Hey lovelies!

Welcome to another Friday and the mysterious and fun First Lines Friday meme created by  Wandering Words. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. 

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

‘I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,’ added little Amy with an injured sniff.

‘We’ve got Father and Mother and each other,’ said Beth, contentedly, from her corner.

Can you guess which classic novel these words originate from?

This week’s book is: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

While their chaplain father is away in the American Civil War, mother “Marmee” watches the four March sisters grow up and strive for their dreams. Meg is the capable eldest, tomboy Jo writes (like the author), Beth longs for a piano, Amy loves pretty things. Kindly neighbor Mr Laurence contributes, and his grandson “Teddy” Theodore becomes part of the family too.

(Goodreads)

While this adorably covered book (my edition is the one shown above) has been sitting on my shelf for years, it seems I haven’t made the time to give it a try. When I noticed the latest film adaptation of it I was intrigued enough to put it on my TBR for January in order to be able to watch the film soon (books come first… always!).

Have you read/watched this? What were your thoughts on it?

Jen

Hey lovelies!

Welcome to another Friday and the mysterious and fun First Lines Friday meme created by  Wandering Words. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. 

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

As the iron war club scythed toward her head, Yukiko couldn’t help wishing she’d listened to her father.

She rolled aside as her cover was smashed to kindling, azalea petals drifting over the oni’s shoulders like perfumed snowflakes.

The demon loomed above her, twelve feet high, all iron-tipped tusks and long, jagged fingernails.

Do you recognise which action-packed book these words come from?

This week’s book is: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Arashitoras are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shõgun, they fear that their lives are over – everyone knows what happens to those who fail the Lord of the Shima Isles. But the mission proves less impossible and more deadly than anyone expects. Soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled arashitora for company. Although she can hear his thoughts, and saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. Yet trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and the beast soon discover a bond that neither of them expected.

She learns the horrifying extent of the Shõgun’s crimes, both against her country and her family. Returning to the city, Yukiko is determined to make the Shõgun pay – but what can one girl and a flightless arashitora do against the might of an empire? (Goodreads).

Jen

Hi all!

Welcome to another First Lines Fridays! I’m excited to share my chosen book with you this week – it’s a bit of a tough one, but I felt like I had to honour Non-fiction November (that’s the only hint you’re getting!).

This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. I saw this on Mani’s Book Corner but was originally hosted by Wandering Words.

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

The hurricane was a thousand miles offshore when my ex-boyfriend called to offer me a ride to safety in his private jet.

“No, thanks,” I said, cradling my phone against my shoulder as I wiped a jelly smear off the Formica counter. “That’s really nice of you. But I’m not going anywhere.”

“Sabrina, ” Caleb said. “There’s a Category Five hurricane headed straight for you.”

Do you recognise which book these words come from?

This week’s book is: No Judgments by Meg Cabot

The storm of the century is about to hit Little Bridge Island, Florida—and it’s sending waves crashing through Sabrina “Bree” Beckham’s love life…

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.

Jen

Hi all!

Welcome to another First Lines Fridays! I’m excited to share my chosen book with you this week – I think some of you should be able to guess it. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. I saw this on Mani’s Book Corner but was originally hosted by Wandering Words.

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

First Lines:

The morning burned so August-hot, the marsh’s moist breath hung the oaks and pines with fog. The palmetto patches stood unusually quiet except for the low, slow flap of the heron’s wings lifting from the lagoon.

And then, Kya, only six at the time, heard the screen door slap.

Do you recognise which book these captivatingly lyrical words come from?

This week’s book is: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

(Goodreads)

I really, really can’t wait to read this book! I’ve finally been able to get my hands on it as a dear friend has lent it to me and I’m having a hard time waiting until I’ve caught up with my ARCs before starting. Have you read it? What were your thoughts on it?

Jen

Hi all!

Welcome to another First Lines Fridays! I’m excited to share my chosen book with you this week – I think some of you should be able to guess it. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. I saw this on Mani’s Book Corner but was originally hosted by Wandering Words.

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

First Lines:

This was what rock bottom looked like. My childhood room – unchanged except for a new duvet- with the same dark green carpet, the same dull yellow walls. The same New Kids on the block poster I’d defaced with my fourth-grade best friend and a bottle of sparkly purple nail polish.

We’d been too cool to like what everyone else in our class liked. Yep, that same too-cool elementary school rebel was now 38, downsized, broken up with, and newly homeless. I, Marley Cicero, was not winning at life.

Do you recognise which book these words come from?

This week’s book is: Rock Bottom Girl by Lucy Score

“You may be faking the relationship, but you’re not faking the orgasms.”

Downsized, broke, and dumped, 38-year-old Marley sneaks home to her childhood bedroom in the town she couldn’t wait to escape twenty years ago. Not much has changed in Culpepper. The cool kids are still cool. Now they just own car dealerships and live in McMansions next door. Oh, and the whole town is still talking about that Homecoming she ruined her senior year.

Desperate for a new start, Marley accepts a temporary teaching position. Can the girl banned from all future Culpepper High Homecomings keep the losing-est girls soccer team in school history from killing each other and prevent carpal tunnel in a bunch of phone-clutching gym class students? Maybe with the help of Jake Weston, high school bad boy turned sexy good guy.

When the school rumor mill sends Marley to the principal’s office to sign an ethics contract, the tattooed track coach, dog dad, and teacher of the year becomes her new fake boyfriend and alibi—for a price. The Deal: He’ll teach her how to coach if she teaches him how to be in a relationship. Who knew a fake boyfriend could deliver such real orgasms? But it’s all temporary. The guy. The job. The team. There’s too much history. Rock bottom can’t turn into a foundation for happily ever after. Can it?

Warning: Story also includes a meet-puke, a bouffanted nemesis, a yard swan and donkey basketball, a teenage-orchestrated makeover, and a fake relationship that gets a little too real between the sheets.

I absolutely adore Lucy Score and think she is one of the most underrated rom-com authors around. If you’re keen on a romance that is hilariously sweet then this one not to miss!

Jen

Hi all!

Welcome to another First Lines Fridays! I’m excited to share my chosen book with you this week – I think some of you should be able to guess it. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. I saw this on Mani’s Book Corner but was originally hosted by Wandering Words.

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

First Lines:

The old spellmasters like to say that magic has a taste.

Ember spells are like a spice burning the tip of your tongue. Breath magic is subtle, almost cool, the sensation of holding a mint leaf between your lips. Sand, silk, blood, iron… they each have their flavour.

A true adept – the kind of mage who can cast spells even outside of an oasis – knows them all. Me? I had no idea what the high magics tasted like, which was why I was in so much trouble.

Do you recognise which book these alluring and mysterious words come from?

This week’s book is: Spellslinger by Sebastian De Castell

There are three things that earn you a man’s name among the Jan’Tep. The first is to demonstrate the strength to defend your family. The second is to prove you can perform the high magic that defines our people. The third is simply to reach the age of sixteen. I was a few weeks shy of my birthday when I learned that I wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

Magic is a con game.

Kellen is moments away from facing his first mage’s duel and the start of four trials that will make him a spellcaster. There’s just one problem: his magic is gone. As his sixteenth birthday approaches, Kellen falls back on his cunning in a bid to avoid total disgrace. But when a daring stranger arrives in town, she challenges Kellen to take a different path. Ferius Parfax is one of the mysterious Argosi – a traveller who lives by her wits and the three decks of cards she carries. She’s difficult and unpredictable, but she may be Kellen’s only hope…

The magical allure of this book, as well as the appeal of such a mysterious story has me so excited to read it! I’ve read some really positive reviews on this series so my anticipation for it is high. Have you read this? What were your thoughts on it?

Jen

Hi all!

Welcome to another First Lines Fridays! I’m excited to share my chosen book with you this week – I think some of you should be able to guess it. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. I saw this on Mani’s Book Corner but was originally hosted by Wandering Words.

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

First Lines:

It is a weirdly subtle conversation. I almost don’t notice I’m being blackmailed.

We’re sitting in metal folding chairs backstage, and Martin Addison says, “I read your email.”

Do you recognise which book these seemingly inocuous words come from?

This week’s book is: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Blue is one of my favourite characters EVER and I’m gearing up for a re-read of this beautifully sweet book. Have you read this, or any of Becky Albertalli’s other books?

Jen

Hi all!

Welcome to another First Lines Fridays! I’m excited to share my chosen book with you this week – I think some of you should be able to guess it. This is a weekly meme for book lovers to judge a book by its opening lines rather than by its cover, its author or its prestige. I saw this on Mani’s Book Corner but was originally hosted by Wandering Words.

Rules:

1. Choose a book from your shelves/ current read.
2. Open the book to the first page.
3. Copy the first line on the page, making sure you don’t give away the book title.
4. Reveal the book.

First Lines:

They kill my father first.

Shiny boots ring on the stairs as they march in to our cell, four of them all in a pretty row. Blank faces and perfect skin, matte grey pistols in red, red hands. A beautiful man with golden hair says they’re here to execute us. No explanations. No apologies.

Father turns toward us, and the terror in his eyes breaks my heart to splinters. I open my mouth to speak to him, but I don’t know what I’ll say.

Do you recognise which book these captivatingly brutal words come from?

This week’s book is: LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.

But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried.

I’ve recently become enthralled by Jay Kristoff’s writing and the cover of this book caught my attention. LIFEL1K3 has such a captivatingly gruesome beginning and I can’t wait to try it soon! Have you read this book? What were your thoughts on it?

Jen