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!

Bookish First Impressions...

Here are a few first lines from some books that I recently read and enjoyed, but didn't review; see if any of them make you want to read more.

First line: Billions died in less than twenty-four hours.

Title: Autumn by David Moody

(One of the best zombie apocalypse books I've ever read!)

First line:  In life you never get what you deserve: you get what you negotiate. That was the first lesson he taught me. 

Title: The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup

(A brilliant novel by the author of Slumdog Millionaire.)

First line: The strangeness of a minotaur working at a burger joint wasn't lost on Helen, but she'd needed a summer job.

Title: Helen & Troy's Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez

(This fantasy has a minotaur girl, an All-American boy, and a three-legged dog on a mythic quest across an enchanted America. It's awesome!)

First line: Moonlight filled our bedroom with windblown tree shadows and uncertain light that gathered in pools on the carpet.

Title: A Barricade in Hell by Jaime Lee Moyer

(This is the sequel to Delia's Shadow, which was one of my favorite reads of 2014.)

First line: In the summer of 2005, I was having coffee at Burger King with Harper Lee.

Title: The Mockingbird Next Door by Marja Mills

(This is the story of Mill's friendship with the reclusive author and her sister, and a must-read for any and all lovers of To Kill a Mockingbird.)