Displaced Beachbums

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My Teaser Tuesday is The Beach House by Georgia Bockoven. I picked it up at Borders on Sunday ~ it was the name and cover of the book that appealed to me. Here’s my teaser from page 197:

Her voice washed over him like a warm summer rain, the kind you tilted your head back to let the drops hit your face, where you licked the moisture from your lips and closed your eyes to concentrate on the utter sensuality of the moment. “I have them for three weeks. Their mother is on her honeymoon.”

It’s an easy read with interesting stories weaved together at the beach house. It’s not a breezy story though and I’ve ended up crying during a couple of chapters so I’m only reading it at home 😉  Once I’m done, I’ll post a review.

What’s on your summer reading list?

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Teaser Tuesdays asks you to: Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

This teaser is page 221 from Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb.

Leaving aside the sickness I felt at heart, what did it mean? And what did it mean that my real father, week after week, year after year, had stared at me living my life literally fifty feet from his front door until the day of his death, and never once, for my sake, let the mask slip from his face.

I’m half way through the book and, although it’s a bit depressing with stories of loss, infidelity and betrayal, it’s so well written that I keep reading so as to enjoy the beautiful sentence structures and the eloquent way he describes the events happening in his life.

Thankfully, Lisa at Books on the Brain was kind enough to send a light hearted novel:

  as my next book to read. I need to lighten things up as far as reading goes.

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Here’s how the Tuesday Teaser works:  Grab your current read.  Let the book fall open to a random page.  Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!  If you have your own blog, post it there and leave a link or just leave the teaser in the comment section.

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell from page 211

But then, as it happens, from miles out, the captain sees the lights of Guam.  So he relaxes.

How funny that I opened to a page with Guam as an example.  One more reminder of the sun and fun I’m missing so much right now.

Back to the book ~Outliers refers to men and women who do things that are out of the ordinary.  I’m only a couple of chapters into it but I’m enjoying it so far. The book is his theory as to why some people succeed significantly more than others.  He has some very interesting thoughts on why people are more successful than others. 

What are you reading these days?

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I won the book, gods behaving badly written by Marie Phillips, in a giveaway by Books on the Brain. What a treat. It arrived while I was reading the Twilight series so it got put to the side until I finished with those books.

Summary of the book: 12 Greek gods, with waning powers, living in modern day London, all cramped into a dilapidated house they’ve lived in since 1665. The gods are bored, cranky and petty. Add in 2 mortals in a race to save humankind and you’ve got a very interesting read. Not only did I get a good chuckle, but it sparked an interest in re-learning my Greek mythology. I recognized the well known gods i.e. Apollo, Aphrodite, Artemis, Ares, etc. But there were a few I had to look up. Click here if you want a refresher of  The Olympians.  My favorite is Artemis (goddess of hunting) with Dionysus (god of wine), who owns a sleazy bar called Bacchanalia, being a close second.

Each god has a job that coincides with their talents. Artemis is a dog walker and is always on the look-out for a dog with some feistiness left in him/her. She’s thrilled when she finally gets to tangle with Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades (god of the underworld).  Here’s a passage about Artemis’ search for a “real” dog:

There were dogs all around, on leashes, and Artemis tried to catch their eyes, hoping to detect some wolfish spark, some indication that they knew their heritage, but they were all the same – fat, lazy, dull. There was no point. No true dog would allow itself to be tethered to a human anyway.

Apollo (god of the sun and a gift of prophecy) has a TV psychic show, Aphrodite (goddess of Love and Beauty) is a sex phone operator.  And so it goes.  The power of belief  is a main theme of the book, but be warned, there are several unsettling comments “against” Jesus and God which comes from the point of view of the gods.  In the end, the book is a light farce and a romantic comedy.

After reading the vampire series (4 books) and about the Greek gods, I’m in serious need of a more realistic novel. Any suggestions for a “feel good” story based in reality?

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From Books on the Brain, Tuesday Teasers:

Grab your current read.  Let the book fall open to a random page.  Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

It was a strange combination to absorb – the everyday concerns of the town doctor stuck in the middle of a discussion of his early days in the seventeenth-century London. It was also unsettling that he spoke outloud for my benefit.

Favorite Girl is a big fan of the “Twilight” series and begged asked me to give Twilight a chance. So far, I’m half way through the first book and enjoying it more than I thought I would. When I heard it was about vampires, I thought it would be just “re-tread” but it’s more about love and the fight between “good and evil” ~ I can certainly understand why teenage girls are “obsessed” with all things “Edward.” 

If you’re looking for a book to escape with, I highly recommend Twilight.

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