First Book of the Year: 2018

Happy New Year! For the fifth year, Sheila at Book Journey is hosting the First Book of the Year event. The idea is simple - just share a photo of you and your first book. Sheila says:

Fifth year. I LOVE First book so much. This tradition for me goes further back than the 5 years I have opened up to the reading world here on Book Journey. I am THRILLED to be doing it again and thank you to those who have messaged me to ask.
The answer is…

Of course we are doing it.

Here is what First Book is. The first book of the New Year should be:
A. A coveted book that you have wanted to read but have just not found the time.
B. A delicious favorite… one you have read before, but crave to read again.
C. Really whatever you want it to – it is after all YOUR First Book Of the year.

Make it AWESOME.

This year I selected The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. Like last year, I decided to begin 2018 with the 2017 release I most regret not reading before the year ended... and even treated myself to a new hardcover edition. The book begins:

Long before we discovered that he had fathered two children by two different women, one in Drimoleague and one in Clonakilty, Father James Monroe stood on the altar of the Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, in the parish of Goleen, West Cork, and denounced my mother as a whore.

How's that for an opening line?! I'm hooked already and plan to spend the rest of the day reading.