Friday Memes

Book Beginnings on Friday is a bookish meme now sponsored by Rose City Reader (who originally inspired the meme). Here's what you do: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments section. Include the title and author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you are so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line and if you did or did not like that sentence. Link up each week at Gilion's place.

Here's mine from "The Deadly 'Nackles' Affair" short story in Slippage by Harlan Ellison:

Andre Gide wrote: "Everything's already been said, but since nobody was listening, we have to start again." (You can use that the next time some spud tells you it isn't worth being a writer because Shakespeare created all the basic plots, and all that's left to us is rewriting what has already been done perfectly.)

The Friday 56 is a bookish meme sponsored by Freda's Voice. It is really easy to participate. Just grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56. Find a sentence that grabs you and post it.

 

Here's mine from "The Deadly 'Nackles' Affair" short story in Slippage by Harlan Ellison:

The mistake we all make is in assuming anybody remembers anydamnthing from one day to the next. If that were true, we'd stop getting involved with approximately the same kind of wrong lover each time, we'd learn the lessons of history, the death penalty would discourage those plotting murder, and George Santayana's famous quote would be about as popular as "the bee's knees." But few of us keep accurate records of what we've learned as we hobble through life barking our shins in the dark on experiences we've already had....

[Since I'm reading short stories, this isn't technically from page 56--but I like this a lot and just had to share all of it.]