Wednesday, October 12, 2011
There are some seriously scrumptious stories out right now...books that are so decadent, I am more than willing to take that leap into a strange, new, or upside-down world.
The best stories are the ones where you know with the first word or the first line, that you are in good hands. Two of our recent favorites:
It starts with a crack, a sputter, and a spark. The match hisses to life.
- The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
- The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Of course, we have to mention:
Because she was a princess she had a Pegasus.
- Pegasus by Robin McKinley
I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Okay, these writers are stupendous, but it also emphasizes how important it is to craft that first sentence, that first impression. No pressure or anything. ;)
What's the best first line you've ever read, that made you go all goose-pimply?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
about us
Stephanie, Ingrid, Sarah & Kristan — we read, write, discuss and celebrate Young Adult lit.
on the shelf
ya diversity book club
have a heart
12 comments:
cool pegasus is om my tbr pile
@roro...Yep, Pegasus is cool. Also McKinley's other books are well-crafted and drool-worthy. Bump it up the tbr pile!
I need to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone! Ugh!
My favorite first line is "Sylvie had an amazing life, but she didn't get to live it very often." ~The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley (:
I've never read I Capture the Castle, but those first 3 books are some of my fave first lines, wow!!
I'm not sure what other first lines are my favorites, but what about first lines from my favorite books? Let's have a looksee...
"124 was spiteful."
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
"The amber light came on."
- Blindness by Jose Saramago
"The Lady Vanishes."
- Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts
"Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof."
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (WHOA, long one)
I need to read Smoke and Bone but it looks BRILLIANT. And I TOTALLY agree about Near Witch!
the near witch and daughter of smoke and bone are both on my tbr pile. so excited to read both. my sister loved near witch and has been urging me to read it.
@chelley and erica...I can't wait for you to read them! I wish I could go back and read them for the first time. :)
@sara...that is truly an intriguing opening and I must investigate.
@kristan...you'd love ICtC. another I must lend you! and all those "firsts" are brilliant! (I need to read BELOVED again)
I love the opening lines you chose. I'm reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and it has a great first line: "I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen."
I also like the beginning of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."
Great post! ;)
I seriously can't wait for Starters by Lissa Price! I've only read the first 50 pages of this book, but once I get my hands on an advanced copy I guarantee I won't be able to put it down!
I've a terrible memory, but I do love the openings of DoSAB and The Near Witch. The Night Circus has a good one, too: "The circus arrives without warning."
Divergent: "There is one mirror in my house."
@Stephanie-
Ooo, those are great examples!
@The Real Fauxtographer-
Hm, we haven't heard of that one. Thanks for the heads-up!
@kaye-
Nice! So simple, and yet so intriguing.
The start of 'Daughter..' was so perfect! I really loved those little lines in between the sections.
Post a Comment