Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.
Today’s featured book is one I’ll be reading soon. My first foray into this author’s work, Carla Buckley’s The Things That Keep Us Here grabbed my interest.
Intro: (Prologue)
It was quiet coming home from the funeral. Too quiet. Ann wished Peter would say something, but there was just the soft patter of rain and the wipers squeaking back and forth across the windshield. Even the radio was mute, reception having sizzled into static miles before.
As they crossed into Ohio, Ann turned around to see why Maddie hadn’t called it, and saw her seven-year-old had fallen asleep, her head tipped back and her lips parted, her book slipped halfway from her grasp. The first hour of their trip had been punctuated by Maddie asking every five minutes, “Mom, what does this spell?” Ann leaned back and teased the opened book from her daughter’s fingers, closed it, and put it on the sea beside Maddie. Kate hunched in the opposite corner, a tangle of brown hair falling over her face and obscuring her features, the twin wires of her iPod coiling past her shoulders and into her lap.
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Teaser: Maddie, her sweet, uncomplicated child, painting rainbows. Maddie, whom Ann had thought was safe, whom Ann had wanted so much to believe was untouched by all the sadness around her that she’d refused to see the truth for what it was. (p. 61).
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Blurb: How far would you go to protect your family?
Ann Brooks never thought she’d have to answer that question. Then she found her limits tested by a crisis no one could prevent. Now, as her neighborhood descends into panic, she must make tough choices to protect everyone she loves from a threat she cannot even see. In this chillingly urgent novel, Carla Buckley confronts us with the terrifying decisions we are forced to make when ordinary life changes overnight.
A year ago, Ann and Peter Brooks were just another unhappily married couple trying–and failing–to keep their relationship together while they raised two young daughters. Now the world around them is about to be shaken as Peter, a university researcher, comes to a startling realization: A virulent pandemic has made the terrible leap across the ocean to America’s heartland.
And it is killing fifty out of every hundred people it touches.
As their town goes into lockdown, Peter is forced to return home–with his beautiful graduate assistant. But the Brookses’ safe suburban world is no longer the refuge it once was. Food grows scarce, and neighbor turns against neighbor in grocery stores and at gas pumps. And then a winter storm strikes, and the community is left huddling in the dark.
Trapped inside the house she once called home, Ann Brooks must make life-or-death decisions in an environment where opening a door to a neighbor could threaten all the things she holds dear.
Carla Buckley’s poignant debut raises important questions to which there are no easy answers, in an emotionally riveting tale of one family facing unimaginable stress.
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What do you think? Would you keep reading? I know that I can’t wait….
I would definitely keep reading…I have The Deepest Secret by her…it will be out in February!
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Yes, I first heard about The Deepest Secret and preordered it; then went to the library to get two previous books. Can’t wait to read it. Thanks for visiting, Patty.
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I’m not sure if I will read this one but I love the title. I hope you enjoy reading this.
Here’s my First Chapter, First Paragraph post 🙂
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Yes, that caught my eye, too, Camille; thanks for visiting…enjoy!
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I’d love to read your review of this one though it’s not a genre I get into a lot.
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It’s kind of a departure for me, too, Harvee, but I’ve heard great things about the author. Thanks for stopping by.
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This one is on my TBR list as well, and that intro really pulls me in. Hope this one is fantastic Laurel. Thanks for joining in and have a nice Thanksgiving as well.
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Thanks for visiting (and hosting), Diane…I am wading into new waters here, as this is an author I have not yet tried. But I’ve heard good things. Enjoy your holiday, too.
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Not sure I want to read that at holiday time, but might consider it later…
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Probably not good timing for the holidays…but then, I don’t often read Christmas books. Thanks for visiting, JoAnn, and enjoy your week.
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This sounds like a heart breaker. I think I would need to be in the right mood for it. I hope you enjoy it.
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I agree…timing is crucial. Thanks for stopping by, Pat, and enjoy your week.
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This book sounds wonderful….I would keep reading but expect some sadness. I hope you enjoy this book!
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Yes, that feeling grabbed me from the intro…thanks for stopping by, Amy, and enjoy your week.
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Sounds good, but not something I’d want to rea around this time of year. My teaser: A Timely Vision
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Yes, timing is crucial, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by, Heather…enjoy your read…which looks “timely.”
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This sounds good, but bleak. I’ll wait to see what you think. Here’s Mine
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Yes, good assessment, Paulita…I got it from the library, because I’m not sure if I can handle it, either. Thanks for stopping by.
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Sounds like a good read! Great teaser. Here is my TT http://cynthiastacey.com/2013/11/26/teaser-tuesday-nov-26/
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Thanks, Cynthia…glad you liked it. Enjoy your week!
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sounds sad but good. Have a happy Thanksgiving. kelley—the road goes ever ever on
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Yes, it does….thanks for stopping by, Kelley, and enjoy your holiday.
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I’ll add this one to my TBR list to read after the first of the year. Sounds like a lot of drama in this story.
Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Also, thank you for recommending so many good books!
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Glad you liked it, Sandra…and enjoy your holidays. Thanks for stopping by!
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Great intro, The author sets up a mood right away. Yes, I’d keep reading.
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I think so, too, Margot…thanks for stopping by.
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This book sounds absolutely riveting – it may be another that you have added to my TBR! 😉
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Glad to be of service, Cleopatra….LOL; I found most of my books by visiting other blogs. Thanks for visiting.
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Seems like a heart-breaking story. Nice teaser!
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Thanks, Ellie…and I hope I have enough Kleenex for the read.
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I want to read this one now!
Thanks for stopping by Write Note Reviews
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Doesn’t it sound great? Thanks for stopping by, Write Note Reviews.
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I hadn’t heard about this one, but it really grabs your interest. I want to read it too.
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Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne…enjoy your week!
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I am definitely hooked! Happy Thanksgiving.
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Thanks, Nise…enjoy your holiday, too. And I’m glad you enjoyed the excerpts.
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I love books set in a world facing devastation. I was stressed out just reading the blurb!
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It does sound like a great story. Thanks for visiting, Christie.
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