Book Beginnings: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader. 

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.

You can find more information and how to participate on your blog HERE!  

"My father was a king and the son of kings. He was a short man, as most of us were, and built like a bull, all shoulders.  He married my mother when she was fourteen and sworn by the priestess to be fruitful."

Title:  The Song of Achilles

Author:  Madeline Miller

Genre:  Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.

My Thoughts
This is the second book I've read by Madeline Miller, and I highly recommend both (Circe was the first!).  I love stories about the Greek gods, and this one was captivating.  

Teaser Tuesday: Life Will Be the Death of Me:...and you too! by Chelsea Handler

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly Meme hosted by The Purple Booker where you share two “teaser” sentences from your current read.

Find out how you can participate Here!


"I define me. No event or person does this. I define me. I decide who I am and how I’m going to behave, and I choose to be better. To look more carefully, to trudge deeper. To think about other people’s pasts and not judge someone for doing or handling something differently than I would. To understand my limitations, my shortcomings—that is my growth edge."

Title:  Life Will Be the Death of Me:...and you too!

Author:  Chelsea Handler

Genre: Nonfiction/Autobiography/Memoir

In a haze of vape smoke on a rare windy night in L.A. in the fall of 2016, Chelsea Handler daydreams about what life will be like with a woman in the White House. And then Donald Trump happens. In a torpor of despair, she decides that she’s had enough of the privileged bubble she’s lived in—a bubble within a bubble—and that it’s time to make some changes, both in her personal life and in the world at large.

At home, she embarks on a year of self-sufficiency—learning how to work the remote, how to pick up dog shit, where to find the toaster. She meets her match in an earnest, brainy psychiatrist and enters into therapy, prepared to do the heavy lifting required to look within and make sense of a childhood marked by love and loss and to figure out why people are afraid of her. She becomes politically active—finding her voice as an advocate for change, having difficult conversations, and energizing her base. In the process, she develops a healthy fixation on Special Counsel Robert Mueller and, through unflinching self-reflection and psychological excavation, unearths some glittering truths that light up the road ahead. 

Thrillingly honest, insightful, and deeply, darkly funny, Chelsea Handler’s memoir keeps readers laughing, even as it inspires us to look within and ask ourselves what really matters in our own lives.

My Thoughts

Chelsea Handler's books will keep you laughing...at her or with her!  In this book, she shares some very personal stories and opens up about a tragic event that shaped her life.