General Books / Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday: Opening Lines from Five-Star Reads!

Dini @ dinipandareads55 Comments

So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Opening Lines (Best, favorite, funny, unique, shocking, gripping, lines that grabbed you immediately, etc.)

Who doesn’t love a good opening line?! I certainly do and I usually share some first/opening lines every Friday for my “First Lines Friday” posts! Since this week’s prompt is open to interpretation I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do since it’s so hard for me to choose “favourites” — there are always so many, how do I choose?!

(Also, my memory is really not that great 😂)

So I decided to keep things simple, especially as I’m writing this during one of my quick work breaks lol, and look at the opening lines from my last ten ★★★★★ (5 star) reads! Yes, some of these might be more than just the first line, but opening lines plural, right? 😂

“Celeste san Marina dug a grave that night.”

Incendiary, Zoraida Córdova

“Lines. I am good at lines. I am good at lines because you don’t have to think in them, just stand in them, and this line is easy because now only a few people are in front of me, and easy because I understand the reason I am in it, and it’s a good reason, and I am good at lines.”

They Went Left, Monica Hesse

“The journalists arrived before the coffin did.
They gathered at the gate overnight and by dawn they were a crowd.
By nine o’clock they were a swarm.”

The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #1), Jessica Townsend

“I open my eyes at midnight to the sound of the ocean and my brother’s breathing. It’s been ten months since Cal drowned, but the dreams still escape.”

Words in Deep Blue, Cath Crowley

“I’ve been told I have a temper.
I prefer to be called tempestuous. Big words for a soccer jock, I know, but work in a bookstore for as many summers as I have, and you can’t help but broaden your vocabulary.”

Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1), Chloe Liese

“Flipping down my visor mirror, I apply one last coat of gloss and then tousle my hair for a little volume. I spent hours this morning picking out the perfect dress, before bronzing some of the morning sickness out of my complexion. Somewhat satisfied, I smooth my hand over my dress, caressing my bump.”

The Guy on the Left (The Underdogs #2), Kate Stewart

“The night Marcella died, she made her husband’s favorite dinner.”

Vengeful (Villains #2), V.E. Schwab

“On Sunday I work in sans serif.
Boldface for all the headers, because that’s what the client wants, apexes and vertexes flattened way out into big floors and tables for every letter, each one stretching and counting and demanding to be seen.”

Love Lettering, Kate Clayborn

“I didn’t choose the wench life. The wench life chose me.”

Well Met (Well Met #1), Jen DeLuca

“Quinn Caine may have traveled all over the world, but she still thought nothing was more enchanting than springtime in Vienna, Virginia, especially driving with the windows down on Church Street.”

To Kill A Mocking Girl (Bookbinding Mystery #1), Harper Kincaid

Have you read any of these books?
Did any of your last five star reads have great opening lines?

55 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday: Opening Lines from Five-Star Reads!”

  5. I loved Nevermoor and I enjoyed Wunderstruck even more!! Such a great series. I love the opening line for Vengeful. When I read it, I was like wow! I forgot about it for my post though, haha.

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    • I can’t wait to read Wunderstruck. Tempted to read it right now but I have so many blog tour reads to power through and I’m doing a terrible job of reading 😂 Vengeful was so great! Reading the opening lines made me want to read the series again lol

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      • Haha! I feel like I’m about to head into a slump with all that’s going on in real life! So, I hear you on the reading front! Good luck on the blog tours! Do you have a bunch left??

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  6. I haven’t read any of these, but now I want to. What great opening lines. Incendiary, The Trials of Morrigan Crow, and Well Met were my favorite lines. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I kind of did the same thing you did with this one and chose the opening lines of my most recent reads. But your opening lines are awesome. Makes me want to read so many of these books. 🙂

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  12. I like the darker ones! Really grabs your attention right away. Like what the $%& happened here? Digging a grave?! 😅

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    • I know what you mean! I ordered my copy of the second book ages ago but it still hasn’t arrived yet thanks to the pandemic. I’ve decided to stop waiting and just bought the ebook so I could continue with the series. Too good!

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  15. Words in deep blue is the only book I’ve read out of this list, but that opened to they went left… DANG that’s a good one. I’m super curious to know more about it. Definitely one that would make me keep reading 😊😊😊💛💚💜💙

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    • There’s a whole bunch of lettering and font talk in Love Lettering (unsurprisingly) and I also found it really awesome — haha I guess it just really spoke to my inner nerd! But that book… Didn’t expect it to win me over so much but it stole the show ❤

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  22. Oh! So many good books on here 😍😍😍 I adored Love Lettering and really want to try The Guy on the Right (that’s the first book, right? It’s on my TBR) and Well Met. Fab choices in this post Dini!!

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