123…

I’m normally too lazy to do memes, but this is a nice easy one that has been doing the rounds for quite some time. 

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Err… my nearest book is actually “This Rough Magic” by Mary Stewart, but I’ve just started it and there’s no way I’m skipping ahead, so I’m going for my next-nearest book – Elizabeth Peters‘ “Night Train to Memphis” (fifth in her Vicky Bliss series).

His voice kept dropping in pitch. ‘I don’t believe I can possibly address Professor Schmidt as Anton.’

‘Try Poopsie,’ I suggested, losing it for a second.

If you’re a fan of Vicky Bliss, it’s quite easy to guess who the “he” is.  I actually got the page wrong at first, and was typing out the sentences from p.122 (see, this is why I don’t do memes):

The late-afternoon heat was intense, but it felt refreshing after the confined airlessness of the tomb.  Even in the shade I seemed to feel my skin drying and shrinking over my bones.  It was the climate of Egypt, not the well-meaning but often destructive process of burial, that produced such excellent mummies.

These two (very) short excerpts probably sum up why I love Ms Peters’ writing.  You have the humour and chemistry between the main characters as in the first excerpt, and then you have the vivid descriptions that make you feel as though you were present.

I was tagged by Marg, and I’m not going to tag anyone in particular, but feel free to grab your nearest book.