Saturday, January 28, 2012

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

This book, set in a dystopian future, has been adapted for film and will be released in May. I can't wait! Its first line:

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold."

Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

An Oldie but a Goodie

Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.

(Different translations begin, "Tell me muse...", "The Man, O Muse...", etc.)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

An Existential Nightmare

If you thought puberty was tough, try waking up as a cockroach!


"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
What famous story began with that line?

Answer

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

This was on Jeopardy last week

Last week the category was "Famous First Lines" -- I knew all but this one. The book's title was the answer to a Daily Double:

"Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery."