TCWT Blog Chain: Dramatic Entrance/Exit

The TCWT blog chain, by John over at Teens Can Write, Too!, explores a different question each month, and for August, it's:

“What are your favorite book beginnings and/or endings?”

1. Beginning: The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley

Yes, it's my literature text for the year. Yes, I'm snark-recapping it once we start covering it in school. Yes, it has pages of musings and introspection and the plot is slooooow. But it has absolute gems in it. The beginning sentence is so. damn. beautiful:

The past is a foreign country; we do things differently there.

2. Beginning: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Sensing a pattern here? Yes, I'm a boring person. But literally. The ENTIRE FIRST CHAPTER is pure gold. It's describing the entire setting in the most heartbreaking, the most tragic way ever. (It doesn't help any that the plot is sooooo amazing afterwards.)

3. Beginning: Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee

Death lived in a glass tower at the centre of the White Court.

Breaking from tradition, this is a contemporary fantasy and was released just last month, but this. This sentence is way up there. I glimpsed the first line on Amazon Look Inside and bought it instantly. (And did not regret the choice.)

4. Ending: The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket

Okay, I'll try to steer clear of spoilers, but the amount of detail and call-backs is staggering. And for a depressing-ish series, the ending is pretty uplifting. It's also a bit like Marvel movies — so don't stop when you see the ~~credits~~ author bio, keep going for the best part!

5. Ending: A Song of Ice and Fire by GRRM

What? Oh, sorry, this is my least favorite ending. BECAUSE IT DOESN'T EXIST YET AND I WANT IT. SO. MUCH.

If you're also in the blog chain, leave a comment, tell me what you thought about my picks, and tell me your URL/date so I'll know to drop by!

And if you're not, still leave a comment about your thoughts so we can fight/debate/eat each other to compete for the best dramatic entrances and exits. And don't forget to read everyone else's amazing posts!

7th – http://vergeofexisting.wordpress.com/

8th – http://zarahoffman.com/

9th – http://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

10th – http://www.elizamcfarlish.weebly.com/

11th – http://sammitalk.wordpress.com/

12th – http://irisbloomsblog.wordpress.com/

13th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

14th – http://fantasiesofapockethuman.blogspot.com/

15th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/

16th – http://magicandwriting.wordpress.com/

17th – http://ttkesley.wordpress.com/

18th – http://www.brookeharrison.com/