It has been so long since the last time I did a First Chapter, First Paragraph Tuesday Intro but I’d like to get back into posting some of these. If you aren’t familiar, Vicki, from I’d Rather Be at the Beach hosts this meme. It’s your chance to post a bit from a book that you are reading or planning to read. So here we go:

“The day they found the body on the shore, Matthew Venn was already haunted by thoughts of death and dying. He stood outside the North Devon Creamatorium on the outskirts of Barnstaple, a bed of purple crocus spread like a pool at his feet, and he watched from a distance as the hearse carried his father to the chapel of rest. When the small group of mourners went inside, he moved closer. Nobody questioned his right to be there. He looked like a respectable man, a wearer of suits and sober ties, prematurely gray-haired and staid. Not a risktaker or a rule-breaker. Matthew thought he could have been the celebrant, arriving a little late for the service. Or a diffident mourner, sheepish and apologetic, with his soft skin and sad eyes. A stranger seeing him for the first time would expect sympathy and comfortable words. In reality, Matthew was angry, but he’d learned long ago how to hide his emotions.”

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

Would you continue with this book? I have and am already a few chapters into the story. One reason is because I have enjoyed books from the author’s Jimmy Perez series and the other  because this is my book group’s selection for this month. So I need to get back to it in order to finish up by next week.

Let me know if you’ve read anything by Ann Cleeves and if you have read some of her books which is your favorite series?

Last week it seemed like the work week was never going to be over and now the weekend just zoomed by. I know it’s because we’re done with all the holiday stuff and now it’s back to a regular schedule. Anyway, I did have a great weekend and managed to finish two books and even work on some crafting projects.

This photo is a snippet from my art journal. Acrylics, white gel pen, stencils and cut out words from a magazine. I’m also making a simple pamphlet type journal but the best part is the paper because it’s from a paper collection called Public Library. How perfect is that?

We also went to the bookstore on Saturday and I found the latest edition of the Bella Grace Field Guide to Everyday Magic. I love this journal. The pages are matte and it’s filled with journaling prompts and pretty pictures. If you are someone who wants to get into journaling but feel like at a loss for what to write about a magazine like this one would be a great way to get some prompts for writing.

I still have a bit of money left on a gift card but I’m going to save that until our next visit as I was hoping to find another magazine but didn’t see it.

Regarding the books, I finished Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quiñonez and The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess. I’ll try to do some write ups of both but I can tell you that I highly recommend Bodega Dreams.

Alright friends, I hope you have a great week ahead and I’ll be telling you more about books I’m reading and the slew of E-Galleys I’ve added to my Kindle.