From A Few More Pages:
How to participate: There's nothing quite like the anticipation that comes from cracking open a book for the first time! Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

Title: The Mysteries of Udolpho
Author: Ann Radcliffe

"On the pleasant banks of the Garonne, in the province of Gascony, stood, in the year 1584, the chateau of Monsieur St.Aubert".

So far I am really enjoying this book. As you can maybe tell from the first line, the novel has fairly lengthy descriptions of scenery and setting which are setting up the atmosphere of the novel well, but I am in a hurry to get to the juicy parts of this gothic tale! I keep reminding myself to enjoy it all but I have been too eager to read this one. At 25 pages in, I'm getting glimpses of what's to come and I think I'm really going to enjoy it!

Friday Book Beginnings

From A Few More Pages:
How to participate: There's nothing quite like the anticipation that comes from cracking open a book for the first time! Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

Title: The Keep
Author: Jennifer Egan

"The castle was falling apart, but at 2am under a useless moon, Danny couldn't see this."

I think it's a good start. I'm intrigued by old castles so right away I'm interested in hearing more about it.

The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

The fourth installment in the Pink Carnation series, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, is by far my favorite. This one picks up the story of two characters which have previously played minor roles in the series, and the little we do know of them makes them, for the most part, un-likeable.

Mary Alsdale is beautiful, and beguiling. She's the sister that in the previous book, The Deception of the Emerald Ring, devised an advantageous elopement for herself, only to be thwarted by her younger sister (who mistakenly ends up in the elopement carriage and then has the fortunate accident of being seen there with Mary's fiancée, Geoffrey, Lord Pinchingdale, who does the honorable thing and marries the little sister) thus humiliating Mary in front of society.

Sebastian, Lord Vaughn, is first introduced to us in the second book as an English nobleman and a mysterious widower, recently back from the continent.  Whether he is the cruel and dangerous French spy, The Black Tulip, is the question everybody is asking. The Pink Carnation enlists Vaughn's help in recruiting Mary to unmask the Black Tulip, as the Tulip seems to have a penchant for dark haired, pale skinned beauties.

For the most part what ensues is hardly surprising, except for the twist at the end, but it's the story of these two, previously less-than-sympathetic characters which I enjoyed most. From reading the reviews it seems they are mixed. Some people really did not want a story about Lord Vaughn and Mary but for me they are by far the most interesting characters in the series and I would love to see more of them, particularly Lord Vaugh, in future books, although that doesn't seem likely as while each book takes up the thread of the adventures of the Pink Carnation, they each involve new characters which assist the Carnation.

The books in this series are pure fun, and I really look forward to the next one.

Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy

Everything Beautiful Began After is an enthralling story of three young expats who meet while living in Athens, Greece.
George, an American from Kentucky, grew up in New England boarding schools virtually parentless. He's a lover of ancient languages and Bach.
Rebecca is an artist who was abandoned by her mother at a very young age, and never knew her father. She has come to Athens in order to escape her small, French town and discover herself and her talent.
Henry is an archaelogist from Wales who lives with immense sadness and guilt due to a horrible accident in his past.
This story deals with these 3 strangers and their journey together after meeting in this ancient city, and how their love and friendship deeply affect them and carry them through some very difficult times.
I thought this was a beautifully written tale of life and love and loss-- and love again. It came highly, highly recommended by the host of Bookfoolery and Babble.

Friday Book Beginnings

This Meme is hosted by A Few More Pages and will be up all week.
Post the first line or first few lines of your current read.

Sebastian, Lord Vaughn stood beside a rusting suit of armor, a dusty glass of claret in hand, wondering for the tenth time what evildemon had posessed him to accept an invitation to the house party Sibley Court.

Title: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose
Author: LaurenWillig

This is the fourth installment in the Pink Carnation series.  Judging from the first sentence, this one is going to be much the same as the previous three, which means it will be an entertaining, period mystery, with a good deal of misunderstandings and romance thrown in for fun.  And it is just what I need after the book I just finished this morning, Everything Beautiful Began After.  It seems I am, without planning it, alternating between the beautiful and heart-wrenching (The Invisible Bridge, Everything Beautiful Began After) and the mysteries/romance (The Deception of the Emerald Ring, and The Secret of the Crimson Rose), which is working out perfectly since the former 2 are beautiful, but I'm somewhat drained emotionally!

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

The Deception of the Emerald Ring is the third installment in the Pink Carnation series.  This is a fun series that follows Eloise Kelly, Harvard doctoral student, as she follows the elusive Pink Carnation through the 19th century. In the spirit of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the Carnation foils the French during their bloody revolution and, most recently, quashes an Irish rebellion.

This book is my favorite so far in the series.  I'm not sure if it's because the author is simply getting better, or if it's because I just particularly enjoyed the story of Lord Pinchingdale and Letty, or if it's because there was significantly less of the "his pants suddenly felt too tight" scenarios in this one, (in the past two books, these kinds of scenes were far too frequent).  Although this book is not entirely without them.  In fact, in a couple of scenes where the protagonists find themselves in fairly dire situations, the above mentioned Lord can't help finding himself getting aroused.  This seems silly and not to mention unlikely, BUT all the same, I obviously enjoy the series or I would not be on the third book and eagerly anticipating getting around to the fourth.  Fortunately for me, my library seems to have every book in the series.

This book was just what I needed after the beautiful, tear-jerker which was The Invisible Bridge.

The Invisible Bridge

The Invisible Bridge is so much more than a love story, so much more than a story of World War II. It is a beautiful, epic novel that seduces the reader early on with the introduction of two brothers, who share a deep bond, the good fortune of a scholarship to a Parisian university, Paris itself, the theatre, young love and then completely immerses the reader in this man's life. His hopes and dreams and desires became my own. When war broke out across Europe and he and his family suffer, I suffered with them and feared for their lives as though they were my family and friends, too.
This novel was always beautifully written even when it was recounting the experience of this man and his family as they struggle to survive one of the absolute darkest and most horrible times in the world's history. A very, very human portrait of love, loss, and survival in very inhumane times.

This is Julia Orringer's first novel.  I am in awe, and not a little bit envious, of her talent and her ability to conjure so well this time in the past, and to make these people absolutely come to life on the page.