The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt + 50/50 Friday

 

On Friday's I take part in three weekly link ups - The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader, and 50/50 Friday is a new weekly link up and it is hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books.  For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook.  Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.  As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.   Then, for  50/50 Friday, every week there's a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts blogs.

This week I'm spotlighting the Mistress of  Mellyn by Victoria Holt, which was first published in 1960 and will be one of my next reads.  I just happen to stumble up a 1966 mass market paperback edition at a junk shop the other day.  On the back cover, it's basically described as the the next Rebecca, which is one of my favorites so I had to try it.  Plus, it was only a quarter - unfortunately, I couldn't take it off that sticker unless I want to mess up the cover.

Beginning: 

"There are two courses open to a gentlewoman when she finds herself in penurious circumstances," my Aunt Adelaide had said.  "One is to marry, and the other to find a post in keeping with her gentility."

As the train carried me through wooded hills and past green meadows, I was taking this second course; partly, I suppose, because I had never had an opportunity of trying the former.

56:

As we came out of the field a figure rose from the grass and I saw to my surprise that it was Peter Nansellock.

He clapped his hands as we came along.

"Here endeth the first lesson," he cried, "and an excellent one.  I did not know," he went on turning to me, "that equestrian skill was included in your many accomplishments."

50/50 Friday: Best/ Worst Bookish Job (From A Book)

Worst - Hogwarts Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts - As brilliant as being a Hogwarts would be, let's be honest with ourselves, Defense Against the Dark Arts professors didn't have the best track record.  Lupin was really the one exception, but we all know how his career ended at the end of Harry's third year.

Best - Libriomancer Librarian from the Magic Ex Libris series by Jim C. Hines - Isaac Vanio is a librarian which is a fantastic position by itself - he's also a libriomancer which means he can magically reach into books and pull objects from the story.  Sounds like a dream to me!

What's your favorite fictional job?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!