Bookworms:What are the best first lines you've read? - Page 2

DaveinGermany · 06-05-2012, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by susie123

Don't know if you're lowering or raising the tone with that

Most definitely raising Sue.

Along with the glass of "Uisge beatha"

Less · 06-05-2012, 15:56

"Developements in the field of electronics have constituted one of the great success stories of this century".

Horowitz and Hill: The Art Of Electronics

I've read that opening line hundreds of times, still not got to the end of the book, some of the pages are well thumbed because there are some explainations I just can't get my head around. As a reference book I suppose it's one of the more interesting.

susie123 · 06-05-2012, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

Most definitely raising Sue.

Along with the glass of "Uisge beatha"

I'll drink to that!

Eric · 06-05-2012, 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by susie123

Think the quote is from Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood... which became the stage play I am a Camera... which became the musical Cabaret.

Ooops ... sorry about that .... should have put in the title, my fault

Oh ... and I always re-read my fav books ... they are like old friends. I always find new ways of reading them ... often, something obvious that I had missed. Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy, Ray Bradbury's short story "The Smile" ... "Catch 22" ... "Goodby to All That" ... "Canticle for Liebowitz" ... "Dune" ... "Tristram Shandy" ... "Egil's Saga" ... maybe I could be reading something new, but I love getting together with old friends, esp. ones that don't raid my fridge and drink all my beer.

mobertol · 06-05-2012, 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

I often re-read books, usually after a long enough interlude. Another evocative introduction is :-

In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare,sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

J.R.R Tolkien "The hobbit"

Good one -haven't re-read it in years!

mobertol · 06-05-2012, 16:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

"Developements in the field of electronics have constituted one of the great success stories of this century".

Horowitz and Hill: The Art Of Electronics

I've read that opening line hundreds of times, still not got to the end of the book, some of the pages are well thumbed because there are some explainations I just can't get my head around. As a reference book I suppose it's one of the more interesting.

Light reading for bedtime - would put me to sleep immediately

Eric · 06-05-2012, 16:34

Is this limited to prose fiction? There are some great opening lines to poems and plays; one I find hard to resist: "An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying king." Shelley, "England in 1819".

mobertol · 06-05-2012, 16:38

In that case allow me:

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight"
EBB

Less · 06-05-2012, 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveinGermany

I often re-read books, usually after a long enough interlude. Another evocative introduction is :-

In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare,sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

J.R.R Tolkien "The hobbit"

Aaaargh! Looks like another trip over to Amazon, haven't read it in years, let someone borrow my copy, usual thing happened, meanwhile, might just go to bed with 'The Lord Of The Rings', (ooerr missus), the same person wanted to borrow that at the same time, glad I said they could have it after they returned 'Hobbit' or I'd have lost that as well.

Restless · 06-05-2012, 16:44

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed

'The Dark Tower' Series(my fave books) - Stephen King

mobertol · 06-05-2012, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Less

Aaaargh! Looks like another trip over to Amazon, haven't read it in years, let someone borrow my copy, usual thing happened, meanwhile, might just go to bed with 'The Lord Of The Rings', (ooerr missus), the same person wanted to borrow that at the same time, glad I said they could have it after they returned 'Hobbit' or I'd have lost that as well.

I could lend you a copy in Italian - my son's, I read it last while at Uni., quite a while ago now.

Less · 06-05-2012, 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobertol

I could lend you a copy in Italian - my son's, I read it last while at Uni., quite a while ago now.

O.K. it could go on my bookshelf next to the 'art of electronics' and other books I either have no chance or no inclination to finish.

mobertol · 06-05-2012, 16:51

This one's in my bookshelf and has an interesting start:
"Julien Barneuve died at 3.28 on the afternoon of August 18, 1943. It had taken him twenty-three minutes exactly to die, the time between the fire starting and his last breath being sucked into his scorched lungs. He had not known his life was going to end that day, athough he suspected it might happen."
Another of Iain Pears, The Dream of Scipio, which I would recommend.

Eric · 06-05-2012, 16:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Restless

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed

'The Dark Tower' Series(my fave books) - Stephen King

Ah, "The Dark Tower".

My first thought was, he lied in every word,
That hoary cripple, with malicious eye
Askance to watch the working of his lie
On mine, and mouth scarce able to afford
Suppression of the glee, that purs'd and scor'd
Its edge, at one more victim gain'e thereby.

Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came: EBB's husband.

susie123 · 06-05-2012, 16:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric

Ooops ... sorry about that .... should have put in the title, my fault

Oh ... and I always re-read my fav books ... they are like old friends. I always find new ways of reading them ... often, something obvious that I had missed. Asimov's "Foundation" trilogy, Ray Bradbury's short story "The Smile" ... "Catch 22" ... "Goodby to All That" ... "Canticle for Liebowitz" ... "Dune" ... "Tristram Shandy" ... "Egil's Saga" ... maybe I could be reading something new, but I love getting together with old friends, esp. ones that don't raid my fridge and drink all my beer.

Thought you were leaving me a little amuse-bouche to get my teeth into Eric...

If I were to re-read any books, Catch-22 would be one... and Catcher in the Rye another. I read Canticle for Leibowitz aout 35 years ago, remember v little about it so perhaps I should go for that as well. Not really a SF fan though.

Two books I do reread at Christmas time are The Country Child and A Traveller in Time, both by Alison Uttley. They are supposed to be for children but I find them very evocative of times past and reading the chapters about Christmas are what I need to get me into the spirit of the season, which I otherwise find very difficult. Another children's book which I heave read over and over is The Woolpack by Cynthia Harnett, a story about the wool trade in the Cotswolds in the 15th century. I prefer historical fiction for children as the adult stuff tends to come in rather weightier tomes which really put me off!