First-Line Friday #43
First-Line Fridays

First-Line Friday #43

Nicole Santana

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Welcome to this week’s edition of #FirstLineFridays! This week, in honor of all the Graduations taking place, our theme is graduates, school, college/university, YA/NA/coming of age.

To Kill a Mockingbird

by: Harper Lee

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About the Book

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the greatest pieces of literature this world has ever seen. In my list of top-five novels, To Kill a Mockingbird is tied for the #1 spot. I first read this book when I fourteen, and it’s been on my re-read pile ever since. I loved the book almost immediately, and the movie is pretty darn good too!

The characters are superb: Scout and Jem, Atticus Finch, Dill, and Boo Radley. There is so much happening in this book that there is literally no way to pinpoint one reason why this book is so good, but if I had to choose one thing, it would be because of Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is the greatest literary father ever written. Jack Pearson from This is Us is a very close second, and I’m fairly certain the writers of that show have Atticus in mind when writing Jack’s scenes. Atticus is smart, loyal, loving, firm, and noble. He fights for what is right even when the world tells him not to. And, he loves his kids quietly and fiercely. It is a stunning novel!

I could go on and on about this book. If you have never read To Kill a Mockingbird, I implore you to do so.  It is life-changing! Oh, and it is definitely a coming-of-age novel, so it totally fits this week’s category.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN! GRAB THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING, OPEN TO CHAPTER ONE, AND POST THE FIRST SENTENCE (OR SECOND SENTENCE) IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. THEN HEAD ON OVER TO HOARDING BOOKS TO SEE ALL OF THE FLF PAGES THIS WEEK (JUST CLICK ON THE FLF BUTTON BELOW).

First Line Fridays hosted by Hoarding Books

Published by Nicole Santana

I love Jesus, my husband, and my daughter. I love reading and reviewing Christian and Clean fiction. And, I am a high school English teacher trying to get kids to fall in love with reading every day!

30 thoughts on “First-Line Friday #43”

  1. “Bonjour, Mimi!” Heather Holmes, a lanky blonde in her forties with huge, wide eyes and long, curly tresses, breezed into Bistro Rousseau. She screeched to a halt. “Whoa!”
    “A DEADLY ÉCLAIR” by Daryl Wood Gerber

    Liked by 1 person

  2. It’s too long since I read this! I remember what an impact it had, though.

    I’m featuring the first line from ‘Dancing in the Rain’ by Eileen Rife and Jennifer Slattery on my blog today, but I’m currently up to chapter eleven, so here’s the first line from chapter eleven:

    “Nervous energy filled Loni’s stomach as her plane made its descent into Blountville, Tennessee.”

    Liked by 1 person

  3. To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books!

    My first line is from The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep from the Mayflower Brides series.
    This from Chapter 18.

    Night faded like a bruise, the predawn darkness lightening in increments from black to indigo, painting the world in deep blue.

    Michelle certainly has a lyrical way with words. This book is not unlike Last of the Mohicans only much more readable than Cooper!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for sharing, Paula. I can’t wait to get to this one. It’s on my review schedule for June. I’m super excited. I love Michelle’s writing. Hope you have a great weekend, Paula!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I remember reading this book when I was in school. It wasn’t a book I ever would have picked up to read on my own, but I remember being fascinated by the story, so I’m glad it was a mandatory read.

    Today on my blog I am sharing a book I read a long time ago by Mary Connealy that I greatly enjoyed, Petticoat Ranch. Here I will share the first line from the book I am currently reading/studying, “Saving Truth” by Abdu Murray. “You’ve been at an intersection before, waiting for the red light to change, and had that uneasy feeling: Is the bus next to me moving forward or am I in reverse?” This book is about finding meaning and clarity in a post-truth world. I highly recommend this author. Wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. It has been a long time since I’ve read this book! Maybe I should dust off my copy and read it again. I hope you have a nice weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Happy Friday!😊

    My FLF comes from a book I will be reading soon, My Heart Belongs in Niagra Falls New York by Amanda Barratt.

    As the coachman loaded her trunk onto the carriage, nausea churned in Adele’s stomach.

    Have a great weekend and happy reading!😀

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I haven’t read this book in like forever. I was not a big fan of it . . . it seemed a little off at times for me. If I remember correctly, there is a sequel to it. Have a nice weekend 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I loved To Kill a Mockingbird too! Curious to know if you read the sequel Go Set a Watchman and if you liked that one too? Personally I was disappointed by it.
    The book I’m sharing on my blog this week is Unblemished by Sara Ella but it’s also the book I’m currently reading so I’ll share the first line from chapter 4 here: “The expression on El’s face before the wall closed was all the proof I required.” Hope you have a happy Memorial Day weekend! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for sharing Becca!
      I haven’t read the sequel to TKAM. I just can’t do it for some reason. I even have it on my bookshelf, but I just can’t do it.
      Have a great weekend!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I actually listened to it on audio when I was at my old overnight job. There was a lot of controversy over the publishing itself too. I think I side with the the ones who believe the author didn’t want it published. There’s just too much missing from the finished product. It didn’t even feel like it was written by the same person

        Liked by 1 person

    2. GO SET A WATCHMAN was such a disappointment! It was actually the original manuscript for TKAM that was rejected.Editors told Harper Lee they would like to know more about Scout and her relationship with her father, and that’s when Harper Lee went back and wrote TKAM…and created an entirely different version of Scout (of course, as a child) and Atticus (as the honorable man we know and love, not the racist depicted in GO SET A WATCHMAN!). Even though I knew it was the original, rejected manuscript, I read the book with such high hopes…but was so disappointed. I think the publishers did Harper Lee and TKAM an injustice by publishing it. How awful to mark the end of her life by publishing a book that was widely viewed as a disappointment by so many who love TKAM and Harper Lee! I’m sure it was about the money.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. This makes me sad. I’m actually quite glad I never read Go Set a Watchman. Atticus was a pivotal male role model when I was young. I needed to believe dads could be like him (because my dad is not like him at all). Atticus gave me hope. I am so glad I read your comment, Karen. Now I will never read Go Set a Watchman. I need to preserve that good image of Atticus.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I don’t think I knew it was the original manuscript. I couldn’t pinpoint fully but the characters just seemed different like they weren’t the same people. Now it makes more sense. Thanks for sharing that!!

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve never read it. But my daughter has – she made me buy it for her, then read it in school. Not for school, but in school. She couldn’t put it down, so ended up reading through half her classes (apparently her English teacher made her put it away, but her Economics teacher let her read it in class. I think he was willing to encourage anyone who was reading a classic voluntarily!)

    My blog post today is sharing the first line from Solo Tu by Narelle Atkins. It’s book #7 in the Tuscan Legacy series, and is set in Australia. I’m currently reading another beach book – Sanover Beach Memories by Emma St. Clair. Here’s the first line:

    “They had both been grounded for a week when Jenna’s father found the initials she and Steve carved into the birch tree.”

    Happy Memorial Day weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Your secret is safe with me! LOL!
      That is awesome about your daughter’s Econ teacher allowing her to read a book she was really into. As an English teacher myself, I understand why a teacher would ask a kid to put a book away. I hate it, but I get it. I have built-in time in my class for kids to read whatever book they want. Kids always tells me they appreciate that time.

      And, thanks for sharing. I will have to check both of your books out. Love me a good beach read! Hope you have an excellent weekend!

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  11. Easily one of the best books ever written. I read it on my own the summer between 5th and 6th grade when I stumbled upon it by chance on my uncle’s bookshelf. (I relay the whole story on my blog when you commented:) ) Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jane Eyre and TKAM are my #1 books ever. I am a plain Jane, so that book still speaks to me to this day. And, TKAM allows me to imagine real, true love in a father-daughter relationship. I know both of these reasons sound really sad, but they are not. I love both of these books because they fill me up with so much hope!

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