I hosted one round at Capricciosa’s trivia night anniversary tonight, and my category was “First Impressions Last,” i.e. opening lines from famous novels. Only two teams did well (Urban Fervor and McLaren’s), because there were probably a lot of bookworms who read different genres in those groups. Or maybe they just had really good memories. Can you name these books? No Googling!
1. Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.
2. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.
3. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.
4. In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
5. ”Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.
6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
7. The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call ‘out there.’
8. ”What can you say about a 25-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me.”
9. ”‘To be born again,’ sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, ‘first you have to die.’”
10. When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.
11. These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr. Bucket.
12. Ok. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. It’s only a Visa bill. It’s a piece of paper; a few numbers. I mean, just how scary can a few numbers be?
13. I wish Giovanni would kiss me.
14. Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.
Oh, dear. I’ve only read 2,3,4, 5,6, 10 and 14! Clearly I need to diversify my reading list.
I’m worse! Just 1, 3, 5 and 12… maybe I’ve read the others but I don’t recall the lines.
Ahk, just 1, 8, and 13. :/
#8 is one of my favorites.