Friday, July 31, 2015

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 #3

  • Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
  • The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where 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.
My Book Beginning today is one our library just got, although it was written in 1998. It's "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire", a biography by Amanda Foreman
           
       "I know I was handsome...and have always been fashionable, but I do assure you", Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, wrote to her daughter at the end of her life, "our negligence and omissions have been forgiven and we have been loved, more from our being free from airs than from any other circumstance."

Page 56, of the same book:

           "He spent so many hours at Brook's that he was rarely out of his gambling clothes."



Georgiana sounds like someone I'd like to get to know. She's very self aware but not pompous. And who would have thought one would have special gambling clothes? Are they like a lucky hat or something? Georgiana Spencer lived in the 17th century, and was an ancestor to Princess Diana Spencer.


6 comments:

  1. Interesting. Do you read a lot of biographies? I don't but this more historic one sounds far more interesting to me than the modern biographies of contemporary people.

    My Friday 56 from the 1st book in the Sin & Honey novella series by Taryn Scarlett: http://www.foofynotfoofy.com/foofynotfoofy/2015/7/31/the-friday-56-seven-years-of-longing-by-taryn-scarlett

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    1. I used to read lots of biographies, and they were all historical. I think the closest I ever got to current times was when I had a jag of reading about the stars of early movies. These days I tend to read more fictionalized biographies and historical fiction, but some people just seem too fascinating to not read about!

      Love the writing in your Friday 56; very lush!

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  2. The gambling clothes surprised me too. I wonder how they differ from other clothes. Guess I'll have to read the book to find out.

    My Friday post features The Reluctant Midwife.

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  3. I'm with Sandra. What's different about gambling clothes? This sounds interesting.

    Here's my 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/07/31/the-friday-56-71-night-and-day/

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  4. I love a good biography. I'd read this one for sure!
    Happy weekend!

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