Sunday, March 11, 2018

First Lines: Jan-Feb 2018 edition

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In February I only finished reading two books, and one of them was a children’s book.  In January I read four books.

Here are the first lines of those books.

Book 1
Chapter 1: Ash Wednesday
I was late.  That in itself was a novelty. It was a dark, gusty evening in February 1969, only a few weeks after I had left the religious life, where we had practiced the most stringent punctuality.

Book 2
At dusk they pour from the sky. They blow across the ramparts, turn cartwheels over rooftops, flutter into the ravines between houses.  Entire streets swirl with them, flashing white against the cobbles.  Urgent message to the inhabitants of this town, they say.  Depart immediately to open country.

Book 3
It was five o’clock on a winter’s morning in Syria. Alongside the platform at Aleppo stood the train grandly designated in railway guides as the Taurus Express.

Book 4
 “I think you’re getting things a bit out of proportion, Mr. Parsons,” Burden said. He was tired and he’d been going to take his wife to the pictures.  Besides, the first things he’d noticed when Parsons brought him into the room were the books in the rack by the fireplace.  The titles were enough to give the most level-headed man the jitters, quite enough to make a man anxious where no ground for anxiety existed:  Palmer the Poisoner, The Trial of Madeleine Smith, Three Drowned brides, Famous Trials, Notable British Trials.

Book 5
(The book begins with graphic pages)
“Happy birthday to Youuuuuuuu.”
“What’s this, Donald?”
“This is your birthday present. It is a Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 200X!  Happy birthday.”
“It’s a vacuum cleaner.”

Book 6
Welcome to the office of Clerk of Session! You have joined a unique and important group of people within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

* * * * * *

But what in the heck was I doing, that I had no time to finish books?  Mostly I was doing my new job, which is quite intense.  But also planning an overseas trip, getting election petitions signed, Clerk-of-Session-ing, protesting my Congressman’s actions and inactions, attending a candidate forum for the US Congressional candidates (in our ever-changing district).  Oh, and a three-day trip to the Next Church conference in Baltimore. I didn’t even have the time to go to book club in February. I am exhausted.  Sadly, I’ve had no time to formulate thoughts, much less write them down.

* * * * * *

Titles and authors revealed:

Book 1
The Spiral Staircase, by Karen Armstrong (for one book club).  This book club likes Karen Armstrong, but I am not as enthusiastic.  This one is a memoir.

Book 2
All the Light We Cannot See (for the other book club).  Second reading.  I think this is an extraordinary book. 

Book 3
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.  I read it because I wanted to see if the same values were expressed as the values I saw in the recent movie.  They weren’t, as far as I could tell.

Book 4
From Doon with Death, by Ruth Rendell.  It started slow, and got more interesting in subsequent chapters.  It’s the first in the “Inspector Wexford” series.  I’ve read that this author came into her own in later books.  This one is rather mundane, but I would like to read more of this author.

Book 5
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, text by Kate DiCamillo; illustrations by K.G. Campbell.  © 2013.  Delightful characters and whimsical writing. 

Book 6
Handbook for Clerks of Session, February 2016 by Office of the Stated Clerk of Pittsburgh Presbytery.



3 comments:

Patience_Crabstick said...

It's weird to see Aleppo mentioned as a place one would visit. :( I don't think I've read Murder on the Orient Express, although I was on a Christie kick years ago.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

All the Light We Cannot See is such an amazing book! First lines of books should grab a person, interest them, compel them to read further -- and ATLWCS does this so very well. I'm impressed by your #6 but I don't think you could pay me to do the job. These days I wonder how much longer I can stick with the job I am doing! I might stick with it long enough to attend Next Church in Seattle next year. (Thanks for the tip!)
I do appreciate your first lines posts every single time you produce them. Thank you for a peek into your reading world.

Anonymous said...

You sure read a lot and a variety. Now you've got me intrigued to reread Christie and see the movie.