You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Chit Chat About Books
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Currently Reading First Lines
Janice wrote: "Gray Wolf Island
"It's no secret that someone else has to die.""
Sounds like a great first line.
Lisa wrote: "I'm currently reading The Silent Companions 
by Laura Purcell"The new doctor took her by surprise. Not that there was any..."
This one starts out interesting too!
I don't think anyone wrote in here the first lines from The Painted Man that we've been reading for the group read. So here it is:"The great horn sounded. Arlen paused in his work, looking up at the lavender wash of the dawn sky."
Janice wrote: "I'm intrigued, Lisa. That sounds a bit at odds with the book blurb."The beginning took me a bit by surprise too, Janice. It soon makes sense though ;)
Sarah wrote: "I don't think anyone wrote in here the first lines from The Painted Man that we've been reading for the group read. So here it is:"The great horn sounded. Arlen paused in his work, ..."
Sarah, it's not what you'd usually expect from the first line of a fantasy book. It's quite poetic actually!
I agree. It's been a couple weeks since I started the book and reading that line again still made me wonder why the great horn was being sounded, what could be about to occur.
"At least he was well dresses. Black tie, tux, the works. If you're going to get yourself killed, you may as well look your best." - A Rising Man
Sounds intriguing Lilisa.From And the Mountains Echoed
So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one.
I liked that, Lilisa.I remember that line, Peggy. I really enjoyed that book.
"On the stillest, emptiest days, you can almost but not quite imagine the place when it was lived on by its earliest people, the trapping and fishing, tying and smashing, the waves the same, the rocky beaches too, but no army base, no bisecting road or fighter planes up from Otis Air Force Base, Code Red."The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver
Interesting image Sandra, but I i found that sentence a bit convoluted. Could be just me - I dislike long sentences.
Some great first lines. I like the simplicity of Peggy's.
Margo wrote: "Interesting image Sandra, but I i found that sentence a bit convoluted. Could be just me - I dislike long sentences."I agree, Margo. I am struggling with the writing style. I thinks it's aimed to be poetic, but it ends being pretentious. I'm still giving it a chance.
Same thoughts about Sandra's sentence. Would have worked better as 2 or 3 sentences.
Lilisa wrote: ""At least he was well dresses. Black tie, tux, the works. If you're going to get yourself killed, you may as well look your best." - A Rising Man"I like this start, Lilisa.
Yeah, A Rising Man is proving to be an enjoyable read. Interesting how the author ended up being published too. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/bo...
http://theasianwriter.co.uk/2016/06/a...
Lincoln in the Bardo
"On our wedding day I was forty-six, she was eighteen. Now I know what you are thinking: older man (not thin, somewhat bald, lame in one leg, teeth of wood) exercises the marital prerogative, thereby mortifying the poor young ---"
The Prophet
"The town feels like home immediately, and he credits the leaves. It must be a pickup day. Plastic bags bursting with withered remains of life are stacked on the curbs, a few spilling over onto the sidewalks, flecks of crimson and copper that dot the white concrete like blood splatters on pale flesh. The air is that contrary blend: alive with a smell, but the smell is death."
I had to give you the entire first paragraph.
Lincoln in the bardo doesn't grab me. I don't like the way the sentence is written. But The Prophet has me intrigued.
Lincoln in the Bardo is odd, to say the least. I debated giving up fairly quickly into the book, but decided to give it another night. The story is told by pieced together quotes from various articles, diaries, memoirs, etc. It seems to be told in two parts - actual historical quotes of the events, and fictional quotes from beyond the grave. The latter are quite humourous. I will continue with it.
I actually quite like the opening to Lincoln in the Bardo. The writing style seems a bit strange, but I would continue with it.
My impression so far about Lincoln in the Bardo is that it could be brilliant or a complete disaster.
Sandra wrote: "My impression so far about Lincoln in the Bardo is that it could be brilliant or a complete disaster."It was a complete disaster for me!
"It was just after dusk when the accident happened. As usual, Jack Perdu was walking through the Yale University campus with his nose buried in Ovid's Metamorphoses". This is what got me to buy the YA book I just finished, but I think it was all down hill from there.
What's the name of the book, Cherie?
I've decided to bail on Lincoln in the Bardo. It's not holding my interest.
I can't link it here, Janice but it was called The Night Tourist. It is linked in Rusalka's Nov Challenge thread. It wasn't terribly bad, just not great. At least that is how I felt and I am pretty easy on YA usually. It got 3 stars from me.
To bad, Janice. I couldn't pick it in the last days, but that was just lack of time.
I'm not alone. I scoured the shelves and at least 400 people have marked it as abandoned, quit, dnf, and other similar shelves indicating that they stopped reading it. Maybe it's a marmite book.
That is what I think. It might be brilliant or a complete disaster. It is certainly original. I am not disliking it, but it needs some attention, and I don't have the time right now. I'm still sticking to it.
I recently started A Dangerous Fortune
by Ken Follett"On the day of the tragedy, the boys of Windfield School had been confined to their rooms.
It was a hot Saturday in May, and they would normally have spent the afternoon on the south field, some playing cricket and others watching from the shady fringes of Bishop's Wood. But a crime had been committed."
Janice wrote: "The Prophet"The town feels like home immediately, and he credits the leaves. It must be a pickup day. Plastic bags bursting with withered remains ..."
I love that first paragraph. This book's on my TBR list and I must get to it. Would it fit for 'Autumn' I wonder...?
Lisa wrote: "I recently started A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett"On the day of the tragedy, the boys of Windfield School had been confin..."
Ooh, I have to reread that one!
"It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times. Again. That's the thing about things. They fall apart; always have, always will - it's in their nature."I love the way this lady plays with language! The almost quotations. The words are from Autumn - the grammer is all mine as I'm listening to the audio ;-)
Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "I recently started A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett"On the day of the tragedy, the boys of Windfield School ha..."
Why do all of his books have to be door stops? I still have not read this one and several others I have marked.
You are making me want to buy Autumn, Margo!
Cherie wrote: "Why do all of his books have to be door stops? I still have not read this one and several others I have marked."Lol, Cherie! Maybe he gets paid by the page? This one is actually not as long as some of his other books. It's around 600 pages. I still need to read World Without End and A Column of Fire. WWE has been on my TBR pile for a few years now, but I keep putting it off because it's so massive. Which is silly really because I adored The Pillars of the Earth.
Lisa wrote: "This one is actually not as long as some of his other books. It's around 600 pages. I still need to read World Without End and A Column of Fire. WWE has been on my TBR pile for a few years now, but I keep putting it off because it's so massive. Which is silly really because I adored The Pillars of the Earth. ..."Oh, I know what you mean. I thought TPotE was great too! I cannot believe how long it has been since I read it, yet there are so many scenes that I can see clear as day.
Annerlee wrote: "I love that first paragraph. This book's on my TBR list and I must get to it. Would it fit for 'Autumn' I wonder...? ..."
Very much so! Autumn is a central theme.
I finished the book this afternoon and came very close to giving it 5 stars.
Lisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Why do all of his books have to be door stops? I still have not read this one and several others I have marked."Lol, Cherie! Maybe he gets paid by the page? This one is actually no..."
POTE, WWE and A Dangerous Fortune basical all have the same characters translanted in history - it is almost like a Blackadder lol
Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Why do all of his books have to be door stops? I still have not read this one and several others I have marked."Lol, Cherie! Maybe he gets paid by the page? This one i..."
Lol, Margo. I'm already noticing some similarities between the characters in A Dangerous Fortune and The Pillars of the Earth. I think Blackadder is right! I prefer the characters in TPOTE though, even the bad ones.
Lisa wrote: "Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Why do all of his books have to be door stops? I still have not read this one and several others I have marked."Lol, Cherie! Maybe he gets paid by the pa..."
As someone said to me (think it was Paul) if you've got good characters, use them!
Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Margo wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Why do all of his books have to be door stops? I still have not read this one and several others I have marked."Lol, Cherie! Maybe he gets p..."
I agree. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Cherie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "This one is actually not as long as some of his other books. It's around 600 pages. I still need to read World Without End and A Column of Fire. WWE has been on my TBR pile for a few y..."I've had POTE on my TBR list forever - I keep putting it off, although I listened to The Century Trilogy and particularly enjoyed the first two books. Do you recommend POTE?
Lilisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "This one is actually not as long as some of his other books. It's around 600 pages. I still need to read World Without End and A Column of Fire. WWE has been on my TBR p..."Yes, I highly recommend POTE, Lilisa. It was a 5 star read for me and it's one of my favourite books of all time. It's long but it really rewards the effort. It's got great characters and the historical setting and world building are both excellent. I couldn't put it down once I got started.
Lilisa wrote: "Cherie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "This one is actually not as long as some of his other books. It's around 600 pages. I still need to read World Without End and A Column of Fire. WWE has been on my TBR p..."yes, yes, YES
Lilisa wrote: "I've had POTE on my TBR list forever - I keep putting it off, although I listened to The Century Trilogy and particularly enjoyed the first two books. Do you recommend POTE? ..."Yes, Lilisa - I think Margo and Lisa agree. We recommend it!
Ok Lisa, Margo and Cherie - thanks for the enthusiastic yes! I will definitely have to listen/read it then 😋
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
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"There was a hand in the darkness and it held a knife."
[spoilers removed]"
I read that one, but didn't recognize it by the first lines. Definitely an interesting beginning.