Aussie Readers discussion

"Flynn Hartley had an effect on her that she couldn't remember ever feeling before, and that was the truth. His touch made her tingle and his kisses made her burn. Just laying eyes on him was all she needed for her heart to skip a beat and her stomach to do that weird contracting thing. So it was time to 'woman' up and take matters into her own hands. perhaps she had been guilty of giving Flynn mixed signals but that wouldn't happen again. She needed him to know just how much she wanted him."
Page 155 Hartley's Grange by Nicole Hurley-Moore This was a Goodreads win.

Alice smiles and moves her fingertips across the tablecloth, so they are touching his own.

He looks down, seeing how small and clean her hand appears next to his own, where flecks of paint cling stubbornly to the skin. "I don't think it can be a shameful thing," she says, "to follow the thing you love."

The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley

This is a creepy one from chapter 1 of The Nightmare Place by Steve Mosby:

"..he'd missed his opportunity with Sharon. A girl as lovely as her was hardly going to stay single for ever. The important thing is that he is no longer half as timid now and he won't let an opportunity like that slip through his fingers ever again. Now, he was a very lucky man indeed. So he lies there thinking about Julie, and listening to the soft, gentle sound of her snoring. And after a few peaceful moments, he reaches up and lovingly touches the underside of her bed."

My Tuesday Teaser is from The North Wind Bronwyn Parry

"He caught a glimpse as he drove past of a shapely butt clad in faded jeans. Yes, he noticed it. Not that he'd ever be so crass as to comment about it. Thirty-something male with a healthy appreciation of women."

Carolyn wrote: "This is a creepy one from chapter 1 of The Nightmare Place by Steve Mosby:

"..he'd missed his opportunity with Sharon. A girl as lovely as her was hardly going to s..."

I agree, Carolyn. I will not be able to read that book at night.

Carolyn wrote: "This is a creepy one from chapter 1 of The Nightmare Place by Steve Mosby:
"..he'd missed his opportunity with Sharon. A girl as lovely as her was hardly going to s..."

Aaaaaaaaaaagh!!!

My teaser is from a fun paranormal romance series - book 9 - Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

...“He’s already furious that I’m married to a vampire. If he finds out that you’re involved with a shape shifter—”
“I know,” Caitlyn muttered. “He’ll have kittens.”
Shanna snorted. “No, Cait. You would have kittens. Carlos is a were-panther.”...

Can't believe I'm the first today!

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.
“Claire Fraser, er, I mean, Lady Broch Tuarch,” I said, belatedly remembering my dignity. I gathered my self-possession, and wiped a drop of water off my chin. “Who the hell are you?" I demanded.
A firm hand gripped my elbow from behind, and a resigned voice from somewhere above my head said, “That, Sassenach, is my grandsire. My lord, may I present my wife?”

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

"I take that as a compliment, considering how terrible the wine is. Honestly, between you, me and Addy, surely we can convince them to stock some decent labels. McLaren Vale is only half an hour from here, for god's sake. It can't be that hard."

The Three Miss Allens by Victoria Purman

My Tuesday Teaser from Peter Corris's book Win, Lose or Draw

"The thing about quitting is that it's interesting enough in itself to see you through for a while. ...I've had to give up drinking it seemed to apply. 'Thank you, Counsellor Hardy."

If he examined his actions closely, he would allow that the way he had claimed his expenses could be made to look wrong. But it wasn't wrong. Nearly everybody did it, especially when a previous prime minister had frozen MP's salaries. It had been well known in the lobbies and bars that what the right hand taketh away, the left hand giveth. It was the system. You claimed your expenses to the limit and beyond, if you could make a case for it. That was the entitlement

Breakfast at the Hotel Déjà Vu by Paul Torday

LOL, so topical what with all the Sussan Ley thing going on!

Dominique stepped forward and pulled away the upturned collar of her dressing gown. There, starkly etched on white skin, was her feather tattoo. Sally took a step back, eyes wide with fear.
'What do you want?'
'To keep you safe, Sally' Enzo said. 'There are people on the way here to kill you.'

Cast Iron by Peter May

Marianne wrote: "If he examined his actions closely, he would allow that the way he had claimed his expenses could be made to look wrong. But it wasn't wrong. Nearly everybody did it, especially when a previous pri..."

So true Marianne! She's definitely 'claimed to the limit and beyond.'

My Tuesday Teaser is from Andrew Nette's book "Gunshine State

"The man who opened the front door had an aging bruiser's body, faded blue tattoos on his heavily tanned forearms, a generous head of grey hair, cut Rockabilly style, mutton-chop side burns. He held..."

"That's what we are, Parmenon, gladiators. When you are born into purple, you step into an arena. You either fight or you die. It's as simple as that. You can try and skulk away like Uncle Claudius did, and stay in the shadows but, eventually, the roar of the crowd and the whip of the lanistae will drive you into the centre. You either kill them or they kill you".
I stared across the fountain.
"Well, Parmenon?"
'I thought you fought for power?'
Agrippina did not seem to hear.
'Domina?'
"If you are born into the imperial purple, life and power are synonymous, you cant have one without the other'.

Domina by Paul Doherty

**** clutched the handrail, dragged in a breath and screamed. Screamed as loud and as long as she could. Startled pigeons fluttered around them. **** shouted and tugged at her. She clutched the rail tighter, felt the crush of pigeon shit beneath her sweaty palms, and screamed again.

Pieces of a Lie by Rowena Holloway

Carolyn wrote: "Dominique stepped forward and pulled away the upturned collar of her dressing gown. There, starkly etched on white skin, was her feather tattoo. Sally took a step back, eyes wide with fear.
'What ..."

I am jealous that you are reading this!!

Ha Ha! Remembered this week - and looks like I'm first!

My teaser is from A Curious Beginning the first in a new series by Deanna Raybourn:

“Mrs. Clutterthorpe, I can hardly think of any fate worse than becoming the mother of six. Unless perhaps it were plague, and even then I am persuaded a few disfiguring buboes and possible death would be preferable to motherhood.”

Her release became a media circus.In addition to being watched by some 200 aquarium patrons, Ursula's release was covered by six television news crews, and we gave five radio interviews about her. Her release was featured i three local newspapers and on television's Discovery Channel.

From Octopus: The Ocean's Intelligent Invertebrate by Jennifer A. Mather and co.

"John Tankard got there first. He slammed his baton on Venn's arm. The knife fell.....caught him between the legs."

From Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher

Love this thread!

"Human aggression and depravity still managed to astonish him. The girl was under the wagon. She was listening. Then she lifted her hands and whipped her long hair into a braid and tied it off with a piece of lace edging she tore from her skirt. She was not astonished. Not at all."

News of the World by Paulette Jiles

ps. can anyone tell me how to italicise text in these comments?

Put an i between <> before the text and /i between <> after it

Phrynne wrote: "Put an i between before the text and /i between after it"

Thanks Phrynne! :)

Helena wrote: "Phrynne wrote: "Put an i between before the text and /i between after it"

Thanks Phrynne! :) "

Lol!

I'm between books at the moment - so will pick up my next and put some words here :)

Sometimes I think about how odd it would be to catch a glimpse of the future, a quick view of events lying in store for us at some undisclosed date. Suppose we could peer through a tiny peep-hole in Time and chance upon a flash of what was coming up in the years ahead.

N is for Noose by Sue Grafton

"Why is he unconscious?"
"Sleeper hold. Didn't want him to be in pain."
"Fair enough." You know, if you didn't want him to be in pain then maybe you shouldn't have shot him.

From Winter Traffic by Stephen Greenall

"Honestly I don't get it Mum. You find out your husband was cheating on you for like.......half your life, and you don't seem that upset about it. Christ, not only do you forgive him, you defend him. You never went that easy on me that's for sure."
"I know, I know. I made you go to summer camp. We've been over that. I apologize, Caroline. My God, if I could have possibly known I'd be hearing about it forty years later I would never have made you go."

This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison

'When the light that kisses
The back of her eyes was birthed, her
Ancestors were not yet born. How many
Human lives have ended in the time it took
That light to reach her?

How many people have loved only to have
Lost? How countless, the hopes that have died?

But not this one."

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

"So Sean, why does no one want to date a policeman?"
"There's the whole death thing. People get touchy about that."
"I don't see why. Isn't there a big compensation package if you get killed? And a nice widow's pension on top of that too? And then there's the black. I look fabulous in black. Brings out my eyes."

DI Sean Duffy of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (N.Ireland 1985) explaining to a young woman why no one will dance with him at the church social.
Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty

'The giant reptile took a step forward. It bent it's head low, sniffing the ground.
Then, very slowly, it opened it's mouth, revealing two rows of jagged teeth.
It growled. A deep angry sound.
Lynch felt his heart beat faster and in a deep analytical part of his brain, he realized that the animal could sense this. He also now realized why Bao had stopped talking from outside. The Chinese colonial and his men had seen this thing coming and had wisely got out of the way.
Bill Lynch had no time for another thought for just then the massive thing roared and rushed at him, and within seconds Lynch was lying on the floor of the cavern, screaming desperately and spitting blood as he was foully eaten alive.'


The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly AA

Abby said, "It must be hard to be you, Mr. Whitshank."
His fingers stilled on the napkin. He said, "What's that you say?"
"You're glad your daughter's marrying a rich boy but it irks you rich boys are so spoiled. You want your son to join the gentry but you're mad when he's polite to them. I guess you just can't be satisfied, can you?"

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

Loke Lamora's rule of thumb was this - a good confidence game took three months to plan, three months to rehearse, and three seconds to win or lose the victim's trust forever. This time around he planned to spend those three seconds getting strangled.

Opening lines from The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

My teaser is actually the opening lines from The Cauldron's Gift by Marina Finlayson:

Plenty of teenagers don’t share a house with their dad, but usually it’s because their parents are divorced. Not because he’s a bear.

Now, THAT makes you sit up and take notice - talk about a good hook!!!

"I would come for you," he said, and when he saw the wary look she shot him, he said it again. "I would come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way our together- Knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting."

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

"They are grotesque and exaggerated. Some are scowling like mean kings, some screaming like monsters, some staring with oversized eyes like flies. Some have pointed ears like the devil or horns like a ram. They're all different and all ugly,"I insisted.

"Fine," she said. "What is another word for difference?"

I knew she was leading me to a conclusion I didn't want to admit. "Individuality"

"Good. Individuality is a beautiful quality."

by Susan Vreeland page 327

"Oh." Dex's excitement evaporated. It was nearly impossible to tell gender or age from a whisper. And with the victim preoccupied with being strangled, Dex figured they weren't exactly concentrating on the depth or inflection of the whisper.

Spell Disaster by Leighann Dobbs

Dil coughed. It was the ominous cough. The Spanish use and upside-down question mark to tell you what you're about to hear is a question; this was the kind of cough that tells you what you're about to hear is a dirge.
'Don't know how to tell you this, sir,' he said.
'Out with it, man.'
'Sir, they say he's dead, sir. They say he killed himself and ran away.'

by Terry Pratchett

"In New Guinea Pidgin, throwim way leg means to go on a journey. It describes the action of thrusting out your leg to take the first step of what can be a long march"

Throwim Way Leg by Tim Flannery

"I stopped by the boy's body. His face was tucked against his knees....decomposed."

Hades by Candice Fox

“I can find no means to account for all that we have witnessed, except to say that I am no longer certain of the boundaries between man & beast, of the living & the dead. All that I have taken for granted, what I have known as real & true, has been called into question.”

To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

Until the doctor returned.
He placed what was in his hand on the table. "This might be your answer," he said.
"Is that what I think it is?" asked ****.
"Yes," said *******. He folded his arms. "But let's be very clear about one thing. You didn't get it from me."

Truth or Die by James Patterson

"As he lay on his cot and listened to children playing hide-and-seek in the alleys between the tents, he tried to forget the people who had clutched at the air as they fell into the river, some knocked down in the scramble, others shot in the back by desperate soldiers clearing a way for their own escape. He tried to forget what he'd discovered, how little other lives mattered to him when his own was at stake."

from The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

That sounds gut-wrenching Carolyn!

Definitely not a happy teaser but it resonated with me when I read it this morning as I used to work with a really nice guy who was a Vietnamese refugee. On the way to Australia his boat was attacked by pirates who killed many of the men on board. He had a long ugly wound on the back of his neck where he was slashed by a knife and only survived by pretending to be unconscious.

Oh wow! What a horrible story... glad he survived.

Oh gosh! Carolyn! Some of the awful things we read in fiction isn't necessarily all fiction. Which makes it even more hair raising. Isn't there a saying somewhere that says 'the best fiction is based on reality' or something like that? I wonder how I sleep without nightmares with all the books I read. Hmmm...

"Truth is stranger than fiction" is another Owl!

That's the one!! Thanks! You are quite brilliant, Brenda!
Hugs xx

Thanks!! lol

From Blink by K.L. Slater

"All I have to do is move a finger, shift my palm. A millimetre of movement, a mere twitch would be enough. If they could only spot it.
Anything that can tell them I am very much still here. Frozen solid, but very much alive. A prisoner, buried inside my own flesh."