Brummie Blogger

Teaser Tuesday - Black Swan Rising

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers. My teaser is from:

"The question was voiced so softly that for a moment I thought it was only in my head. I couldn't help responding, in my head, A way out of my troubles, thank you very much."
p14 Black Swan Rising by Lee Carroll.

This is the first of the books from The Transworld Book Club. I'm really excited that this one came first as it looks like a great read. I've only just started it but already I've been drawn in and can't wait to get back to it.

Teaser Tuesday - The house in Paris

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:

"Naomi's dead aunt had a flowering pink cherry at the foot of her garden at Twickenham. Karen spread a sheet of newspaper on an upturned packing-case under the tree: dark pink lights and splashes of sunshine where wind parted the branches came spilling through."
p 95, The house in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen.

The copy that I'm reading is a different edition to that pictured. I was looking online for an image to use and just liked the one shown above. My copy is the old orange and cream classic Penguin cover and is the complete unabridged version of the book. It's an old edition, printed in1946, so it smells lovely, and it has the price on the cover, which tickled me no end - One Shilling. I love it!

The book was written in 1935 and is in sections. I've read the first section, the present and am on the second section, which is where the quote comes from, which is the past. The final section will take us back to the present. From what I've read so far, it looks as if the final part will be very interesting!

Teaser Tuesday - Master & Commander

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:

"His chief impression was of old-fashionedness: the Sophie had something archaic about her, as though she would rather have her bottom hobnailed than coppered, and would rather pay her sides than paint them. Her crew, without being at all elderly - indeed, most of the hands were in their twenties - had an old-fashioned look; some were wearing petticoat-breeches and shoes, a rig that had already grown uncommon when he was a midshipman no bigger than little Babbington."

I'm just about to start this and it looks quite interesting. I haven't read anything by the author before but I've seen how popular his books are so I've been meaning to try one for a while. 

Teaser Tuesday - Started early, took my dog

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:

"Poetry had started to get under his skin a couple of years ago, round about the time he had almost died in a train crash. (In synopsis, Jackson's life always sounded more dramatic than the mild ennui of living it every day.)"
Started early, took my dog by Kate Atkinson

This is the fourth of the Jackson Brodie books and I've had it on my shelf for a few months now. Although I loved the other three books, it would probably have sat there a little longer, but the first books have just been televised and the series was actually pretty good. So much so that I found myself wanting to read this one. Seemed a good enough reason to pick it as my next read.

Teaser Tuesday - The last concubine

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:
 
"The princess rose to her feet and, holding her ceremonial cypress-wood fan at her waist, glided out of her appartments. She moved so softly that the smoke coiling from the censer barely quivered."
The last concubine by Lesley Downer

I'm about three quarters of the way through this and am really enjoying it. It wasn't one that I ever intended to read. I took The far pavilions back to the library last weekend and was chatting to the librarians telling them how good that particular book was. One of them responded by telling me how much she'd enjoyed the book that she'd just finished and was about to return to the shelves. We agreed that I'd read her book - The last concubine, if she'd consider The far pavilions. She just happened to have it handy, so I walked out of the library with it in my hand.

Teaser Tuesday - River God

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:

"The voyage up-river passed pleasantly enough in long, leisurely days spent sitting on the poop-deck with my mistress. We discussed every detail of our changed circumstances in great depth, and examined all that we might expect and hope for in the future."
River God by Wilbur Smith

This is a tale of ancient Egypt told from the point of view of a slave and so far it's rather interesting. There's a lot of murder, intrigue and betrayal so lots going on. The slave is well versed in medicine so it's quite fascinating to read about the various treatments that were used.  I'm about half-way through now and enjoying it.

Teaser Tuesday - Witches abroad

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:

"The sun was well up when the three witches spiralled into the sky. They had been delayed for  a while because of the intractability of Granny Weatherwax's broomstick, the starting of which always required a great deal of galloping up and down."
Witches abroad by Terry Pratchett

The broomstick in question has lead to a couple of rather funny moments so far. That's one of the things that I like about the Discworld series. The attention to detail and the way things have of going wrong in such an interesting fashion. There was a very clever and funny moment early on, related to my all time favourite book which had me giggling with glee. I love the cat, who can snigger within a purr and overall I'm enjoying this a lot more than I expected considering it contains none of my favourite characters. 

 

Teaser Tuesday - The Far Pavilions

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
BE 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!)
4. Share the title and author too so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser is from:


"Ash had been standing in the forefront of the crowd, having wiggled his way, eel-like, between the close-packed legs of his elders, and his eye had been caught by a movement overhead. He had seen the slab shift and slip just as the head of the Yuveraj's horse emerged from the shadow of the arch, and almost without thinking (for there had not been time for conscious thought) he leapt at the bridle, and clutching it, checked the startled animal as the heavy slab of sandstone crashed into the street and exploded into a hundred sharp-edged fragments under the prancing hooves."
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye

I'm 300 pages into this now and I'm really enjoying it. I've read several books set in India lately but this one, although covering the same period in time, is looking from a different angle. It's a bit of a doorstep at almost 1000 pages but I don't think it'll last too long as I keep wanting to know what 's going to happen next. It's billed as being "A Gone with the wind of the North-West frontier" and it does have that grand sweeping sort of flavour to it. There's lots of adventure but it's also quite beautiful and thoughtful too.

 I've seen Tuesday Teaser on several blogs over the past few weeks and have enjoyed reading the various posts. I've decided to join in and this is my first attempt. I'm planning to do this every Tuesday, as you know I've always got at least one book on the go. Let's see how long I can keep it up ;)