The Winner of Unravelled, and The Friday 56

And the winner is. . .

Anna from Diary of an Eccentric!

Congratulations, Anna!  You've won an ebook edition of Unravelled by M.K. Tod.  To whet your appetite, here's a snippet from the novel, from page 56:

"Stark flashes of red lit the clouds as he rounded another corner and saw stretcher-bearers coming towards him followed by a stumbling line of German prsisoners, one of them dressed in pyjamas.  On the stretcher lay a gray-faced soldier bleeding from wounds in the arm and leg.  Edward squeezed past the smells of blood and fear."
~Unravelled, M.K. Tod

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice.  If you want to play along, the rules are simple:

• Grab a book, any book.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find a sentence, or a few, to share in a post. 
• Add your post's link to the linky.

Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway.  Please remember to take a look at the other giveaways listed on the right side of my blog.  As a courtesy to my readers, I'm often updating and adding to the list.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Thank you for reading!

The Friday 56: Coulrophobia, and the Monk Book Winner

Are you afraid of clowns?  Do you believe that their garish faces and outlandish costumes hide evil interiors?  It's difficult to say exactly how common this phobia is, or if it's prevalence is exaggerated.  But it's no mystery that Adrian Monk's list of one hundred major phobias includes coulrophobia.

" 'Hazard pay?'  Stottlemeyer snorted.  'For one thing, you're a homicide consultant, so it's always hazardous.  That's the job.
And . . . it's a clown, for God's sake.  A clown!'
'Don't say that!'  Monk shuddered and sank away."
 ~ Mr. Monk Helps Himself, Hy Conrad

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice.  If you want to play along, the rules are simple:

• Grab a book, any book.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find a sentence, or a few, to share in a post. 
• Add your post's link to the linky.

I'm also ready to announce the winner of the giveaway for Mr. Monk Helps Himself by Hy Conrad, a book I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing recently for Premier Virtual Author Book Tours.  Please help me to congratulate the lucky winner, Carol M.  Congratulations, Carol!  I think you'll enjoy reading this marvelous mystery.  If you didn't win this novel, why not take a look at the other giveaways listed in my blog's right sidebar?  You might discover another book that you'd like to win.

Thanks for reading!  Your comments are welcomed, as always.
Joseph Grimaldi clown picture courtesy of Wikipedia. 

The Friday 56: Mom

I haven't done The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, in quite a long time.

Here are the rules:

• Grab a book, any book.
• Turn to page 56.
• Select a sentence or two to post.
• No linky this week, so just leave a comment or link on the host's blog.
  

I chose to highlight a few lines from the book Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps, introduced and edited by Dave Isay. When I received this book from TLC, I had no idea what StoryCorps was all about.

In the book's introduction, I learned that StoryCorps began in 2003 in Grand Central Terminal in NYC. StoryCorps has conducted nearly 30,000 interviews with more than 50,000 people across the United States. It's a collection of diverse voices who interview each other and tell their individual stories. I realized that I have another StoryCorps book on my shelf, not yet read, Listening Is An Act Of Love. Without further ado, here is my "56" from Mom: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps:

Jennifer: I wasn't your shadow anymore. That was the beginning of my independence.

Diane: Hallelujah!

Please stay tuned for my review of this book, which will include a giveaway.

Breaking Out of a Rut with The Friday 56

When it comes to memes, I am definitely a creature of habit. I do the same memes on a regular basis: Mailbox Monday, Really Random Tuesday (a meme of my own creation), Wondrous Words Wednesday, and the Book Blogger Hop. While I enjoy these memes and consider them to be my favorites, I know that there are other fabulous memes in the book blogosphere that I have yet to try. I decided to break out of my meme rut and try a new one that has recently caught my eye. It's called The Friday 56 and it's hosted by Freda's Voice.



Here are the rules:

• Grab a book, any book.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find any sentence that grabs you.
• Post it.
• Add your link to the linky.

I looked for a final copy of a book (as opposed to an advance copy which we are not supposed to quote from). I found Mr. Darcy's Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson, which I won on Laura's Reviews, turned to page 56, and selected this sentence.

"Georgiana barely prevented herself from a very unladylike snort at this commentary on her cousin Lord St. George, but her training prevailed and she turned her attention back to the stage."

This sounds like a book I will enjoy!

I've just added this new-to-me meme to my post (and page) simply entitled, Memes.  If The Friday 56 also appeals to you, why not play along?