December 28, 2018

Top 10 First Lines of 2018

The first line(s) of a book is a reader's first impression. It sets the tone for the remainder of the book. Some are famous. Others are meh. The sentences below are the best first lines I've read this year. Click the title for my previously published review of the books featured in Top 10 First Lines of 2018.


10. "I saw the circle before I saw the kid in the middle. I was nine years old, the summer of 1978, and Marcy was my world." ~ Decoded by Jay-Z (Re-Read)

9. "Dear Fellow Book Lover, There are few things as satisfying and as long lasting as a beloved book. My favorite books have become the touchstones in my life; I remember where I was when they found me, why they spoke to me at that particular time, and how I'd often passionately recommended them to my friends. Many of my favorites still sit on my bookshelves as a reminder of the wonderful experiences they've brought to me. In quiet moments, I pull them from the shelves and revisit them like old friends." ~ The Great American Read by PBS (Currently Reading)

8. "Her husband's almost home. He'll catch her this time." ~ The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

7. "This is a story about Annie, and it begins at the end, with Annie falling from the sky. Because she was young, Annie never thought about endings. She never thought about heaven. But all endings are also beginnings. And heaven is always thinking about us." ~ The Next Person You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

6. "There are two kinds of people in the world, those who leave home, and those who don't." ~ An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

5. "My mother was a cup of sugar. You could borrow her anytime." ~ Gun Love by Jennifer Clement

4. "I hear the crack of his skull before the spattering of blood reaches me." ~ Verity by Colleen Hoover

3. "Someone needs to turn the heat down out there. I'm about to sweat my wig off." ~ Murder with Macaroni and Cheese by A.L. Herbert

2. "I'm afraid of heights, snakes, normalcy, mediocrity, Hollywood, the initial silence of an empty house, the enduring darkness of a poorly lit street, evil clowns, professional failure, the intellectual impact of Barbie dolls, letting my father down, being paralyzed, hospitals, doctors, the cancer that killed my mother, dying unexpectedly, dying for a stupid reason, dying painfully, and, worst of all, dying alone. But I'm not afraid of power—which is why I work in the White House." ~ The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer

1. "I did not want to write to you. I wanted to write a lie. I did not want to write honestly about black lies, black thighs, black loves, black laughs, black foods, black addictions, black stretch marks, black dollars, black words, black abuses, black blues, black belly buttons, black wins, black beens, black bends, black consent, black parents, or black children. I did not want to write about us. I wanted to write an American memoir. I wanted to write a lie." ~ Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

 

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