I already clicked select all and then delete on my first attempt at this weeks Thursday Thirteen. I'm a bit stuck for inspiration. Several ideas have come and gone leaving me less than excited.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do now, is going to be any more exciting than my first idea. But, who knows maybe it will be a winner...maybe!
I gathered 13 books laying around the room, on my desk, the bookshelf and in my bag. I thought I would give you the first line in each book and see how they weighed up against each other. Boring, quite possibly or possibly not. But it's all I got this morning.
1...Abigail Carstairs feared for her life: a situation which negated much of the pleasure she might otherwise have taken from making her curtsy to the ton.
2...No one is staring at you, I promised myself. No one is staring at you. No one is staring at you.
(I read this book towards the end of last year and I don't remember this opening sentence.)
3...Something was wrong. Heart Beating wildly, Modesty Breck sat up in bed.
4...Once upon a time there was a nice big girl named Laura.
5...There was no possibility of taking a walk that day .
6...He watched her coming. (This has possibilities...)
7...Just because I know how to change a guy's oil doesn't mean I want to spend the rest of my life on my back, staring up his undercarriage.
8...The front door slammed.
9...China, Japan, Persia and Arabia - indeed most of the world's greatest cultures - have a long tradition of erotic literature.
10..The car moved through the night, the two occupants staring silently out the windshield as the road unfolded before them .
11..Where does the wind begin? (From a really creepy book, just reading these five words made me feel that creepiness all over again)
12..The Shreveport Vampire Bar would be opening late tonight.
13..I felt like I was trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough.
~
If you have taken notice of my emoticon placements you will have worked out which 'first' lines appealed to me. As I read each line and typed it, I wondered how we ever actually get beyond some of these first lines. There must be something that promises a good read.
For me it's the covers, a known author and/or a catchy title. I'm most interested in hearing from ya'all to find out what inspires you to read a book.
Happy TT! :)
Click HERE for more great TT's
Love,
Love the "emotions" pic´s!
ReplyDeleteWhat inspires me to read a book is usually word of mouth. Or it´s from an author I know and like, but mostly if someone says a book is good, I want to read it.
11 sounds interesting...what is it? And 12 - that's one of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love first lines. This is one of my favorites because it's poignant and like lots of good beginnings it raises questions. "We started dying before the snow, and like the snow, we continued to fall."(Tracks, Louise Erdrich, 1988) Happy TT!
ReplyDeleteHad to chuckle at your comment on #6. Possibilities indeed. ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is a GREAT list! My favorite is number 7.
ReplyDeleteI am addicted to books that list books that I should read. So, I might make a list from such a book, go check several books out from the library but how I ultimately choose what to read is the first line and the last line.
I found it interesting, but I'm always interested in first lines.
ReplyDeleteNext time you're at a loss of inspiration, you can borrow a subject from my kids. :)
hahaha ! I admire your idea ! that's really funny I should do that once too, the only problem is that the books laying around here are in German and french, and a few in English !
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I only recognize 1 opening line, and most of them aren't as catchy as you expect a first line to be.
ReplyDeleteI judge books by their covers as well!
Great Thursday 13, enhanced greatly by the emoticons. Liked #7 best (as it appears, did you).
ReplyDeleteFairly sure that it's not the first line that entices me to read a book; more the author or the subject matter or possibly having read a review recommending it.
Your creepy one about the wind is my favorite. First lines do grab me - or not. Known authors, the back cover blurb and the cover are all key to grabbing my attention and making me want to read the book.
ReplyDeleteWhat an unique way to share your books with us. I am an voracious reader so I love your list. Happy TT.
ReplyDeleteI might have to steal this 13 sometime down the road. I'll be sure give you credit :) Love #7!
ReplyDeleteIf you can find that link I'd be grateful. I've looked all over for it and can't find it, and can't remember enough to google it.
ReplyDeleteI look for poetry and deep profound meaning in a first line, and I often find myself narrating them in my head as I go through life!
ReplyDelete