Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week’s TTT is a freebie on book quotes. I’m not one to collect quotes from each book in detail, although I will highlight (in ebooks) quotes I found super interesting or well crafted for the context and story.
For that reason, I’ve chosen to highlight the first sentences of books I’ve recently finished reading or am currently reading. First lines are important as they help set the tone for drawing a reader in.
If you’ve read some of these books, do you think the first line is a good representation for the rest of the book? If you haven’t read these books, would you want to based on the first line?
Tell me what you think in the comments below!
1. A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

It was safest to cross the ocean at night, when the moon and stars shone on the water.
2. This Place is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian

The predicted rain on the first day of summer never comes, meaning I can count on two things: my mother spending most of the morning in the garden, and Thom Froggett coming by the Sprinkle Shoppe for a double scoop of Rocky Road in a waffle cone.
3. Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Spontaneity is overrated.
4. Rise of the Vicious Princess by C.J. Redwine

After tonight, the new hairstyle of Charis Willowthorn would be the only acceptable updo for a debutante to wear to a ball.
5. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

“State your name for the record, please.”
6. Don’t Forget Me by Judy Corry

Betting on my best friend’s love life was getting expensive.
7. The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad by Natasha Deen

The planets are in precise alignment, the moons are in their proper houses, and the auspicious signs can’t be denied.
8. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

The myths of my people say only a true bride of the Sea God can bring an end to his insatiable wrath.
9. Cinder & Glass by Melissa de la Cruz

I was meant to be listening to Claudine explain how best to pack for the move to Versailles.
10. The Song that Moves the Sun by Anna Bright

We begin at the center.

Did any of these first lines stick out to you?
I will admit, some of these were marvellous and some were…different than what I anticipated the book to be. If you agree or disagree, let me know what you think!

Don’t you just love it when a good quote jumps out at you? My quotes
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These are all great!
These are my quotes – hope the font is legible…
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Great list. I love your take on this week’s quote freebie prompt. And I couldn’t agree more: the 1st sentence in a book is super important.
Here is my TTT: https://herseriallife.com/top-10-badass-quotes-to-inspire-keep-fight/
Have a great week 🙂
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Glad you enjoyed it!
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This is the second time today that I see The Girl who fell beneath the Sea. Gosh, that really does seem like a good read.
Great opening lines you choose today!
Elza Reads
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Thank you! I’m liking the read so far
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I love that quote from A River Enchanted.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-humorous-quotes-from-books/
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I love that quote from A River Enchanted.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-humorous-quotes-from-books/
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This is such a great twist on the topic. I may have to do this next time we have to do quotes because I am not a quote collector either.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/10-most-recent-additions-to-my-physical-tbr/
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Yes! It was the only thing I could think of or else this list wouldn’t be much of anything 😅
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I love that first one, such a great introduction to the book.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/05/24/top-ten-tuesday-369/
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I’ve got a few of these on my TBR and some of these first lines definitely have me excited to read them. Can’t wait to tackle A River Enchanted, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and Portrait of A Thief! Great twist to today’s prompt 🙂
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Excited to see what you’d think of these books!
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I’ve seen so many people quote from Girl who Fell beneath the Sea today, and every single quote makes me want to go find it immediately and dive into it!
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Yeah, it seems like a really popular one for quotes! I’m enjoying the book so far so can’t wait to see those other quotes come up
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Some intriguing first lines there!
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
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Maybe it shows how boring I am, but I feel that one from Starry Eyes.
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It’s a short sentence but it definitely packs a punch to start off with
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I love this topic change. Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is such a quotable book! ❤
My Top Ten!
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I am so in love with the cover for The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and it seems like the writing is just as lovely. I need to pick it up soon.
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It’s definitely earning the hype so far!
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I can’t wait to read Axie Oh!
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I love the one for This Place Is Still Beautiful! An instant hook :)))
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It’s such a good book! I put up the review for it today. Excited for its release so more ppl can get their hands on it ♥️
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These are lovely first lines.
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Thank you! I’m lucky with this current batch I’m going through
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Great choice this week! First lines are so important. I haven’t read any of these yet, but Starry Eyes is waiting on my shelf!
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Thanks! It definitely sets the tone in some way for the book although a few of them surprised me with the overall vibe difference from the first line
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Haha, “Spontaneity is overrated” is an awesome opening line. I want to know what happens next.
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It definitely is 😝 I’m starting to see the good first lines are simple or super unique to the story
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