~ I will post the first sentences of ten books. (I skip any beginning quotations or prefaces. If I think more than one sentence is necessary, I’ll post two.)
~ You guess the titles and authors and leave your guesses in the comments.
~ You don’t have to guess on all ten; guess on the ones you know.
~ I’ll update the post by putting the lines in bold and adding titles and authors when someone gets one correct.
~ Have fun!
1. After dinner I sat and waited for Pyle in my room over the rue Catinat: he had said, “I’ll be with you at latest by ten,” and when midnight had struck I couldn’t stay quiet any longer and went down into the street. – The Quiet American, Graham Greene – guessed by MJ
2. While the present century was in its teens, and on one sun-shiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton’s academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall, a large family coach, with two fat horses in blazing harness, driven by a fat coachman in a three-cornered hat and wig, at the rate of four miles an hour. – Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray – guessed by Shelley and Belle
3. I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. – The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls – guessed by Kathy
4. From the old and pleasantly situated village of Mayenfeld, a footpath winds through green and shady meadows to the foot of the mountains, which on this side look down from their stern and lofty heights upon the valley below. – Heidi, Johanna Spyri – guessed by Shelley and Belle
5. I am in a car park in Leeds when I tell my husband I don’t want to be married to him anymore. – How to Be Good, Nick Hornby – guessed by Florinda
6. I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes. – The Host, Stephenie Meyer – stumped you!
7. There are some men who enter a woman’s life and screw it up forever. – One for the Money, Janet Evanovich – guessed by MJ
8. It begins, as most things begin, with a song. – Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman – guessed by Nymeth
9. In a city called Stonetown, near a port called Stonetown Harbor, a boy named Reynie Muldoon was preparing to take an important test. – The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart – guessed by Kristen
10. The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex. – Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen – guessed by Florinda
1. The Quiet American
7. One For the Money
Number 3 is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
MJ & Kathy – yep, you’re right – I’m updating now.
Twitter: florinda_3rs
says:
2. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
3. The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls
5. How To Be Good, by Nick Hornby
10. Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
I’m guessing at #2 and #10
.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Florinda – correct on 3, 5, and 10, although Kathy got #3 before you. #2 is not Jane Eyre, but it is a classic.
8 – Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. LOVE that book
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Nymeth – yes, you’re right. I love it, too.
Twitter: youvegottaread
says:
Jeez. I have no idea on these! Everyone else has been busy and productive!
Ooh, #9 is The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart!
Oh darn. Kathy got The Glass Castle. That’s the only one I knew. Great first sentences!
Twitter: confuzzledbooks
says:
Is #6 Twilight?
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Sandy –
Kirsten – yes, it is.
Rebecca – I knew that would be one of the most familiar ones.
Shannon – no, but you’re close.
Carrie, have you read the second Mysterious Benedict Society book yet? It’s sitting on my TBR pile, but I’ve only heard wishy-washy things about it, so it keeps getting bumped.
I’m a new subscriber to your blog, by the way; perhaps I should have introduced myself before jumping into the game, but I was excited to see one I knew that hadn’t yet been guessed
Your sticky book list was what caught me, I believe. Some great choices.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kirsten – I’m glad you just jumped in! I read both of the Mysterious Benedict Society books aloud to my kids, and we loved them both. The kids thought the second one was just as good as the first. I thought it wasn’t quite as good, but still an excellent children’s novel. I say go ahead and give it a try!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Okay, everyone – I’m adding clues to the last three.
2. Sounds like Vanity Fair
4. Heidi?
Twitter: msbookish
says:
Oh, Shelley beat me to it! My guess, too is that #2 is Vanity Fair (I didn’t know they made a film of it!) and #4 is Heidi.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Shelley and Belle – yes, you’re right on #2 and #4. Everyone seems stumped on #6 – it’s The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
Thanks for playing everyone!
I was actually going to guess The Host, but it would have been purely a guess!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Shelley – guesses are definitely allowed!