London was an important hub for authors and publishers of the classics and it’s hard to not daydream just a bit when walking around the same streets as Dickens and Conan Doyle. The city is still a vibrant center for publishing, reviewing, and of course, bookshops.
“There is always in February some one day, at least, when one smells the yet distant, but surely coming, summer.”
— Gertrude Jekyll
I play this game when I’m reading a book – I try to guess what the first paragraph the author wrote is. As a writer myself, I presume what becomes the opening line isn’t how the first draft began, but I always wonder where the original kernel is buried. These are some of my favorite (published) first sentences of books.
Books and reading are such an important, and joyful, part of my life. I’m grateful for many things literary-related.
I’m sure it is no surprise that I love haunted house stories. I think I like the mystery. I want to figure out the puzzle of why the house is haunted. These are some of my favorite books with a haunted house at the center.