First Lines from Women’s Fiction

Let’s celebrate women’s history month with first lines from women’s fiction. First Line Friday is a series of blog articles posted on the first Friday of every month. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Do these first lines hook you? Do you want to read more?


The cover of A Train to Moscow has a graphic of yellow corners and a red pair of red triangles with the tops meeting in the middle form two triangles revealing the profile of a young woman looking  pensive. Its the first book in the first lines from women's fiction blog post.

She immediately knows something is wrong. The door to Marik’s house is ajar, and there is a black car blocking the street just a few meters away.

A Train to Moscow by Elena Gorokhova

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, The Jewish Spy, shows a young woman in a red dress and carrying luggage walk away from the camera down a city street, the buildings are unfamiliar and have Nazi banners hanging at intervals. Two bombers fly overhead in a smoky sky.

Rivka’s whole body ached with nostalgia, even though her husband and children were with her in her home town of Nadvorna to celebrate her forty-second birthday.

The Jewish Spy (World War II Brave Women Fiction)  by Hayuta Katzenelson 

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, These Tangled Vines, shows large stone home on a hilltop in the distance.

The telephone rang and woke me from a dream. I must have been deep in the REM cycle, because I was cognizant of the ringing, but I believed it was part of the dream, so I chose to ignore it.

These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, The Woman in the WIndow,has a graphic representing venitian blinds in the foreground with the book title in red behind the blinds.

 Her husband’s almost home. He’ll catch her this time.

The Woman in the Window  by A. J. Finn  

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, The Four winds, shows golden ripe wheat stalks against a black background.

Elsa Wolcott had spent years in enforced solitude, reading fictional adventures and imagining other lives.

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, Will Women and the Blues, shows a young woman's plunging v neckline in the back of her green dress.

On the fifth floor of the Bronzeville Senior Living Facility, I stand outside the smallest room in the world, doing my best to ignore the dropped ceiling and square linoleum tiles, stoking my claustrophobia.

Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, The Vanishing half shows vibrant colors in the shapes of overlapping female faces.

The morning one of the lost twins returned to Mallard, Lou LeBon ran to the diner to break the news, and even now, many years later, everyone remembers the shock of sweaty Lou pushing through the glass doors, chest heaving, neckline darkened with his own efforts. 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

The first lines from women's fiction cover of the book, The last flight, is a red and black photo looking down an escalator to the silhouette of a woman at the bottom.

Prologue:Terminal 4 swarms with people, the smell of wet wool and jet fuel thick around me. I wait for her, just inside the glass sliding doors, the frigid winter wind slamming into me whenever they open, and instead force myself to visualize a balmy Puerto Rican breeze, laced with the scent of hibiscus and sea salt.  

The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Clarification

There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. Usually these titles are pulled at random. They are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books.

Do You Want to Read More?

Did you enjoy this list? Check out previous First Line Fridays. You’ll put an enormous smile on my face if you tell me in the comments below—

What’s your favorite first line?

Do You Want to Read More?

First Line Friday is a series of blog articles posted on the first Friday of every month. The first line of a story, we’re told, must hook the reader. Implied is that the reader will not buy the book if the first line isn’t great. These entries are from Amazon, my personal library, or other online booksellers. Do these first lines hook you? Do you want to read more?

John Allerton sucked in another painful breath and struggled not to cough it out.

Image of the book, Unprepared, The Scourge Series Book 1. Do You want to read more?

Tom Abrahams, Unprepared (The Scourge Book 1)


Papa fell down and he didn’t stand up again.

Ramona Finn, The Culling (The Culling Trilogy Book 1)


Harvey Watson didn’t want to admit it, but he was lost.

Ryan Casey, Outbreak: A Post Apocalyptic Survival Thriller 


I had my recurring dream last night.

Image of the book cover for Parable of the Sower. Do you want to read more?

Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower


Alex Hawk looked from one corner of his basement to the other.

Shawn Inmon, A Door Into Time: An Alex Hawk Time Travel Adventure


Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we?

N.K. Jemisin, The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Book 1)


It feels like we’re running away…

S. M. Anderson, A Bright Shore (The Eden Chronicles Book 1)


I sometimes wonder what was disappeared first—among all the things that have vanished from the island.

Yoko Ogawa, Translated from Japanese by StephenSnyder, The Memory Police


The librarians never asked why their patrons needed to check out a baby.

Gay, Roxane Graceful Burdens Short Read (Out of Line collection)


Florian Parks was sitting in the Gantry watchtower, whittling a wooden doll for his little sister, when he first spotted the travelers over the pointed tips of the palisade.

Image of the book cover for Strange Fire. Do you want to read more?

Wallach, Tommy Strange Fire (The Anchor & Sophia Book 1)


The end of the old world surprised few.

Harber, J. R., The Future Was Now


Still hours of dark to go when I left the house that morning.

Donoghue, Emma The Pull of the Stars


How did we get here?

Image of the book cover for Rosemary and Rue. Do You want to read more?

McGuire, Seanan Rosemary and Rue (October Daye Book 1)


Clarification

There are no affiliate links in this post. I don’t make a cent off of the books listed on this page. These titles are here for your enjoyment. And to entice you to buy more books.

Now, if you buy one of my books… that will put a little money in my pocket. And a gigantic smile on my face. I love my readers.

Do You Want to Read More?

Did you enjoy this list? Check out previous First Line Friday posts for July and August. And you’ll put another enormous smile on my face if you tell me in the comments below—do you want to read more? Seriously, I need to know. Do you? Which ones?

Top Ten Science Fiction Novels I Love to Re-Read

girl reading a book while sitting on stack of books
public domain image from clipartpal.com

Since I’m in a mild panic busy studying for my Pediatric Advance Life Support (PALS) certification, I decided I’d share a list of the top ten science fiction novels I love to re-read. I am deliberately excluding pure fantasy from this list.  Now, making this list was not easy.  There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of books to choose from.  Yes, I’ve read a lot of science fiction.

Trying to narrow the list down to ten I learned a couple of things.  I’ve read a lot of what is considered classic science fiction, but there’s an awful lot that I’ve not read.  I’ve read many of the Nebula and Hugo award winners, but not nearly all of them.  And there are books that I like for specific reasons such as I love the characters, or the world, or the emotional feel of the book.  However, when push came to shove, some of the books are on my list because they spoke to me.  Sometimes, when I’m not burning a hole in my brain otherwise occupied, I may write lists of books with great characters, books with worlds and settings that felt real to me, or books that gave me a huge emotional payoff.  But today’s list is of favorites, in no particular order, but books I have and will read again and again because I want to.

The Top Ten Science Fiction Novels I Love to Re-read

Dune by Frank Herbert

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh

Pride of Chanur by CJ Cherryh

Dawn by Octavia Butler

The Watchers by Dean Koontz

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Coma by Robin Cook

Any of the Tom Swift books (and I make no apologies!)

So that’s my top ten science fiction novels that I love to re-read.  And if you study those books, I’m guessing you’ll learn a little more about me.  But enough of that.

What about you?  You can choose any genre you like, but limit your list to just one genre or sub-genre.

What are your top ten favorite books to read?