Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Another Tuesday has reared it's head in my world again and we all know what that means:  Teaser!  This week's teaser comes from Nora Roberts' The Witness .  Thank you Aunt Gayle for lending it to me over the weekend :)  And without further ado, the teaser... "Add guns, he thought, and a to-do could go from a scene to a ruckus to a bloodbath in a heartbeat" (424). Hmmm...wonder what this one's going to be about?  Happy Tuesday all :)

Today's teaser comes from Alexander McCall Smith's The World According to Bertie : "Some books, of course, were destined not to be read, largely because of their unintelligibility to all except a very small number of people" (171). I think we can all come up with a few books that would fit this description.  Happy Tuesday!

I always swore that I would never, Never, NEVER read Cecilia Ahern's novel PS, I Love You .  Why so adamant, you might ask.  Well, let me tell you in two simple words:  Hilary Swank.  I haven't picked this book up because of the movie (which I've yet to see) because I can't stand Hilary Swank for some odd reason.  It's strange.  I don't mind her in Freedom Writers or even in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the original), but for some inexplicable reason there is something about her that grates on my nerves.  It's the same way my friend Margaret feels about Julia Roberts, whom I like a lot.  And another aspect of the film that grates...she's NOT American!!!  Ugh.  Screw you, Hollywood! Anyway...while wandering through a bookstore in Portland, I came across a copy of PS that was not a movie promotion copy (I prefer the non-movie cover ones) and it was only two dollars.  And, being me, I caved and bought the damn thing.  I've loved...

Today's teaser comes from one of my many Dollar Tree finds:  Lisa Tucker's The Promised World .  I'm nearly 150 pages into it and it's been  good so far.  Verdict's still out on overall opinion.  Regardless, here's a teaser: "She paused.  'I suppose I sound too excited.  I'm a great believer in stories.  I used to tell Billy I was afraid we loved stories more than real life, but he said, 'What is life but a story we don't know the meaning of yet?'"" (10). This excerpt is pretty spot on with my approach to stories and books; they are like real life (kind of...sort of).  I mean, who doesn't want to be a student at Hogwart's or roam the halls of Tara or befriend Boo Radley?  Happy Tuesday!

I borrowed Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns over a year ago from a dear friend and am finally getting around to reading (it was in storage for about a year due to a house fire...yeah).  I've yet to read The Kite Runner , or see the movie, but it's on my list; my ever growing list.  Regardless, so far I'm loving this book...here's a teaser: "Maybe it was senseless to want to be near a person so badly here in a country where bullets had shredded her own brothers to pieces.  But all Laila had to do was picture Tariq going at Khadim with his leg and then nothing in the world seemed more sensible to her" (153). Definitely worth the read...

I'm halfway through with the dreaded week of finals; I still have a stack of final essays to grade and one department grading session to complete this week before I can sign off for a much needed week long break, but it's finally starting to wind down.  Added to the chaos that is final's week, the Euro Cup started a few days ago and I have watched every game (even if I had to DVR it and watch it later).  Naturally this takes time away from grading essays (whoops) and posting reviews.  However, this is a necessary evil because I LOVE the Euro Cup and football/soccer in general, as I stated in a previous post .  But that's beside the point.  It's Tuesday and that means one thing: teaser time!  I've picked up a quick read because I'm behind on my GoodReads 2012 Challenge quota and I'm trying desperately to get caught back up.  So today's teaser comes from Nora Roberts' The Last Boyfriend .  It's the second in the Inn BoonsBoro series and just ...

I've still not written a review for Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ...or The Girl who Played with Fire , both of which I've finished.  I promise I'll get to it.  Despite that, here's a teaser from the third and final book in the series, The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest : "Then he cut away the bandage that the emergency team had wrapped around her skull.  He froze when he saw another entry wound.  The woman had been shot in the head, and there was no exit wound there either" (6) I'm only about 100 pages into this book, but I'm enjoying it so far :)  Happy Tuesday all!

So last week I posted a teaser for E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey and I quickly plowed through that book.  I'm nearly 300 pages into the second one, but here's a teaser anyway! "He smirks.  He's trying to put me off my game, the bastard.  He pulls his cream sweater over his head, tosses it onto the back of a chair, and grins at me, as he saunters over to take his first shot" (238). Hot damn...that's probably the sexiest game of pool I've ever read.  I'd play a game of pool with this guy!  Happy Tuesday everyone :)

Needless to say, I have been a big time slacker in posting my reviews and whatnot.  I have three books that I've finished and need to write reviews for and I'm about finished with another book.  It's that time of the term (damn you midterms and essays that have to be graded in a "timely" manner), and it's been a busy one.  However, despite those necessary distractions, I've still been able to keep up on my reading.  Because of that, I give you today's teaser from E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey : "'Ana, there's something about him.'  Her tone is full of warning.  'He's gorgeous, I agree, but I think he's dangerous.  Especially for someone like you.' 'What do you mean, someone like me?' I demand, affronted. 'An innocent like you, Ana.  You know what I mean,' she says a little irritated.  I flush" (39). Oh man oh man, I've been hearing a lot about this book.  A lot of racy stuff and a l...

It's Tuesday...and that means it's teaser time.  This week's excerpt comes from Nicole Krauss' The History of Love .  This book was the one I received to distribute as a book giver for World Book Night US , a great organization to promote literacy and a love of reading.  I thought it sounded like a wonderful story, so I picked up a copy for myself. "The moment had passed, the door between the lives we could have led and the lives we led had shut in our faces.  Or better to say, in my face.  Grammar of my life:  as a rule of thumb, wherever there appears to be a plural, correct for singular.  Should I ever let slip a royal We , put me out of my misery with a swift blow to the head" (86). This book sounds promising and I'm looking forward to reading it.  Hopefully it will be the light at the end of an otherwise dark and incredibly sad week...

Though I'm still reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , I have picked up a read to break the heftiness of it up.  Something that can be plowed through quickly and that I can easily read between spurts of Tattoo .  That book is Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  I found this, randomly, at Wal-Mart (I know, I know) on the cheap.  It sounded good, so I picked it up and here you go: "Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth?  That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch" (27). This looks like a pretty good read to me and it's been decent so far.  Fingers crossed that it continues to be so.  Happy Tuesday everyone!

I'm finally settling down to read the, much hyped, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson.  I've been excited for this read and have refused to watch either of the films based on the book.  Hopefully it's as good as everyone keeps saying :) "'Salander shut her eyes, wishing that the floor would stop pitching under her feet.  She was in a state of mental paralysis.  She was hung over.  This situation was unreal, and her brain was refusing to function.  Never had she met one of her subjects face to face" (359). I've been excited to read this series for a long time and have finally decided to do it.  Yay!

I've been looking forward to reading Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children for awhile now and have finally picked it up.  So, without further ado, here is today's teaser: "Each one would be dead before his sixteenth birthday, killed by the monsters he had so narrowly escaped.  But these weren't the kind of monsters that had tentacles and rotting skin, the kind a seven-year-old might be able to wrap his mind around--they were monsters with human faces, in crisp uniforms, marching in lockstep, so banal you don't recognize them for what they are until it's too late" (17). I'm excited for this read, though I've read some very differing reviews on it.  We'll see.  Happy Tuesday everyone :)

It's Tuesday and that means it's Teaser time!  Today's excerpt comes from Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever .  "In my dreams, he reached for my hands, he tugged me into the secret vestibule outside the gym teacher's office to steal a kiss before class.  None of this would ever happen, but my dreams, carefully embroidered and unfolded each night, were as sweet as candy" (231). I've never read anything by Jennifer Weiner despite the fact that several of my friends really like her writing.  But I am enjoying this so far.  Yay!

So I've had Chelsea's Family, Friends, and other Victims  Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me since it came out months and months ago.  It's been sitting in a pile of books next to my mirror...because I'm lacking enough bookshelf space.  Does that say something about me?  Ha.  Anyway, I am finally picking it up to read it!  Joyous occassion indeed!  Without further ado...today's teaser: "You see, Chelsea has tricked the world into believing that she is technologically retarded, but that's a lie.  What I and several other victims have discovered is that she likes to sneak into people's work spaces, get on their computer without their knowledge, and wreak havoc" (Eva Magdalenski 197). I've loved everything written by Handler.  She's hilarious, rude, and absolutely obnoxious.  I can't wait to find out the different antics she's pulled on those closest to her.  Happy reading!

This week's teaser comes from Linda Lael Miller's The Rustler .  I've never read much of Miller's writing, but my mom really likes her; so I thought I'd give it a try.  We'll see how it goes. "Men like Mr. Yarbro didn't marry, they dallied with foolish women, and then moved on" (65).

Going to be starting a quick read to catch up on my Goodreads Challenge list...I'm a few books behind.  So here's an excerpt from Julia London's The Secret Lover : "They were two scarred people, two outcasts in an imperfect world....But they were perfect for each other" (170). Sounds promising as a quick read...and unbelievable in its romanticism...joy! 

With the end of the term in sight, I promise to get caught up on my reviews.  I have a pile of seven books sitting next to my computer...all read...all waiting to be reviewed.  Ugh.  In addition to that, I will be adding yet another to said pile in a few days because I'm nearly halfway through with The Diplomat's Wife , which I posted a teaser for last week just before starting it.  Despite my serious lack of reviewing (damn you student essays!), I am still posting teasers for new books that I'm starting.  So, without further ado, here's today's teaser from Alexander McCall Smith's La's Orchestra Saves the World : "The music reminded her:  love and loss were inextricably linked.  This world was a world of suffering; music helped to make that suffering bearable" (109).

I found a copy of Pam Jenoff's The Diplomat's Wife for a measly two bucks at a secondhand store recently and have decided that I'm going to plunge into it!  Because of that, here's a teaser: "'Before we could escape, the Kommandant found Emma and discovered that she was Jewish.' I recount hiding in the shadows, watching the Kommandant confront Emma.  'I had hoped she might be able to somehow talk her way out of it.  He seemed to have genuine feelings for her so I thought he might understand.  But when he pulled out his gun, I had to do something.  I shot him.'" (112) Oh man...I love novels set during this time period.  Despite the horrific atrocities that occurred, for some reason it is my favorite point in history.  I'm excited for this read.

I never knew that The NeverEnding Story was based on a book...a German book at that.  I ran across Michael Ende's The Neverending Story in a charity shop, Teen Challenge, in downtown Albany.  As my eyes scanned the shelves for something to purchase, they alighted on the spine of this book.  The NeverEnding Story was always one of my favorite movies as a child, though it did scare me at first, and seeing that it was actually a book completely made my day.  So now I've picked it up to finally read...hence this week's teaser!  Enjoy! "Bastian Balthazar Bux's passion was books...If you have never wept tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless...you probably won't understand what Bastian did next" (10) I can't wait to see wha...