Last night we had a cracker of a storm here in Cambridge, England. Not kidding, I seriously thought we were going to be flooded. The thunder and rain pounded on our windows waking me up in the early hours, and flashes of wicked lightning lit up my bedroom. I sneaked out into the hallway and saw that violent short bursts of lightning lit up the driveway and revealed a serious developing puddle, pool. Of course I lay there imagining a flood, and all sorts of things. That is one of the downsides of writing you tend to have a vivid imagination that gets out of hand often! Luckily this water gathering had all dispersed by this morning. It is now a fairly decent day, no rain, no wind, nothing, like it never happened!
My chosen book this week is about bees, so my storm inspired thought is this – can you imagine what it must be like for a bee in a storm? Do bees get terrified by all that thunder and lightning like me! Or do they have some kind of sixth sense to safely hide away in their hives when storms come?
Enough chit chat about storms now let’s get started with book beginnings:
BOOK BEGINNINGS
Book Beginnings is hosted by Gilion Dumas at Rose City Reader: http://www.rosecityreader.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RoseCityReader
Her book Beginning’s post link up if you’d like to join in some bookish fun: http://www.rosecityreader.com/2015/07/book-beginning-you-know-your-way-home.html
My Chosen Book Beginning
The cell squeezed her and the air was hot and fetid. All the joints of her body burned from her frantic twisting against the walls, her head was pressed into her chest and her legs shot with cramp, but her struggles had worked – one wall felt weaker. She kicked out with all her strength and felt something crack and break. She forced and tore and bit until there was a jagged hole into fresher air beyond.
Enticing or what? It’s from my current read: The Bees by Laline Paull, a book about Flora 717, a bee! Not just any bee but the lowest class of bee, but does that lowliness hold Flora back? Read the book and find out more!
What about The Friday 56 too? Let’s see what page 56 of The Bees has to offer in terms of quotes.
THE FRIDAY 56 MEME
This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda at Freda’s Voice, click on the link to her blog, and the rules are pretty simple:
•Grab a book, any book.
•Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that’s OK.)
•Find any sentence, (or few, just don’t spoil it).
•Post it.
•Add the url to your post on Freda’s Voice. Add the post url, not your blog url. http://www.fredasvoice.com/2015/07/the-friday-56-with-book-beginnings_16.html
It’s that simple.
The Bees
Flora raised her antennae, searching for information. It made her head hurt and she looked down. Below the landing board in the tangle of grass and nette and dock and trefoil that locked the dense wet earth, disturbing scents wove strong and strange, telling of other creatures that lived there. The green began to seethe.
Goodreads Synopsis:
The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut.
Born into the lowest class of her society, Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, only fit to clean her orchard hive. Living to accept, obey and serve, she is prepared to sacrifice everything for her beloved holy mother, the Queen. Yet Flora has talents that are not typical of her kin. And while mutant bees are usually instantly destroyed, Flora is reassigned to feed the newborns, before becoming a forager, collecting pollen on the wing. Then she finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous. Enemies roam everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. But Flora cannot help but break the most sacred law of all, and her instinct to serve is overshadowed by a desire, as overwhelming as it is forbidden…
Laline Paull’s chilling yet ultimately triumphant novel creates a luminous world both alien and uncannily familiar. Thrilling and imaginative, The Bees is the story of a heroine who changes her destiny and her world.
Hope you like the sound of The Bees. Let me know if you’ve read or are planning to read it.
Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx
I love the force of such storms and enjoy watching the power of nature at work (from the warm safety of home of course!). The Bees is a book I’ve looked at before then returned to the shelf as never quite sold on the premise. How are you enjoying it? These extracts have me intrigued and I’ll take a closer look at it now. Have a lovely weekend.
I’m glad I was tucked at home, rather out in the storm too! I read the opening chapter of The Bees and in truth I wasn’t too sure, but the more I’m reading about Flora the bee the more I seem to be enjoying it! The writing is superb, so definitely worth a closer look.
Thanks for that Marje. I will check it out then.
We get some violent storms here on the Gulf Coast. I swear it can be sunny one minute and flooding the next. Fifteen minutes later, the sun comes back out and everything dries up in no time. Sure makes it humid!
What a fascinating book. I might not have given it a second glance. Now I’m very curious. Thanks for stopping by my post today and have a wonderful weekend.
Yes I bet you do. It’s amazing how the weather can change so dramatically. Glad you liked the sound of The Bees. Hope you have a lovely weekend too. Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
I love a good storm and I’ve heard that animals do kind of a 6th sense about storms so I would think they’d hide in their hives. This book definitely looks interesting and so unique! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure Katherine, glad you found it interesting. It certainly is unique.
Sounds like an interesting story. I can confidently say that I have never read a book that had a bee as the main character. I tend to like storms too as long as I’m safe inside. I’m spotlighting Silver Mirrors by A. A. Aguirre this week. Happy reading!
Me neither. It’s a first, what an imagination to get in the mind of a bee! I was glad to be tucked inside with the storm raging, it’s calm today thank heavens. 🙂
Sounds like a very interesting premise.
Yes, certainly is. Sometimes I like to find unusual books – this one certainly ticks that box!
What an awesome paragraph about the storm. EXCELLENT!! Any damage from the storm for you?
Yes…the poor bee would be quite frightened. THANKS for sharing. Flora 717 must be quite a creative, thinking bee. 🙂 I love that beginning sentence. I think I have this book. I have to go check.
THANKS for sharing.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Book Beginnings
No amazingly we are all unscathed, which is quite remarkable. Thank goodness we were all tucked in bed! Oh let me know if you have The Bees and are likely to read. 🙂
The life of a bee, tales from the dark side… lol
I’m intrigued! Happy weekend!
Ah, yes, it’s an interesting view of life from a bee’s perspective! Happy Weekend to you too!
Sounds very clever!
Thanks for playing along with BBOF. I don’t always stop by to leave comments, but I appreciate your participation!
It’s fun to do so. Thanks for commenting. 🙂