Book Beginnings and Friday 56 May 2016 #2

Book Beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader  and Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

"share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name". 

*Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) *Post it. 

So I'm reading 2 books at the moment:  a fiction and a non fiction.  So which to choose?  I think I'll go with the non-fiction.

Prologue:

The day they sent the Romanovs away the Alexander Palace became forlorn and forgotten - a palace of ghosts.  

I've always been fascinated with this historical time in Russia and in particular with this family, the last of the Tsars of Russia.  That first sentence really does start the beginning of their tragic end.  Although this is a big book in non-fiction standards for me I'm hoping it's going to be worth the time and effort.  I've never really read about the sisters as most books focus of the Tsar, Tsarista, Rasputin, or of thier son and heir who had hemophilia.  Should be an interesting perspective.


And page 56:

"The attack of typhoid while serious was not ultimately life-threatening, but in all he was confined to bed for five weeks, suffering at times from agonizing pain in his back and legs and becoming very thin and weak.  Despite her pregnancy, Alexandra had from the first taken exclusive control of his nursing and proved a exceptionally capable sickbed nurse."