HUGE Book Giveaway! Win FOURTEEN books!

CONTEST RESULTS!  I just held a drawing here in my study, using a random number generator. The five winners of 14 books from Hachette Book Group are:

Swapna, who likes the line "A weirdo is anyone not like you?"

Renee, who wrote movingly about "There were no footprints in the snow."

Susan B., who enjoys the promise of violence (I like that) and chose the line "It was going to be bloody, but it could be done, if they moved fast."

Jeff, who selected "The year began with lunch."

Bill Peschel, for whom "All this happened, more or less" serves as madeleine.

Congratulations! Please get in touch with me with your full names and mailing addresses so I can pass the information along to Hachette.

* * *

Okay, folks, this is huge. Hachette Book Group is sponsoring an enormous book giveaway here at the book-blog. Five (5!) of you will each win a batch of fourteen (14!) books from Hachette. Here are the titles: 

Douglas Preston, The Monster of Florence
Nancy Gibbs, The Preacher and the Presidents
Jimmy Buffett, Swine Not?
Justice "Kip" Gayden, Miscarriage of Justice
Elizabeth Hancock, Trespassers Will Be Baptized
Trish Ryan, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Elin Hilderbrand, A Summer Affair
Elin Hilderbrand, Barefoot
Billie Letts, Made in the U.S.A.
Anne Siddons, Off Season
Deborah Bedford, A Rose by the Door
Deborah Bedford, Remember Me
Tom Smith, Child 44
Martina Cole, Close

That's FOURTEEN books, shipped to your house--a great way to jump start your summer reading. Sound appealing? Here's how to win them:

Since I started TwitterLit.com, I've posted more than 800 first lines from novels and non-fiction titles. Go over to TwitterLit and browse (here's a complete list of the lines posted to date). In the comments to this post, tell us your favorite first line among those listed and tell us why you like it.

That's it! Everyone who posts a comment as stipulated above will be entered in a drawing to be held on June 20th (the first day of summer!). The small print:

1. Five winners will be drawn at random from all entries received.
2. One entry per person.
3. All entries must be received by 9:00 AM EDT, June 20th, 2008. The drawing will be held shortly thereafter.
4. Contest open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

Comments

[Kimmy]

I thought I was going to have a really hard time choosing, as there were so many interesting ones to pick from. And then, of course, I saw the first line from my all-time favorite book and I had to pick it.

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

I didn't choose this just because it is my favorite book, but also because anytime I hear this line it gives me chills and makes me want to literally dive into the book to experience life at Manderley.

[Mandy McClanahan]

It's so very hard to pick my favorite opening line.....most of them are entertaining out of context (more than half of why I joined TwitLit)....but my favorite is:

10-16-07 AM -- Amazon: US UK CA
"Once upon a time, there was prostitute called Maria."

Why? Once upon a time signals that this is a fairy tale. Fairy Tales deal with princesses who have to over come. At the very least a fairy tale will lift a downtrodden character up. However, very rarely does a fairy tale deal with an issue such as prostitution. Also, overall it reminds me of Moll Flanders (my favorite classic) and is a bit of Perfume.

[Bridget]

"I'm not particularly qualified by profession or education to give advice and counsel." 5-19-08

I chose this line for the words, not the book which it comes from. As a librarian, I am asked for advice frequently. People assume that we are tax consultants, lawyers, doctors, etc. We can bring you to the information but we are not there to help you with your taxes, diagnose a disease from your symptoms, etc. This line is one I use regularly in my work!

[TimCorbeau]

Among all the listed first lines, I picked the one that shouldn't concern me, something I shouldn't think about. And yet, reality being what it is, I cannot stop thinking about such a day.

"One day you know more dead people than live ones."

I don't know what I will do then, but I know I want to do tons in the meantime.

[_m]

My favorite is from Adrian McKinty's Hidden River:
06-03-08 AM -- Amazon: US UK CA
"Seven time zones west of Belfast the murdered girl was alive yet and well."

He does a brilliant job, both in the As Dead I Well May Be Michael Forsythe series and in this book, building suspense, and his characters really sizzle with life... well worth a read.

[Swapna]

"A weirdo is anyone not like you?." That would have to be my favorite opening line because it's so true. People think I'm weird because of how much I read and how full my condo is of books - but I think they're weird because I can't imagine not reading!!

[Medbie]

I have to go with "I warn you that what you're starting to read is full of loose ends and unanswered questions." from the Body Snatchers because it finally spurred me on to read it--and I loved it. :D

[renee]

"There were no footprints in the snow."

This line really affected me.

My mother was a homeless alcoholic and addict for many years of her life. She lived most of her days in New Hampshire, and was well known to everyone in the town of Manchester. She also suffered from myopia - she was literally & legally blind if she didn't have her glasses on. Several years ago, she was found dead in a snowbank, after being sober for 3 weeks, and only 20 feet from the shelter of her makeshift tent.

I remember her often, and imagine that her footprints are still there, through the years and in spite of the various snowstorms, to those who are truly able to see.

[Debra Hamel]

Renee, thanks for sharing that, sad story though it is. It's interesting that it should be that particular book that evoked such thoughts from you. That's from Jim Sheeler's Final Salute. I haven't read it, but I did read an excerpt from it. The excerpt I read was about one of the marines whose job it is to notify next of kin when a serviceman dies. And *that* was very affecting. And impressive, because of the attention this man gave his job and the respect he paid to both dead and living. Funny how a sentence taken out of context can recall something very different but equally sad.

Anyway, folks may wan to head over to Renee's site. She's hosting a first lines contest as well: http://www.ianua.org/weblog.php

[Suzanne B.]

Such great first lines!
I wanna read half of those books just based on that!

However, this one made me laugh out loud at work...

"Getting punched hard in the face is a singular experience."

Wow.. what a way to start a book!! Fabulous!!