I didn’t realize how hard this week was until I started actually trying to think of memorable opening lines. I could only remember one book, Jellicoe Road, that stuck out to me has having a really powerful opener. I had to search my shelves for others.
I found four that I loved, but my fifth pick was a toss up. There were three others I was debating between. If your curious, ask me in the comment section. 😀
Top 5 Tuesday was started by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm!
“My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die.
I counted.
It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-la.”
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
“It was seven in the morning when the alarm clock belonging to Gustavo Tiberius rang and he opened his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling and thought, Today is going to be an okay day.”
How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune
“People often shit themselves when they die.
Their muscles slack and their souls flutter free and everything else just… slips out.”
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. About anything.
‘Need a poo, Todd.’
‘Shut up, Manchee.’
‘Poo. Poo, Todd.'”
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
“‘You can’t kill the truth.’ -Georgia Mason
‘Nothing is impossible to kill. It’s just that sometimes after you kill something, you have to keep shooting it until it stops moving. And that’s really sort of neat when you stop to think about it.’ -Shaun Mason”
Feed by Mira Grant
Birdie Bookworm 
My favourite first line is from I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink…”
But Red Sister by Mark Lawrence has an AMAZING opening line that I think you’d like. Every chapter starts with a punchy line.
Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
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LOL! That’s got a great opening line! I also like The Outsiders opening.
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Jellicoe Road is in my list too… It was really catchy. 🙂 🙂 Great list by the way..
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Thanks so much! Off to see what else is on your list.
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You’re the second person to add Jellicoe Road to their list today!! You’ve mentioned it a few times and I added it to my “need to buy next” list. It will happen! I promise you!! Lol. Great list 🙂
Got you added 🙂
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Thanks so much! I’m going to read that other Jellicoe T5T right now. I push Jellicoe Road whenever humanly possible, but it really does have a beautiful opening line.
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After that opener, I think I need to read Nevernight…
The first opener I could think of was the clichéd, but so good, Jane Austen’s start to Pride and Prejudice. Maybe the first sentence in The Lunar Chronicles’ Cinder? “The screw through Cinder’s ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marked worn to a mangled circle.” I love that series…
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It was hard to find some. Other than Jellicoe Road, I had to go searching for the others. Great opening lines really can hook you.
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I really, really, REALLY need to read Jellicoe Road, it sounds amazing and that first line, it’s beautiful ❤ ❤ Thank you so much for sharing this!
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I hope you do! The whole book is just like that. It just makes you feel so much.
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I just knew Melina and TJ would make it on your list Wendy! Great choices 😉
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Of course! They are relevant to anything for me! Haha
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The Jellicoe Road opener is phenomenal, no wonder it stuck out in your mind so much! Great list 🙂
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It really is gorgeous prose, right! I love it.
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