astrovan. It was 7:15 am, cold, bleak, cloudless. She'd been parked three houses from the Desantro home for over an hour, even though classes didn't start until 7:45. She wasn't taking any chances; she was going to see Lily Desantro.

[Marianne]

After Sariklis leaves my house, the adrenaline wears off and the sleepless night comes crashing down. I'm like a zombie, yawning and shuffling as I throw some of Elliott in the fridge and the rest in the chest freezer on top of the mystery man. The freezer isn't quite big enough for both men - first world problems. I have to break Elliott's neck to make him fit.

Hunter by Jack Heath

[Kylie]

I was about to close the barn door when a chilly breeze swept through the barn, wafting an old, yellowed piece of newspaper down from the hayloft. I watched as it spiraled down through the air, coming to rest a few feet in front of me.
I grabbed the paper and hurried out of the barn, feeling more freaked out than I had since I'd watched my first (and last) Freddy Krueger movie. It wasn't until I closed the door of the farmhouse behind me that I realized what made the breeze so eerie.
All the windows in the hayloft were painted shut.

From Killer Jam by Karen MacInerney

[Sally906]

Marianne wrote: "After Sariklis leaves my house, the adrenaline wears off and the sleepless night comes crashing down. I'm like a zombie, yawning and shuffling as I throw some of Elliott in the fridge and the rest in the chest freezer on top of the mystery man. The freezer isn't quite big enough for both men - first world problems. I have to break Elliott's neck to make him fit ..."

Wow! That is a great teaser!

[Ace]

Marianne wrote: "After Sariklis leaves my house, the adrenaline wears off and the sleepless night comes crashing down. I'm like a zombie, yawning and shuffling as I throw some of Elliott in the fridge and the rest ..."

Oh my god..

[Deb]

'You'll find it easily enough. They keep the lamp burning all through the night.' And there it was.

From The True Story of Maddie Bright