First Line Friday — The Bitter End Birding Society

6 Feb

Happy Friday! Today I am featuring my book club’s February selection, The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox. We are big fans of Amanda’s stories and are excited to discuss this book. Have you read it yet? We would love to know your thoughts.

Here’s the first line:

Viola Chambers had always wondered at what point in the dying process a person understood they weren’t long for this world, and now she’d give anything to unlearn it.

Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt get her house ready to sell. Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from her community’s attention and unwarranted admiration. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird watchers take her under their wing—a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.

But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree—one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son—what began as a quest to study Appalachian birds becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.

Immerse yourself in the lyrical prose and layered plotting of award-winning novelist Amanda Cox as she offers up an engaging story of finding belonging, reconciliation, and new beginnings in the most unexpected places.

Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, Amanda Cox spent her time counseling children, families, and individuals through life’s challenging moments. Now she uses those same skills to develop layered characters and stories, bringing them on a journey of hope and healing. A journey she hopes her readers experience in their own lives as they read.

A few of her favorite things are the sanctuary of the great outdoors, the feeling of pen on paper, the sound of her children’s laughter, and exploring new places with her husband of 18 years. (Oh, let’s not forget good fiction and good coffee. She’s addicted to both.) You can stay connected with her latest writing updates at http://www.amandacoxwrites.com. You can find her on social media by searching Amanda Cox Writes.

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