Friday Meets - 20 May 2016

Meet me on Friday @ Friday 56 for a bit of Book Blogger Hop to kick-start the weekend with Book Beginnings.

Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice. For this date, you will need the following:

•  Grab a book (Yes, any book. But it might get you to your other Friday activities a bit quicker if you just grab the book you are currently reading)
• Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader
• Find a sentence or two (your other Friday activities might determine this)
• Post it!
• Remember to post your link on Freda's Voice and to visit the other guys in the linky.
• And don't forget to list the title of the book and the author as well.

After watching The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen last weekend, I realized that I haven't read most of the novels hosting all those interesting and extraordinary characters. So I've decided to start with Allan Quatermain (he is the first character to make an appearance in the movie after all).

I've been listening to this as an audio book and enjoying it way more than expected (if the reading could have been done by Sean Connery, it would have been terrific). Seeing that it is an old classic and thus easily spotted in many households, it was easy to just ask my aunt to please go on a quick treasure hunt for King Solomon's Mines and sent me a sentence or two.

 Page 56:

"With the moon we marched again, feeling dreadfully exhausted and suffering tortures from thirst and prickly heat. But everything has an end, if only you live long enough to see it."

Being a South African, I enjoy the many afrikaans words that are used throughout the reading (okay, I chuckle more for the pronunciation. Quite sure Sean Connery would have done it perfectly) as well as the mention of a number of locations known to me. I'm almost done with this and will hopefully move on to the next extraordinary gentleman within the next couple of days.

Before you run of for 'hey hey hey it's Friday'   

Remember to join Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings. Share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading (or just take the one you grabbed for Friday 56) and share it. As well as your initial thoughts on the sentence and your first impressions of the book. Remember to also post your link to Rose City Reader and to share the others! If you use another book as the one used for Friday 56, remember to include the title and author.

I've started with According to yes by Dawn French yesterday. This book didn't receive the best of reviews on Goodreads (According to yes), but I'm still going to give it a try and make up my own mind. I must say, I love her character descriptions: 

• ".....standing there is a short, stocky woman of massive immediate presence"
• "Rosie is a radiator, she will always risk an over-smile to channel some warmth into the room
• "Three is a more cautious lad than Red, who is a washing machine of continuous energy cycles."

But back to first sentences:

Fifty seven
Fifty eight
Fifty nine.... Fuck
Yet again, Rosie Kitto's belly was empty. No baby. Why did they bother to wait the full three minutes?
- Funny how a moment so anticipated can be so fleeting and mundane in its failure.

She had me with those opening lines. No matter how stupid this novel turns out to be -  my sympathy lies with Rosie. 

Yet again I will be joining the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Ramblings of a coffee addicted writer. Every week they will pop a question that you need to answer. Post your answer to your blog, enter your post to the linky provided, make yourself a cup of coffee and go visit the other blogs in the list. 

Today's question:  Do you keep a blog roll list?

My answer: First of all - something in this question reminds me of roll call in boarding school and I have this nagging voice in my mind 

But yes, I do keep a blog roll list. I'm not very good with it yet, so I am going to be watching this space for all the tips and ideas that I know I am going to pick up this week!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!! (Remember to sent those tips and ideas)