Friday, March 22, 2019

Book Beginnings: Run Away


Run Away, by Harlan Coben (Grand Central Publishing, March 2019). This is the book's first line:
Simon sat on a bench in Central Park — in Strawberry Fields, to be more precise — and felt his heart shatter.

About the Book:
Simon Greene's college-age daughter Paige has gone missing. Addicted to drugs and under the control of her abusive boyfriend Aaron, she disappeared and made it clear that she didn't want to be found. 
But alerted by a conversation with a co-worker, Simon learns that Paige has been seen playing guitar in Central Park. He finds her but she's not the girl he remembers and was hoping to find. This new Paige is living on the edge, frightened, and clearly needs help. However, when Simon approaches her to beg her to come home, she runs away. And without really thinking, he follows her into a dangerous world, darker than any he ever knew existed. He feels he must try to protect her and save her from those dangers, but in doing so he puts his own life on the line, along with the lives of the family he loves.

Initial Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read something by Harlan Coben for years now. So when I was offered an advance copy of Run Away, I snapped it right up. And wow, I'm so glad I did. It took me a while to get started on it (too much "real life" stuff getting in the way of my reading), but I'm about halfway through now and loving it. Hoping to finish it up later today. Very happy to have found a new favorite author!

And I hope you're enjoying your current reading, too. Happy Friday, everyone! And have a lovely weekend.



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.

Monday, March 11, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


I've been really bad about blogging this year (or maybe I should say I've been really good at not blogging). Too many "real-life" things going on, these last couple of months. I have been reading, but haven't had much time for writing about it. (Things might be settling down now — fingers crossed!)

In February I finished a couple of books, one new work...


Murder Theory, by Andrew Mayne
(Book #3 in Mayne's The Naturalist series)

and one classic:


O Pioneers!, by Willa Cather
(The first book in her Great Plains Trilogy)

Didn't enjoy Murder Theory as much as I was expecting to, probably because I haven't read the earlier books in the series. But it wasn't terrible. On the other hand, its cover gets my vote as one of the worst I've ever seen.

Fortunately, O Pioneers! turned out to be a glorious read — so all was not lost in February's bookish world.

Right now I've got two books going — The Last Romantics, by Tara Conklin, and The Stranger Diaries, by Elly Griffiths.




Both are ARCs that I really should have finished last month, but you know how that goes.

Happy reading, everyone! And have a lovely week.



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. If you want to let the world know what you're going to be reading this week, head on over to her blog and leave your link. It's also a great way to discover new books and new blogs.