Beginnings

By --Deb on

btt button

Suggested by: Nithin

Here’s another idea about memorable first lines from books.

What are your favourite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its first sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the first line?


Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

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Posted in: Wordpress

98 responses

  1. Kat

    Happy BTT! Here’s mine 🙂

  2. Melody

    Mine’s up. 🙂

  3. Digressing…BTT « Violet Crush

    […] was going to do a Booking through Thursday post today. I don’t think anyone will hate or love a book just because of the first […]

  4. gautami tripathy

    Mine is short and succinct!

    http://readingandmorereading.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-beginnings.html

  5. Lynda

    I haven’t joined in for a while, but it’s nice to be back!
    Mine are up here:
    http://lyndasbookblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-throughthursday-240708.html

  6. Peter B

    Here’s mine.

    http://peter1968.livejournal.com/61095.html

  7. mervih

    Here’s my boring answer:
    http://mervih.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/beginnings/

  8. Bluestocking

    Hello everyone, I’m back after some ok lots of technical difficulty.

    http://web.mac.com/bluestocking_bb/The_Bluestocking_Guide/The_Bluestocking_Guide/Entries/2008/7/24_BTT%3A_Bluestocking_is_Back%21%21%21%21%21.html

  9. madi

    mines up

  10. baileysgranny

    Here’s my answer this week. Happy Thursday!

    http://baileysgranny.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday_24.html

  11. jill

    First sentences? I got nothing. 🙂 But all is not yet lost in my post.

    http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-beginnings.html

  12. Ted

    I am pretty consistent when I’m asked this question.
    http://bookeywookey.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

  13. thekoolaidmom

    I’m sure other’s will be better with this one than me, but I gave it a try In the Shadow of Mt. TBR.

  14. SFP

    I listed several favorites.

    http://pagesturned.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

  15. Alix

    Here is mine http://notenoughbookshelves.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

    Happy Thursday!

  16. Kristen (bookclubclassics)

    Loved the topic! Could’ve gone on and on…

    http://www.bookclubclassics.com/Blog/2008/07/24/btt-favorite-first-lines/

  17. Karen Harrington

    Great question.

    Here’s my response:

    http://scobberlotch.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-memorable.html

    Happy Thursday!

  18. JLS Hall

    Great topic – I could really get carried away. But for now, here we go:

    http://jlshall.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-beginnings.html

  19. Chris@bookarama

    I could go on forever about this as well. Here’s my answer:

    http://chris-book-a-rama.blogspot.com/2008/07/btt-famous-first-lines.html

  20. Sally

    Here’s my post!http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

  21. Sally

    Here’s my post!
    http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

  22. Matthew

    Here is mine. Happy BTT everyone! 🙂

  23. elizabethwillse

    http://elizabethwillse.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/booking-through-thursday-3/

    here’s mine!

  24. Athena

    Have a good Thursday!

  25. Shannon

    I cannot think of any book that I have liked or not liked just from the first sentence of that book. I guess there has not been any memorable first lines for me. I need to read deeper into a book for the book to take meaning.

    http://shaycv.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-hosted-by-deb.html

  26. Booking Through Thursday #15 - Beginnings « That’s the Book!

    […] on July 24, 2008 Well my friends it’s also been a long time since I’ve done a Booking Through Thursday but I’m back and I’m really excited about this Thursday’s topic.  This week we […]

  27. thatsthebook

    Well, I’m back after a long absence. It’s good to be back. Great question. Here’s my link

    http://thatsthebook.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/booking-through-thursday-15-beginnings/

  28. Peta

    Here’s my BTT for this week!

  29. trishbrowning

    Mine’s up!

    http://trishsdiary.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/beginnings-booking-through-thursday/

  30. Devourer of Books

    Done! In the Beginnings

  31. Marie

    Here’s mine!
    http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday_24.html

  32. softdrink

    Happy Thursday!

    http://fizzybeverage.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

  33. raidergirl3

    I found some quizzes instead, to see how many first lines you know: have fun!
    http://raidergirl3-anadventureinreading.blogspot.com/2008/07/meme-booking-through-thursday.html

  34. readerville

    Great topic! Mine’s up in Readerville

    Happy Thursday, everyone.

  35. madeleine

    Mine is up

  36. huwey

    The first great opening that springs to my mind is Dylan Thomas’s short story, “The Outing: A Story”. It opens with this paragraph:-

    “If you can call it a story. There’s no real beginning or end and there’s very little in the middle. It is all about a day’s outing, by charabanc, to Porthcawl, which, of course, the charabanc never reached, and it happened when I was so high and much nicer.”

    I think that might be what you call genius.

  37. blbooks

    My answers

  38. nicole

    Mine’s up as well, looks like trackback didn’t work. I liked this question, I love first lines!

  39. C.B. James

    Mine’s from an old favorite

    http://readywhenyouarecb.blogspot.com/2008/07/btt-favorite-first-lines.html

  40. Confuzzled Books

    Here’s my answer
    http://confuzzledbooks.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday_24.html

  41. Suey

    Fun question. Here’s my answer.

  42. jaime

    Happy Thursday!
    http://www.bookconfessions.com/?p=592

  43. Beginnings

    […] so here's this week's Booking Through Thursday theme: What are your favorite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially […]

  44. Carrie K.

    Here’s mine: http://booksandmovies.today.com/2008/07/24/booking-through-thursday/

  45. 5 minutes for books

    Here’s ours!
    http://www.5minutesforbooks.com/101/beginnings/

  46. Anita Cocktail

    “JP and I are on the front porch at Frank Martin’s drying-out facility.” – The 1st line of Raymond Carver’s “Where I’m Calling From” The line is succinct, simple, and sets the stage and tone for this story absolutely perfectly.

  47. Leya

    Mine’s up!

  48. MOG

    This is a good one. I’ve chosen two lines, but could have made it more, http://zetor-mogsblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday_24.html

  49. Kat with a K

    Here’s mine: http://www.katwithak.com/archives/001089.html

  50. Bart

    Must be a thursday…

    Mine’s up here.

  51. sya

    I’m up.
    http://www.gamalei.net/syaffolee/2008/07/memes-booking-through-thursday.html

  52. Joelle

    Here is mine (a very short answer this time !) : http://bibliodudolmen.canalblog.com/archives/2008/07/24/10028942.html

  53. Carolyn

    I have seen this before on other people’s blogs and just decided to take the plunge myself today. So here is my first Booking Through Thursday response!

    http://ladybug1016.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday.html

  54. lisamm

    Great question! Here’s mine:
    http://lisamm.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/beginnings-booking-through-thursday/

  55. Literate Housewife

    Here’s mine! This was fun.
    http://literatehousewife.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/btt-favorite-first-lines/

  56. carol

    My post is up and I look forward to reading yours. You can reach me at http://charliandme.blogspot.com/

  57. Joanne

    Here’s Mine

  58. pinaymama

    mine is up! http://thefishgate.blogspot.com/2008/07/memorable-first-lines.html

  59. pinaymama

    mine is up!

  60. Marny

    My reply is here:

    http://travelingbookworm.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday.html

  61. Jessica

    Here’s mine:
    http://thebluestockings.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-16/

  62. Ruth

    You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

  63. Chel

    I honestly don’t pay much attention to the first line of a book. I think I’m more interested in the very last line. I can’t remember either by heart so that just goes to show how much of an impact they have on me.

  64. Meghan

    Fairly short this week, but I ruminated on a couple of my favorites here.

  65. Matthew

    Here’s mine:
    http://writewrotewritten.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/beginnings/

  66. Chris@bookarama

    I’ve been spammed (again)!

  67. Bridget

    Here is my response: http://the-ravelld-sleave.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

    I really like this question!

  68. Debbe

    What are your favourite first sentences from books? Is there a book that you liked specially because of its first sentence? Or a book, perhaps that you didn’t like but still remember simply because of the first line?

    I have a secret… I can’t think of any!! Normally, I would rush to my bookshelf and pull out a couple of great books, and make like I knew these great beginning lines all along, but (second secret) I’m at work (no worries about getting caught, I’m the boss), and there is no bookshelf full of books waiting for me here.
    Just off the top of my head, it would have to be the classic “It was a dark and stormy night…”

    Hey…what can I say? This is all new to me…forgive me.
    I’ll catch on… I’m usually a fast learner.

  69. Marie

    I’ve been having trouble leaving a comment here since last night. Let’s try this again…

    Here’s my post:
    http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday.html

  70. smariek

    I’ve been having trouble leaving a comment here since last night. Let’s try this again.

    Here’s my post:
    http://smariek.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday.html

  71. deb @ sugarfused

    A little late getting here but mine’s finally up!
    Hope to get by to see some of your answers tomorrow and over the weekend. I liked the question. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what you all came up with 🙂

    http://www.sugarfused.net/?p=4655

  72. Veggiemomof2

    I’m finally up!

  73. Pam

    Here it is!
    http://dakotapam.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

  74. karen

    Mine‘s up!

  75. Jessica

    Here’s mine:
    http://musewritetravelteach.blogspot.com/2008/07/beginnings.html

  76. Alea

    This was a hard one! Where is my mind!

    http://aleapopculture.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday_24.html

  77. Literary Feline

    Mine us up.

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  79. monnibo

    http://www.monniblog.com/2008/07/24/first-liner

  80. LoriG

    I’m up: http://eaca.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-beginnings.html

  81. Nithin

    I’m very late, but here’s my post:

    BTT: Memorable First Lines

    Thanks for using the question, Deb. 🙂

  82. Florinda

    Off to a late beginning :-)!

  83. Bev

    It’s Friday but I completely spaced doing this yesterday.

    Cheers

  84. jessecreations

    Here’s mine: http://jessecreations.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/booking-through-thursday/

  85. Victoria

    Mine is finally up at my blog Left Wing Liberal Commie Agitator

  86. Shana

    A little late posting the link, but here is my very first BTT post:

    http://blog.literarily.com/2008/07/24/booking-through-thursday–beginnings.aspx

    Cheers,
    Shana

  87. Ann

    Another first-timer here. Just finished a book I wasn’t meaning to read right away because the first line caught my eye. Find out which one in my BTT post.

  88. amillionpieces

    http://amillionpieces.20six.co.uk/amillionpieces/art/44923318/BTT_Beginnings_

    done! 🙂

  89. Jessi

    Here’s mine! 🙂

  90. Cathy

    Better late than never! Here’s mine:

    http://cathyskye.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday.html

    It’s been a trip down Reading Memory Lane going through all the responses.

  91. Adam Wilson

    Here’s mine!

    http://www.lettersonpages.com/?p=58

  92. Alisia

    I’m very late this week!
    http://nyssaneala.blogspot.com/2008/07/booking-through-thursday-friday-fill-in.html

  93. princesshoney

    Yay! Mine’s up. Click here.

  94. MizB

    I didn’t really have an answer for this week’s post, so I used an old BBT post (that I just found via a friend) for my answer this week (on “Trends”):
    http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/btt-trends/

    Hope that’s okay!

  95. Colette

    Mine is up: http://www.xanga.com/private/homemain.aspx

    I can’t believe it took me so long to find this site!

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