First Line Friday 56 || Found Family After Loss

Posted May 1, 2020 by Sammie in #5OnMyTBR, #amreading, Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, Friday 56 / 14 Comments

It’s time to play “guess that book” and also watch our TBRs weep.

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and is all about the first line of a current/upcoming read. Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda’s Voice, where you turn to page 56 (or 56%) in what you’re reading a find a snippet that jumps out at you.

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First Lines



Every seven-year-old deserves a superhero. That’s just how it is. Anyone who doesn’t agree needs their head examined.

That’s what Elsa’s granny says, at least.
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56% Snippet



So Elsa sneaked down in the night, unable to decide whether she was more afraid of shadows or ghosts or Britt-Marie, and brought the wurse upstairs.

“There would be more space to hide you in here if Granny wasn’t dead,” says Elsa apologetically, because then the wardrobe wouldn’t have stopped growing. “Then again, if Granny hadn’t died, you wouldn’t need to hide in the first place.”
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Book Reveal



Click To Reveal The Book
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.



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Reasons to Read



✿ Super relatable bookish protagonist.
✿ Who just happens to be the kid we all wish we’d been.
✿ Cast of fun, quirky characters to fall in love with.
✿ Fun “fairy tale” aspect overlaid onto the real world.
✿ Written by one of my favorite authors (which, let’s be honest, is enough of a reason).
✿ Has the magical ability to make you laugh and cry.
✿ Sometimes at the same time.

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5

This is a new weekly meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook meant to take place on Mondays, but since Fridays tend to be my TBR-focused post, I’ve decided to combine them here. Monday’s prompt is: contemporary.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old     A Man Too Old for a Place Too Far     The Big Finish     Britt-Marie Was Here     Letters to the Lost


I absolutely loved A Man Called Ove, so I am forever looking for books similar to that (that fun sort of mix of humor and contemporary and lovable curmudgeon). That’s how I ended up stumbling on The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old and also A Man Too Old for a Place Too Far and The Big Finish. They all sound like cranky old men that will obviously worm their way into my heart, as you do, and I can’t wait to read them. This is a trope I could never grow sick of!

This one seems very on topic, given today’s First Lines. I managed to get my hands on Britt-Marie Was Here, and I’m looking forward to picking it up! I didn’t like Britt-Marie at first when I read My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry. I actively hated her. As the story went on, though, somehow, I ended up falling in love with her, too? What is this sorcery? So I’m looking forward to getting more of her story, because she deserves so much more.

Since I read A Curse So Dark and Lonely, I’ve been even more determined to read Brigid Kemmerer’s earlier contemporary work, because I’m sure I’m going to love it. I actually bought Letters to the Lost years ago, and I just … haven’t gotten to it yet? I’m such a slacker.

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Stay Fierce, Sammie

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14 responses to “First Line Friday 56 || Found Family After Loss

  1. Wow, wow, wow. First of all, amazing new look to the blog! The book also sounds incredible. My TBR list is weeping over this one, for sure.

  2. Happy Friday! 🙂
    Today on my blog I’m sharing the first line from Unveiling the Past by Kim Vogel Sawyer. I’m currently reading Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson. It’s awesome!!! I’ll share a line from chapter 3 here.
    “As with so many previous events in my life, my marriage proved the complete opposite of my dreams.”
    Isn’t that a fantastic line? The novel is filled with lines like this. So good!
    Have a great weekend! 🙂💚📚
    Nicole Santana recently posted…First-Line Friday #134My Profile

    • Funny enough, I haven’t read Beartown yet. xD But I definitely recommend checking out his other work if you enjoyed that one!

    • You liked A Man Called Ove, didn’t you? If you did, you should DEFINITELY read this. I loved Ove, but this one was even better.

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