Currently Reading First Lines

[Lisa]

I have just started The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
"I lost my only sister in the last days of November."

[Cherie]

Lisa wrote: "I have just started The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
"I lost my only sister in the last days of November.""

Sounds interesting. I have four of this author's books on my TBR list. I should read one of them one of these days.

I think we need a challenge for something like this. Pick an author you have never read, but have one or more of their books on your list to read. I have several authors to choose from, I am sure.

[Lisa]

Cherie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I have just started The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
"I lost my only sister in the last days of November.""

Sou..."

That's a good idea for a challenge, Cherie! I have several authors I could choose from too. As for Susanna Kearsley, she is well worth checking out. I have read three of her other books prior to this, two of them, Mariana and Sophia's Secret, I rated 4 stars and the other one, The Shadowy Horses, I rated 3/3.5 stars. Her books remind me a bit of the Outlander series, only without the violence, sex, etc.

[Sandra, Moderator]

That is a good idea for a challenge.

[Lisa]

I have just made a start on The Beauty of the Wolf by Wray Delaney
"I woke when the mighty oak screamed."

[Peggy]

Interesting!

[Trudy]

I just finished reading Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler. (Warning, the book contains explicit depictions of physical abuse).

“Back in 1965, on a day so hot that God Almighty should have been writhing with sick-to-the-stomach guilt over driving His children out of the cool green of Eden, my daddy walked into our general store, held a revolver to his head, told my mama that he couldn't take any more and that because of her harsh ways and his many sins he was going to blow his brains out."

[Janice, Moderator]

Yikes! That's a first sentence to wake you up, Trudy!

[Trudy]

Janice wrote: "Yikes! That's a first sentence to wake you up, Trudy!"

Yes, it definitely set the stage for what was to come.

[Lisa]

I'm just starting Lancelot by Giles Kristian
"I pursue. Relentless. Through every twist and turn, through the bitter smoke rising from countless steadings. Over the swell of burial mound and the glitter of stream. Between corn stacks and ancient oaks and standing stones, the woodlark an undulating streak of brown a talon's length ahead. Now the white flash of his neck. Now the black and white on the leading edge of his wing. His song forgotten, his terror a taste on the wind."

[Janice, Moderator]

I keep forgetting about this thread.

I'm starting Ape House.

"The plane had yet to take off, but Osgood, the photographer, was already snoring softly."

I hope that's not an indication that this is a snoozefest.

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "I'm just starting Lancelot by Giles Kristian
"I pursue. Relentless. Through every twist and turn, through the bitter smoke rising from..."

Very lovely descriptive language!

[Cherie]

The very first line from The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. "Mrs. Creasy disappeared on a Monday."

[Lisa]

I'm reading The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
"Great Achilles. Brilliant Achilles, shining Achilles, godlike Achilles...
How the epithets pile up. We never called him any of those things; we called him 'the butcher'."

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "I'm reading The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
"Great Achilles. Brilliant Achilles, shining Achilles, godlike Achille..."

That's chilling!

[Lisa]

Janice wrote: "That's chilling!"

Isn't it just! It certainly grabs your attention.

[Lisa]

I have recently started The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer
"The first thing you need to understand is what it means to sell your soul. It is not a matter of shaking hands with a shadowy figure, or bartering promises with a burning bush. What do you have to sell? You don't know. To whom are you going to sell it? Again, you don't know. All you know is that your very desire to offer it up is accompanied by the most overwhelming urge to scream. You want to scream so much that you will empty your bones of time."

[Cherie]

Lisa wrote: "I have recently started The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer
"The first thing you need to understand is what it means to se..."

Sounds interesting, Lisa. The time travel aspect, going into the future is definitely different. Can't wait to hear what you make of it.

[Lisa]

Cherie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I have recently started The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer
"The first thing you need to understand is what i..."

I will let you know my thoughts on it, Cherie :) I have read a couple of the author's non-fiction books before and enjoyed them so I'm hoping for a similar result with this.

[Cherie]

Lisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I have recently started The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer
"The first thing you need to under..."

I have his two "Time Traveler Guides" on my TBR list. I think I started the first one once, but never got back to it after I put it down.

[Margo]

Lisa wrote: "I have recently started The Outcasts of Time by Ian Mortimer
"The first thing you need to understand is what it means to se..."

Wow! I've had this on my shelf for a while, I will have to bump it up my list. Let us know is it continues as well as it begins :-)

[Lisa]

Margo wrote: "Let us know is it continues as well as it begins :-)"

I will do.

I have had it sitting on my TBR pile for almost 2 years now and just never seemed to be able to get around to reading it. It's nice to finally get to it.

[Janice, Moderator]

That's quite the beginning! It sounds ominous.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Wow. Great beginning. Intense and intriguing.

[Margo]

Can't recall if this has been done:

"Long before we discovered that he had fathered two children by two different women, one in Drimoleague and one in Clonakilty, Father James Monroe stood on the altar of the Church of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, in the parish of Goleen, West Cork, and denounced my mother as a whore."

the heart's invisible fury by John Boyne.

It's worst but it packs a punch 👊

Edit: last line should have read "it's wordy but....". Auto correct strikes again *sigh*

[Janice, Moderator]

The Heart's Invisible Furies sounds interesting, Margo!

[Sandra, Moderator]

It's been highly recommended to me. I hope to get to it at some point.

[Lisa]

I've had my eye on that for a while, Margo. The start is interesting!

[Cherie]

Lots of 5 stars. I have added it to my list.

[Shirley]

Me too, Cherie. How have I missed this one? It’ll have to wait though. I’ve reached my limit of holds at the Library. *sigh*

[Janice, Moderator]

I just recommended the audiobook to my library. If they decide to buy it, I will automatically be on the waitlist. It's possible I will have bought it through audible before they get around to it.

[Margo]

I hope they get it in Janice. I love John Boyne work.

[Janice, Moderator]

Margo wrote: "I hope they get it in Janice. I love John Boyne work."

I haven't read any of his books yet though I have several on my wishlist.

[Cherie]

First line in the Prelude of Only Time Will Tell.
"This story would never have been written if I hadn't become pregnant." LOL!

[Janice, Moderator]

LOL! Yes, I'm sure many of us have stories to tell because we got pregnant.

[Janice, Moderator]

From A Great and Terrible Beauty:


"Please tell me that's not going to be part of my birthday dinner this evening!" I am staring into the hissing face of a cobra.

[Lisa]

I have just started Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier
"I fished out the rusty nail from under my pallet and scratched another mark on the wall. Tomorrow would be midsummer, not that a person could tell rain from shine in this cesspit. I'd been here a year. A whole year of filth and abuse and being shoved back down the moment I lifted myself so much as an inch. Tomorrow, at last, I'd get my chance to speak out. Tomorrow I would tell my story."

[Cherie]

Yikes, Janice!

Yours sounds good, Lisa. I see that I already have it on my TBR list too. ;O)

[Margo]

Cherie and Lisa, I own both of those books. The Jeffery Archer I picked up free on audible some time ago. Pete listened to it and thought it was great. Dreamer's Pool is on my m9re urgent tbr -I seem to trail after you a lot lisa 😉

Janice, I'm interested!

[Cherie]

I am really enjoying the Jeffery Archer book, Margo.

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "I have just started Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier
"I fished out the rusty nail from under my pallet and scratched another mark..."

Enjoy Lisa. I love that series.

[Lisa]

Janice wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I have just started Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier
"I fished out the rusty nail from under my pallet and scratched..."

No complaints so far, Janice. It's really good! Have you read the whole series?

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "No complaints so far, Janice. It's really good! Have you read the whole series? .."

Yes. I read one a month. I enjoy Juliet Marillier and have preordered her new book coming out on May 30th, Beautiful. I need to get back to the Sevenwaters series.

[Lisa]

Janice wrote: "Lisa wrote: "No complaints so far, Janice. It's really good! Have you read the whole series? .."

Yes. I read one a month. I enjoy Juliet Marillier and have preordered her new book coming out on Ma..."

Oh, I meant to preorder her new book but forgot! Thanks for the reminder! I think I might read the rest of the Blackthorn and Grim series sooner rather than later. As for Sevenwaters, I really need to get back to it too. I still haven't read Child of the Prophecy, despite starting it twice. I had to put it aside both times in order to read other books for buddy reads or challenges and just never got around to picking it up again. Third time lucky, maybe...

[Janice, Moderator]

Child of Prophecy is the next one up in that series for me as well. Maybe we could buddy read it.

[Lisa]

Janice wrote: "Child of Prophecy is the next one up in that series for me as well. Maybe we could buddy read it."

A buddy read sounds good, Janice.

[Sandra, Moderator]

"October 12 was a good day for a killing"

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch

[Margo]

Oh, I read that one Sandra! Good opening, short and to the point. Enough of a hook to make sure you will read on. Enjoy 😊

[Lisa]

Sandra wrote: ""October 12 was a good day for a killing"

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch "

Interesting, Sandra!

[Janice, Moderator]

Lisa wrote: "Janice wrote: "Child of Prophecy is the next one up in that series for me as well. Maybe we could buddy read it."

A buddy read sounds good, Janice."

I'll set up a thread and we can discuss specifics there.