it seems that an entry with actual substance will have to come later
This meme was going around a long time ago, and I meant to do it. So when I went home for the weekend, I jotted down the first lines of some books that I'd left at home.
...I had problems weeding the list down. And in a few cases I choose a book other than the first one in the series. Sometimes I used the first chapter rather than the prologue. (But I'll give you all a hint. There are 18 different authors here.)
1. Pick 10 18 of your favorite books or series.
2. Post the first sentence of each book.
3. Let everyone try to guess the titles and authors of your books.
1. The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.
2. There was a white horse, on a quiet winter morning when snow covered the streets gently and was not deep, and the sky was swept with vibrant stars, except in the east, where dawn was beginning in a light blue flood. Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin. Guessed by aubergine_pilot.
3. ___ _____ sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it. Night Watch (Discworld), by Terry Pratchett. Guessed by levade.
4. Children were always the worst. The Broken Crown (The Sun Sword), Michelle West. Guessed by bookelfe.
5. ____ and her ______ moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials), by Philip Pullman. Guessed by captainlilith.
6. He was only a young mouse, but of strong build, with a glint in his eye that proclaimed him a born fighter. Martin the Warrior (Redwall), by Brian Jacques. Guessed by aubergine_pilot.
7. I didn't know how long I had been in the king's prison. The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner. Guessed by banerry.
8. The rabbit had been run over minutes before. Sabriel, by Garth Nix. Guessed by banerry.
9. It is a day of yellow fog, and the ____ are hungry.
10. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.
11. It started in mud, as many things do.
12. The truth is, if old Major Dover hadn't dropped dead at Taunton races ___ would never have come to Thursgood's at all.
13. It was a dumb thing to do but it wasn't that dumb. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. Guessed by bookelfe.
14. Golden as sunlight, white-hot, the Salamander danced and twisted sinuously above a plate sculpted of Mexican obsidian, ebony glass born in the heart of a volcano and shaped into a form created exactly to receive the magic of a creature who bathed in the fires of the volcano with delight. The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey. Guessed by levade.
15. When Mr. _____ _______ of ___ ___ announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in ________. The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Guessed by banerry.
16. Once there were four children whose names were _____, _____, ______, and ____. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia), by C. S. Lewis. Guessed by banerry.
17. Under a chill, gray sky, two riders jogged across the earth. The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain), by Lloyd Alexander. Guessed by kadath.
18. The letter was in Earth script, unhandily scrawled in blobby blue ballpoint. Hexwood, by Diana Wynne Jones. Guessed by bookelfe.
...I had problems weeding the list down. And in a few cases I choose a book other than the first one in the series. Sometimes I used the first chapter rather than the prologue. (But I'll give you all a hint. There are 18 different authors here.)
1. Pick 10 18 of your favorite books or series.
2. Post the first sentence of each book.
3. Let everyone try to guess the titles and authors of your books.
1. The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.
2. There was a white horse, on a quiet winter morning when snow covered the streets gently and was not deep, and the sky was swept with vibrant stars, except in the east, where dawn was beginning in a light blue flood. Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin. Guessed by aubergine_pilot.
3. ___ _____ sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it. Night Watch (Discworld), by Terry Pratchett. Guessed by levade.
4. Children were always the worst. The Broken Crown (The Sun Sword), Michelle West. Guessed by bookelfe.
5. ____ and her ______ moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials), by Philip Pullman. Guessed by captainlilith.
6. He was only a young mouse, but of strong build, with a glint in his eye that proclaimed him a born fighter. Martin the Warrior (Redwall), by Brian Jacques. Guessed by aubergine_pilot.
7. I didn't know how long I had been in the king's prison. The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner. Guessed by banerry.
8. The rabbit had been run over minutes before. Sabriel, by Garth Nix. Guessed by banerry.
9. It is a day of yellow fog, and the ____ are hungry.
10. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.
11. It started in mud, as many things do.
12. The truth is, if old Major Dover hadn't dropped dead at Taunton races ___ would never have come to Thursgood's at all.
13. It was a dumb thing to do but it wasn't that dumb. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. Guessed by bookelfe.
14. Golden as sunlight, white-hot, the Salamander danced and twisted sinuously above a plate sculpted of Mexican obsidian, ebony glass born in the heart of a volcano and shaped into a form created exactly to receive the magic of a creature who bathed in the fires of the volcano with delight. The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey. Guessed by levade.
15. When Mr. _____ _______ of ___ ___ announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in ________. The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Guessed by banerry.
16. Once there were four children whose names were _____, _____, ______, and ____. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia), by C. S. Lewis. Guessed by banerry.
17. Under a chill, gray sky, two riders jogged across the earth. The High King (The Chronicles of Prydain), by Lloyd Alexander. Guessed by kadath.
18. The letter was in Earth script, unhandily scrawled in blobby blue ballpoint. Hexwood, by Diana Wynne Jones. Guessed by bookelfe.