Book Beginnings On Fridays (Someone Else's Skin)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary, I've got a copy from Netgalley and it's due to be published on 27th February.

 

They've cordoned off the house by the time she gets home. A uniformed stranger is unwinding police tape, methodically. Marnie watches from the safety of the car, her fingers icy on the ignition key, the engine running as if she might make a quick getaway, drive past and keep driving...

 

 

 

Book Description:

 

Detective Inspector Marnie Rome. Dependable; fierce; brilliant at her job; a rising star in the ranks. Everyone knows how Marnie fought to come back from the murder of her parents, but very few know what is going on below the surface. Because Marnie has secrets she won't share with anyone.

But then so does everyone. Certainly those in the women's shelter Marnie and Detective Sergeant Noah Jake visit on that fateful day. The day when they arrive to interview a resident, only to find one of the women's husbands, who shouldn't have been there, lying stabbed on the floor.

As Marnie and Noah investigate the crime further, events begin to spiral and the violence escalates. Everyone is keeping secrets, some for survival and some, they suspect, to disguise who they really are under their skin.

Now, if Marnie is going to find the truth she will have to face her own demons head on. Because the time has come for secrets to be revealed...  

Book Blogger Hop (31st January - 6th February)

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted at Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer and this week's question is:

 

When you receive new books in the mail, do the older ones get moved to the bottom of your list or do you go strictly "by the book" and keep your list with older books first then the new ones?

 

I tend to read whatever I'm in the mood for next, I've got books on my shelf that I was desperate to read when I ordered them but by the time they arrived I felt like a different genre, a couple of years on and they're still sitting there unread. In other cases I've started them straight away, also if it's a review book it may need to be read quite quickly anyway so that gets pushed to near the top of the list. But I don't have a system for reading books, if I choose one because I feel I have to read it rather than want to then I won't enjoy it as much.

 

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Watney is left stranded on Mars, presumed dead by his fellow astronauts after an accident during a dust storm. Mark is very much alive though and must now use all his knowledge to try and survive, his story is told from the log/diary entries he writes and also from NASA down on Earth.

I found the story slow to start with and almost gave up but thankfully the pace soon stepped up a gear. I loved the character of Mark and his sense of humour, unfortunately though it was a little too technical for my tastes, something that stops me reading a lot of science fiction. Obviously it's not to be taken too seriously and is a quick read that is good escapism. I wouldn't be surprised if this was made into a film.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Book Description:

 Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there.

It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him-and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive-and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills-and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit-he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Teaser Tuesdays (28th January)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

 

I've been thinking about laws on Mars.

Yeah, I know, it's a stupid thing to think about, but I have a lot of free time.  

 

70% The Martian by Andy Weir

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Its Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme run by Book Journey and you can mention books you've just finished, are currently reading and any you plan to read this week. You can leave a link to your blog and read other bloggers posts.

 

This week I read:

 

Calling Me Home  by Julie Kibler

The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt

 

 

I'm currently reading:

 

The Martian by Andy Weir

 

 

 

The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt

Eleven year old Lydia has caught the train home to Suffolk from Wales where she was sent as an evacuee. When she arrives at the station the rural village seems deserted, she makes her way back to her house only to find this is also empty with no sign of her mother. Later that night a German soldier lets himself in, he claims he won't hurt her but she mustn't leave the house and he knows her name despite her never having told it to him. Where is everyone and what is going on?  

 

The book is split into days rather than chapters with each section also telling us what has happened to Heiden, the soldier, and led to him being in England. I did find the way the story jumped between the three different points in time it covers a little confusing at first but soon got into it. As the book progresses and things start to be revealed and become clear then I had to keep reading to find out how it would conclude. If, like me, you're a fan of novels during this time period then you should give this a try, it gives you a different slant on the usual. 

 

This is Jason Hewitt's debut novel, according to the interview with him in the back of my copy he has started on his second which is also set during the Second World War, I look forward to reading it. 

 

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this novel, it's due to be published on 27th March. 

 

 Rating: 4 out of 5 

Book Beginnings On Fridays (The Dynamite Room)

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader and as she says the idea of this meme is for you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name. There's a linky list on the website and you can use #BookBeginnings on Twitter.

 

My book beginning is The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt. It's due to be published at the end of March and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from Simon & Schuster.

 

She was the only person to get off the train and as it pulled out again, leaving her on the empty platform, she watched the receding line of carriages tail into the distance; the dried leaves, caught in a flurry of air, chased after them down the track. She walked out through the gates into the sunshine and onto the road, but there didn't seem to be anyone else about. 

 

 

Book Description:

July 1940. 11 year-old Lydia walks through a village in rural Suffolk on a baking hot day. She is wearing a gas mask. The shops and houses are empty, windows boarded up and sandbags green with mildew, the village seemingly deserted. Leaving it behind, she strikes off down a country lane through the salt marshes to a large Edwardian house - the house she grew up in. Lydia finds it empty too, the windows covered in black-out blinds. Her family are gone.

Late that night he comes, a soldier, gun in hand and heralding a full-blown German invasion. There are, he explains to her, certain rules she must now abide by. He won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house.

Is he telling the truth? What is he looking for? Why is he so familiar? And how does he already know Lydia's name?