Judging a book by its opening sentence

Trying to decide which events to attend at the Iowa City Book Festival next week? Check out our display featuring the first lines of many festival books, located on the 1^st floor of the library. Here are some of my favorites:

• In the face of calamity, the Colliers' first impulse was to overspend at the bookstore. Tracy Manaster – You Could Be Home By Now

   

   

• The happiest moment of my father's life was finding his name on President Richard M. Nixon's enemies list. Charles Haverty – Excommunicados

   

   

• Her name was Caitlin, she was eighteen, and her own heart would sometimes wake her – flying away in that dream-race where finish lines grew farther away not nearer, where knees turned to taffy, or feet to stones. Tim Johnston – Descent

   

   

• If the rocks in this place could talk, they’d tell you to ask the trees. Tom Janikowski – The Crawford County Sketchbook

Pretty enticing, right?  Most of the books that will be featured in the festival are currently checked out, though, so look on this display for earlier works by the authors who are presenting this year.