Friday, May 06, 2016

Book Beginnings: The Atomic Weight of Love


The Atomic Weight of Love, by Elizabeth J. Church (Algonquin Books, May 2016). First sentence of the book's Prologue:
In early January of 2011, forty-five hundred red-winged blackbirds fell dead from the Arkansas skies.

Initial Thoughts:

Sounds a little spooky, doesn't it? But I've read a bit further and I know the birds weren't magic-ed out of the air. I don't think I'm giving anything away by saying there's nothing paranormal about this book. At least, not that I've noticed. Just some gorgeous writing that has me hooked for the moment. I've heard many good things about Elizabeth Church's debut novel, and so far I'm definitely in agreement.



Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Friday. As she says, the idea is to post the first sentence (or so) of the book you're currently reading, along with any first impressions or thoughts you have about the book, the author, etc.  It's a wonderful way of adding new books to your must-read list, and a chance to connect with other readers and bloggers.


7 comments:

  1. I'm very curious...and happy to know it's not a spooky version of The Birds...LOL. Enjoy. Great cover, too. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  2. This book looks so appealing and the first line definitely draws me in. I am adding it to my TBR pile right after I type this message to you. Thanks for dropping by my blog. You mentioned that you are adding Olive Kitteridge to your TBR pile. I want to warn you, the book is also spectacularly written but the character is unlovable. That is part of it's appeal, in a weird why. Hope you like it.

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  3. Hi Joy,

    Sorry! Those opening lines and your comments had me so intrigued that I had to check out the full premise for this book.

    I think I am up with the reason for the dead blackbird storm, although, as beautiful as the cover art is, it does manage to make the book look and sound like a reference book.

    I'm not sure that this is one I would read through choice, however I hope that you enjoy it :)

    Yvonne

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  4. This one is definitely on my TBR list. My Goodreads friends are raving about it! Enjoy!

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  5. I've never read anything by this author but this sounds like an interesting book - I actually thought it was some kind of ecological or biological reason the bird dies - something like the Avian flue or something like that...lol...thanks for visiting my Friday meme earlier

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  6. It really does look like a reference book or one of those "bird watchers handbook". BUT from the opening line it does sound quite intriguing.

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  7. Sounds like it could be a good one! :)

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