And Even More We Give Books

I'm in the Christmas spirit and just wanting to give books to kids (and enjoy a little light reading in these hectic days before Christmas). So...I've read another book and donated to We Give Books. This time it's The Spy-Catcher Gang a historical graphic novel by John Kelly which works as a great way to tell kids about World War II. It focuses on Tucker, a London boy who is living through the Blitz and who stumbles across a suitcase that seems to belong to a spy. Kelly uses the story to drop in all kinds of background information about the War--in a nice and low-key way.

And...I've added Goodnight iPad by Ann Droid (hee!)--a parody of the children's classic Goodnight Moon. And, oh my, yes! Goodnight gadgets--one and all. This is definitely a tale for the modern age. The light of all those glowing screens--from tvs to computer to Kindles and iPads--is definitely enough to block out the moon. Let's say goodnight and turn off the glow (and the modems and electronics that go beep in the night...).

Added on Christmas Day: The Hat by Jan Brett. This is another beautifully illustrated story by Jan Brett. Hedgie the hedgehog manages to get himself stuck in a woolen sock blown from a wash line. The other animals make fun of his new hat....but then they wind up wanting one of their own. A very cute story.

52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

This is all Cheryl's fault. You know Cheryl? She's one of the enablers...er, co-hosts of The Reading Challenge Addict Challenge. And she just dangled this one in front of me. And I couldn't resist. Of course, I'm already committed to reading over 100 books in 2012, so making it to 52 will be no problem at all.

Here's the scoop:

Hosted by Robin from My Two Blessings

About 52 Books Level: Easy and Casual

Are you ready for another round of Reading 52 books in 52 Weeks? Whether you are just joining in or continuing on for another round, the rules are very simple. The goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks. Make the year easy and casual or kick it up by exploring new to you authors and genres. Challenge yourself to read at least one classic a month or delve into that chunkster (more than 600 pages) you always wanted to tackle. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you.

I have several mini challenges to make it fun:

12 in 2012: Read 12 books in 12 different categories

A to Z challenge: Read books alphabetically by title and/or author.

Jane Austen: Read all things Jane Austen

Mind Voyages: Explore the Hugo and Nebula winners, take side trips through the different decades reading the nominees.

Well Educated Mind: Explore the classics in five categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama and Poetry.

The mini challenges and weekly challenges are optional, Mix it up anyway you like.

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.
2. Our book weeks begin on Sunday.
3. Participants may join at any time.
4. All books are acceptable except children books.
5. All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
6. Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2012.
7. Books may overlap other challenges.
8. Create an entry post linking to this blog.
9. Sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" below this post.
10. You don't have a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post.
11. Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post for you to link to reviews of your most current reads.

Here's my list of books read:
1. Murder Has It's Points by Richard & Frances Lockridge (1/2/12)

2. Prayers to Broken Stones by Dan Simmons (1/14/12)

3. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett (1/19/12)

4. Future Crime by Cynthia Mason & Charles Ardrai, eds (1/23/12)

5. The Black Seven by Carol Kendall (1/29/12)

6. The Red Lamp by Mary Roberts Rinehart (2/7/12)

7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (2/14/12)

8. Satan's Circus: Murder, Vice, Police Corruption, and New York's Trial of the Century by Mike Dash (2/25/12)

9. The Yellow Room by Mary Roberts Rinehart (2/27/12)

10. Champagne for One by Rex Stout (3/5/12)

11. From Sawdust to Stardust:The Biography of DeForest Kelley, Star Trek's Dr. McCoy by Terry Lee Rioux (3/14/12)

12. The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux (3/19/12)

13. A Good Death by Elizabeth Ironside (3/28/12)

14. The Golden Scorpion by Sax Rohmer (4/2/12)

15. The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö (4/9/12)

16. The War of the Worlds Murder by Max Allan Collins (4/19/12)

17. Dracula by Bram Stoker (4/25/12)

18. Death of a God by S. T. Haymon (5/1/12)

19. The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories by Michael Sims (ed) (5/12/12)
20. The Man in Lower Ten by Mary Roberts Rinehart (5/15/12)
21. Garden of Malice by Susan Kenney (5/21/12)
22. King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (5/29/12)
23. Pearls Before Swine by Margery Allingham (6/8/12)
24. Ahmed & the Oblivion Machines by Ray Bradbury (6/16/12)
25. O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor (6/20/12)
26. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (6/30/12)
27. The 39 Steps by John Buchan (7/3/12)
28. File No. 113 by Emile Gaboriau (7/11/12)
29. North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (7/18/12)
30. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien (7/24/12)
31. Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis (7/31/12)
32. Mysterious Incidents at Lone Rock by Rajendra Pillai (8/6/12) 
33. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (8/13/12) 
34. The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesteron (8/25/12)
35. The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch (9/1/12) 
36. The Edgar Winners: 33rd Annual Anthology of the Mystery Writers of America by Bill Pronzini, ed (9/5/12)
37. A Stranger in My Grave by Margaret Millar (9/10/12) 
38. The Case of the Blind Barber by John Dickson Carr (9/22/12)
39. Murder at the Library of Congress by Margaret Truman (9/24/12) 
40. Murder at the MLA by D J H Jones (10/3/12) 
41. A Sleeping Life by Ruth Rendell (10/8/12) 
42. A Question of Time by Helen McCloy (10/15/12) 
43. Murder Most Puzzling by Lillian S. Robinson (10/23/12) 
44. She Woke to Darkness by Brett Halliday (10/29/12) 
45. The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime by Michael Sims, ed (11/5/12) 
46. The School of Night by Louis Bayard (11/12/12)
47. Death of an Old Girl by Elizabeth LeMarchand (11/21/12)
48. Catch as Catch Can by Frances & Richard Lockridge (11/26/12) 
49. Dancing with Death by Joan Coggin (12/5/12) 
50. The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas (12/15/12) 
51. Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke (12/18/12) 
52. Nine Man's Murder by Eric Keith (12/21/12)

More We Give Books

So, I'm getting hooked on this read children's books and donate a book idea. Just finished The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. This is a marvelously illustrated retelling of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Brett's version features Alooki, a dark-haired Inuit girl. When she loses her dog team and sled on an ice floe, she comes across the igloo home of the polar bear family--adventures follow as expected. But the new twist and the beautiful drawings make the classic story fresh as the newly fallen snow. Lovely children's story.

And chalk up another for nostalgia...Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I last read this one to my son (back when my 6-footer was a wee boy). I always enjoy the story of naughty Peter and his visit to Mr. McGregor's vegetable garden. Another book with delightful illustrations.

We Give Books

Karen & Gerard from Grab a Book From Our Stack just donated a book in my name to We Give Books. We Give Books is an online site that supports literacy. For every book you read online, they will donate a book to a child in Florida, Asia or Mexico--your choice. I decided to pay it forward and have already read my first book--Corduroy Lost & Found by Don Freeman. I love Corduroy--and didn't discover him until I had my son. The first Corduroy book was written in 1969--the year, *cough, cough* that I was born--but somehow I missed out on the cute little bear when I was growing up.

In this outing, Corduroy gets lost while on a search for a birthday present for his friend Lisa. He sets out to try and grab the "big yellow balloon" in the night sky and winds up being able to give her a big yellow lollipop that looks just like the "balloon" he lost.

A very cute little book.


And then I jumped back on the site and read, for old time's sake, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. This was one of the first books that I got through the Weekly Reader's Club way back in the Dark Ages when I was in elementary school. I loved this book. Probably because I love snow. And I loved the pictures of Peter in his little red, hooded snowsuit out in the white snow having his adventures. My favorite picture is when he makes a snow angel. I still love this book.

Friday Memes

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme sponsored by Katy at A Few More Pages. Here's what you do: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section. Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line and if you did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Katy's place.


Here's mine from Murder on Theatre Row by Michael Jahn:

Teddy Roosevelt was President and preparing to dig the Panama Canal in 1903 when the thirty-inch water main was laid down below Forty-second Street in New York City.... And on one frosty Monday night, the fourth of December ninety-plus years later, Bill Donovan, newly appointed captain in the New York Police Department, was riding the subway home from his office at One Police Plaza when the water main--untended lo those many years--burst.

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs you and post it. Freda is taking some time off for the holidays, but I wanted to go ahead and share a tidbit anyway.
Here it is from Murder on Theatre Row by Michael Jahn:

"I need carte blanche to go anywhere, at any time--even on stage if it comes to that--for me and my assistant, Sergeant Moskowitz."

"Feel free to sing a duet with Elena if it so moves you," Holland replied.

Challenge Complete: Fall Into Reading

Fall into Reading
September 23-December 22
Hosted by Katrina at callapidder days

Here we are at the end of the Challenge. And I did pretty darn good. I finished all the books on my original short list and even added about 8 more books or so. I still need to read 12 more books if I'm going to meet my Outdo Yourself goal...but without this challenge I wouldn't be as close as I am. Had a great time and will join in next year if Katrina hosts again.

One of the things Katrina wanted to know as we wrap this up was what our favorite Fall Reading Challenge book was. I'd have to say Savage Beauty. I really enjoyed learning more about Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of my favorite poets.

Fall Into Reading Challenge List:
Finish March Violets by Philip Kerr (9/23/11)
Finish Middlemarch by George Eliot (9/27/11)Hide & Seek by Wilkie Collins (11/2/11)
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford (11/19/11)
The Praise Singer by Mary Renault (12/20/11)
A Chapbook for Burned-Out Priests, Rabbis, & Ministers by Ray Bradbury (9/28/11)
The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (12/15/11)
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (12/12/11)
Have His Carcase by Dorothy L Sayers (10/2/11)
Olga: A Daughter's Tale by Marie-Therese Browne (10/4/11)
The Shortest Way to Hades by Sarah Caudwell (10/12/11)
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (10/15/11)
A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler (10/17/11)
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells (10/22/11)
A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake (10/23/11)To Join the Lost by Seth Steinzor (10/26/11) [review coming soon]
Let's All Kill Constance by Ray Bradbury (10/28/11)
Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L Sayers (10/29/11)
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L Sayers (11/1/11)
Blood Atonement by Dan Waddell (11/3/11)
Duplicate Death by Georgette Heyer (11/7/11)
They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer (11/8/11)
The Yellow Room Conspiracy by Peter Dickinson (11/12/11)
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers (11/23/11)
The High Crusade by Poul Anderson (11/25/11)
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers (11/27/11)
Striding Folly by Dorothy L Sayers (11/27/11)
The Prince Lost to Time by Ann Dukthas (11/29/11)
In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L Sayers (12/4/11)

Theme Thursday: Clothes

Hosted by Reading Between the Pages

Rules
*A theme will be posted each week on Thursday
*Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current book that features the theme
*Post it and don't forget to mention the author and title of the book
*Event is open for the whole week
*Link back to Reading Between the Pages

This week's theme is Clothes.

Here's mine from Murder on Theatre Row by Michael Jahn (p. 85):

Still in his white linen suit, Kurt Sharkey paced back and forth, smoking furiously. Donovan was impressed with the man's ability to imitate Humphrey Bogart's manner of smoking.

Challenge Complete: Off the Shelf

Thanks to Cheryl at CMash Loves to Read...I found this reading challenge last year. The Off The Shelf Challenge was a made-for-me kind of challenge...it was meant to make the participants actually dig in to those TBR piles that are lying aroung everywhere in taunting stacks. And it certatinly did its job. I managed to knock off 50 books that had been sitting around the house...some of them for over 20 years.

Challenge Levels

1. Tempted~ Choose 5 books to read

2. Trying~ Choose 15 books to read

3. Making a Dint~ Choose 30 books to read

4. On a Roll~ Choose 50 books to read

5. Flying Off~ Choose 75 books to read

For extra hard challenges

1. Hoarder~ Choose 76-125 books to read

2. Buried~ Choose 126-200 books to read

I decided on #4 On a Roll. And even though, at times, I wasn't on a roll (and had a hard time finishing some of them), I finally did it! Here's the list of books removed from the TBR stacks...

1. Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne (5/24/11)

2. Leave It to Psmith by P. G. Wodehouse (3/2/11)

3. The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell (9/8/11)

4. Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironside (2/4/11)

5. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (7/6/11)

6. A Flaw in the Blood by Stephanie Barron (1/30/11)

7. The Praise Singer by Mary Renault (12/20/11)

8. The Silk Stocking Murders bt Anthony Berkeley (2/19/11)

9. The High Crusade by Poul Anderson (11/25/11)

10. Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes (5/13/11)

11. The Habit of Widowhood by Robert Barnard (12/4/11)

12. The Porcupine by Julian Barnes (4/20/11)

13. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh [2/28/11]

14. A Time to Be in Earnest by P. D. James (1/18/11)

15. A Chapbook for Burnt-Out Priests, Rabbis & Ministers by Ray Bradbury (9/28/11)

16. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (8/30/11)

17. Robert F Kennedy: In His Own Words by Edwin O. Guthman & Jeffrey Shulman (eds) [7/19/11]

18. The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson [8/17/11]

19. Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice [9/13/11]

20. The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte [12/5/11]

21. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (4/11/11)

22. Emma by Jane Austen (1/9/11)

23. Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milord (11/9/11)

24. Middlemarch by George Eliot (9/27/11)

25. The Detections of Dr. Sam Johnson by Lillian de la Torre (6/19/11)

26. The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham (1/25/11)

27. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (3/15/11)

28. A Graveyard to Let by Carter Dickson (1/31/11)

29. Jerusalem Inn by Martha Grimes (4/2/11)

30. The Prince Lost to Time by Ann Dukthas (11/29/11)

31. Sir Nigel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (8/21/11)

32. The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green (2/8/11)

33. Evvie by Vera Caspary (8/1/11)

34. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (8/24/11)

35. My Foe Outstretch'd Beneath the Tree by V. C. Clinton-Baddeley (4/16/11)

36. No Case for the Police by V. C. Clinton-Baddeley (8/14/11)

37. The Caravaggio Books by Bernard Peterson (6/2/11)

38. Blood upon the Snow by Hilda Lawrence (3/16/11)

39. The Ampersand Papers by Michael Innes 1/23/11)

40. Black Orchids by Rex Stout (1/21/11)

41. Alfred Hitchcock: The Best of Mystery (from his Mystery magazine) [7/9/11]

42. Therapy by David Lodge (7/3/11)

43. Dragons of Light by Orson Scott Card (11/24/11)

44. Shroud of Darkness by E. C. R. Lorac (3/10/11)

45. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear (12/12/11)

46. Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen (8/15/11)

47. The Last Defender of Camelot by Roger Zelazny (3/19/11)

48. Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis (1/22/11)

49. Perelandra by C. S. Lewis (9/2/11)

50. That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis (12/17/11)

The Praise Singer: Review

About four years ago, I participated in our library's adult winter reading program. It's a fun and easy contest that was started to complement the children's summer reading program that had been going on for years (at least as long as I had been taking my son to the library...and I'm sure it was well-established then). During the winter months (Jan-Feb), all one has to do is submit entries for every book read--name of book, author, and a simple rating. They hold a drawing every week of the program and winners get to select book prizes.

So...when I got a notice that I'd won in January of 2008, I looked over the books and, based on the blurb and cover and whatnot, I decided to bring The Praise Singer by Mary Renault home with me. It sounded interesting. It was historical fiction and would take me a little out of my comfort zone period-wise, but I thought that might be a good thing.

Um. Not so much. The back of book says: "Renault combines her vibrant imagination and her formidable knowledge of history to establish a sweeping, resilient vision of a golden century." Actually, she takes what ought to be an interesting story and makes it sound like a history lesson. For the most part, the writing is flat; the sentences are choppy; and I had a hard time finishing the book. I thought for a time that this was intentional--that perhaps she was trying to make it sound like it had been translated from the Greek. That was an interesting idea for about a chapter or so--after that, it was just a a distraction.

There are moments (way too brief) of what (given the praise I've read of some of her other works on Goodreads) may be her usual fluid, lyrical writing. But it's not sustained. What really grabbed me about the book was the character. I loved Simonides and really wanted to hear his story--how this "ugly duckling" (the least-favored of his father's children) turned into the swan. How he overcame a life as a herdsman to become one of the most well-known bards of his time. How he not only learns his craft, but also learns how to navigate through the shifting alliances of the time. He lives to see the Persian invasion of Ionia, the reign and overthrow of the of Polykrates, and the fall of the tyrants of the Athenian court. That was worth reading. I just wish that Renault had been more of the bard herself in this outing. Two stars. Mostly for character.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a bookish meme hosted by Book Journey. It's where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It's a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list. So hop on over via the link above and join in...and leave a comment here so I can check out what you are reading

Books Read (click on titles for review):
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
A Christmas Guest by Anne Perry
That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis

Currently Reading:
The Praise Singer by Mary Renault: Born into a stern farming family on the island of Keos, Simonides escapes his harsh childhood through a lucky apprenticeship with a renowned Ionian singer. As they travel through 5th century B.C. Greece, Simonides learns not only how to play the kithara and compose poetry, but also how to navigate the shifting alliances surrounding his rich patrons. He is witness to the Persian invasion of Ionia, to the decadent reign of the Samian pirate king Polykrates, and to the fall of the Pisistratids in the Athenian court. Along the way, he encounters artists, statesmen, athletes, thinkers, and lovers, including the likes of Pythagoras and Aischylos.


Books that spark my interest:
Lucky Jim by Kinglsey Ami
Perfect Reader by Maggie Pouncey
City of Light by Lauren Belfert
The Queen's Pawn by Christy English
The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou
(all for challenges)

2012 Science Fiction Experience

Just found out about this through Becky at Becky's Book Reviews who saw that Carl had posted the sign-up today, and well, how could I resist? You know me...I can't resist. And, hey, I've already planned on doing some science fiction reading in the new year, so I won't be adding much to the ol' reading pile. (The Experience runs for two months: January 1, 2012-February 29, 2012). So go on and join us!

Possible Reading List:
1. My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny (1/4/12)
2. Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (2/14/12)
3. The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells (2/5/12)
4. The Future on Ice by Orson Scott Card (ed) 2/15/12)
5. Prayers to Broken Stones by Dan Simmons (1/14/12)
6. Murder & Magic by Randall Garrett (1/28/12)
7. The Masks of Time by Robert Silverberg (1/16/12)
8. The Jesus Incident by Frank Herbert & Bill Ransom (2/29/12)
9. Future Crime by Cynthia Mason & Charles Ardai, eds. (1/23/12)
10. The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells (1/9/12)
11. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett (1/19/12)

That Hideous Strength: Review

That Hideous Strength is the final book in the space trilogy written by C. S. Lewis. Only this time our space traveler, Ransom, is staying firmly at home on earth...where the battle between Good and Evil will rage in the middle of English village life. While Ransom (or the Director as he is now known) plays a major role, our story focuses on Jane and Mark Studdock--a recently married couple whose married life has already begun to sour. Soon Jane and Mark will be drawn into opposite sides of the battle without realizing quite what they're choosing. Before the very grim (and sometimes quite violent) action is over, we'll be introduced to Mr. Bultritude (I won't spoil it by telling you who/what he is), Merlin brought back from the grave, and a quite literal Talking Head. Lewis also gives us a quite delightful scene straight from the Tower of Babel.

This book was written in the years just prior to and during World War II. This would be apparent to anyone who knows anything about that time period. It is quite scary to see how easily the N.I.C.E. Organization (read the Nazi Party) insinuate themselves into every area of British life and take over everything from the government to education to the police. They talk a line of patter that quite effortlessly brings in those who "just want to belong." And that is at the heart of the matter--we all want to belong. We want to feel that we're part of something important and in the "inner circle." We're going to help make things happen; we're going to be in the know; we're one of the "cool kids." And that's how the evil forces can get control. They make it sound so good.

Once again, Lewis has written a good book. I found myself liking it better than Perelandra--it "drew me in" and made me want to keep on reading. But I still feel some of the beautiful language he used in Out of the Silent Planet is missing. Perhaps it's difficult to write quite so beautifully about the battle of Good and Evil. The action is a bit slow towards the beginning, but it picks up about half-way through and is superb once Merlin is brought in. I'm definitely glad that I've finally managed to read this series (chalk up another plant for the Victory Garden!). Three stars.

This book counts for several Challenges--particularly the Off the Shelf Challenge and featuring as this month's book for the Read Your Own Library Challenge (I'm at the Running Behind Level). It's nice to clear off books that have been looking at me reproachfully for oh, um, ....twenty years or so. In January I'm going to attack My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny. That's another book that's been sitting on my shelf since my last major science fiction binge.

Six Word Saturday

Here's a fun Saturday meme: Six Word Saturday sponsored by Show My Face. This my second time to participate. It's quite simple--all you need to do is describe your life in six words. You can add pictures, links, video, whatever if you like. Post it and link back to Show My Face.



Can't be this close to Christmas...

...Too much that still needs done!

Friday Memes

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme sponsored by Katy at A Few More Pages. Here's what you do: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section. Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line and if you did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Katy's place.


Here's mine from That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis:

"Matrimony was ordained, thirdly," said Jane Studdock to herself, "for the mutual society, help and comfort that the one ought to have of the other." She had not been to church since her schooldays until she went there six months ago to be married, and the words of the service had stuck in her head.

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs you and post it.
Here's mine from That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis:

It was certainly not the intention of the Progressive Element to elect mediocrities to fellowships, but their determination to elect "sound men" cruelly limited their field of choice and, as Busby had once said, "You can't have everything."

Theme Thursday: Food

Hosted by Reading Between the Pages

Rules
*A theme will be posted each week on Thursday
*Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from your current book that features the theme
*Post it and don't forget to mention the author and title of the book
*Event is open for the whole week
*Link back to Reading Between the Pages

This week's theme is Food.

Here's mine from That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis (p. 149):

Mrs. Maggs presently returned with a tray, bearing a glass, a small flacon of red wine, and a roll of bread. She set it down on a table at the Director's side and left the room.

"You see," said the Director, "I live like the King in Curdie. It is a surprisingly pleasant diet." With these words he broke the bread and poured himself out a glass of wine.