First Line Friday...on Saturday

I began First Line Friday because first lines have always intrigued me since I heard an author say that writing the first sentence is, by far, the most difficult part of writing a novel. The reasoning was that a first sentence can make the reader continue reading or cause the book to be tossed aside. So, go to your To Be Read Pile, choose as many books as you want and share the first line. Be sure to include the title and author so that if your reader also finds it intriguing, they can find the book. Also, share your thoughts about the first line. Does it draw you in? Is it...exciting...thought provoking...scary...funny? Join in, if you enjoy first lines as much as I do! Be sure to use my great First Line Friday graphic and leave me a comment so I can read your blog! I'm not the only one with a meme celebrating first lines... Becky at Page Turners at http://pageturnersbooks.blogspot.com/ hosts Book Beginnings... check her blog, too.

"Prologue
Liam Kilbranish looked down at the lump of flesh curled in front of him on the cement floor."
Among Thieves
David Hosp

Honestly... not the most compelling first line. Hopefully, the rest of the book is better.

I do have to say, though, that I love the cover. It took me a while to realize it was a frame with the painting cut out of it. It's how the real art thieves of The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum stole the paintings. Can you believe it?!? Priceless masterpieces just cut out of the frames! If you're not familiar with the still-unsolved robbery... from Wikipedia... "Shortly after midnight on the morning of March 18, 1990, thieves disguised as police officers talked their way into the museum. They handcuffed the two on-duty security guards out of sight and then stole thirteen works of art valued at over $500 million, including The Concert, one of Johannes Vermeer's thirty-five known paintings, and three works by Rembrandt van Rijn, including his only seascape, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, and a small self-portrait print. Also stolen were a series of drawings by Edgar Degas and additional works by Édouard Manet and Govaert Flinck, as well as two objects: a Chinese Ku, or beaker, and a finial from a Napoleonic flag. It is considered the biggest art theft—and property theft—in history; the crime remains unsolved. The museum still displays the paintings' empty frames in their original locations. Some mistakenly believe this to be according to the strict provisions of Gardner's will, which instructed that the collection be maintained unchanged, but that claim is completely untrue, as evidence by the fact that only nine frames involved in the theft still hang. A reward of $5 million is offered for information leading to the return of the works of art in good condition."


One of the reasons this novel caught my attention is because it involves The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. My favorite painting, Mr & Mrs Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes by John Singer Sargent, is part of its collection... as well as many of his other works. I'd love to visit there someday.


I've missed showcasing my purses on my blog. I carried an "oldie but a goodie" today... my "rocker chick" black handbag with a lot of silver hardware. This is just a great bag that I never tire of carrying... although all the hardware can be kind of loud.