"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by I'd Rather Be At The Beach. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.
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I have a strange aversion to putting holds on library books. If a book has already been checked out when I go to look for it (since I also seem to have an aversion to checking the catalog ahead of time), then it obviously isn't the right time for me to be reading said book. I had to wait almost an entire year for the circulation gods to smile on me and the stars to align and for Ellery Adams' The Secret, Book & Scone Society to be in the stacks at just the right moment.
It was well worth the wait.
Miracle Springs, North Carolina is a place where people go for healing -- physical and emotional. It's what drew Nora Pennington there after personal tragedy, and where she opened Miracle Books and began to offer her own "bibliotherapy" to select customers in order to help them heal as needed through the pages of a good book (often, several of them).
I absolutely love the idea of bibliotherapy. I've often been saved from myself thanks to a book and will often find myself recommending books to others who seem to be "in a mood."
When a potential customer of Nora's is killed before she could give her recommendations, she teams up with some other local women -- all of whom have their own painful secrets -- to form The Secret, Book & Scone Society to find out the truth of what is happening in their town. Along the way scandals are uncovered, secrets are divulged, romance lingers, and a sisterly bond is formed.
The mystery angle of the book was a good one and it kept me guessing as Ellery often does, but the real highlight of the book was watching these women and their friendship grow. My heart ached for each of them and I would love to be able to grab a mug and a scone and join their sessions. I would especially love to know what books Nora would pick out for me ... as if my TBR wasn't already toppling.
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Author: Ellery Adams
Publication: Kensington Books, October 31 2017
First Lines
The man on the park bench stared at the empty space above the knuckle of Nora Pennington’s pinkie finger.
Strangers were always hypnotized by this gap. They would gaze at the puckered skin stretched over the nub of finger bone for several awkward seconds before averting their eyes in disgust, pity, or both.
Fave on 4s
p4 - “Stories don’t change much across continents and centuries. Hearts are broken. Pride is wounded. Souls wander too far from home and become lost. The wrong roads are taken. The incorrect choice is made. Stories echo with loneliness. Grief. Longing. Redemption. Forgiveness. Hope. And love.”
p44 - Hoping to keep a firm hold on the positive energy that had been building among the four of them, Nora said, “The key to our success lies in careful listening. And secrecy. From now on, we can only trust each another.”
p64 - “After hanging out with you gals on Sunday, though, I realized that I wanted more of this.” She gestured around the circle. “We’re no Fellowship of the Ring, but I haven’t had girlfriends since high school. Not close ones, anyway. These days, my closest friends are all fictional.”
p94 - Nora avoided making eye contact with Jed, but she was hyper-aware of his arm around her waist and of the way his fingers pressed into her lower back. She felt possessed and protected. And completely unnerved.
p144 - “She won’t let anyone see the real her,” Nora pointed out. “None of us have been willing to do that. We’ve become adept at hiding behind our armor. Until we found each other. I don’t know about you, but this is the first time in years I’ve opened up to anyone.”
p204 - “That sounded a bit like therapy.” His tone wasn’t judgmental. Merely inquisitive.
Nora was reluctant to explain her role of self-trained bibliotherapist, but since Jed had already told her that he was open to nontraditional forms of medicine, she said, “Sometimes, I recommend certain titles to help people find healing.”
Jed mulled this over. “But you gave that customer a stack of novels. How does fiction heal?”
“Not all injuries are physical,” Nora said, and moved off to ring up a customer waiting at the front counter.
p224 - “The three of us are crashing this party. And by the end of the night, we’ll have what we need to take care of the vermin infesting our town.”
June hooted in enthusiastic agreement. “Pass me the rat killer, sister. I am ready to do some exterminating.”
