Best Opening Lines In Books // favourite first sentences

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Best Opening Lines In Books // favourite first sentences

Рет қаралды 12,988

Күн бұрын

A look at the best opening lines in books that I've read and why I like them so much. Crafting a gripping opening line or hook to your novel can seem daunting, but I hope this video will be helpful to show you some of the best first sentences I've come across in books and why they work so well. It might help you write your own best opening line for your books.
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#bestFirstLines #bestOpeningLines #bestHooksInBooks

Пікірлер: 84

@ErelasInglor 5 жыл бұрын

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." - J.R.R. Tolkien, (The Hobbit)

@luazul_ 5 жыл бұрын

thats the first thing that came to my mind

@cyrineh5602 5 жыл бұрын

My favourite first sentence is of course non other than "Mr and Mrs Dursley of number 4 Privet Drive were very proud to say they were perfectly normal. Thank you very much"

@rickcroucher 5 жыл бұрын

“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.” SCARAMOUCHE by Rafael Sabatini

@erildaselaj7337 3 жыл бұрын

Damn, now I want to read this book

@chrislowe2537 5 жыл бұрын

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." - 1984, George Orwell Mr. Sanderson knows what he's about with first lines. One of his is also up there for me. "Ash fell from the sky." Something succinct and a little off makes for a great first line.

@nihad-m 5 жыл бұрын

I never used to pay attention to first sentences/paragraphs(in prologues or first chapters), that until I read The Name of the Wind. The entire prologue is, in fact, one of the best pieces of writing I have ever encountered. I sometimes pick up the book just to read it, then put it back down. Last paragraphs, I came to realize, are also as essential; Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay, for example, has one that brings a perfect closure to a perfect story. Back to the topic :One author that never cease to amaze me at the beauty and subtlety of her first paragraphs construction is Catherynne M Valente. An example ; "In a city by the sea which was once called St. Petersburg, then Petrograd, then Leningrad, then, much later, St. Petersburg again, there stood a long, thin house on a long, thin street. By a long, thin window, a child in a pale blue dress and pale green slippers waited for a bird to marry her." Deathless. This is perfection in my opinion👌. good luck on your writing 💓

@bridge4 5 жыл бұрын

Youre awesome.Please do a final words video as well someday :))

@nihad-m 5 жыл бұрын

@@bridge4 😅I don't make youtube videos. But if I did, your suggestion would have been one of the first 😂😂

@TheToneBender 5 жыл бұрын

"In a cupboard under the stairs there lived a wizard."

@patrickdemets6018 5 жыл бұрын

"The small boys came early to the hanging." -- Ken Follett (The Pillars of the Earth). So many questions popped up in my mind from just those simple eight words! Talk about a hook.

@Grimscribe732 5 жыл бұрын

"Call me Jonah. My parents did, or nearly did. The called me John." - Kurt Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle) [Yes, I know. Technically this is more than one sentence, but it is the opening.] "I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why." - HP Lovecraft (At the Mountains of Madness) "The building was on fire, and it wasn’t my fault." - Jim Butcher (Blood Rites)

@Axel12145 5 жыл бұрын

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed" the only first sentence that i really love

@nihad-m 5 жыл бұрын

One of my favorites.

@bridge4 5 жыл бұрын

Nice one!

@michaeljtouhey 5 жыл бұрын

I loathed that series. I gave up at book 3.

@andrescastanedagutierrez7838 5 жыл бұрын

Axel121 4 yes

@dancingbear614 5 жыл бұрын

Hands down. Best.

@tpstps85 5 жыл бұрын

'It's funny, Vasher thought, How many things begin with my getting thrown into prison.' Warbreaker.

@a.j.torres3131 5 жыл бұрын

I don't rely on the first sentence to hook me, I rely on the entire first chapter. I think it's odd that authors need to put in everything on creating the most amazing first sentence to hook readers and be stressed out by publishers for it not being interesting enough. To me there are at least 4 hooks before opening that book: Cover, tagline, title, and summary/synopsis. If they are interested by the first 4 hooks then I think you are fine, but that could also just be me.

@andrescastanedagutierrez7838 5 жыл бұрын

"Almost everyone thought the man and the boy were father and son." From 'Salem's Lot

@gegalloneword1481 5 жыл бұрын

opening line from William Gibson's Neuromancer is top notch. "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel" same with Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys opening paragraph "It begins, as most things begin, with a song. In the beginning, after all, were the words, and they came with a tune. That was how the world was made, how the void was divided, how the lands and the stars and the dreams and the little gods and the animals, how all them came into the world. They were sung" there are others, but those are top of the list for me.

@mediumjohnsilver 4 жыл бұрын

My favorite opening lines come from John Swartzwelder's farcical novella "Dead Men Scare Me Stupid": Well, they found Amelia Earhart. That's the good news. Unfortunately, they found her in the trunk of my car. Boy, was my face red.

@tmm_2455 3 жыл бұрын

Name of the Winds while prologue is brilliant. I do love Pats style, it’s almost poetic at times.

@daydreamer8177 5 жыл бұрын

I write down the first lines in a special notebook. I love the first sentences for all the reasons you mentioned. I've written down 83 first lines so far (not necessarily from the books I read, but the ones I could find on the internet). My main observation about them is that most of them are about someone's death. I came to the conclusion that if an author manages to hook my attention with something that has got nothing to do with death, more skilful he/ she is.

@Morfeusm 5 жыл бұрын

So many! One of my favorites is When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere. Day of the Triffids By John Wyndham

@sailortwips 5 жыл бұрын

This is a cool idea for a video! The first paragraph/chapter of a book is usually how I decide if I’m interested in buying/reading a book, since the synopsis on the back can sometimes give away too much about the story, so the first sentence is something I always notice and appreciate when it’s done well. Now I feel like I need to go through all my books and pick out my favourite first sentences too 😋

@kristinalam6614 3 жыл бұрын

One of my favorite first lines would be Red Rising. It’s: The first thing you should know about me is I am my father’s son. And when they came for him, I did as he asked. I did not cry. Not when the Society televised the arrest. Not when the Golds tried him. Not when the Grays hanged him. Mother hit me for that. My brother Kieran was supposed to be the stoic one. He was the elder, I the younger. I was supposed to cry. Instead, Kieran bawled like a girl when Little Eo tucked a haemanthus into Father’s left workboot and ran back to her own father’s side. My sister Leanna murmured a lament beside me. I just watched and thought it a shame that he died dancing but without his dancing shoes. On Mars there is not much gravity. So you have to pull the feet to break the neck. They let the loved ones do it. It shows so much about his character right off the bat and shows the world he lives in really well. (Btw I know it’s an entire paragraph but I don’t care)

@IasminaEdina 3 жыл бұрын

I have started this book and I really enjoyed that opening as well! Need to continue at some point.

@JCaylor2099 Жыл бұрын

One of the absolute best is "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed" its from The Gunslinger by Stephen King

@luziferkupfer 5 жыл бұрын

My favourite first sentence is from Franz Kafka's "Die Verwandlung": "Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt."

@issamhamad3828 5 жыл бұрын

There isn’t a bird like me in every cage in Lebanon, I guess; I’m the feathered friend who can get it for you. This is the first line of my novel, The Birdshack Redemption, which is a retelling of The Shawshank Redemption with bird characters.

@santanasg8445 5 жыл бұрын

First sentences are one of my most important things to consider when deciding my favorite books, I just feel they have so much power, and the really good ones stick with you

@tattercoats6154 5 жыл бұрын

This was such an interesting idea for a video!

@ErelasInglor 5 жыл бұрын

Also... "Lift prepared to be awesome". - Brandon Sanderson, (Edgedancer)

@andrada-mariapricop8986 5 жыл бұрын

Loved this video! I totally agree with you on the importance of first sentences/paragraphs. I'm not a writer, but I'm a reader and it is really like that: a first paragraph should make you feel like you want to read more of that book. A friend just recommended me a podcast created by Brandon Sanderson. It's called Writing Excuses. Maybe you already know it already, but in case you don't, I thought I could share.

@slaterspike 5 жыл бұрын

I love the begging of David Wong's classic John Dies at the end. It sets the tone and the feel for the whole book series. It goes "Solving the following riddle will reveal the awful secret behind the universe, assuming you do not go utterly mad in the attempt. If you already happen to know the awful secret behind the universe, feel free to skip ahead."

@danacampbell8331 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. So much.

@cynthiapayne9906 5 жыл бұрын

Cute video! I liked the library/unexpected vampire one :)

@TurnFullCircle 5 жыл бұрын

Great food for though...thanks so much!

@Watersapphire 5 жыл бұрын

I know that some people start with the last page for some reason...

@acajudi100 3 жыл бұрын

I jump all over.

@BigTex347 2 жыл бұрын

"Life is difficult." M. Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled)

@bridge4 5 жыл бұрын

whoa, never caught the silence three parts being connected to three nights of story-telling. thanks!

@ashutoshtripathi. 5 жыл бұрын

Love your videos, man.

@mastersaumik 5 жыл бұрын

Nice choices, Iasmina. The last one that struck me was: "For thirthy-five years now I've been in wastepaper, and it's my love story." from B. Hrabal's "Too loud a solitude"

@trose4837 5 жыл бұрын

One of my All-time favorite series is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, and I believe it is the 5th book in the series, Dead Beat, that has my favorite opening line. "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault."

@trose4837 5 жыл бұрын

Iasmina I watched your top 10 video and almost all of the books you mentioned are in my top 10 as well. I don't know if you have read Dresden files but if you haven't you won't regret picking it up! Jim Butcher is Patrick Rothfuss favorite author :)

@kcluu9390 3 жыл бұрын

Modern Lit: "I always get the shakes before a drop" - Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers Classical Lit: "I sing of arms and the man" - Virgil, The Aeneid

@thelifeandtimesofjames4273 5 жыл бұрын

your accent is just superb

@mathildehirth8408 5 жыл бұрын

Can you please do a bookshelf tour???

@IasminaEdina 5 жыл бұрын

definitely :)

@bridge4 5 жыл бұрын

First Sentences in books, and even First S\entences in each chapter =))) Last Sentences too (Game of Thrones Book 1 Spoiler below - I know you've read it. but figured I'd give a heads up to your subs): The other two pulled away from her breasts and added their voices to the call, translucent wings unfolding and stirring the air, and for the first time in hundreds of years, the night came alive with the music of dragons. (AGOT, Daenerys X)

@Tsuferman 5 жыл бұрын

Like a lot of people these days, I read AGOT after watching the HBO series. While reading it I noticed the first season and the first book are pretty much identical. But man was I not prepared for Dany's whole birth of dragons sequence in the end. I was truly blown away by the writing in that chapter. And that last sentence was so powerful and wholesome and made me so happy.. I kept being super excited about it for a few days I think. Also I wanna use this chance to tell you your videos made me discover more depth and appreciate this series in an even more profound way so thanks a lot :)

@ihatemickiegee 3 жыл бұрын

"Mrs. Dalloway thought that she would buy the flowers herself." - Virginia Woolf

@catioroforasterodeloeste4790 5 жыл бұрын

my favourite is the one from "The restaurant at the end of the universe".

@williamcodywinter 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting video

@acajudi100 3 жыл бұрын

I love them also.

@michaeljtouhey 5 жыл бұрын

I never judge a book by the first sentence. I never put down a book before 200 pages or so. I am a bit of a completionist but I have DNF’d a few. Watching this video, it’s neat to hear some of the first sentences again from some of the books I am familiar with but I don’t think people should ever stop reading because of one sentence.

@jamestaylor7226 5 жыл бұрын

It drifted along like a dream, on wing.

@ArdaKaraduman 5 жыл бұрын

My DNF threshold is usually the first chapter (sometimes it can increase or decrease, depending on rating, authors other books, my expectations etc.). I never put a book down after the first sentence.

@TheToneBender 5 жыл бұрын

Imo, a first sentence really helps, but the first chapter should definitely capture me. But the sooner, the better.

@amar5136 5 жыл бұрын

While watching this I thought, which is my favourite first sentence. And it just struck me that, only first sentence I could remember was 'It was a Silence of Three Parts'.

@cifge_404 5 жыл бұрын

Hey! This might seem a bit random, but I kinda want to read a really, really long epic fantasy (like, 1,000 pages or more). Problem is, I don't really know where to find a good, clean one... Can anyone help with that? Thanks.

@yandusoup 5 жыл бұрын

I think first sentences are important (just like an opening scene in a movie), because I usually read the first page before buying a book.

@robertcoyle1532 Жыл бұрын

Holy smoke! It's been three years now and nobody remembers the one classic opening line of all time... "It was a dark ans stormy night."

@oriannamatos2760 5 жыл бұрын

I don't really love YA contemporary literature right now, but... I think that "genre" recieves a lot of bully, because there is a lot of -and it's only MY opinion- bad stories or cliche ones in that genre. But I think that there is a punch of good books that should been took seriously (the genre is not the probem, but the authors), and I also love John Green and I don't understand why there is a lot of people saying that he is overvalued. He create funny and touching stories with really clear messages, and I don't like when someone says things like The Fault in Our Stars is a "romantic YA novel"... is not! (at least is not all what it is, by far). I think he has the talent to write more "complex" books, but he just choose YA, and put genius pieces inside (An abundance of Katherines is my favorite). But anyway... I love great first sentences/quotes too (all of them: funny, dramatics...) One of my favs it's from One Hundred Years of Solitude : "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."