Friday, June 2, 2023

First Line Friday #93-Parnassus on Wheels

Happy Friday, my bookish friends! First Line Friday is hosted by Carrie at Reading is My SuperPower!!  I am also linking up with Gilion on Rose City Reader for Book Beginnings. This is where you share the beginning of the book that you are reading. This week am reading Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. I am enjoying the first book, it is an absolute delight!

I wonder if there isn't a lot of bunkum in higher education? 

Book Beginnings:

I wonder if there isn't a lot of bunkum in higher education?I never found that people who were learned in logarithms and other kinds of poetry were any quicker in washing dishes or darning socks. I've done a good deal of reading when I could, and I don't want to "admit impediments" to the love of books, but I've also seen lots of good, practical folk spoiled by too much fine print. Reading sonnets always gives me hiccups, too.

I never expected to be an author! But I do think there are some amusing things about the story of Andrew and myself and how books broke up our placid life. When John Gutenberg, whose real name (so the Professor says) was John Gooseflesh, borrowed that money to set up his printing press he launched a lot of troubles on the world.

Synopsis (Goodreads):

This single-volume edition of both of Christopher Morley's most popular novels will charm all lovers of "books about books." In the first story, Parnassus on Wheels, 39-year-old Helen McGill is weary of keeping house for her bachelor brother. When red-bearded bookseller Roger Mifflin rolls into town, she impulsively purchases his mobile bookshop. Roger promises to teach Helen the trade before retiring to write his long-overdue book, and together they hit the road for a series of winsome adventures throughout New England. Their story was praised by Boston's Evening Transcript as "graceful in style … [and] entertaining in every aspect."
Roger Mifflin returns in The Haunted Bookshop, which unfolds in his Brooklyn store, the Parnassus at Home. The spirits of great literature haunt the shop, providing an atmospheric background for the tale of a young ad man, Aubrey Gilbert, who's smitten with Roger's comely assistant, Titania. When Aubrey notices a suspicious-looking character skulking in a nearby alleyway and is attacked on his way home, the ardent suitor fears for Titania's safety and turns amateur detective. Part mystery, part spy thriller, and part romance, the humorous tale is a complete delight.

Your turn! Grab the current book you are reading and post the first line (or your link) in the comments! Then, click on the icons below and join the fun there too!

 

22 comments:

  1. I thought this was great fun! I keep meaning to read the sequel.

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    1. Deb, I am almost finished with it and then will dive right into the sequel :)

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  2. I have never read this author, but I think I'll have to now!

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    1. Lauren, absolutely! The first lines are great!!

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  3. I haven't heard of this one before but it looks so interesting. Happy Reading!

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    1. Kym, I hadn't either until recently. It is so good, I am finding classics I like, which is making me happy!

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  4. I haven't heard of this book before, but it sounds fun! I'm sharing from a middle-grade novel in verse about otters in my FLF post today. Happy Reading!

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  5. I haven't read this one, but I have read The Haunted Bookshop which I thought was a fun read. :D

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  6. It says 'classic', does that imply that they were published many years ago? The opening sounds good.

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    1. Anne, yes, it is a classic. It was written in 1917.

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  7. I hadn't heard of this one before, but that beginning really pulled me in. Sounds good! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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  8. I'll have to look for this one. It sounds good.

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  9. Happy Friday!
    I'm currently reading A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay. It's a wild ride of a story.
    "Ingrid unlocked the apartment's front door and felt a cold creep up her spine."
    I hope you have an excellent weekend. Happy reading! 😀❤️📚

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    1. Nicole, it sounds great! I enjoy her writing!

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  10. Today, I was reading Abduction in the Dark by Jenna Night. The first line is: "The knocking at the front door was unexpected." Have a great week!

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