Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.
It is time for more fun with our Tuesday memes. The book I have chosen to feature is an ARC from Amazon Vine: Bittersweet, by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore.
Intro: (February – The Roommate)
Before she loathed me, before she loved me, Genevra Katherine Winslow didn’t know that I existed. That’s hyperbolic, of course; by February, student housing had required us to share a hot shoe box of a room for nearly six months, so she must have gathered I was a physical reality (if only because I coughed every time she smoked her Kools atop the bunk bed), but until the day Ev asked me to accompany her to Winloch, I was accustomed to her regarding me as she would a hideously upholstered armchair—something in her way, to be utilized when absolutely necessary, but certainly not what she’d have chosen herself.
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Teaser: But whether Aunt Jeanne had changed or my eye had become considerably more nuanced in the intervening years, what I discovered that first December of college was that I’d rather shoot myself in the head than become her. She lived in a dank, cat-infested condo and seemed puzzled whenever I suggested we go to the Smithsonian. (p. 11).
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Blurb: Suspenseful and cinematic, Bittersweet exposes the gothic underbelly of an idyllic world of privilege and an outsider’s hunger to belong.
On scholarship at a prestigious East Coast college, ordinary Mabel Dagmar is surprised to befriend her roommate, the beautiful, wild, blue-blooded Genevra Winslow. Ev invites Mabel to spend the summer at Bittersweet, her cottage on the Vermont estate where her family has been holding court for more than a century; it’s the kind of place where children twirl sparklers across the lawn during cocktail hour. Mabel falls in love with midnight skinny-dipping, the wet dog smell that lingers near the yachts, and the moneyed laughter that carries across the still lake while fireworks burst overhead. Before she knows it, she has everything she’s ever wanted: friendship, a boyfriend, access to wealth, and, most of all, for the first time in her life, the sense that she belongs.
But as Mabel becomes an insider, a terrible discovery leads to shocking violence and reveals what the Winslows may have done to keep their power intact – and what they might do to anyone who threatens them. Mabel must choose: either expose the ugliness surrounding her and face expulsion from paradise, or keep the family’s dark secrets and make Ev’s world her own.
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I am eager to begin this book, one which I have only heard good things about. What do you think? Would you keep reading?
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That’s a great beginning. I love the comparison to an armchair — so clever and original. This sounds like a book I’d enjoy. I hope you like it!
My Tuesday post features THE OTHER SIDE OF HEARTACHE.
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Thanks, Sandy, and I loved that comparison too! I am looking forward to this one. Glad you could stop by…and yours looks very good, too!
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This sounds like it will shape up to be an interesting read – I love the description of both girls, you can tell so much from that intro. Here is my Tuesday post https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/first-chapter-first-paragraph-may-12/
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I love intros that tell us who the characters are, too; thanks for stopping by, Cleopatra!
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I might be more interested if I hadn’t just read John Green’s Paper Towns (and found it a disappointment.) I need a break from the angst of self-discovery.
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Oh, sorry about that, Suzie….thanks for stopping by!
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I liked thatLaurel and the book has been on my wishlust for a while as well–enjoy
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Thanks, Diane, and when I want to get to a book right away, I have to get it as a review book. The tick-tock of the time limits gets me reading quickly….Glad you have it and hope to read it.
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I bought this one quite a while back as a bargain e-book. I love books set on college campuses and will look forward to your thoughts about it, since it’s still in my queue.
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Good to know, Catherine, and thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy it!
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Definitely interesting. This has been on my reading list … I need to get to it.
I’m playing today at Beth Fish Reads
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Thanks, Beth, and I have been eyeing this one for a while, and then, to assure my getting to it quickly, I requested it from Vine. Glad you could stop by.
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This is a book that I’ve heard a lot of good things about. I like the intro, so I’d keep reading!
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Thanks, Monica…I have only heard good things about it, so that is promising.
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Gosh, hope I haven’t become Aunt Jeanne. This sounds good. Here’s Mine
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Ha-ha….I would definitely not want to be Aunt Jeanne….I don’t have cats, so maybe I’m ahead of the game….but I am a bit of a hermit…LOL. Thanks for visiting, Paulita.
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This one is on my list as well. Have heard good things about it. Can’t imagine rooming with a girl who smokes now. Ick! LOL
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Oh, I know, Kay! I have roomed with smokers in the past, back when smoking was “allowed” in a lot of places…now it freaks me out.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Yes, the smoking thing would definitely pose a problem if she were MY roommate. Do they even still make Kools? I haven’t heard about this one before now, but it sounds like something I’d love. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Joy, and I wonder about the Kools…I remember them from back in the day…LOL. Glad you could stop by.
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Oh wow! That’s great motivation on why NOT to become somebody! Thanks for sharing!
trish – my teaser
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I liked that, too, Trish….thanks for stopping by!
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Love the setting of Vermont and secrets…I’m in. Look forward to your thoughts.
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I have been seeing so many positive reviews and comments about this one. Thanks for stopping by, Nise.
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I’d keep reading! It sounds like a mix of sad and happy!
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Yes, the perfect mix, Vicki. Thanks for stopping by!
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Good choice! I like that description of the shared room, can be so true! I would keep reading, and have this on my wishlist.
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Thanks, Rita, and I love the sound of it, too. Glad you could stop by.
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Oh my gosh – I LOVED this book! It’s such a perfect beach read…and I’m so glad it’s getting some more exposure from the paperback release.
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I am looking forward to it, Sarah…thanks for visiting!
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What a great teaser! I am picking it up!!
Happy Reading!
Here is my Teaser post
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Thanks, Gautami….glad you liked it!
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It sounds so bleak and grim, I can’t help but wonder if the protagonist finds resolve; great post Laurel 🙂
Claudia @ My Soul Called Life
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Thanks, Claudia, and I am curious about that, too.
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I saw on goodreads that you started this book… hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Me, too, JoAnn…I suspect that I will!
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That is interesting, and has certainly piqued my interest. Off to add this to my list.
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Thanks, Smitha…glad you liked it.
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Love the title!
mine: https://storytreasury.wordpress.com/2015/05/12/teaser-tuesday-zone-one-by-colson-whitehead/
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Me, too, Sonia…thanks for stopping by!
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Sounds like a good read.
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So many good things have been said about it, Mary Ann….thanks for visiting.
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I read a YA book with a very similar theme. I wish I could remember what it was called. I hope you enjoy this one. Happy reading!
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Thanks, Kathy, and the one you are describing sounds good, too.
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Sounds interesting, hope you enjoy
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Thanks, Claire….I am definitely eager to read this one!
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I devoured this one last summer! So dark and dysfunctional but so good! I love this author! She is a sweetheart!
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I have not read this author; eager to find out more about her style. Thanks for stopping by, Patty.
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Sounds like a nice, light read!
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Thanks, Freda, hope to love it!
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I’m sorry Laurel, but for some reason this one just isn’t grabbing me. Maybe a few pages would help. I do hope its a good one for you.
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Sometimes that happens, Margot…glad you could stop by.
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Decent beginning, though to me it generally signals that this probably isn’t one for me. Happy reading!
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Thanks, Nikki…glad you could stop by!
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