Friday Firsts (3)

The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.

• Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
• Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
• Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
• Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?

I'm still reading Wondrous Strange, and I already shared the first line from that book. So I'm going to take the first line from something in my TBR pile. This is the first line of The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor:

The queendom had been enjoying a tentative peace ever since the time, twelve years earlier, when unbridled bloodshed spattered the doorstep of every Wonderlander.

My first thought upon reading that was, "Ew!" I hope this isn't going to be a very bloody book. I mean, I don't mind some violence... as long as it helps the plot along. I hope that the reference to "unbridled bloodshed" being spattered all over doorsteps isn't indicative of a book full of gratuitous violence. We'll see...

In My Mailbox (3)

This week I actually got some books! I went to Indigo in search of two books. Unfortunately, only one of them was in stock. Fortunately, I found some other goodies.

So I didn't find Crazy Beautiful. I guess I'll have to try again (I really want to read that one!). But I did find the other book I was looking for: Savvy by Ingrid Law. I just love the cover. It reminds me of a van Gogh painting... but not quite.

Then, since I was in the middle-grade section, I had a little browse. I found a book of short stories by Gail Carson Levine called The Fairy's Return. Since I enjoyed the author's other books (Ella Enchanted, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, and Fairest), I thought I might give this one a try. I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but I felt like I needed something short and easy to handle.

And then I spied something really cool: bargain-priced books. I always like a bargain. I hadn't heard of most of them. But in amongst the rather lame-sounding titles was one I had heard of: The Looking Glass Wars. And in hardcover for only $5.99! So I had to add that to my pile.

What was in your "mailbox" this week?



In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.