Caught In The Post-Book Blues? Read These 10 Captivating First Lines To Help You Choose Your Next One
The first words can tell if you two are a good match…
Don’t you feel saddened when a good book comes to an end?
It’s like suddenly the party’s ended and it’s time to say goodbye to your friends. You go home in separate ways and you are no longer a part of their life.
Literally is The end. Sigh.
Unless….you pick up another book that pulls you in immediately and moving on from the previous story becomes almost instant.
But there’s a caveat and that is that finding terrific books is like looking for matching socks in the morning rush. Tricky.
So here’s what I do.
Instead of falling for a pretty cover (don’t we all), I read the first lines. Or even the first chapter if it’s short. This way I get a little taste of the tone and the writing style. I can decide if I want to know what happens next and if the setting gives me good vibes.
Is this method foolproof?
Not completely. But show me one thing that’s guaranteed in life.
The good news is that this will help you filter through the weed and you might just find a book that satisfies your bookish cravings.
So without further ado, let’s dive in and see if any of these first lines catch your attention.
#1 This book is totally true, except for the parts that aren’t. It’s basically like Little House On The Prairie but with more cursing. ( Jenny Lawson: Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Genre — Memoir)
#2 One of the very first bullets comes in through the open window above the toilet where Luca is standing. He doesn’t immediately understand that it’s a bullet at all, and it’s only luck that it doesn’t strike him between the eyes. (Jeanine Cummins: American Dirt, Genre — Literary fiction/family drama/suspense)
#3 Six thirty in the morning. The Hotel de Verbier was dark. Outside, it was pitch-black and snowing heavily. On the sixth floor, the doors of the service elevator opened. ( Joel Dicker: The Enigma of Room 622, Genre — Mystery thriller)
#4 It’s strange how we always give big news to loved ones in a coma, as if a coma is just a thing that happens from a lack of something to be excited about in your life. (Jennette McCurdy: I’m Glad My Mom Died, Genre — Memoir)
5# The cocaine shot into Duncan Andrews’ antecubital vein in a concentrated bolus after having been propelled by the plunger of a syringe. Chemical alarms sounded immediately. (Robin Cook: Blindsight, Genre — Medical thriller)
#6 As I sit here with one foot on either side of the ledge, looking down from twelve stories above the streets of Boston, I can’t help but think about suicide. (Colleen Hoover: It Ends With Us, Genre — Romance)
#7 My husband doesn’t recognise my face. I feel him staring at me as I drive, and wonder what he sees. (Alice Feeney: Rock Paper Scissors, Genre — Psychological thriller/Mystery)
#8 The night I watch Athena Liu die, we’re celebrating her TV deal with Netflix. Off the bat, for this story to make sense, you should know two things about Athena. (Rebecca F. Kuang: Yellowface, Genre — Satire/Mystery)
#9 The Very Secret Society of Witches met on the third Thursday of every third month, but that was just about the only thing that never changed. (Sangu Mandanna: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Genre — Romance/Fantasy)
# 10 The lights go out. In an instant, everything is in darkness. The band stop their playing. Inside the marquee, the wedding guests squeal and clutch at one another. (Lucy Foley: The Guest List)
Have you read a gripping novel that caught your attention with its first line?
Pop the title in the comments, we need more amazing stories in our lives.