8 First Sentences: Which Book Would You Read Next?
I sometimes pick my next read based almost solely on the first line.
Am the only one who does this? I bet not. Which of these books call to
you after reading their opening sentence?
Chaos by Patricia Cornwell:
"Beyond the brick wall bordering Harvard Yard, four tall chimneys and a
gray slate roof with white-painted dormers peek through the branches of
hardwood trees." (contemporary mystery; William Morrow; November 2016)
Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister: "Like any Chicago tavern in deep summer, Joe Mulligan's stank." (historical mystery; Sourcebooks Landmark; March 2017)
The Sleeping Beauty Killer by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke: "Will the defendant please rise?" (contemporary mystery; Simon & Schuster; November 2016)
Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis: "The waters of Lake Wilhelm are dark and chilled." (contemporary suspense; Sourcebooks Landmark; January 2017)
Victoria by Daisy Goodwin: "A shaft of dawn light fell on the crack in the corner of the ceiling." (historical fiction; St. Martin's Press; November 2016)
The Homecoming by Stacie Ramey:
"Standing on the high school's lacrosse field in the town I never
thought I'd go back to, I wait for my turn to do the suicides."
(contemporary fiction; Sourcebooks Fire; November 2016)
City of Mirrors by Melodie Johnson Howe: "Mother never owned a house." (contemporary mystery; Pegasus; 2013)
Genghis Khan and the Quest for God by Jack Weatherford:
"The evening hours in a military camp belong to the revelry of the
young soldiers, but the final dark hours before the sun rises belong to
the old veterans, who silently stir the ashes of memory and await the
light of day." (history; Viking; October 2016)
24 comments:
For me, choosing by these first lines is a toss-up between:
Victoria by Daisy Goodwin: "A shaft of dawn light fell on the crack in the corner of the ceiling." (historical fiction; St. Martin's Press; November 2016)
and
Genghis Khan and the Quest for God by Jack Weatherford: "The evening hours in a military camp belong to the revelry of the young soldiers, but the final dark hours before the sun rises belong to the old veterans, who silently stir the ashes of memory and await the light of day." (history; Viking; October 2016)
Although, "Mother never owned a house" is quite compelling, as well.
Thanks for adding to my TBR, as almost always!
Oh, GIRL IN DISGUISE wins by a mile! (And yes, I do this too! My daughter and I did this in a bookstore recently.)
Based on these lines, I'm going with Girl in Disguise or City of Mirrors.
amazingly, none of these makes me want to read more!!!!!!
I've never chosen a book that way but I have picked them because of their cover. Based on those opening lines, I'd pick City of Mirrors.
I think I would go with City of Mirrors.
I'd go with Two Days Gone or The Homecoming. Off to check them all out :)
Seeing as how I'm now already looking for Girl in Disguise, my vote goes there!
City of Mirrors for me - but none of these examples really grabbed me. I think I choose books now mainly from reviews. Cheers from carole's Chatter
Girl in Disguise or Victoria, I would pick :)
Hard to pick a book on one sentence-- I would give it one page instead.
Girl in Disguise.
I don't pick my books like that either. I mustly use reviews. I agree with others who said that none of the first sentences did much for them.
I don't pick my books like that either. I mustly use reviews. I agree with others who said that none of the first sentences did much for them.
I do this as well! Girl in Disguise, Two Days Gone and The Homecoming all got my attention.
Girl in disguise is by far the best because it has that ingredient that the reader wants to know more about it. the others that just have a description falls into the 'so what' category or 'I've never heard of the place' category.
That final sentence is probably my favorite. I hate opening sentences that describe shafts of like and whatnot, ugh.
Between the cover and the first line Girl in Disguise is definitely high up on my TBR list. It looks fantastic!
Mine would definitely be either Victoria or Genghis Khan and the Quest for God! Descriptions of things rarely noticed, or a bit of humanity--winners! Plus, the former reminds me a bit of The Waves by Virginia Woolf, which is always a good thing.
The Homecoming!
I'm torn between Mary Higgins Clark and Girl in Disguise.
Yes, I do the same except the cover figures I. Too. I like the cover and Ilene for Two Days Gone
That was fun - picking books based on the first sentence. (And, no I don't usually do that.) You offer a great selection here. I'm interested in Chaos, Victoria, The Homecoming, and City of Mirrors. I'm off to see if my library has purchased any of these. Thanks.
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Love this post idea!
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