Beginnings: The Eleventh

Of books ...

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”

From 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll

... that lead us down a rabbit hole, spinning unforgettable stories and never-ending madness.

Beginnings: The Tenth

Of absurdity ...

"This is my favourite book in all the world, though I have never read it."

From 'The Princess Bride' by William Goldman

... that makes the reader question the writer's credibility. 

Beginnings: The Ninth

Of the magic ...

"In the autumn season, hawks, falcons, and eagles followed an ancient path through the sky on their journey south for the winter, the same path their ancestors had flown since they first took wing in ages long dark to memory."

From ' The High King's Tomb' by Kristen Britain

... to create the atmosphere of Autumn with words.

Beginnings: The Eighth

Of terror ...

"It's getting harder and harder to tell the living from the dead"

 

From 'Nod' by Adrian Barnes

... that is unavoidable for those that stay sane.

Beginnings: The Seventh

Of the mundane ...

"Ironically, 

since the attacks, 

the sunsets have been glorious."

From 'Angelfall' by Susan Ee

... twisted because of a menacing force. 

Beginnings: The Sixth

Of sarcastic humour...

"12^th Day of September

I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am bit by fleas and plagued by family."

From 'Catherine, Called Birdy' by Karen Cushman

... from a bygone time.

Beginnings: The Fifth

Of pure poetry...

"Endless moons, an opaque universe, 

thunder, tornadoes, the quaking earth."

From 'Empress: a novel' by Shan Sa

... for a tale of a remarkable woman.

.

Beginnings: The Fourth

Of a curious piece of paper...

“The slim, cream-coloured note may just as well have been inserted into a bottle and tossed into the ocean rather than sent by post, for by the time John received it, the professor was already dead.”

From 'Here, There Be Dragons' by James A. Owen

... that sets the danger, the mystery, and the consequence of late mail.

Beginnings: The Third

Of a wise mind ...

"My lifelong involvement with Mrs. Dempster 

began at 5:58 o'clock p.m. on 27 December 1908, 

at which time I was ten years and seven months old."

From 'Fifth Business' by Robertson Davies.

...  remembering a childhood past, with a memory that changed his entire life.

Beginnings: The Second

Of the ordinary...

"She scowled at her glass of orange juice."

From 'The Blue Sword' by Robin McKinley

... leading to a grand adventure.

Beginnings: The First

Hi Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

Inspiration for a thing can come from others' creativity. In Dylan's video "Favourite First Sentences", he beautifully portrays the first sentence of one of my favourite books 'I Capture the Castle'. 

"I write this sitting in the kitchen sink."

There's simpleness, yet we're intrigued. A good first sentence can be many things: memorable, poetic, startling, or humorous. It strikes curiosity in the reader's mind or makes them stop to ponder. 

A great deal of first sentences have stuck in my brain; a good deal of others have been revisited. Spending the afternoon reading each first sentence on my bookshelf gave me a sense of time travel: I was brought back to those moments when I read those words. 

Thus I have compiled a small list of some of my favourites. Each carry with them promise of a great story to come. Enjoy.