First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book
Lines
TUESDAYS WERE MARKET DAYS.
Not just for me, but for the entire city, the Rif women parading down from the mountains heralding the start, their baskets and carts overflowing with fruits and vegetables, their donkeys flanking them on either side. In response, Tangier came alive: crowds emerged, the streets flooding with men and women, foreigners and locals alike, pointing and ordering, arguing and bartering, exchanging coin for a bit of this, a bit of that. The sun seemed somehow brighter on these days, hotter, the scorch of it burning the nape of my neck.
Standing at the window now, looking down upon the swelling crowds, I made the silent wish that it was still Monday. But then, Monday, I knew, was always a false hope, a false comfort, before Tuesday would eventually come again and I would be forced to stand in the chaos swirling below me.
The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason. After the accident at Bennington, the two friends—once inseparable roommates—haven’t spoken in over a year. But there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return to their old rhythms. Perhaps Alice should be happy. She has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive heat. Lucy—always fearless and independent—helps Alice emerge from her flat and explore the country.
But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice—she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to Tangier, and her very own state of mind.
Tangerine is a sharp dagger of a book—a debut so tightly wound, so replete with exotic imagery and charm, so full of precise details and extraordinary craftsmanship, it will leave you absolutely breathless.
Million Love Songs by Carole Matthews
After splitting up with her cheating ex-husband, Ruby Brown is ready for a change. She’s single again for the first time in years and she’s going to dive into this brave new world with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. The last thing she’s looking for is another serious relationship.
Mason Soames represents everything Ruby wants right now: he’s charming, handsome, and perfect for some no-strings-attached fun, and yet Ruby can’t help feel that something is missing. Joe Edwards, on the other hand, is also lovely and handsome but he comes with the sort of baggage Ruby wants to avoid: an annoyingly attractive ex-wife and two teenage children.
Ruby soon has some very tough decisions to make. Is she ready for a relationship of any kind, and what type of life does she really want? Because while Ruby may think she knows what she wants, is that what she needs to be truly happy?
Feel-good, wonderful and an absolute must-read from the queen of romance Carole Matthews, Ruby’s story will make you laugh, cry and leave you wanting more. It’s about to get emotional in Million Love Songs
In My Sister’s Shoes by Sinéad Moriarty
Kate O’Brien is thirty and has very little to think about except trying to keep her balance as she totters up London’s media-land ladder.
Fiona O’Brien is Kate’s responsible older sister – with a husband, twin boys, a dog and now … a life-changing problem.
It’s a problem that means Kate going back to Dublin. Pronto. There she finds herself stepping into Fiona’s shoes – and discovering that she’s definitely not cut out to be a domestic goddess. On top of that, the ex she thought she’d got over years ago turns up to haunt her.
Will either of the O’Brien sisters survive? And even if they do, can either of them slip back into their old shoes ever again?
Line of Fire (Nick Stone #19) by Andy McNab
Nick Stone is back in an up-to-the-minute thriller – ripped fresh from the headlines.
Stone has returned to London.
The world is in a state of unrest and opportunists are looking to take advantage of an unstable world.
Their motives are unclear. But their threat is real.
Who are they really working for?
Bad Boy (Inspector Banks #19) by Peter Robinson
A distraught woman arrives at the Eastvale police station desperate to speak to Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. But Banks is abroad, and the woman’s revelation of a loaded gun hidden in her daughter Erin’s bedroom leads to a shocking fatality when a police armed-response team breaks into her house. The fallout will have dark consequences for Banks and his partner, DI Annie Cabbot. It turns out that Erin’s best friend is Banks’ own daughter, Tracy . . . who was last seen in the company of the weapon’s actual owner, a very bad boy indeed.
Now that his child is on the run with a psychopath, Banks finds himself caught in a bloody tangle of betrayal and murder. But the rogue DCI is a bit of a bad boy himself, and he’ll freely risk his life and career in the cause of love—and vengeance.
Piece of My Heart (Inspector Banks #16) by Peter Robinson
1969… In an era of free love and rebellion, a dead body is discovered among the detritus of a recently concluded rock festival—a beautiful young woman stabbed so savagely through the chest that a piece of her heart was sliced off.
Now… A freelance journalist, a stranger to the region, is savagely bludgeoned to death in a shocking act of violence with no apparent motive.
Two murders separated by four decades are investigated by two very different but equally haunted investigators—one, a casualty of war unable to come to terms with a confusing new world; the other, a rogue policeman harbouring ghosts of his own. But the truth behind a grisly present-day slaying may somehow be hidden in the amplified, drug-induced fog of a notorious past, propelling Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks into the darkest shadows of the peace, love, and rock ‘n’ roll generation.
If you haven’t guessed yet by the blurbs, I was gifted those books or bought myself and I read or try to read any book I’m given. Now I will go on my Goodreads to read list and pick two books at random.
Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@ked by S.J. GosleeThese Witches Don’t Burn (These Witches Don’t Burn #1) by Isabel Sterling
Hannah’s a witch, but not the kind you’re thinking of. She’s the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she’s ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans.
But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah’s concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah’s sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.
While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she’s going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem’s witches become deadlier by the day.
Soon June is pride month, I need LGBTQIA+ books recommendations I can add to my list this month. So use comments section to do that! Looking forward to hear what you want me to read.
May 28: Favorite Books Released In the Last Ten Years (one book for each year) (submitted by Anne @ Head Full of Books)
I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (2019)Pulp by Robin Talley (2018)Nothing But the Truth by Dick Lehr (2017)The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey (2016)Relinquished by Kimi Flores (2015)Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw (2014)Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel (2013)Louisiana Longshot (Miss Fortune Mystery #1) by Jana Deleon (2012)House of the Hanged by Mark Mills (2011)In the Midst of Life by Jennifer Worth (2010)The Saffron Gate by Linda Holeman (2009)
This one was harder than I thought but, I think I manged.
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book
Lines
THE MESSENGER BAG pressed tight to his hip, the hood of his black sweatshirt up, and a black-and-white checked kaffiyeh scarf looped around his swarthy neck, Epée walked quickly down the Rue Marcadet.
His name meant sword in French—more particularly, a duel sword, which is how he thought of himself that night.
I am declaring war here, Epée thought. The Sword marks the first battleground.
May 14: Page to Screen Freebie (Books that became movies/TV shows, movies that became books, great adaptations, bad ones, books you need to read before watching their movie/TV show, movies you loved based on books you hated or vice versa, books you want to read because you saw the movie or vice versa, etc.)
Dare To Love (Beautifully Broken #4) by Amanda Kaitlyn
This would make a great chic lit.
Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza
I want this to be a movie for a million reasons.
Bump by Matthew J. Metzger
This is an interesting story to see on film.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones & The Six isn’t your everyday band novel, so of course I want to see it in a movie.
The Other Boy by M.G. Hennessey
This would teach us all a thing or two as a movie
Rattle (The Bone Collector #1) by Fiona Cummins
This would keep you on your toes.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han
I loved the movie but didn’t like the book.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (The Tattooist of Auschwitz #1) by Heather Morris
A painful history lesson that ends with love.
Friend Request by Laura Marshall
A true cyber web thriller.
Tutankhamun (Rai Rahotep #2) by Nick Drake
A book full of plot twists that would create a unique movie.
I must say that it isn’t such a smart idea to read this book after the week I had to put my dog to sleep, so if you’re going through like that, I suggest that you put down this book for a bit and give yourself time. This book talks about a composer who is still closeted in his 60’s and the feeling I’ve got of why is that he fears to be the judgement of the people he composes for, but he almost doesn’t care about coming out anymore.
In a way, this dog that showed up out of nowhere has become the only partner he ever needed, and it shows that clearly because as in real life the only thing that stays by him is his dog, not his one-night stands. What made me furious is that Cockroft, the human, gives up his dog because of a lover that hated dogs, and, in my mind, I find it unreasonable to give up on my best friend that stood by my side for years, and we went through thick and thin together for a lover that might leave tomorrow.
On the one hand, this book shows the deep connections with our pets, on the other we see the stupid decisions that we human beings make at the spare of the moment that we make to regret later in our lives. This book left me with mix feels because I do get humans because I’m one of them. However, I don’t understand why Timoleon Vieta Come Home: A Sentimental Journey is being portrayed the way it is. Anyways, I gave this book a three of out five stars because of as a man who has been in relationships with another man, animal lover and LGBTQIA+ writer would have written about this topic differently. Having said this, I’m keeping in mind that Dan Rhodes, the author of this book looks like is not queer from the quick search I did, so that aspect of the book must be pure fiction.
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book
Lines
In the spring of 2015, I had a meltdown in a yoga class. Out of the blue, while in the middle of a sun salutation, I was taken over by terror and anxiety. I sat down on my mat to take a breath. It was then that I began to feel terrible pain in my neck, and the entire left side of my face and arm went numb. I started to freak out. I left the class, called my husband, and scheduled an emergency appointment with a doctor.
