Book Beginnings on Friday and the Friday 56 #7

Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice.

Rules: 

Book Beginnings: 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. 

The Friday 56: Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.

The book I chose for this week is:

Song of Blood & Stone

(Earthsinger Chronicles #1)

by L. Penelope

Synopsis:

Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive--an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.

Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and its people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their vicious captors and together embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in thebalance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.

Book Beginning:

 In the beginning, there was silence.

The book starts with an origin tale that describes how the world was created. I loved that bit.

The Friday 56:

"Jasminda, don't mistake me. You are like nothing I ever thought possible. Like no one else I have ever met. And I am glad of it. You are remarkable."

Jack is a caring guy. He admires Jasminda a lot, which I find adorable.

 

Song of Blood & Stone gets published on May 1st. I joined the blog tour therefore my review will arrive sometime around the end of April. I'm enjoying this novel immensely so far.

Do you think you would like Song of Blood & Stone? 

Please feel free to leave your Friday post links below.

WWW Wednesday #7

 

 

And if it's Wednesday, it's WWW day.

 

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. 

WWW stands for three questions:

 

 

What are you currently reading?

Song of Blood & Stone

(Earthsinger Chronicles #1)

by L. Penelope

Synopsis:

Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive--an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.

Jack's mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagrimar is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and its people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda's Earthsong to do it. They escape their vicious captors and together embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in thebalance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.


 I received this book via NetGalley. So far my favourite thing about it is that every chapter starts with a little excerpt from a folktale. I believe it was a wonderful idea from the author.


What did you recently finish reading?

Sawbones
(Sawbones #1)
by Melissa Lenhardt

My review will be up in a few days!


What do you think you'll read next?

The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant

Synopsis:

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that are about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons. Told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women's society.

A Bible story told through the eyes of a woman – I think I'm in for a treat. The book has a very high rating on Goodreads too so I have high expectations.


What are you reading this week? Don't forget to leave a link to your WWW post below, I'd love to read it!

For The Love of Fish! - Oscars 2018 + Book Adaptation tag

 Happy Tuesday, Friends!

Yesterday I was walking around like a zombie thanks to lack of sleep but hey, Oscars night is Oscars night... It's once a year and it's an event that cannot be missed by film lovers like me.

Before I write anything else congratulations are due to all the winners. We had amazing productions competing with each other this year too, bless all the people who work on such wonderful movies each year.

My award highlights (I have two):

• Gary Oldman got his well-deserved Oscar at last! No one can doubt that the man has talent. Well done, Sir!

• The Shape of Water won best picture. I didn't see that coming to tell you guys the truth but I was glad when they announced the winner. It is a unique tale told in a very elegant  and charming manner.

About the gala:

 

If I want to be honest it wasn't worth it to stay up all night for the show. I felt they didn't go the extra mile to make the 90th Academy Awards special, it was quite boring actually. They should have had extra performances planned or at least something out of the ordinary that would have made the 90th year stand out.

  Something that put a smile on my face despite everything:
It was sooo good to see Christopher Plummer at the gala (it's good to see him every year). He is precious to my heart.

Since it was Oscars week I thought to honour the occasion I'd include a tag in this post, one that has to do with movies (and, naturally, with books). I found the original on The Book Nut.

The Book Adaptation Tag: 

1. What is the last book adaptation movie you saw?

Murder on the Orient Express (2017). I guess it is an unpopular opinion but I liked it. Although I'm a bit biased considering Sir Ken Branagh was involved in this production and I'm convinced that everything he does is golden...

2. What movie are you most excited for?

Ophelia (2018). I'm a sucker for Shakespeare adaptations and I loved the book.

3. Which upcoming movie will you definitely NOT see?

Does the third Fifty Shades of Grey count as upcoming? It's still in the cinemas so I'll pretend it does. That one is a definite miss for me.

4. Which book movie would you NEVER watch again?

Matilda. I know it sounds stupid but the cake-eating scene shocked me as a child and I've been avoiding the film ever since. I know many bookworms love it, I'm an exception...

5. Is there a movie you saw that made you want to read the book if you hadn't/haven't yet?

 

There were several. Jane Eyre (2011) with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender is a good example. I'd wanted to read Jane Eyre before watching the film but the movie made me actually pick it up.

6. Conversely, is there a movie that made you never want to read the book?

I can't think of one right now.

7. Name an adaptation that has almost nothing to do with the book it is supposedly based on.

Less Than Zero (1987). It has something to do with the book (it portrays the life of young people in LA in the 80s, the excessive drug and alcohol consuming etc.), however they made up a plot for the movie that didn't exist in the book.

8. Have you ever left the theatre during a movie adaptation because it was so bad?

9. Do you prefer to watch the movie or read the book first?

The book always comes first (or at least I wish I always had time to read the book first...)

10. How do you feel about movie adaptations that age characters up? (ex. characters that are in middle-school, but in the movies they are 18)

I'm okay with that as long as it doesn't result in fundamental changes in the original story.

11. Do you get angry when the actors don't look like you thought the characters looked?

It's a bit annoying when the characters' appearance is very unlike how they were described in the book, yes. What makes me angry is if they change the character's skin colour in the film.

 

12. Is there a movie you liked better than its book?

The English Patient (1996). I enjoyed the book too, but the film made a bigger impression on me.

 

13. Name a book that you'd like to see as a movie.

Fluency (Confluence #1) by Jennifer Foehner Wells! A group of people go on an expedition to explore an abandoned alien ship in space. It would make an excellent movie.

Tag you are it! I tag each and every one of you this time. Let me know if you do the tag so I can go and comment on your post!

What were your favourite moments from this year's Academy Award Ceremony? Let me know in a comment below!

Goodreads Monday #8

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren @ Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back to Lauren’s Page Turners and link up to the inlinkz so others can see what you picked!

 The thing about me is, I am an enthusiastic admirer of Vincent Van Gogh. You could catch me staring at his paintings for hours at the National Gallery in London. It is truly magical to be in the presence of his works.

A few years ago I read a fictional recollection of his last days – The Last Van Gogh by Alyson Richman – that I unfortunately didn't like very much. When one day I saw the book below in a bookshop, I realised I'm might not yet ready to give up on fictional Van Gogh novels. I'm determined to own a copy of Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew someday in the future, and hopefully I'll love it!

Let Me Tell You About a Man I Knew

by Susan Fletcher

 

Synopsis:

No one knows the name of 'the painter' who comes to the asylum in St Remy in the south of France, but they see his wild, red hair and news of his savaged ear soon circulates in the village and comes to the notice of the wife of the asylum's doctor. She feels herself drawn to him and learns that his presence is disturbing - and not just to her either. But back she goes - again and again. Until she is banned, but still she makes her way over the wall, through the garden to talk to this apparently mad and passionate man. And the consequences of her indiscretion, of what van Gogh comes to mean to her, of what it will do to her marriage, her life once she has touched danger and passion will have far reaching effects - both surprisingly catastrophic and tender.

Do you think you'd like this novel? What book did you feature in you Goodreads Monday post?

Review - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Synopsis:

Amir is the son of a wealthy Kabul merchant, a member of the ruling caste of Pashtuns. Hassan, his servant and constant companion, is a Hazara, a despised and impoverished caste. Their uncommon bond is torn by Amir's choice to abandon his friend amidst the increasing ethnic, religious, and political tensions of the dying years of the Afghan monarchy, wrenching them far apart. But so strong is the bond between the two boys that Amir journeys back to a distant world, to try to right past wrongs against the only true friend he ever had.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.

My Thoughts:

It's not easy to write about this book, just as sometimes it wasn't easy reading it. Not because The Kite Runner is a bad book – on the contrary; it is an exceptional piece of literature – rather because the story of Amir and Hassan inlvolves so much tragedy that sometimes I had to put the book down and give myself some time to overcome the emotions it evoked in me.

However, when I wasn't having one of my emotional breaks I read it in big chunks. Mr. Hosseini's writing is definitely the most beautiful of all the authors' I've read this year so far. It's lyrical and touches your soul at the right times. He is amazing at storytelling, I felt I was really involved in the happenings and Amir and Hassan were like friends to me; I cared about them, I wanted to know their fate.

Amir is our narrator. His whole life story unfolds in front of us, from the moment he was born to present day. In the center of his reminiscense there is a boy, Hassan, the son of Ali, his father's slave. Hassan and Amir had an idyllic childhood in Kabul, they did most things together and they were friends despite the difference of their social status.

Then one day something happened to Hassan that shook both of their worlds. Amir blamed himself, since he could have prevented the whole thing and his guilt drove him to make a few terrible decisions that made Hassan disappear from his life.

When the Russians march into Afghanistan Amir and Baba (his father, whose attention he'd always fought for) migrate to America to start a new life. But it's only a matter of time till the past catches up with Amir. When a phone call comes from Rahim Khan, Baba's best friend, Amir learns that at last he has a chance 'to be good again'. And so he flies to Pakistan and visits the ailing Rahim Khan to hear news about Hassan and to make past mistakes right.

Afghanistan's recent history gets animated inside your head while you're spending time with this novel. The difference between the Afghanistan of Amir's early years and the war-ridden country he finds when he returns is striking. It was very sad to read about the destruction that ensued first by the hands of the Russians, then by the Taliban.

Judging by all the things I have told you so far of The Kite Runner you probably think there is not an ounce of happiness squeezed into this tale of friendship and ordeal. It is not true. There are brilliant moments that shadow the sorrowful events even if shortly. Love is a powerful motivator in the story; the love of a loyal friend, the love of a father, the love of a son – it gives strength to the characters to move on and change their ways if necessary. There are so many examples to learn from, so many lessons The Kite Runner gives us. I will not forget this book easily.

Goodreads | Amazon

Book Beginnings on Friday and the Friday 56 #6

 

Book Beginnings on Friday and The Friday 56 are weekly memes hosted by Rose City Reader and Freda's Voice.

 

Rules: 

Book Beginnings: 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. 

The Friday 56: Grab a book, turn to page 56 or 56% in you eReader. Find any sentence (not spoilery) and reflect on it if you want.

My current read is:

Sawbones

by Melissa Lenhardt 

Synopsis:

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this fast-paced historical debut.

When Dr. Catherine Bennett is wrongfully accused of murder, she knows her fate likely lies with a noose unless she can disappear. Fleeing with a bounty on her head, she escapes with her maid to the uncharted territories of Colorado to build a new life with a new name. Although the story of the murderess in New York is common gossip, Catherine's false identity serves her well as she fills in as a temporary army doctor. But in a land unknown, so large and yet so small, a female doctor can only hide for so long.

 

 

Book Beginning:

  

"I'll have some fresh ones on the morrow."

I pulled on my gloves and donned my slouch hat.

"I do not know when I will be back".

"No, no. O'course. Part of the job, idin't? Not knowin' where you'll be, what you'll be doin'. Hard on a woman."

"No harder than on a man, I assure you."

 

'Fresh ones' as fresh corpses. Our heroine uses her free time to widen her anatomical knowledge in a New York basement. It's clear even on the first page that men don't approve of her being a doctor.

The Friday 56:

"He was injured, my uncle, and Dr. Elliston saved him. Performed surgery out there on the plains with a storm coming. You should have heard Kindle's men sing her praises," Beau said.

Once she puts her skills to use, the hard men of the frontier start to appreciate her, of course.

I feel the author wants to make me like Laura a lot and that is exactly what keeps me from liking her. It is stated so many times that she is a brilliant physician, that she is doing the whole thing to save people, that she is tough... I'm not sure she has any flaws at all, and that makes her a bit too distant for me. 

 

Well, I'm still in the beginning of the novel, hopefully I'll see some charcter development here...

What are you reading this week? Drop a link to your Friday post below, if you like!

February Wrap-Up, March TBR

February went by very fast, and here we are in the spring. Well, Europe is mostly under snow at the moment but never mind, just keep sliding on.

February was a very good blogging month for me and I'm proud of myself for devoting a lot of time to Paradise Found in the past few weeks. I'd like to keep it up because I enjoy writing my blog posts and – above all  – reading, so I can write them, haha.

I appreciate your comments and the support that comes with them. Please, let them coming in March too. Stay with me on the way, guys.


Here is a summary of February on Paradise Found:

I've finished four books:

The Desert Spear (Demon Cycle #2) by Peter V. Brett – Review

The Dark Unseen (Unseen Series #0.5) by Andrew C. Jaxson – Review

Pirate's Curse by Leigh Anderson and Rebecca Hamilton – Review

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (The review is on the way)

Other posts on the blog in the month of February:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – Review 

Showtime #2 – Black Sails

The Longest Book Tag

Favourite places to read 

Some books I've read, loved, but do not own a physical copy of yet 

If a genie were to grant me three bookish wishes...

Weekly memes:

Goodreads Monday (Feb 12, Feb 19, Feb 26) 

Tell me Something Tuesday (Feb 13)

WWW Wednesday (Feb 21, Feb 28)

Book Beginnings and the Friday 56 (Feb 9, Feb 16, Feb 23)

Stacking the Shelves (Feb 24)

Plans for March: 

Probably I'll be reading the following books (in no particular order): 

Hiding by Jenny Morton Potts

The Shipbuilder by Salina B. Baker (I've just realised this book is currently available for free on the author's website. Click here if you'd like to download it.)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope

For March 16 I have a ticket to watch HamletBatch, an NTLive screening of Hamlet with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Danish prince. I'll make sure to let you guys know how I liked it.

My next review will be of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; you can expect it to be up this week.

How was your reading month? Let me know in a comment below!