The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall (Vol. 1) - Friday 56 and Book Beginnings

I've just started reading The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall (Vol. 1) and I'm already enthralled by the characters. This collection of short stories by Kathleen Valentine brings to life the inhabitants of small-town Marienstadt, Pennsylvania, and paints a vivid picture of the quirky characters' lives.

Just the names of the tales are enough to intrigue me!

*  Peeper Baumgratz and the Sister's
    Snowplow
*  The Great Dumpling War and Dance
    Competition
*  The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall

It’s no surprise that “The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall” was named Best Short Story in the 2013 eFestival of Words. Kathleen's stories are told with wit and warmth, and I'm looking forward to reading all three volumes in the series. FYI: The series can be purchased in one omnibus edition here: Whiskey Bottle Omnibus

Here's the BOOK BEGINNING from the first story:
      Henry Werner knew that being the Chief of Police in Marienstadt, Pennsylvania, was an easy job but any day that started out with a visit from Sister Adelaide, the Prioress of St. Joseph's Convent, and which was followed by a call from the State Police, was off to an unpromising start. Despite the fact that he was close to forty and had been a policeman ever since he left the Marines, one withering stare from Sister Adelaid could reduce him to a single throbbing nerve. The worst part was, she knew it.

And here are a couple of sentences from 56% on my Kindle:
      "You have a good idea there, Padre, and God forbid that any of these old gals should get hit by a bus and their recipes die with them, so we have to be sneaky. Luckily, you came to the right guy for that. The way you go about this, y'see, is to appeal to their vanity."

Genre: Fiction / Folklore / Humor
Number of Pages: 156
Amazon Link: The Whiskey Bottle in the Wall (Vol. 1)
Other Books by Kathleen Valentine: Amazon Author Link

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Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts  

   (sponsored by Rose City Reader.)

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   (sponsored by Freda's Voice). 

                           

Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday 56 - MY LAST ROMANCE

The synopsis of My Last Romance found on Amazon says it all:
Eight stories with a common theme - the wonder of finding love - sweep the reader into sensuous worlds where ordinary people discover, or rediscover, love. Foolish love, forbidden love, married love - even murderous love, each story is a seductive jewel populated with characters that seem like someone we could know - or someone we could be. Each of the stories in this collection is an exquisitely rendered portrait of people from a broad range of ages each proving that passion and love are eternal, regardless of life's far-ranging challenges. 

I've read about half the short stories in the book, and I've enjoyed each one. 

Here's my Book Beginnings on Friday post from "My Last Romance", the opening to the title story of the book:

8:53 am... 93 degrees.

The bank sign over the neon blue seagulls blinks. The day has scarcely started and already it's past ninety. A thin, watery haze rises from the pavement making me feel like I am driving into a dream. Whose idea was it for us to live in this insufferable climate anyway? Why in God's name did we think once we got old we would want to sweat? It boggles my mind.

And here's my Friday 56 from "The Haven" (56% on my Kindle):

We talk about the work I should be doing as I sit across the table from him watching as he pushes the air from the once-risen dough, divides and shapes it into loaves. He places them neatly on a wooden cutting board, patting them into the shape he wants and covering them with a clean towel. I look at the thick veins that stand out on the insides of his flour dusted forearms and squirm inside. My clothes seem too close to my skin. 

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Anyone can participate in Book Beginnings and Friday 56. 

   Click here to connect to other Book Beginnings posts 

   (sponsored by Rose City Reader.)

   Find other Friday 56 bloggers here 
   (sponsored by Freda's Voice).