The first sentence in the book you're reading

[Justin91]

The orders were that while Caesar and the major part of his army were in Britannia, none but the most urgent communications were to be sent to him; even directives from the Senate had to wait id Portus Itius on the Gallic mainland until Caesar retuned from his second expedition to the island at the western end of the world, a place almost as mysterious as Serica.

Caesar - Colleen McCullough

 

[-Carlos-]

The evening his master died he worked again well after he ended the day for the other adults, his own wife among them, and sent them back with hunger and tiredness to their cabins. - Edward P. Jones

 

[Concetta]

Chapter 1 - The Open Door

Breasting the regular swells of land, on a red dirt road as true as a line of longitude, the car was like a boat at sea.

Bad Land - An American Romance
Jonathan Raban

(I am reading this for my book group and, quite honestly, am not sure how I am going to get through it - hopefully it will get better)

 

[Anamnesis]

Reading two books at the moment:

A young woman of my acquaintance saw a ghost.

From Stephen R. Lawhead's The Mystic Rose: The Celtic Crusades III

The diner is nearly empty this afternoon, so Roy and Frankie sit at the counter longer than usual

From Eric Garcia's Matchstick Men.

 

[Shade]

Dear Venus, If what they say is true, and my country is dying, I think I may be able to tell them why.

- Martin Amis, House of Meetings

 

[abecedarian]

The flash projected the outline of the hanged man onto the wall.

Arturo Perez-Reverte
The Club Dumas

 

[onetwentypm]

How often in one lifetime does a woman sign away her dreams?
-- from "Prospect Street" by Emilie Richards

 

[Heteronym]

I wish...I can't seem to get into this book

I take it it's your first Saramago book.

I have read nine so far, six just this year. His style only became natural on the fourth book, and now I can't get enough of it. You'll notice that because of his style, there's hardly any blank space left on the page; I like that, it gives me more to read. Also, because he only uses commas and periods, his prose flows a lot better than in most books.

Well, keep on reading; Seeing is a rewarding novel if you like politics or just hate governments

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that have become legend.

The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan

 

[ions]

Also, because he only uses commas and periods, his prose flows a lot better than in most books.

I disagree. I think it may be a translation or a language issue. For instance maybe the 'flow' is lost in the translation, or, more likely, it just doesn't work in english. In english it's awkward.

 

[Mogo]

On a whole, we're a murderous race

Jim butcher Dead Beat.

 

[Gem]

"Out of every thousand inhabitants of Great Britain, 860 are English."

England; History of a Nation - David Ross

 

[Sofia]

I take it it's your first Saramago book.

I have read nine so far, six just this year. His style only became natural on the fourth book, and now I can't get enough of it. You'll notice that because of his style, there's hardly any blank space left on the page; I like that, it gives me more to read. Also, because he only uses commas and periods, his prose flows a lot better than in most books.

Well, keep on reading; Seeing is a rewarding novel if you like politics or just hate governments

it's my fourth actually

 

[FrodoLIVES]

Three children lay on the rocks at the water's edge.
~Daughter of the Forest, Juliet Marillier
Not a very good opening line but a great book. I'm halfway through with it and it's one of the best books I've read this year-so far. Unless the ending drastically changes things.

 

[Libre]

Imagine a young man on his way to a less-than-thiry-second event- the loss of his left hand, long before he reached middle age.

Reading this book, which is barely good enough to make me hesitate as I hold it over the garbage can, I remember that I don't like John Irving. But, I'm halfway through, and nothing in my TBR pile is calling to me.

 

[Mattyj]

My father has asked me to be the fourth corner at the Joy Luck Club. ~ The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

 

[bren]

"It seems increasingly likely that I really will undertake the expedition that has been preoccupying my imagination now for some days."

The Remains of the Day-Kazuo Ishiguro

 

[SFG75]

What struck him most was teh fact that from Monday on he would be Luzhin.

-The Defense; Nabokov

 

[Stewart]

"The lie detector was asleep when he heard the telephone ringing."

~A Spy In The House Of Love, Anaïs Nin​

 

[cent]

"Michael Havel pulled his battered four-by-four into the employees' parking lot, locked up and swung his just-in-case gear out of the back, the strap of the pack over one sholder and the gun case on the other."

Dies the Fire- S.M. Stirling