The Challenge Factory discussion

Beginning January 1, 2019, I will ask an open-ended question (no right or wrong answers!) about the books you are reading now, books you have read in the past, or books you plan to read soon or to never read. Questions will be posted every other day or so.

There are no rules. How well it turns out depends entirely on you. I hope this will stimulate discussion among our members.

Suggested questions are welcome; please PM me with your recommendations.

Please reference the question when posting your answer. Doing so will avoid confusion.

January 1, 2019 - As we bid farewell to 2018 and wave hello to 2019, I've been thinking about conclusions and beginnings. What is your favorite opening line of a book? Your favorite last line? Why do you like that sentence?

What is your favorite opening line of a book? Your favorite last line? Why do you like that sentence?

I don't have any favorites but I do prefer books that don't end in a cliffhanger. I enjoy epilogues as well.

I don’t have a favorite last line.. I guess I’ve never paid attention that much!

Favorite first line easily belongs to Pride & Prejudice though: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

I love it because not only is it memorable, but it sort of sets the tone for the whole book, setting up the plot but also the humor.

JoAnne wrote: "I don't have any favorites but I do prefer books that don't end in a cliffhanger. I enjoy epilogues as well."

I only like cliffhangers if I have the next book in hand :)

I think it takes a truly talented author to leave a book finished but open for a possible sequel.

Sarah wrote: "I don’t have a favorite last line.. I guess I’ve never paid attention that much!

Favorite first line easily belongs to Pride & Prejudice..."

P&P's opening line is probably one of the best known out there.

I remember reading an Orson Scott Card novel that had the quirky ending: "The way of Path is gloriously bright," but most of the time I find opening lines (like P&P) more memorable than closing lines.

Hope wrote: "That's one of the best first lines ever. Last lines though? I have to think on that!"

I can't think of any closing lines either. There's has to be some good ones out there though.

Nathan wrote: "I remember reading an Orson Scott Card novel that had the quirky ending: "The way of Path is gloriously bright," but most of the time I find opening lines (like P&P) more memorable than closing lines."

That's pretty good. It makes me (and maybe others) wonder what the Path is.

I love a good thriller.
My favorite line ever was from the Stand: make like a library and book. I thought Stephen king's reference to reading ingenious .

Sonya wrote: "I love a good thriller.
My favorite line ever was from the Stand: make like a library and book. I thought Stephen king's reference to reading ingenious ."

I'll have to share that line with my husband. His favorite is: Make like a tree and leaf (leave).

"I'm pretty much fucked."

Andy Weir, The Martian

(I actually saw the movie and have not read the book but that is THE BEST opening line ever. Just so succinct and sums up the situation so perfectly!)

My favorite for books I have read is this one:
"It was a bright day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen".
George Orwell. 1984
It immediately sets the scene for both the ordinariness and the "wrongness" that make up the entire novel.

Jennifer wrote: ""I'm pretty much fucked."

Andy Weir, The Martian"...

*grin* That can't be better than "Call me Ishmael."

Jennifer wrote: "My favorite for books I have read is this one:
"It was a bright day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen". George Orwell 1984

It immediately sets the scene for both the ordinariness and the "wrongness" that make up the entire novel."

You're absolutely right. It does set the scene. One of these days I'll be brave enough to read 1984.

For last lines, I always found "He loved Big Brother." from 1984 one of the best because it is so, so creepy and heartbreaking.

Jennifer wrote: "For last lines, I always found "He loved Big Brother." from 1984 one of the best because it is so, so creepy and heartbreaking."

I couldn't think of any closing lines from books, so I googled 'good last lines in books' and found this website's list, 57 Beautiful Final Lines In Books That'll Send Chills Down Your Spine. Your quote has its own meme!

Lanelle wrote: "January 1, 2019 - As we bid farewell to 2018 and wave hello to 2019, I've been thinking about conclusions and beginnings. What is your favorite opening line of a book? Your favorite last line? Why do you like that sentence?"

One of my favorite opening lines is from an old book published in 1917, The Lady of the Basement Flat. "At three o'clock this afternoon Evelyn Wastneys died. I am Evelyn Wastneys, and I died, standing at the door of an old country home in Ireland...”

Doesn't that show utter despair?

"I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listen to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet Slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet Earth. ~ Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights last line

I agree my favorite first line is
"I'm pretty much fucked."

Andy Weir, The Martian
I can't think of a last line either

Lyndi wrote: ""I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listen to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever im..."

It's beautiful, Lyndi. What do you like about this line?

Leslie wrote: "I agree my favorite first line is
"I'm pretty much fucked."

Andy Weir, The Martian
I can't think of a last line either"

*grin* Two votes for The Martian!

I've never really thought about it I guess lol I mean I have some favorite lines from in the middle of books but I can't think of any start or end lines that stick with me.

Trina wrote: "I've never really thought about it I guess lol I mean I have some favorite lines from in the middle of books but I can't think of any start or end lines that stick with me."

I've only run across one or two that's stuck with me. I'm guessing that it's tricky for an author to come up with memorable opening lines.

I don't really have a favorite first line, but as far as last lines I was always fond of from both the book and movie of Gone with the Wind: Tomorrow is another day.
It summed up so much and left it open for more had Mitchell lived.

The funny thing is that my creative writing class did an assignment on our top ten favorite opening lines.

“Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery.”
Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

2. “Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own.”

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

3. “How did they find us so fast?”

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

4. “My big brother reaches home in the dark hours before dawn, when even ghosts take their rest.”

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

5. “The imposter borrowed the name of Neville Manchin, an actual professor of American literature at Portland State and soon-to-be doctoral student at Stanford.”

Camino Island by John Grisham

6. “OBSCENE GRAFFITI.”
Lies by Michael Grant

7. “Dear you, the body you are wearing used to be mine.”

The Rook by Daniel O’ Malley

8. “The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane.”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

9. “In a traitor’s game, there are no winners.”

The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer Nielsen

10. “IN THE END… the naked girl stared at herself in the motel mirror, a little sick with what she was about to do.”

Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook



In The Rook the book starts out with a letter from one person to another. The first sentence “Dear you, the body you are wearing used to be mine.” engages the reader immediately. It makes the reader continue to read on because they have no idea what just happened. The reader will want to see who is has written the letter and who is receiving it. Also, they will want to know the recipient's actions. Also, this first line dives right into the novel.

I forgot about The Rook! You’re right- that’s a great first line.

Bianca wrote: "I don't really have a favorite first line, but as far as last lines I was always fond of from both the book and movie of Gone with the Wind: Tomorrow is another day.
It summed up so much and left ..."

That line was included on that list I linked in message 16. I hadn't heard of it.

Slytherpuff wrote: "The funny thing is that my creative writing class did an assignment on our top ten favorite opening lines."

That's a tough assignment! Thanks for digging out your homework for us :)

January 1, 2019 - As we bid farewell to 2018 and wave hello to 2019, I've been thinking about conclusions and beginnings. What is your favorite opening line of a book? Your favorite last line? Why do you like that sentence?

Ans : i don't have any preference but i do like openings with distribution of nature

Ending/Opening lines (Jan 1)

One of the all-time great book endings, "After all, tomorrow is another day!" Gone with the Wind

The opening line of one of my favorite books, "It was Wang Lung's marriage day." The Good Earth

January 1, 2019 - As we bid farewell to 2018 and wave hello to 2019, I've been thinking about conclusions and beginnings. What is your favorite opening line of a book? Your favorite last line? Why do you like that sentence?

Opening lines

I'm quite partial to this one for it's incisive wit and societal observation that was so much a part of the wicked humour of Dahl's children books:

"A funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful.” from Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Then again this one is incredibly iconic, encapsulating of the plot and memorable, even if it isn't my favourite of Austen's novels:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Closing lines

Another Austen line (again not from my favourite). But this one ties the sweetness of the novel with a big fat red bow of a HEA:

"But, in spite of these deficiencies, the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony, were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union." Emma by Jane Austen

Though not a novel, I did read this play as part of my English Lit A'Level where I fell in love with all things Shakespeare. Perhaps not his finest work, it is one of his most enduring and well known. The line encapsulates the loss of Innocent and intense tragedy of the play in just 15 short words :

"For never was a story of more woe, Than this of Juliet and her Romeo." from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Slytherpuff wrote: "In The Rook the book starts out with a letter from one person to another. The first sentence “Dear you, the body you are wearing used to be mine.” engages the reader immediately... "

Oooh that has me hooked, I'm going to have to get that one now!

Wealie wrote: "Slytherpuff wrote: "In The Rook the book starts out with a letter from one person to another. The first sentence “Dear you, the body you are wearing used to be mine.” engages the reader immediately..."

I loved it. Please tell me what you think

Opening line: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times".

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Perfectly encapsulates a paradox of ordinary life that of a sudden becomes not so ordinary.

Can't think of a memorable closer.

Opening Lines:

“All children, except one, grow up.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” – Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.” — Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

The Rook is also excellent...“Dear you, the body you are wearing used to be mine.” by Daniel O’ Malley

Closing Lines:
I cheated and looked some up...I only thought of Gone With the Wind, Harry Potter, but the only quote I knew from memory was from Love You Forever.

“Tomorrow, I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.” '' - Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind

"The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better place that I go to than I have ever known.” - Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities

"'When the day shall come, that we do part,' he said softly, and turned to look at me, 'if my last words are not ‘I love you’ – ye’ll ken it was because I didna have time.'" - Diana Gabaldon, The Fiery Cross,

"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My mommy you'll be." - Robert Munsch, Love You Forever

My favorite last line is from the poignant epilogue to Mockingjay:
"But there are much worse games to play."

It sums up everything the surviving characters have been through in the trilogy.

Can't think of any favorite of opening or closing lines, but my favorite quote is from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Oh, when she’s angry, she is keen and shrewd!
She was a vixen when she went to school.
And though she be but little, she is fierce.

As far as endings go, I am in the minority as I LOVE Cliffhangers. For me, that extra bit of suspense is just the ticket. Instead if there is a complete ending, I also love epilogues.

Marla wrote: "Opening Lines:

“All children, except one, grow up.” – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was ..."

Love that Last Line from Love You Forever!!! Children's books have the BEST last lines.

"I Love You to the Moon... And Back!"
Big Nut Brown Hare from
Guess How Much I Love You

I think my favorite opening line is this:
"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.”
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. And yet I haven't read the book.

I also really like this:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Another one I haven't read yet.

Mine are both from books I read in 2018 because recent memory and all that

Opening:

I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petroskey, Michigan in August of 1974.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Closing:
I am haunted by humans
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Amazon sells mugs with Famous First Lines and Famous Last Lines: https://www.amazon.com/First-Lines-Li...

Sarah wrote: "I don’t have a favorite last line.. I guess I’ve never paid attention that much!

Favorite first line easily belongs to Pride & Prejudice though: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a sin..."

YASSSSSS!!!!!! Sarah, you stole my answer! P&P is my absolute favorite book, and I just adore the way you explained the importance of that universally acknowledged famous fist line <3

But since I'm a children's librarian, I have to add in my favorite sweet first line from a classic picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, "In the light of the moon a little egg lay on a leaf."

Jess wrote: "Mine are both from books I read in 2018 because recent memory and all that

Opening:

I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then agai..."

Jess, that closing line is SPOT ON. Yes.

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your opening and closing lines. There were a few that I remembered and a few I had never heard but liked very much.

January 2, 2019 - If you could turn a book into a movie, which book would you choose?

Please remember to include the question in your response. Thank you.

Lanelle wrote: "January 2, 2019 - If you could turn a book into a movie, which book would you choose?"

Entirely too many to choose, really!

I'd very much love to see movie (or TV, even better because room for so much more material to hit the screen) adaptations of Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner or Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling (followed by adaptations of the rest of the series, of course), as those are two of my all time favourite fictional universes I'd love to see brought to life, containing some of my all time favourite characters and romances.

(Also, a few hundred other books, but I'll leave it at these two for now. XD)

Lanelle wrote: "January 2, 2019 - If you could turn a book into a movie, which book would you choose?

Please remember to include the question in your response. Thank you."

oh god, so many to pick. Summer of Night by Dan Simmons would make a great movie, and if i recall correctly it is going to be made.

also Night Film by Marisha Pessl.

love this topic thread btw! great idea Lanelle :)

Denise wrote: "Entirely too many to choose, really!"

This might be one of the harder questions :)

Rachel wrote: "also Night Film by Marisha Pessl"

Wow. Night Film sounds creepy. And would make a great movie!

Brindi Michele wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I don’t have a favorite last line.. I guess I’ve never paid attention that much!

Favorite first line easily belongs to Pride & Prejudice though: “It is a truth universally acknowledg..."

Haha! Always happy to meet a fellow P&P enthusiast. It’s one of my all time favorites!

Lanelle wrote: "January 2, 2019 - If you could turn a book into a movie, which book would you choose?

Please remember to include the question in your response. Thank you."

As Denise said- too many to choose. One I’d like a re-do on, Under the Dome. The TV series stunk and veered to far off track. I want a true as possible to the book movie.

Traitor's Blade - movie or tv series complete with singing duels.

New Moon - because the setting sounds too fabulous not to be a stunning visual.

And this one would likely be impossible to translate to a movie because of the sheer complexity of it, Too Like the Lightning- but again, I’d really just love to see this world as the author envisioned it. And I’m curious about the characterization of the MC.