Yesterday’s Movie Meme got me thinking about some memorable parties in fiction.  See if you can tell me what book each party is found in.  Leave the number and book title in the comments.

No copying from other commenters or googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

Here are more details and the current leaderboard.  I welcome first timers, you still have a chance to win a prize

1. As readers we were able to attend 2 wonderful New Year Turkey Curry Buffets.  Goofy sweaters optional. – Bridget Jones’s Diary

2. This tea party had a Hatter, March Hare, Dormouse and a girl who thought it was stupid. –Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

3. Nick watched his neighbor’s parties from afar and was entranced.  Until he was actually invited to one and realized it wasn’t as magical as it seemed from a distance. – The Great Gatsby

4. Gwyn and Thomas are divorcing after 35 years and celebrating with a big bash. –The Divorce Party 

5. This Merryton country dance was the first meeting between one of the best-loved couples of all time. –Pride & Prejudice

6. You did not want to be invited to Prince Prospero’s party in this short story by a horror master. – The Masque of the Red Death

7. Bob Cratchit and his family’s Christmas celebration was a source of enlightenment for a certain miser.  – A Christmas Carol

8. This birthday party planned for an amnesia victim by his maid and her son and was very touching. – The Housekeeper & the Professor

9. Luther & Nora decided to cancel Christmas and take a cruise instead.  Only the Christmas party wouldn’t skip them and neighbors saved the day. – Skipping Christmas

10. A war didn’t stop these socialites from hosting grand parties in Moscow and St. Petersburg. – War & Peace

Fool Me Once. Finished 4-17-16, rating 4.5/5, thriller, 390 pages, pub. 2016

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe—who had been brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband—and herself.       from Goodreads

I’ve long been a Harlan Coben fan and have read all of his books, his Myron Bolitar series being some of my favorites. Coben likes to twist and turn and have smart, quick-witted characters, so it’s easy to be a fan. His standalones are always fast pasted, current, and good, but not always memorable.  This isn’t a bad thing, there are many, many books I don’t remember, but it was nice that this one had that extra something that will make me remember it for years to come.

Maya was a tough cookie. She saw and did unspeakable things in service of her country and she paid dearly for every choice she made.  She was a new mom but didn’t seem all that motherly. She was newly widowed but didn’t seem all that broken. She was facing public shame yet seemed unbowed.  She was an interesting character and I kept wanting to know more about what made her tick.

As the police search for a killer and a whistle-blower threatens more public outrage directed toward her, Maya sees her dead husband on the nanny-cam.  Debilitated by war-time nightmares but with a good friend by her side she tries to figure out what is going on and to stay one step ahead of the police.  Oh, and she needs to keep an eye on her niece and nephew who are living with their heavy drinking father.

I hear it’s been optioned for a film and I think it would be a great one.  Not my favorite Coben, but it’s definitely one of his better ones.

Okay, I think I’ll go ahead and start some movie memes and hope that you can join in.  I offered two options.

Option 1 – Instead of a read-a-long we have a monthly Watch-a-thon.  I’d give everyone a few choices, we’d vote, all watch the movie and post about it during the month.  I have some ideas about how to make it more interactive between the participants.  I’d offer new and older movies to choose from and would like to make it somewhat bookish, but that’s not a requirement.

Option 2 – I’d offer something like the now defunct Monday Movie Meme.  I’d offer up a topic or theme and you’d write a post about it and link up.  You can browse through old ones I participated in here.  We could do this weekly or every other week.

I appreciate everyone’s feedback and I think I am going to try both of them and see what happens. I’ll have movie choices for option 1 posted by the end of the month and we’ll watch in June.

I’ll start  option 2 in the middle of June (when my quizzes are on break and after our vacation).

If any of you would be interested in co-hosting (Heather, Staci?) let me know I’d love to have a partner for either one!

I am very much looking forward this new challenge and hope you are too 🙂