Friday, January 18, 2019

The Friday 56 (145) & Book Beginnings: Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.


36959639Synopsis from Goodreads...

Bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic...

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie only finds solace in books. So when she happens upon a crazed woman at the river threatening to throw a book into the water, Ollie doesn't think--she just acts, stealing the book and running away. As she begins to read the slender volume, Ollie discovers a chilling story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who both loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man," a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. Ollie is captivated by the tale until her school trip the next day to Smoke Hollow, a local farm with a haunting history all its own. There she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about. Could it be the story about the smiling man is true? Ollie doesn't have too long to think about the answer to that. On the way home, the school bus breaks down, sending their teacher back to the farm for help. But the strange bus driver has some advice for the kids left behind in his care: "Best get moving. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch, a keepsake reminder of better times, begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed the bus driver's warning. As the trio head out into the woods--bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them--the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: "Avoid large places. Keep to small."

And with that, a deliciously creepy and hair-raising adventure begins....


Beginning: "October in East Evansburg, and the last warm sun of the year slanted red through the sugar maples."

56: "Eyeing the silent room, he added, "You guys good on the ghost stories?"


Comments: The first book I read in 2019 was Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. I've read Arden's Winternight Trilogy and decided to give this one a try. I liked it a lot. It had a number of genuinely creepy moments, and I liked the story. What are you reading?

22 comments:

  1. Made me think of Scooby Doo. :-)
    sherry @ fundinmental Friday Memes

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    1. Oh, now that you mention it, parts of Small Spaces did remind me a little of Scooby Doo. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Sounds good! Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog. Enjoy the weekend.

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  3. Sounds pretty creepy. Middle graders will love it. This week I am spotlighting a middle grade fantasy - The Storm Keeper's Island by Catherine Doyle - from my review stack. Happy reading!

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    1. I have to agree with you on that one. Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Nice and spooky! I love the sound of this one. Adding it to my "must check it out" list right away.

    My Book Beginning this week is from the new suspense novel The Water Tower Club by BK Mayo

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    1. Small Spaces would have been a good one to read in October. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Ooh, this sounds like an awesomely creepy read! I hadn't seen it before. Thanks for sharing! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. It was. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!

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  6. Love the cover and snippets!! Happy weekend!

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  7. I love her Winternight trilogy. Didn't know she was also writing Middle Grade.

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    1. I know. Arden's Winternight Trilogy is one of my favorite series, which is why I wanted to read Small Spaces. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I've never read this author, but I'm definitely adding this to my tbr. :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  9. Replies
    1. Small Spaces is a good story. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. Definitely one I'd like to try out. Happy weekend!

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Comments are appreciated and always welcome. :)

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