Thursday Quotables #47

I know, I know, I have been shoddy at doing these over the summer, I keep meaning to and then I just totally forget! I have a few ideas for more posts for the rest of the summer, so hopefully I should be able to get a few more of these up before the summer is over as once I get back to Uni, I probably won’t have as much time to post. Today I’m going to share some of my favourite first lines from books, after all first lines are very important, they introduce you to the book and let you know what you could be getting yourself in for in the next however many hundred pages. These are some of the best first lines that had me instantly hooked:

1. “Mr and Mrs Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much” -Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling

I mean this first line is iconic now right? By starting with the declaration of how normal the Dursleys are, you instantly start to wonder about what is abnormal in this world (enter witches and wizards!).

2. “Look I didn’t want to be a half-blood” -The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

This first line has you instantly intrigued, whilst also setting up the humour that runs all the way through the series.

3. “Joost had two problems, the moon and his mustache” -Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

This is the book I’m currently reading, and the first line definitely packs a punch. I’m still confused as to what Joost has to do with the rest of the book but ah well, I’m sure I’ll find out soon!

4. “Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she had been told she was going to kill her true love” -The Raven Boys, Maggie Stiefvater

This first line definitely sets up for what is a very weird, yet wonderful series of books!

5. “The early summer sky was the colour of cat vomit” -Uglies, Scott Westerfeld

It’s not pretty, but it’s definitely a memorable first line, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any books compare sky to cat vomit other than this one!

 

6. “It is the first day of November and so today someone will die” -The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater

Because naturally it being 1st November means someone will die, this first line develops a sense of mystery and has you instantly intrigued.

7. “Kell wore a very peculiar coat” -A Darker Shade of Magic, VE Schwab

Not only does this first line immediately introduce you to one of the main characters of the series, it leaves you wondering exactly what is so special about this coat and in turn, what is so special about Kell.

8. “Here is a small fact: You are going to die” -The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

I’m cheating a little here, this is actually the ending line of the first paragraph of The Book Thief, but I think the end of that paragraph actually packs more of a punch than the beginning.

I’m going to keep it short and sweet this week and stop there. What are your favourite opening lines from books? Share them with me! I hope I’ll have another one of these for you guys next week, but if I don’t, I will definitely have more up before I go back to Uni in September! In the meantime, I am away this weekend in Amsterdam, so you probably won’t hear from me again until next week.