Book Beginnings / Friday 56 - Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell

Hello, everyone! How was your week? For me, it's been a fairly relaxing week with some great reads. I really enjoyed writing about my favourite love poems and I also wrote a long rant on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Today, it's Friday, so it's time for our two bookish memes:

1. 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.

2. Friday 56 that 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 the book I was most eager to read this year! It was finally published this week and I've started reading it. I'm talking about Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell. So far, I'm not disappointed, but stay tuned as I'll soon post a review and (perhaps) a new Play(list) by the Book.

Book Beginning

"Dean hurries past the Phoenix Theatre, dodges a blind man in dark glasses, steps onto Charring Cross Road to overtake a slow-moving woman and pram, leaps a grimy puddle and swerves into Denmark Street where he skids on a sheet of black ice."

The first sentence makes sure to make you have a grasp of the book's setting. If you've ever visited London, then these roads in Soho will probably ring a bell. The book transfers you to Soho in late '60s, where a new psychedelic-rock scene was booming.

Friday 56

Jasper played ‘Asturias’ by Isaac Albéniz. Formaggio’s guitar wasn’t the best, but the half-dozen fell under the moon-swaying, sun-cracking and blood-thumping spell, and when Jasper finished, nobody moved. ‘In fifty years,’ said Jasper, ‘or five hundred, or five thousand, music will still do to people what it does to us now. That’s my prediction. It’s late.’

This is a cheat, as it's actually from page 51, instead of page 56. However, this quote was just too beautiful not to share it. So, there you have it! 

What's a beautiful quote from the book you are currently reading?