Teaser Tuesday - Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

The book often has a meditative quality and is full of lessons for the character Otto Ringling and by extension the readers. In the first part, Otto is speaking. At the end, Rinpoche is speaking. The two of them are on a trip around the west, sight-seeing and taking  Rinpoche to different speaking engagements. And Rinpoche is facilitating Otto's spiritual growth at the same time. The quote is from an ARC and may be different in the final edition. The book is due out June 2, 2015 from Algonquin Books. The bread maker in the example was his sister who makes horrible bread.

From page 241:

"I see. I think if you'd used a different bread maker, a different end product, the message would have hit me harder, but I get the message. The bread of my meditative life has risen, maybe, and that part was quite exciting, but I shouldn't think about eating it quite yet."

My spiritual guide reached across the table and squeezed me hard on the upper arm. "Wery good my friend."

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Just for fun in honor of National Poetry Month

Quickie Review: The World of PostSecret by Frank Warren

The World of PostSecret by Frank Warren is pretty much about what the title suggests. There are vignettes about symposiums, secrets, the perfect secret, and even the mail carrier who brought so many of secrets to Frank's house. There are also many examples of postcards and other things that people have sent in to share their secrets.

Some of the secrets are very touching. I found myself getting teared up more than once. Some of the secrets are informative, especially in the way that they inform us we are not alone in the things we keep secret. It was also touching to read the segment on the PostSecret application and the reactions of some people to secrets that they saw posted there. 

If you enjoy the PostSecret website or any of the other PostSecret books, then you will like this book as well. It's worth a read. It's nonfiction and biographical in nature.

Waiting on Wednesday #83 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

This week I'm waiting on A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. The description from Goodreads.com follows: 

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Why am I waiting on it? The first sentence in the synopsis is why. It's based on a fairy tale and faerie lore. I love retellings. I love seeing what people will do with the bones of the old tales.

What book are you waiting on this week? Please leave a link or the title in the comments so we can check it out. Thanks for coming by. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday - Dark Heir by Faith Hunter

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Published April 7, 2015 by Roc

"You know, Leo, the last few minutes have really sucked. And if I have to fill you full of silver and then fight my way outta here, it's only gonna suck more. So how about you pull up your big-boy panties and let's see what's happened in this FUBARed afternoon."

                               (6% through on my Kindle) 

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Shapeshifting skinwalker Jane Yellowrock is the best in the business when it comes to slaying vampires. But her latest fanged foe may be above her pay grade…

For centuries, the extremely powerful and ruthless vampire witches of the European Council have wandered the Earth, controlling governments, fostering war, creating political conflict, and often leaving absolute destruction in their wake. One of the strongest of them is set to create some havoc in the city of New Orleans, and it’s definitely personal.

Jane is tasked with tracking him down. With the help of a tech wiz and an ex-Army ranger, her partners in Yellowrock Securities, she’ll have to put everything on the line, and hope it’s enough. Things are about to get real hard in the Big Easy.

What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link below in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Review: The Faerie Tree by Jane Cable

Is there magic in memory? Is it magic to remember everything differently from the person who shared the time period with you? This is a thoughtful exploration of the relationship between two people, Robin and Izzie. They had been an item many years ago. Then Robin disappears. Then Izzie sees a bum that looks just like Robin after her husband dies. It's predictable in this one place, that bumping into Robin is the impetus for the rest of the book. 

Chapters alternate between the point of view of Robin and the point of view of Izzie. As the book goes on, it becomes clearer that their memories of what the time was like just before Robin disappeared is quite different. And it all starts on the day they visited the Faerie Tree. If you are expecting urban fantasy, this is not it. 

This book is different from most of my reads. The pace is slowish and thoughtful as each character examines what they remember from the time they were together. This is punctuated by spats, current memories, and life in general. 

I was unable to predict the ending for the most part beyond that they figure out whose memory of the past is more reliable.This is a good thing. I wasn't totally satisfied with the ending though. To tell you why, would mean spoilers. So, I will just say that there are unresolved issues with illness and with a sudden personality change. 

In general, if you like fiction about relationships that involve thoughtful examination of them, then this is a book for you. In some ways, the tone reminds me a little of Anne Tyler's writing. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars for the quality of the writing. The pace of the book was a little slow in places, but overall it's a good book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #82 - Monster Hunters by Tea Krulos

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Expected publication:
June 1, 2015 by Chicago Review Press

This week I'm going for a nonfiction title: Monster Hunters: on the Trail with Ghost Hunters, Bigfooters, Ufologists, and Other Paranormal Investigators by Tea Krulos.

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

Do ghosts exist? What about Bigfoot or Skinwalkers? And how will we ever know? Journalist Tea Krulos spent more than a year traveling nationwide to meet individuals who have made it their life’s passion to hunt down evidence of entities that they believe exist but that others might shrug off as nothing more than myths, fairy tales, or the products of overactive imaginations. Without taking sides in the debate, Krulos joins these believers in the field, exploring haunted houses, trekking through creepy forests, and scanning skies and lakes as they collect data on the unknown poltergeists, chupacabras, Skunk Apes (Bigfoot’s stinky cousins), and West Virginia’s Mothman. Along the way, he meets a diverse cast of characters—true believers, skeptics, and hoaxers—from the credible to the quirky, and has a couple of hair-raising encounters that make him second-guess his own beliefs.

Why am I waiting on this book? It looks interesting and would be different from anything else I've read this year. I like fictional stories with these components, so I wonder what a nonfiction examination of the subject matter would be like. I did like that in the synopsis it says, "Without taking sides in the debate." And I wonder if it will be possible for the author to maintain his neutrality on the issues as the book progresses and admittedly he has some experiences that make him think twice.

This is one of several books I came across that looked interesting this week. What book or books are you waiting on? Leave us a title or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!