Book Beginnings / Friday 56 - Slade House by David Mitchell

Hello, everyone! How have you been? I'm busy as ever, but there was no chance I would miss another week of blogging. The previous week, I didn't have the chance to post anything. This one, at least I managed to post another KpopXBooks instalment, this time about the music of SHINee. But with work and the finals for the journalism seminar I was attending I thought I'd lose the Friday memes. Even though I'm a little late, I decided to do them even on a Saturday.

First, we have Book Beginnings on Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reads. In this meme, we have to share the first sentence (or a bit more) from the book we are currently reading. The second meme is called Friday 56 and it is hosted by Freda's Voice. For this one, we have to share a small snippet from a book, taken from page 56 (or 56% on an e-reader).

This week, I'm featuring a book by my favourite author, David Mitchell. I've just realized that the release of his upcoming novel is just one month away and I can hardly wait! For the bookish memes, I've chosen Slade House, which is a short horror novel that consists of five interconnected "short stories". You can read in more detail about it on my review. 

Book Beginnings

"Whatever Mum's saying's drowned out by the grimy roar if the bus pulling away, revealing a pub called The Fox and Hounds. The sign shows three beagles cornering a fox. They're about to pounce and rip it apart."

Although I've read this book more than once, I've never realized how grim the imagery at the very beginning really is. Now that I've read it, without continuing to the rest of the page, I believe that it unconsciously sets the right tone for a horror(ish) novel. Of course, we don't learn anything about Nathan and his mother.

Friday 56

"Who gives a shit honestly? I turn off the radio, get out and lock my car. Same space as seven days ago, smack bang outside The Fox and Hounds. What a god-awful day."

So, this snippet from page 56 is from the second short story that takes place 9 years after the first story. The protagonist is different and you can easily understand that by the writing style. Let me fangirl a little and just admire the versatility of David Mitchell's writing. He's done it many times before, but it never ceases to amaze me. This inspector arrives at the same pub, since it is close to the Slade House.

Have you read Slade House? What are some favourite quotes from the books you've been reading?