Thursday, September 8, 2016

Bookish first impressions...

So many good books; so little time to review them all. Here are the first lines of five books that I really enjoyed....see if any of them strike you:

I enjoyed listening to stories about faraway places so much that it became a kind of sickness.
Title:  Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami
(It's a Murakami; what more do I need to say?"

The blind ghost returned in the spring, and with her more nightmares.
Title:  The Visitor by Amanda Stevens
(This is the fourth book in Stevens' excellent Graveyard Queen series.)

Cedar had stared straight into the killing eyes of rabid wolves, hungry bears, and charging bull elk, but Mrs. Horace Small had them all topped.
Title:  Dead Iron by Devon Monk
(I loved this steampunk fantasy set in the American West. Talk about a fun read!)

The first thing that happens is I unseal an envelope and Dad's death falls out onto the breakfast table.
Title:  13 Days of Midnight by Leo Hunt
(On his father's death, Luke Manchett inherits 8 powerful and frightening spirits; too bad he doesn't know how to control them. This is an entertaining YA novel and a perfect Halloween read.)

I had just come to accept that my life would be ordinary when extraordinary things began to happen.
Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
(Since the movie is coming out soon, I thought it was time to reread this unique YA novel.)

Happy Reading!

16 comments:

  1. Awww, 13 Days of Midnight's quote sounds painful. Paper Boulevard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, that sentence really grabs you, doesn't it? The rest of the book is just as compelling. :)

      Delete
  2. I love the very first sentences in books. It sets the whole mood. I include them in my reviews and I love going back and looking them up when I finish the book. It puts them in a whole new light.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent first lines are such a treat. I am early in Miss Peregrine's Home but I do remember noting that excellent beginning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a good one. I just started reading Riggs' second book, Hollow city, but it's first line is not so compelling. :)

      Delete
  4. I really should read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children before the movie is out. Sounds like you have been reading some great books lately!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been a good summer full of good books. :) I always like reading books before I go see the movie, but I don't always manage it these days.

      Delete
  5. What great first lines! The one from Dead Iron would definitely keep me reading. And I should read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children before I see the movie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dead Iron was a really fun book! It reminded me in an odd way of the way Patricia McKillip writes and tells her stories.

      Delete
  6. These all look really interesting. I definitely want to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked that one. And it has some fascinating if slightly odd old-time photographs in it, which made it even more fun.

      Delete
  7. I'm one of the few who wasn't as impressed with the story for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but I loved the photos! The trailer for the movie looks good!

    Some great first lines here, Lark!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I think the trailer for the Miss Peregrine's.... movie looks good, too. I just finished reading the second one in the series, and thought it wasn't bad, but I didn't love it. The photos in it are fun though. :)

      Delete
  8. Some great first lines here, Lark! Most of the time I'll read/buy a book based on the first few pages while browsing and I think the first line determines if I'm interested in the writing style and so forth. While there're also times that a not-so-interesting first line will turn out to be a great story, I still feel the first line should be grabbing especially when it's a new-to-me author. ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree; first lines can make or break a book for me! :)

      Delete