What are the best first lines in fiction?

I thought it appropriate to share this article, written by By Hephzibah Anderson on 29 October 2019 - see http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20191022-what-are-the-best-first-lines-in-fiction. 

The article quotes some fine examples, with which most of us are familiar

Charles Dickens: David Copperfield

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol

Marley was dead, to begin with.

Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Herman Melville: Moby Dick

Call me Ishmael.

I would like to extend the idea to include the best opening paragraph from a book, which to my mind belongs to The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration. In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun. After them came five heirs apparent, forty more imperial or royal highnesses, seven queens–four dowager and three regnant–and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries. Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last. The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.

And what of some other famous lines that do not open a book but I wish they did. For instance, how about this from Dante's Divine Comedy

TO ENTER THE LOST CITY, GO THROUGH ME.

THROUGH ME YOU GO TO MEET A SUFFERING

UNCEASING AND ETERNAL. YOU WILL BE

WITH PEOPLE WHO, THROUGH ME, LOST EVERYTHING

MY MAKER, MOVED BY JUSTICE, LIVES ABOVE,

THROUGH HIM, THE HOLY POWER, I WAS MADE -

MADE BY THE HEIGHT OF WISDOM AND FIRST LOVE,

WHOSE LAWS ALL THOSE IN HERE ONCE DISOBEYED

FROM NOW ON, EVERY DAY FEELS LIKE YOUR LAST

FOREVER. LET THAT BE YOUR GREATEST FEAR

YOUR FUTURE NOW IS TO REGRET THE PAST,

FORGET YOUR HOPES, THEY WERE WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE.

The New Geelong Library

I have often noticed when driving through Geelong, the large dome visible in the middle of the Geelong CBD. Knowing it was the main City of Geelong library, I have always meant to pay a visit. Earlier this year (May 2019), I decided to rectify that oversight.

I have many wonderful memories of the many older style libraries in Melbourne, in particular, the La Trobe Reading Room in the State Library of Victoria. As a schoolboy, I used to frequent that iconic space whenever I was in the city, and never ceased to be amazed by the huge number of books, the wonderful Victorian architecture, the quietness and the studiousness of the huge room.

I was keen to see how the Geelong Library stacked up. Alas, I was disappointed. The layout of various reading rooms on multiple levels meant that it did not feel like a library to me. Gone was the possibility of wandering through 'miles' of stacks, all in one area. It just seemed to lack atmosphere. Where do you start. Where can I find C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien books? Sure, there are hundreds of terminals at which you can work but that is not what a library means to me. The feel and smell of the books, old and new, was sadly missing.

This is not amongst my recommended visits. Mind you, not everyone thinks the same - see a more positive review at https://babblingbooks.com.au/geelong-australia-library/.

Who is my favourite author

I am sure we have all asked that question of ourselves at various times of our lives, and the answer probably changes with time.

As a young bloke, I would probably have said Thomas Hardy (wow, that's pretty bleak!). Then in my thirties, I would have said Stephen King. During a 10 year period (or somewhere around that timeframe), I purchased and read just about his entire anthology. I still have over 40 of his novels on my bookshelves. Then there are my all time favourites like H.G. Wells, John Wyndham, C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

But what makes a favourite author. For me, the following springs to mind

If you see one of that author's books, you buy it.
Once you start reading the book, you can't put it down until you finish it.
You read late into the night, unable to put it down.
You re-read it at a later stage and you enjoy it just as much on the second read.

So my favourite author is David Gemmell (see http://timsbestreads.blogspot.com/p/david-gemmell-waylander-ii.html).

His fantasy books are second to none, his imagination always inspires, his heroes are true heroes and his stories are unforgettable. Sadly, his sudden death in 2006, aged 57, robbed us of so many more stories.

Luckily his widow Stella Gemmell has continued with his work (see http://timsbestreads.blogspot.com/p/stella-gemmell-city-i-have-been-avid.html).

Long live David Gemmell!