Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey at Gingerreadslainey and is now hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. Every week, book reviewers all over the world are given a bookish topic and respond with their top 5 books (or elements of books) that relate to that topic. Click here for the Goodreads group if you would like to learn more about Top 5 Wednesday and join in!
This week’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is your top five favorite first sentences of books. A first sentence is by far one of the most important aspects of any novel. It’s what draws the reader into the story by immediately making them want more. It creates a feeling of mystery and intrigue, causes a reader to question what might happen next or why the first sentence says what it does. Making a good first impression on a reader is key in any good book.
Here are five of my all-time favorite first sentences. Some are gripping and enticing, others just have that nostalgia factor for me. Either way, each of these opening lines holds a fond place in my heart.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
“I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.”
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
“The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.”
Alice by Christina Henry
“If she moved her head all the way up against the wall and tilted it to the left she could just see the edge of the moon through the bars.”
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
“When I think of my wife, I always think of her head.”
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
“First of all, it was October, a rare month for boys”
Nostalgia Bonus! 😀
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
What are some of your favorite opening lines from novels? Let me know down in the comments! 🙂
-Ariana
The Quirky Book Nerd 