top ten tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the broke and the bookish! you can find more information about it here.
this week’s top ten tuesday was a freebie!! i’m a bit shamelessly obsessed with the first words of books, so i decided to share some of those with you. while some people judge a book by its summary, reviews, or book cover (note: i also judge a book by its cover), i like to decide based on the first line(s). you read it, and you just know it’s going to be freaking fantastic; you know you’re going to love this book. in fact, some of these books i haven’t even read yet! but i know they’re going to be awesome; the first sentence told me so.
the battle of labyrinth, by rick riordan
“The last thing that I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school.”
rick riordan is the king of epic first sentences. this one was my favorite by his, but they’re all fantastic! he really catches my attention each and every time. check them out, if you have the chance.
goodreads // amazon // book depository
something real, by heather demetrios
“It took me four years, seven shrinks, three different hair colors, one zen meditation retreat, and over six hundred mochas to get to this moment.”
goodreads // amazon // book depository
simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda, by becky albertalli
“It’s a weirdly subtle conversation. I almost don’t notice I’m being blackmailed.”
(i shamelessly feature SIMON VS on almost all my top ten tuesday posts, but hey, it’s because i LOVE THIS BOOK. i read the first sentences and knew i would love this book.)
REVIEW // goodreads // amazon // book depository
the fault in our stars, by john green
“Late in my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time thinking about death.”
goodreads // amazon // book depository
a mad, wicked folly, by sharon biggs waller*
“I never set out to post nude.”
FACT: i actually went out and bought the book after i read the first sentence. TELL ME MORE. not that i like reading about people who are nude – the opposite actually – but i’m curious to know why she did it!
goodreads // amazon // book depository
this is what happy looks like, by jennifer e. smith
“(in email format) Hey, we’re running pretty behind here. Any chance you could walk Wilbur for me tonight?
(response) I think you have the wrong e-mail address.”
unique writing formats (like emails) and a conversation? SIGN ME UP.
goodreads // amazon // book depository
rebel belle, by rachel hawkins*
“Looking back, none of this would have happened if I’d brought lip gloss the night of the Homecoming Dance.”
goodreads // amazon // book depository
the raven boys, by maggie stiefvater
“Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love.”
goodreads // amazon // book depository
maybe someday, by colleen hoover
“I just punched a girl in the face. Not just any girl. My best friend. My roommate.”
well isn’t that fantastic. i wonder WHY you punched your best friend in the face. *continues to read and does not put the book down until finished* colleen hoover continues to have attention grabbing and unique writing throughout the entire novel, which is SO GREAT. smart choice it is to judge a book by it’s first sentence…
REVIEW // goodreads // amazon // book depository
me and earl and the dying girl, by jesse andrews*
“A NOTE FROM GREG GAINES, AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK:
I have no idea how to write this stupid book.”
greg, i think you’re doing a fantastic job so far. keep doing your thing of not-knowing-how-to-write-this-stupid-book.
goodreads // amazon // book depository
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is so good, and I definetly knew I would love it from the first sentences too! What a fun idea for a post. 😀 I really want to go look at some of my favorite stories and check out what the first lines were.
I got a nice chuckle out of most of these. It was cool to see a list like this that was fun, as opposed to poetic. Not that I don’t love books that start that way, but your choices made for a cute unique list!
Here’s my TTT for the week: Characters I’d like to Slap
this are really interesting first sentences 🙈 i loved almost all the books mentioned her heh except for the ones i havent read yet which are “a mad, wicked folly”, “this is what happy looks like”, “the raven boys” and “me, earl, and the dying girl”. are they any good?
isha @ two sisters bloggin’
First sentences are so cool! I really love the one for Something Real and it really makes me want to read the book. The Raven Boys has been on my TBR since forever, and that first line really makes me want to read it. This is such a great TTT topic. 🙂
OOH, I love these haha! I want to read all these books now! The only one I’ve read on this list is The Battle of the Labyrinth and I agree – Rick Riordan’s first sentences are always flawless!
I remember when I was younger and I’d get library books out, I’d always read the first few sentences of each book and decide which one to read first based on which first few lines I loved the most – I think I should start doing that again!
Wonderful topic!
this is SUCH fantastic post! Some of the first sentences made me laugh out loud and I added the book to my goodreads ASAP.
AHHH SO MANY OF THESE ARE MY FAVOURITES TOO. Basically every Rick Riordan book EVER. He is the master of the bestest first sentences. *nods* Also Maggie Stiefvater. BLUE. You darling kissing killer. :’) And I’m 1000% intrigued by Simon (yes yes I know I know I need to read it and I willlll I promissssse) and Something Real now! OH. And the entire book of Me & Earl & The Dying girl was hysterical. I particularly busted up laughing at the point where he says his book should NEVER be a movie. And it is a movie now. XD OMG GREG.
Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
Great choice of topic!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/15/top-ten-tuesday-22/
I haven’t read all of these books, but the first sentences make me want to read them!! And definitely agree with you on Rick Riordan 😀 His first sentences are the best <3
My favorite first line of a book of all time is: “When I was twelve I broke my leg jumping off the wall between Canada and Germany.”