I was moving my books around yesterday and suddenly noticed my cat had jumped at the chance to snuggle up with some of them! We named him Edgar (for Edgar Allan Poe and his short story ‘The Black Cat’), so it’s only fitting I introduce him this way.
And since this is my favourite authors bookshelf, with books for reading challenges along the bottom, why don’t we play a little game? I’ll list the opening sentences of 10 of my favourite books and you can guess them…
1. For a long time, I went to bed early.
2. ______, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence, and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.
3. What can I say about love?
4. There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.
5. _____ had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress.
6. That morning’s ice, no more than a brittle film, had cracked and was now floating in segments.
7. I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighborhoods.
8. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
9. ‘The Signora had no business to do it,’ said Miss ____, ‘no business at all.’
10. Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.
a few of my favourite books 
I recognized only two of them.
#4 Jane Eyre
#8 Anna Karenina
Fun game! 🙂
Righto! (hint: there is a Jane Austen quote in the bunch…)
Well, #2 definitely has to be the Austen (unless it’s number 5 or 10, but I think #2). I don’t know which one though.. perhaps Emma?
Emma it is. 🙂 I don’t know if it’s my favourite Austen though, I can’t seem to pick between Emma, Persuasion and Pride & Prejudice!
Ooh, is number 6 The Voyage Out? (I’m a dork.. I revisted this post to enlarge the image to guess.)
It’s by a lesser known contemporary of Virginia Woolf’s, who’s books are also on the shelf. I’ve posted about her before, but not this book. I’m glad you’re enjoying this!
#7 is Breakfast at Tiffany’s (huge favourite of mine too :D);
#9 is the lovely A Room with a View, which I recently read;
…and I feel that I’m cheating, because though I know that #8 is Anna Karenina. I’ve yet to read it myself.
Those are two of my comfort books. And Anna Karenina is definitely well worth reading.
#5 is Middlemarch (and the missing words are ‘Miss Brooke’.)
The only other ones that I know have already been guessed.
Hoorah, right you are!
2 is Emma. 4 is Jane Eyre. I know number 8 but can’t think what it is. Look forward to the answers!
Hi Nicola, thanks for coming by! You are correct of course and thanks for reminding me to post the answers!