Book Beginnings #77

For Book Beginnings, Rose City Reader invites us to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

For Friday 56, Freda's Voice asks you to turn to Page 56 in your book or 56% on your e-reader and pick a sentence.

I am currently reading Letting Go by Cat Clarke.

Never make a promise at a funeral. It's my new motto. it's pretty specific as mottos go, I know. But I think it will serve me well.

First off, I can't stop staring at the cover. It's absolutely breathtaking, so beautiful and striking. I really want it as a print! I love the atmosphere, the beauty of the stars and the mountains, the desolation of the landscape. I love it so much.

I love this first line - it's instantly intriguing, it makes me want to read on, it gives me a taste of the narrator's personality, and from just this I have a feeling I'll like Agnes.

The sun is setting over the mountains to the west, and I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful. I can finally see the lochs below, but they're now pools of inky blackness. 

I love the evocative language, how even in such a short story Cat Clarke manages to perfectly capture the surroundings.

And oops I finished it in a single sitting as I was typing this post. It's a gorgeous wee story that I'll definitely pick up again. I loved the ending.

How far should you go to keep a promise?

Barrington Stoke is a company dedicated to making reading accessible. They specialise in super-readable, dyslexia-friendly fiction, and everything from the font to the paper is carefully considered to make it easier to read.

I have Multiple Sclerosis, and sometimes I just can't read and it breaks my heart. The cog fog just takes over and I sit staring at the page taking nothing in. When this happens, Barrington Stoke is pretty much my saviour. The same things that make the stories so accessible to people with dyslexia (like my sister) help me when my brain refuses to cooperate. There's no shadowing through the pages to distract, each letter in the font is unique, the stories themselves are engaging and written excellently, and they have a lot of books by my favourite YA authors like Kate Cann, Bali Rai, Cat Clarke, Holly Bourne, Kevin Brooks.

What are you reading this week?