First Lines Friday: January 9th, 2026

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

For this week’s First Lines Friday, I’m featuring a book that I’m sure many of you will instantly recognize. It’s one that has been talked about ad nauseum in the bookish community and it made me curious. It’s not often that a book seems to be so beloved! I’ve already started reading it and, so far, I can kind of see why it’s so popular!

Now it’s time for the first line to see if it can capture your attention, as well.

The Line(s):

“The transformation occurred at approximately 2:23 A.M., Pacific Standard Time.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 2nd, 2026

Featured kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to the end of the week and, quite honestly, I don’t know which way is up, haha. This has been a topsy-turvy couple of weeks and I’m kind of glad I don’t have any significant plans going into the weekend. Before the weekend fully hits, though, it’s time for another First Lines Friday post!

The book I’m featuring today is one I’ve just started during my lunch break at work. I’ve had a hold on the audiobook for a minute and it finally became available! And, I’m going to be honest with you, the only reason I’m listening to it is because Richard Armitage is one of the narrators 😂 That man could read me a grocery list and I’d rate it highly! Still, I’m intrigued by the opening of the story and am hoping that continues.

Now, let’s see if you can guess what I’ve started by just the first few lines!

The Line(s):

“It wasn’t love at first sight. I can admit that now. But by the end, I loved her more than I thought it was possible to love another human being.“

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday: February 14th, 2025

February 14, 2025 kerrimcbooknerd2 Comments

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope all of you are having a wonderful Friday. I’ve had the day off and have spent it getting breakfast with my husband and reading in bed. Kind of a perfect Valentine’s Day, if you ask me! Today’s featured book for this First Lines Friday has a bit of a romance sprinkled in, so I think it’s a perfect pick for the day. Also I’m loving my reading experience with it, so far, so I would have picked it either way 😂

I’ve already been sucked into the story, but let’s see if the first few lines can capture your imagination.

The Line(s):

“The modern world is severely lacking in magic, and those who crave it are at a constant disadvantage because they are desperate and it’s in short supply. Some places – amusement parks, country fairs, museums, old bookstores – can temporarily fill the void, but there will always be people who check every armoire for a door to Narnia, every rabbit hole for a road to Wonderland.“

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 31st, 2025

January 31, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Welcome to another First Lines Friday! I’m happy to gotten through another work week and not have to worry about working the weekend. Two whole days off of work? Whatever shall I do with myself? (Spoiler alert: I’ll be reading 😂) For this week, I’m featuring a sequel that I just picked up and am already loving. If you’ve been paying attention around here, you’ll probably be able to guess what it is without even the first line, haha.

That being said, let’s see if the first lines can pull you into the story.

The Line(s):

“The darkness bled into itself – no beginning, no end. I floated, buoyant on a tide of salt water. Above me, the night sky had blackened – moon and stars masked by heavy, water-laden clouds that never receded.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 24th, 2025

January 24, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Welcome to another First Lines Friday! For this week’s installment, I didn’t have a specific book in mind. I’m really stuck in Babylonia at the moment and it has taken over the bookish corner of my brain, haha. So we’re gonna be completely random with this one and grab something off my full-to-bursting bookshelf!

Perhaps reading the first line will not only make you want to read it, but me as well.

The Line(s):

“The legend they tell about me goes something like this:

First, you’ll see a streak of silver across the sky, like a comet burning through the fog.

Then, the clock hands will still halfway between this second and the next.

The world will fall silent, and the Reaper will knock three times on your bedroom door.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday: January 17th, 2025

January 17, 2025 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

Happy Friday, everyone! And, possibly, happy long weekend if you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day in your neck of the woods. This is the first time in a loooong time that I actually have all three days off! That’s the life of being a healthcare worker for ya. To kick off a weekend of rest, relaxation, and lots of reading, it’s time for another First Lines Friday. Today’s pick is a novel that explores a culture that isn’t usually visited in historical fiction novels. I’m having an incredible time reading it, so far, and I have to say, the first line definitely pulled me in!

Now, let’s see if the first line will be intriguing enough to pull you in, as well.

The Line(s):

“She kills her lover on the altar of a foreign goddess.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

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First Lines Friday: January 10th, 2025

January 10, 2025 kerrimcbooknerd1 Comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

It’s time for my first First Lines Friday of 2025! I miss doing this particular bookish meme because I do love a guessing game. This week, I’m featuring one of my current reads that has proven to be quite the ride. It’s a thriller that has completely sucked me in and I’m so eager to see how it ends.

Now, let’s see if the first lines will be intriguing enough to pull you in, as well.

The Line(s):

“She looks at the body of her mother, sprawled in the hallway. If she turns her head, she will see her father, slumped in his chair by the fireplace in the next room, one fingertip still touching the side of a glass in which his whiskey, the ice long melted, still sits.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday #78

July 14, 2023July 14, 2023 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve reached the end of the standard work week, which means it’s time for another First Lines Friday! This week, I’m featuring a romance that I recently picked up after hearing about it all over the bookish community. I read this book in two days, so I see why so many people were gushing about it!

I got pulled into the story fairly quickly, so let’s see if the first few lines can do the same for you.

The Line(s):

“The last time I attended a funeral, I ended up with a broken arm. The story made headlines after I threw myself into my mother’s open grave.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday #77

July 7, 2023 kerrimcbooknerd4 Comments

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

I’m back on my BS, which means I’m back to one of my favorite posts: First Lines Friday! I’m a sucker for a good guessing game, what can I say? Now, the book I’m featuring today is one that I recently started reading because I enjoyed a previous book from the author. So far, I’m having a lot of fun with it and, now, I’m hoping I can get you to read it by luring you with the first few lines.

Let’s see if my plan will work!

The Line(s):

“There was a vulture on the mailbox of my grandmother’s house. As omens go, it doesn’t get much more obvious than that.”

The Build Up:

The Reveal:

Continue reading →

first lines friday

First Lines Friday #76

March 24, 2023March 24, 2023 kerrimcbooknerdLeave a comment

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
Finally… reveal the book!

If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!

Hello, reader!

We’ve made it to the end of another week and I, for one, am pretty happy about it! Though I do have to work this weekend so that’s less fun, haha. Still, the end of the work week means it’s time for another First Lines Friday! This week, I’m featuring a book that I just picked up from my local library. I’ve already started reading it and, I have to say, the first few lines definitely drew me into the story!

Now, let’s see if they can do the same for you.

The Line(s):

“The Masson House of Degener, Texas, was like the corpse of an old monster, too strange and feared for most to approach it, much less attempt to bury it. After all, it might be feigning death or dormant.”