How It All Begins

Yesterday, we had a fun discussion about great opening lines.  It made me wonder about certain books.  Sometimes, it takes a while to get started, and others just naturally have that hook that pulls you.  I could probably spend a full day blogging about opening lines that I admire.  A look outside to an incredibly beautiful day demands that I keep the list short for now.  After all, it is summer.

Here are five opening lines I like, not in any order of importance. 

• "The gunman is useless."  -- I Am the Messenger, Markus Zusak
• "All he could see, in every direction, was water."  -- Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
• "Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board." -- Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
• "Look, I didn't want to be a half blood."   -- The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan from Chapter One, aptly titled  "I Accidentally Vaporize My Maths Teacher"
• "There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."  -- Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Do you have an opening line that you admire?  Post it here and explain why.