Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Beginnings/Endings Of Books

 
 
For a list of past and future Top Ten Tuesday topics and to find out more about Top Ten Tuesday, click here!
 
This week was all about our favorite beginnings and endings. You could have just gone with beginnings or endings or both and we decided to split it right down the middle. 

Beginnings


1. Tahleen's pick - A Wrinkle In Time: "It was a dark and stormy night." That's right, the classic starting line of A Wrinkle in Time  by Madeleine L'Engle. She makes such a cliched line work so, so well. Love it.

2. Tahleen's second pick - Anna Karenina: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This one is Anna Karenina by the one and only Leo Tolstoy. I like this one mostly because it's just so true. Think about it.

3. Julia's pick - The Book Thief:  I can't remember the beginning quote, I remember the scene a bit but that is not why I picked it. I picked it because it sets you up brilliantly for the rest of the book. I remember being really pleasantly surprised and thinking "What did I just get myself into? I can't wait to find out"

4. Bridget's pick - Pride & Prejudice: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." This line is so beautifully sarcastic, I love it. Jane Austen rocks.

5. Jamie's pick - Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta"My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted." It just started out with such a BIG, powerful sentence that hooked me from the beginning. 


Endings


1. Daisy's pick - The Darkest Minds: "I turned from the window, and I didn't look back." OMG, THAT ENDING!! It totally broke my heart and stomped on it and I cannot wait for Never Fade!!
***Spoiler alert***
That moment when Ruby erases Liam's memories of her?? Broke. My. Heart. Seriously.


2. Jamie's Pick - Memoirs of a Geisha: "Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper."

3. Julia's Pick - The end to Catching Fire. I am going to be deliberately vague and say that I thought I saw one twist coming and was all like "Called it bitches!" then it came around and slapped me in the face and was like "Haha. Fooled you"

4. Julia's Other Pick - The Time Traveler's Wife: It rips my soul out at the end. Like the whole end. Urgh! My favorite book. I think it is time for a reread...

5. Jamie's Pick - The Book Thief by Markus Zusack: "A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR. I am haunted by humans." I loved that Death was the narrator and this last line was just so perfect. 


What do you think of these beginnings or endings? What are some of your favorites? 



46 comments:

  1. This was a ton of fun! Great TTT post ;)
    -Scott Reads It

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  2. I've yet to read Anna Karenina, but I really like that line! Fun topic!:) My TTT list: http://aliceinreaderland.com/2013/07/29/lines/

    Alice @ Alice in Readerland

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  3. YES the beginning and ending of The Book Thief are just so perfect! Glad to see that someone else included A Wrinkle in Time on their list! The beginning of Pride and Prejudice is iconic. <3 And the ending of TDM? SLAYED ME.

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  4. Ah! I started reading Jellicoe Road and the first sentence was definitely really strong! And the book thief, man, the beginning was so intriguing and different than any other book I had read!

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  5. Hooray for The Book Thief! I too have that ending in my list of favourite endings. It was perfect and you just have no reason why but just that it was haha.

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  6. What a great collection of beginnings and endings! I can't argue with any of them! I love that you included Time Traveler's Wife (I included the beginning in my top 10 this week!), and of course, P&P, Anna K, The Book Thief! And yes, the end of Catching Fire was a killer!

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  7. Really interesting picks! I haven't yet read The Book Thief or Jellicoe Road, and clearly I need to remedy that. The first line of Jellicoe road is very standout!

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  8. I'm so glad you picked P&P - I figured someone would so I went a different route.

    I'd forgotten about that beginning to Jellicoe Road as well - such a powerful, powerful hook!

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  9. I was SO close to putting A Wrinkle in Time on my list (but ended up choosing A Wind in the Door instead). I 100% agree with those on the list I've read (which is most, but not all). As I was reading your list I was like...yesss SO MUCH YES. In my head of course, I don't want my roommate to think I've gone mad.

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  10. I'm so glad you picked P&P - I figured someone would so I went a different route.

    Also, I'd totally forgotten about that beginning to Jellicoe Road. Such a powerful, powerful hook!

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  11. Great picks! A Wrinkle in Time (I actually picked that for my favorite ending!) and Time Traveler's Wife. Curious about Darkest Minds now.

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  12. Those quotes are all absolutely fantastic. Especially The Book Thief. I still tear up whenever I think of that ending. And that quote haunts you, just as Death is haunted by humans

    Halee @ Confessions of a Book Addict

    My TTT

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  13. I just discovered Top Ten Tuesdays and they are REALLY cool. Thanks for running them for everyone. :) Also, I love all of your choices.

    Abby @ Booksandthings226

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  14. Great picks. I've picked a few classics as well, and am intrigued to see how many people go for Pride and Prejudice!

    Sarah

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  15. Great picks! Love the opening line of P&P. Oh, I forgot The Darkest minds, that ending was soo frustrating!

    My Top Ten @ Eveline's Books

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  16. Oh, how could I have forgotten the first line of Wrinkle in Time?!

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  17. My first Ten Top Tuesday, it's been fun!

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  18. The Book Thief and Catching Fire made my list as well!

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  19. The Darkest Minds ending was on my list, too.
    Awesome choices. I've added Jellicoe Road to my to read list after seeing it on so many lists today. That's an incredible first line!!

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  20. I love your picks! The Book Thief and A Wrinkle in Time made my list too. I agree that that first line of Anna Karenina is a great one. I had forgotten about that one.

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  21. My list included The Divine Comedy, The Decameron, Steppenwolf, The Tao Te Ching, The Painted Bird, and November 1916.

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  22. I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.

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  23. I LOL'ed at Julia's 'end of Catching Fire' description. Because yeah, that's pretty much how it was for me too. Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

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  24. Darkest Minds--the ending was so sad! And Time Traveler's Wife--one of my favorite books as well. ~Pam

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  25. I love those first lines for A Wrinkle in Time and Pride and Prejudice. I haven't read the Darkest Minds yet (so skipped over that one), but I have it checked out and have heard great things. Great list!

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  26. Pride and Prejudice has such a great beginning, and I wish I included it on my own list! Also: Catching Fire. I loved Julia's description, because that was my reaction too.

    I think I'm going to have to read Jellicoe Road sooner rather than later, because those quotes are amazing!

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  27. I thought it was pretty hard to find books with good endings. Novels with good beginnings are much easier to find!!!

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  28. Great picks! I especially love Pride and Prejudice and A Wrinkle in Time. ;D

    My TTT

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  29. I'm participating in this feature after a long time. I like the quote from the Memoirs of a Geisha.

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  30. I am loving these posts, so many great lines that I totally forgot about!! This is a great prompt.

    I picked Wrinkle in Time, too!

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  31. I LOVE the beginning of Pride and Prejudice! I can't believe I didn't remember that one when we did our post! great list!

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  32. I love this topic! There are so many I had to choose from.

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  33. I'm new to TTT, glad I finally joined. Great list, gonna have to check some of those out.

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  34. P & P made my list, too. Anna Karenina made me too sad to put on this list--but it is a great opening line.

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  35. I love The Book Thief's ending!

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  36. Ooh I am really looking forward to reading The Hunger Game books. I'm hoping to read them all before the second film comes out. I'm usually not very good at spotting what is coming so I should imagine I will be surprised!

    Hannah @ Girl That Loves Books

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  37. I love your picks! The Book Thief and A Wrinkle in Time made my list too.

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  38. We chose Pride & Prejudice as well as Wrinkle in Time for best beginnings too! Charming list :) Thanks for hosting!

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  39. I don't think there are any bad parts of The Book Thief. Great list you guys!

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  40. I love this topic!! It is my favorite so far, I could read these all day! Love it, your list is AMAZING!!

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  41. This is my first Top Ten - Pretty excited about it =) Love your blog and can't wait for next week!!

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  42. Wow, the Jellicoe Road quote is powerful. Great top ten topic this week :)

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  43. No joke, I almost included Pride and Prejudice and Memoirs of a Geisha on my list. But I decided to keep it all YA stuff for this post. Awesome list and great choice for Top Ten!

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  44. I love reading these posts, this one was such a good one! I love the opening to The Book Thief too!

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  45. I just did this top ten list today at The Word Nerds http://thewordnerds.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/begin-and-end/

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  46. The Book Thief was an amazing book in general.

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