Every Friday Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader where you can share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading. You can also share from a book you want to highlight just because it caught your fancy.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie caught my eye one day as I was browsing the bookshelves in Barter Books in Alnwick, one of my favourite secondhand bookshops. It’s the first of the Flavia de Luce Mystery novels.
The book begins:
It was as black in the closet as old blood. They had shoved me in and locked the door.
Also every Friday there is The Friday 56, hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice, but she is taking a break and Anne at My Head is Full of Books has taken on hosting duties in her absence. You grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
Page 56:
Daphne had described to me the effects of tetanus: one scratch from an old auto wheel and I’d be foaming at the mouth, barking like a dog and falling to the ground in convulsions at the sight of water.
Description from Amazon:
England 1950. At Buckshaw, the crumbling country seat of the de Luce family, very-nearly-eleven-year-old Flavia is plotting revenge on her older sisters.
Then a dead bird is left on the doorstep, which has an extraordinary effect on Flavia’s eccentric father, and a body is found in the garden. As the police descend on Buckshaw, Flavia decides to do some investigating of her own.
If you have read this book, what did you think?
BooksPlease 
I really hope you’re enjoying this book, Margaret. I think it’s a fine read and introduces an unusual and appealing protagonist. Among other things, I like the small town 1950s setting; I think that’s solidly done. And I do like the dry wit in the story.
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I haven’t read much of this book yet, but it’s looking good so far. The 1950s setting does appeal to me and I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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I was not expecting that kind of snippet from the title and cover. Makes me interested! :)
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I didn’t know what to expect from the title. On the back cover there’s a quotation from the Guardian: ‘A cross between Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle … and the Addams family … delightfully entertaining’.
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What a fantastic book beginning! It’s so dramatic and definitely makes you want to know more about the story. And the page 56 quote about tetanus is so interesting and a little dark, it really gives you a feel for the character’s voice. I’ve heard great things about the Flavia de Luce series; she sounds like a clever and unusual detective.
http://www.melodyjacob.com
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I have heard many good things about this book and series but I never have tried it myself. I hope you are enjoying it! Have a great weekend!
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Thank you – i hope you’re having a great weekend too.
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I loved this book and read several books in the series, though I didn’t finish the whole series. I should see where I left off and try again.
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