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The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman


Welcome to The Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:
1. Grab a book, any book.
2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.
3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
4. Post it.
5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.


I'm also taking part in Book Beginnings, a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.
  The rules are pretty simple - you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires.  Don't forget to link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.

This Friday I'm spotlighting my current read, Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman.  Neil Gaiman is one of my favorites, so I was super excited when this finally came in for me at the library.  I'm not too far along yet, but I think these excerpts are really interesting.  


Book Beginning:

There are things that upset us.  That's not quite what we're talking about here, though.  I'm thinking rather about those images and words or ideas that drop like trapdoors beneath us, throwing us out of our safe, sane world into a place much more dark and less welcoming.  Our hearts skip a ratatat drumbeat in our chests, and we fight for breath.  Blood retreats from our faces and our fingers, leaving us pale and gasping and shocked.  (From the Introduction p. xi)

56:

"They say that the cave makes you evil: that each time you visit it, each time you enter to take gold, it eats the good in your soul, so they do not enter."

"And is that true?  Does it make you evil?"

"...No. The cave feeds on something else.  Not good and evil.  Not really.  You can take your gold, but afterwards, things are"--he paused--"things are flat.  There is less beauty in a rainbow, less meaning in a sermon, less joy in a kiss..."  He looked at the cave mouth and I thought I saw fear in his eyes.  "Less."  (From "The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains" p. 56)

Comments

  1. Wow, the 56 is really something else. A great lesson. Please check out mine here... http://lisaksbookthoughts.blogspot.com/

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    1. Isn't it though. Thanks for sharing and happy Friday!

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  2. Fantastic description in the opening. It makes me want to know more. And the cave is intriguing. Beautiful writing.
    My Friday post features SOMETHING ABOUT MAUDY.

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    Replies
    1. Neil Gaiman is one of the best out there - you should check out his work. :)

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  3. Oh, this one sounds intense. I have not yet read a book by this author, but now I'm curious. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    Replies
    1. He's one of my favorites - so of course he comes with high recommendations from me. :)

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  4. This has been on my TBR for a little while now. It sounds so good and I've yet to read anything by Gaiman though I've seen his episodes of Doctor Who.

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    1. One of his Doctor Who short stories is in here actually - "Nothing O'Clock"! It's super creepy and I can honestly say I wish there was an episode adaptation. :)

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  5. I like Gaiman but this is one I have not read. Sounds like I need to find it.

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    1. If you like him, you can't miss it. His short stories are fantastic, as always. :)

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  6. That 56 is powerful. It really makes me interested in the book.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Amanda

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    1. Yes, I hope you like it if you do decide to read it. :)

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  7. Both the beginning and 56 are powerful writing. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get into anything Gaiman has written. I hope you enjoy this one. Happy reading!

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  8. Ohh great pick it looks and sounds really creeping. Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

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    1. You're welcome and thanks for stopping by mine as well. Have a great weekend.

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  9. Does Gaiman write all the short stories or is it a compilation of of authors. I have a hard time with short stories not being fulfilling enough but with Gaiman I imagine they are just scary enough that you are glad it iss only a short story. Am I right?

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    1. Yes, these short stories are all written by Gaiman. And for the most part, they end just where they should. :)

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  10. I finally got my hands on this and I'm saving it for a quiet weekend by the pool. Can't wait and it's getting hard to resist. LOL

    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/04/24/the-friday-56-59-cut-me-free-by-j-r-johansson/

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  11. Oooh, I love this excerpt. I don't read a lot of short story collections, but this one sounds like I might enjoy it.

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  12. I LOVED A Calendar of Tales. :-)
    Happy weekend!

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  13. What fantastic description. ENJOY!!

    Sounds good even though I don't read this genre.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

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  14. Replies
    1. It was! If you interested in this author you may want to read it.

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  15. That page 56 excerpt really grabbed my attention. I haven't read a lot of Neil Gaiman. I may have to pick this one up.

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    1. You just might want to start! Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  16. Wow, this sounds absolutely fascinating, thanks for suggesting this Neil Gaiman book.

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  17. Oh! This sounds interesting!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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  18. This sounds really good! I haven't read any Gaiman yet but Stardust is currently making it's way up my TBR.

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    Replies
    1. Cool - I hope you like Stardust! Thanks for visiting my blog. :)

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