#gongreads: a great first line
Monday 22 May 2023
| "It was a pleasure to burn." - Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books. Borrow the ebook, audiobook, or book |
| "The early summer sky was the colour of cat vomit." - The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets. Then Todd Hewitt unexpectedly stumbles on a spot of complete silence. Which is impossible. And now he's going to have to run... Borrow the ebook, audiobook, or book |
| "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation." - The Secret History by Donna Tartt A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return. Borrow the book or audiobook |
| "All children, except one, grow up." - Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The wispy Peter Pan and Tinkerbell fly into the lives of Wendy Darling and her two brothers, telling them about his home, Neverland, a faraway land filled with magic and wonder. He leads the three Darling children over the rooftops of London and away to Neverland. Magic and mischief is in the air but if villainous Captain Hook has his way, before long someone will be swimming with the crocodiles. Borrow the book, ebook, or audiobook |
| "I'm pretty much *******." - The Martian by Andy Weir I'm stranded on Mars. I have no way to communicate with Earth. I'm in a Habitat designed to last 31 days. If the Oxygenator breaks down, I'll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I'll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I'll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I'll eventually run out of food and starve to death. Borrow the book or ebook |
| "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." - Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another. Borrow the book or large print book |
| "The circus arrives without warning... It is simply there, when yesterday it was not." - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads: Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. Le Cirque des Reves The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter. Borrow the book, ebook, or audiobook | |
| "The king stood in a pool of blue light, unmoored." - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel A post-apocalyptic saga spanning multiple timelines, this limited drama series tells the stories of survivors of a devastating flu as they attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what's been lost. Borrow the book or large print book |
| "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." - A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket The novel tells the story of three children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who become orphans following a fire and are sent to live with Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance. Borrow the first book in the series |
Have you read another book with an amazing first line? Let us know on Instagram or Facebook, or post your review using the hashtag #gongreads!
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