The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 Title: The Faceless Ones

Author: Derek Landy
Publication: 24 December 2008
Format: ebook .... and paperback ....

Amazon Description: 

She’s twelve. He’s dead. But together they’re going to save the world. Hopefully.

Third bone-breaking, belly-busting adventure in the bestselling series that puts the “funny” back in… um… funny series. That didn’t really work, did it?

If you’ve read the previous Skulduggery books then you know what the Faceless Ones are – and if you know what the Faceless Ones are, then you can probably take a wild guess that things in this book are going to get AWFULLY sticky for our skeletal hero and his young sidekick.

If you haven’t read the previous Skulduggery books then what are you doing reading this? Go and read them right now, so that you know what all that stuff in the previous paragraph was about.

Done? Good. So now you’re on tenterhooks too, desperately awaiting the answers to all your questions, and instead you’re going to have to wait to read the book. Sorry about that.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff
I've had a hellish week and, yet again, most every book I have picked up has ended up going from "Currently Reading" to "Want to Read" at an almost neck-breaking pace on Goodreads. Nothing has felt "right." I'm not in the mood for sappy romance crap. I really don't want anything that takes too much thought or effort. I don't want to read any of the ARCs I have piling up because those I "have to" read. There's too much that I "have to" do right now. I want to WANT to do or read or whatever.

I just want light. 

Fun. 

Snark. 

I really REALLY want snark.

Hence, I want Skulduggery and Valkyrie. 

It doesn't get much snarkier than this, folks. Even the Amazon description is snarky.

Of course, once I realized this I was already at work and my Skulduggery collection is home overthrowing the top shelf of one of my many bookshelves. I really didn't want to wait until my shift ended to start in on it so I went poking around my oft-neglected Dropbox to see if maybe possibly I had a digital copy .... which I did .... which is a good thing because 56% has much more snark than page 56 on Amazon's "Look Inside" dealie. I'll grab the book off my shelf when I get home. Some books are just better on paper .... except, of course, for the fact that paper has page numbers and not percentages. 

And I fully realize that my Friday 56 blurb is probably longer than most. I couldn't help myself. I tried to cut it down. Really. But .... the snark said no. Or nooo...

As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: Every Heart a Doorway

Author: Seanan McGuire
Publication: 5 April 2016
Format: ebook 

Amazon Description: 

Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children

No Solicitations

No Visitors

No Quests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she's back. The things she's experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West's care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy's arrival marks a change at the Home. There's a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it's up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of things.

No matter the cost.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff
I'm not far enough in to really give much of a ramble, but I have a feeling that I'm going to end up very happy that I have at least the first five books in the series thanks to a Tor giveaway around the holidays! I'm only about 20% in at this point and I'm already expecting to lose sleep because I won't want to put it down.

As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Heirs & Graces by Rhys Bowen (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Title: Heirs & Graces
Author: Rhys Bowen
Publication: 6 August 2013
Format: Kindle ebook 

Amazon Description: 

London, 1934. Entrusted by Her Majesty the Queen with grooming Jack Altringham—the Duke of Eynsford’s newly discovered heir fresh from the Outback of Australia—for high society, Georgie now has the luxurious opportunity to live in one of England’s most gorgeous stately homes. But upon her arrival at Kingsdowne Place, Georgie finds herself in a manor full of miscreants, none of whom are pleased with the discovery of her new ward.
 
Then the duke announces he wants to choose his own heir and causes quite the hubbub. Somewhere along the way Jack’s hunting knife ends up in the duke’s back. Eyes fall, backs turn, and fingers point to the young heir. As if the rascal weren’t enough of a handful, now he’s suspected of murder. But while Jack may be wild, Georgie would bet the crown jewels it wasn’t he who killed the duke...

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff 
Finally continuing the Royal Spyness series -- currently book 7 of 15. I may catch up .... some day ....

I'm just over half way through now and, thankfully, I'm looking at a quiet night at work thanks to the snow storm currently under way so I may actually finish it by the time I get home in eight hours. I already have the next one in the series so I may go ahead and do them back-to-back. It will save me from having to think too much about what to read next and I have so missed Georgiana .... and Darcy 💓

"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 Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Prudence by Gail Carriger (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: Prudence
Author: Gail Carriger
Publication: 17 March 2015
Format: Kindle ebook 

Amazon Description: 

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do -- she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India.

Soon, she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis (and an embarrassing lack of bloomers), Rue must rely on her good breeding -- and her metanatural abilities -- to get to the bottom of it all. . .

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff
I tried several books after The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and they were all just ..... so ..... "eh" in comparison. Got my grubby little hands on the next Carriger on my list, though, so life was happy happy again. At least as far as having something worthwhile to read went. Of course, as soon as it was over I was back in the same situation of nothing being good enough. I really don't want to fly through the four Custard Protocol books, though, so hopefully something will click soon. Oh, I've got it! I'm super far behind on my Rhys Bowens so I guess now we know what's up next!

As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Author: VE Schwab
Publication: 6 October 2020, Tor Books
Format: Kindle ebook 

Amazon Description: 

France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever―and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

This book broke me. Over and over again and I loved it. 

I know, it's not normal to love being broken .... but I have never claimed normalcy as one of my traits so there you have it.

If she must grow roots, she would rather be left to flourish wild instead of pruned, would rather stand alone, allowed to grow beneath the open sky. Better that than firewood, cut down just to burn in someone else's hearth. (4%)

It's got history and romance and humor and intrigue and heartbreak. It was everything that I needed and didn't know that I needed.

This is how you live forever. Here is one day, and here is the next, and you take what you can, savor every stolen second, cling to every moment, until it's gone. (44%)

The description doesn't come even close to doing it justice and neither will anything that I have to say ... so, just, you know, get it and read it.

As always, Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice & Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.