Friday, May 16, 2014

Friday 56 and Book Beginnings














Today I'm participating in 2 linkups - Book Beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader and Friday 56 hosted by Freda'sVoice.

My book this week is At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson.  I was so interested in this book when it came out that I ended up buying it new in hardcover which is something I never ever do.  That was 2010 and I've yet to so much as open it until this week!

Let's start at the beginning:

"Some time after my wife and I moved into a former Church of England rectory in a village of tranquil anonymity in Norfolk, in the easternmost part of England, I had occasion to go up into the attic to look for the source of a slow mysterious drip."

I think any homeowner can identify with that sentence.  Plus I've read enough Bryson to know that if he does identify the mysterious drip he's not going to really know what to do about it!

And now for the 56!

First the rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

"All his applies to the homes of the comparatively well-t-do but two things need to be borne in mind: superior homes were not necessarily all that superior, and inferior homes were not necessarily all that bad."

So would you keep reading?  Have you read this one? Have you ever bought a book new only because you absolutely had to have it only to let it sit around at the bottom of your TBR for years??

Have a lovely weekend all!

28 comments:

  1. I think I have a few books on my shelf that I bought years ago and still haven't gotten to either. But I always like to have books on my shelf I haven't read and am not super eager to for when I am without library books.
    My Friday 56

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    1. So agree! I can't imagine having a home without unread books!

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  2. No, I haven't read this one. Sounds interesting.

    Oh yes - there have been many books I absolutely had to have immediately and then through them on my TBR and they sat there for years.

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one! So far this has been really interesting though I do tend to like Bryson's writing style.

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  3. Is this a memoir or a novel? In either case, I like the conversational tone of the opening. I'd like to get to know this character better.
    Here's the link to my Friday post: DARLIN' IRISH.

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    1. It's actually a memoir about his house. Bryson is an American journalist who has spent quite a bit of time living in England. His book A Walk in the Woods about the Appalachian Trail is fantastic.

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  4. Definitely not the kind of discovery you want to make! Now I want to know more....thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.

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    1. No definitely not and they always seem to happen at the worst possible time!

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  5. Mysterious drips are NO FUN! I'm curious as to why the author emphasized that it is mysterious though! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend! :)

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    1. I think he emphasized it because most home repair issues are pretty mysterious to Bryson. Handy he is not!

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  6. Reading that beginning, I would keep reading.....

    Here is my Book Beginning post!!


    What a 56!!

    Here is my Friday 56post!!

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    1. Thanks! So far I'm really enjoying it! Have a great weekend!

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  7. Your post made me smile...I can identify with both the home repair issue and the having to buy a book immediately in hardcover...then having it languish for years on a shelf. Glad you finally got to this one and hope you enjoy it.

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. So glad I'm not the only one! So far I've definitely been enjoying this one. I like Bryson's writing style quite a bit when he has a focus!

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  8. Both snippets wee interesting!

    Happy weekend!

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  9. I haven't read this one yet but I'm curious about it. I read one of his other books before (can't remember which off the top of my head) and I really enjoyed it.

    Thanks for stopping by my Friday 56
    -Kimberly @ Turning the Pages

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    1. I'm enjoying this one so far. I have a bit of a love/annoyed relationsip with Bryson's books. When he has a focus he's fantastic (I loved A Walk in the Woods) but if he doesn't he can become a little over fond of himself. Hopefully I'll have the review up for this one this Thursday or more realistically next Thursday!

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  10. Sounds good. I have found so many books today that I have never heard of. I love Book Beginnings.

    THANKS for sharing.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

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    1. My TBR both loves and hates Book Beginnings! I find so many good books I've never heard of. So far I'm enjoying this one!

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  11. Hi Katherine,

    I do have a couple of Bryson books on my shelves, although they were more hubbie's choice and I haven't read any of them myself.

    I can totally relate to both your sets of lines this week, although as I live right across on the Western side of the UK and have never visited Norfolk personally, I can't comment on the book's location. It is amazing how such a small job as an annoying drip, can easily become a mountainous task to fix, requiring more time than we ever have to spare and the purchase of new tools that we don't already possess and which we will probably never use again!

    As I work in a charity shop, I have a constant supply of books which I can purchase at discounted prices, so to be honest, I can't actually remember the last time that I visited a library, or bought my self a brand new book from a bookshop.

    I am not that keen on hardback books, as they are far too large and cumbersome to be read easily and are just not practical to take out and about with me.

    I hope that you continue to enjoy the book and that your weekend is going well so far,

    Yvonne.

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    1. I adore some of Bryson's books but am apathetic about the others. A Walk in the Woods and his book on Shakespeare are great. I didn't care for some of his others.
      I so agree about a small job becoming mountainous tasks. I can't think how often a quick fix ends up taking weeks on end. The many joys of home ownership I guess!
      I don't buy books new very often and I'm quickly remembering why I don't like hardbacks and I've dropped this one on myself a few times! I can't imagine what fun your job must be though I'm not sure a constant supply of discounted books would be good for me!
      Thank you so much for visiting!
      Katherine

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  12. I am always getting excited and buying books in hardback straight away and then not reading them for ages...! I hope you carry on enjoying this one too. Great to discover your blog, I love the name! Lindsay

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting! I'm very glad I'm not the only one who MUST have a book only to ignore it for years. So far I'm still enjoying it though I am remembering why I don't buy hardcovers very often. I keep dropping it on me! Thank you for visiting! I'm very glad you found me!

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  13. I had not heard of At Home but I am now adding this one to my To Read list. The premise is unique and sounds fascinating! Thanks for visiting me @ The Key to the Gate.
    Happy Reading!
    Rebecca

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    1. I like the concept very much myself and so far it has been a very interesting read! I love the lesser known histories and the story of how people actually lived. Hope you enjoy this one!

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  14. That happens to me all too often . . . I am get so excited about a book, buy it, and then it sits there for years waiting for me to read it.

    I have never read anything by Bill Bryson, but I know he's quite popular by those who have read him.

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    1. I loved A Walk in the Woods but have been a bit more apathetic about some of his other books. I think he needs a focus to be good versus just being allowed to ramble about himself. I've really enjoyed this one so far!

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