Nodbear's Book Meme
An attempt at the book meme of Sarlania with thanks to her and to Anteros and Likimeya for the inspiration and input.
Two of these are actually first lines of short stories but in both cases they have the same title as the book they are from and are first in the book.So hope that counts!
Rules :Choose ten books that you like and list their first lines for others to guess.
Highlight names of those who guess and post answers.
Have fun hopefully.
Nodbear's Book Meme
1. I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, tho' not of that county, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. Robinson Crusoe, guessed by anteros
2. You have always, my dear Sir Edward, proved yourself so equal to command a fleet, that it would be a sin to place you in any other situation, and my services are nearly at an end, for, in addition to all my other infirmities,I am nearly blind: still I hope to fight one more battle. This is Nelson writing to Edward Pellew in 1804 and it is the first in volume 4 of his" collected letters and dispatches." It has a poignant story to it. Edward , in an unworthy phase of later life,wangled both an appointment for himself and a commander's position for Pownall, by some rather unseemly political wangling but Pownall, having been raised to better standards by his own father , was furious with his dad and they had a teenager/ middle aged dad row, big time. Pownall actually proved more than worthy of his promotion ( he was his father'son in many ways)and at only 17 distinguished himself genuinely and deserved the promotion in the end.Edward , who adored all his children, was devastated with himself when he thought it over and convicted of the wrongness of his actions and decided to admit it and write to Nelson confessing all. That letter is lost ( alas for original Pellew -text pirates like me,) but this is Nelson's highly affectionate reply or part of it. He tells Edward how much he values him and about his own thoughts that he;'ll l just about cope with one more battle.
3. Something delayed the arrival of the Wesleyan minister and a young man was sent temporarily in his place.
Thomas Hardy : the Distracted Preacher and other stories - a tale all about a young temporary Methodist minister who learns to love the innkeeper's daughter and has his cold cured with smuggled brandy. ...etc Not his best chances of promotion ......
4. " Take my camel dear", said my Aunt Dot, as she climbed down from that animal on her return from High Mass.
The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macauley guessed by Mylodon
5. He was facing Seventh Avenue, at Times Square. This is James Baldwin's " Another Country"
6. It was the seventh day of July. This is a kid's book , " The Twelfth Day of July " by Joan Lingard the first of a trilogy following the fortunes of Sadie , a protestant teenager and Kevin, the catholic boy who loves her .
7. It was the afternoon of my 81st birthday and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the arhcbishop had come to see me. "Earthly Powers" by Anthony Burgess, It doesn't all live up quite to the opning sentence but its a great book.
8. For forty-two years Lewis and Benjamin Jones slept side by side in their parents' bed in their farm which was known as " the Vision." Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill
9. I take pride in my humiliation, and as I am to this privilege condemned, almost I find joy in an abhorrent salvation: I am, I believe the only man in human memory to have been shipwrecked and cast up upon a deserted ship. Umberto Eco : The Island of the Day before
10 Seated obscurely towards the back of the church, and on side aisle,Treacher was nevertheless conscious of being much looked at. Alan Bennett : the Laying on of Hands - even if not a Bennett fan this is a short story published on its own and is wonderful - you'll never look at memorial services the same way again...
Two of these are actually first lines of short stories but in both cases they have the same title as the book they are from and are first in the book.So hope that counts!
Rules :Choose ten books that you like and list their first lines for others to guess.
Highlight names of those who guess and post answers.
Have fun hopefully.
Nodbear's Book Meme
1. I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, tho' not of that county, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. Robinson Crusoe, guessed by anteros
2. You have always, my dear Sir Edward, proved yourself so equal to command a fleet, that it would be a sin to place you in any other situation, and my services are nearly at an end, for, in addition to all my other infirmities,I am nearly blind: still I hope to fight one more battle. This is Nelson writing to Edward Pellew in 1804 and it is the first in volume 4 of his" collected letters and dispatches." It has a poignant story to it. Edward , in an unworthy phase of later life,wangled both an appointment for himself and a commander's position for Pownall, by some rather unseemly political wangling but Pownall, having been raised to better standards by his own father , was furious with his dad and they had a teenager/ middle aged dad row, big time. Pownall actually proved more than worthy of his promotion ( he was his father'son in many ways)and at only 17 distinguished himself genuinely and deserved the promotion in the end.Edward , who adored all his children, was devastated with himself when he thought it over and convicted of the wrongness of his actions and decided to admit it and write to Nelson confessing all. That letter is lost ( alas for original Pellew -text pirates like me,) but this is Nelson's highly affectionate reply or part of it. He tells Edward how much he values him and about his own thoughts that he;'ll l just about cope with one more battle.
3. Something delayed the arrival of the Wesleyan minister and a young man was sent temporarily in his place.
Thomas Hardy : the Distracted Preacher and other stories - a tale all about a young temporary Methodist minister who learns to love the innkeeper's daughter and has his cold cured with smuggled brandy. ...etc Not his best chances of promotion ......
4. " Take my camel dear", said my Aunt Dot, as she climbed down from that animal on her return from High Mass.
The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macauley guessed by Mylodon
5. He was facing Seventh Avenue, at Times Square. This is James Baldwin's " Another Country"
6. It was the seventh day of July. This is a kid's book , " The Twelfth Day of July " by Joan Lingard the first of a trilogy following the fortunes of Sadie , a protestant teenager and Kevin, the catholic boy who loves her .
7. It was the afternoon of my 81st birthday and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the arhcbishop had come to see me. "Earthly Powers" by Anthony Burgess, It doesn't all live up quite to the opning sentence but its a great book.
8. For forty-two years Lewis and Benjamin Jones slept side by side in their parents' bed in their farm which was known as " the Vision." Bruce Chatwin, On the Black Hill
9. I take pride in my humiliation, and as I am to this privilege condemned, almost I find joy in an abhorrent salvation: I am, I believe the only man in human memory to have been shipwrecked and cast up upon a deserted ship. Umberto Eco : The Island of the Day before
10 Seated obscurely towards the back of the church, and on side aisle,Treacher was nevertheless conscious of being much looked at. Alan Bennett : the Laying on of Hands - even if not a Bennett fan this is a short story published on its own and is wonderful - you'll never look at memorial services the same way again...