Today I’m attending the SoCal Christian Writers’ Conference which means I’ll not have much time to read. Whenever I am running short on reading time, I turn to either audiobooks or novellas. So today I’m featuring a collection of novellas I recently finished reading: Seven Brides for Seven Mail-Order Husbands by
I can’t say it’s the best novella collection I’ve read this year, but it filled the need and was certainly enjoyable. Plus I really liked exploring its unique premise. Here’s the first line from the first story:
Abigail Melton entered the kitchen to the sight of her mother slumped over the table, a telegram clutched in one hand.
– Abigail’s Proposal by Cynthia Hickey
Don’t worry, she’s not dead, but that is certainly a dramatic opening, isn’t it?
I just have to add some of my favorite lines as well, though:
“Choosing forgiveness had helped her choose hope, too.”
– A Clean Slate by Susanne Dietze
“You’ve limited God’s grace to man-size proportions … and allowed your fear to grow into God-size proportions.”
– Louder Than Words by Gina Welborn
“My uncle Chief Black Bob says that seeing the past makes a man wise, living in the past makes him a fool.”
– Louder Than Words by Gina Welborn
Now it’s your turn! Grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first (or your favorite) line!
Then head on over and share your first line with these friends:
Andi @ Radiant Light
Carrie @ Reading Is My Super Power
Rachel @ Bookworm Mama
Sydney @ Singing Librarian Books
Robin @ Robin’s Nest
Katie @ Fiction Aficionado
Bree @ Bibliophile Reviews
Beth @ Faithfully Bookish
Amanda @ With A Joyful Noise
Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective
Trisha @ The Joy of Reading
Jeanette @ C Jane Read
Molly @ Molly’s Cafinated-Reads
Heather @ Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Sarah @ All the Book Blog Names are Taken
Lauraine @ Lauraine’s Notes
That IS a dramatic opening!
I have the first line from Kara Isaac’s AMAZING new release “Then There Was You” on my blog, but the first line I’m sharing here is from Kara Swanson’s recent release, “The Girl Who Could See”. (It must be a Kara kind of day!)
“On television crime shows, they never tell you how cold it is.”
You should have seen my face when I saw your line. I actually just met Kara Wednesday and she is sitting here with me at the SoCal Christian Writers Conference! She is the nicest person. Plus I just bought her novella and I sat down to read the first page but couldn’t stop and kept going through the first chapter when I finally stopped because I was being rude not talking to the people around me. LOL Good thing they get it.
What a coincidence! And it’s a great novella. My review will be up later in the week. And yes, we get it! 😉
This is one of the books on my TBR pile. 🙂
I’m sharing from a book I just finished a couple days ago, Mistakenly Married by Victorine Lieske: “Penny wrung her hands and walked to the back of the room.”
Oh that was a fun quick read. Thanks for sharing.
I love these collections from Barbour Publishers!
Suzie shivered at Carson Snotte’s words, not the March air with its hint of lingering winter. Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta
I don’t know if I could get past that last name. It’s probably pronounced with a long “o”, but all I hear is, “snot”. LOL Thanks for sharing.
The first line I’m sharing is from a chapter book for kids. “Mandy,” by Julie Andrews Edwards.
“On the outskirts of a pretty country village called St. Martin’s Green, there stands a large, white house called St. Martins Orphanage.”
That sentence has a lovely feel to it. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! It’s on my list to read!
My first line is from Sweetbriar Cottage by Denise Hunter: “There was nothing like a letter from the IRS to stop a man in his tracks.”
Oh my. No kidding. Hopefully he has nothing to hide! Thanks for sharing.
Those are some great quotes!! I love quotes like those. 🙂
On my blog is the first line from “Promise Me This” by Cathy Gohlke, but here I’ll share the first line of the book I got in the mail yesterday: “Heart on the Line” by Karen Witemeyer! This will be my first to read of hers…
“The cheerful tinkle of a bell alerted Grace Mallory to the arrival of a guest.”
Oh I loved that book! Have you read my review of it?
I enjoyed reading that collection of stories!
I’ll share a different line here than the one on my blog, just to keep things interesting! Last night I started reading Amber Lynn Perry’s new book “So Pure a Heart”.
“Alone, Hannah Young stared at the dirt-covered mound as the chilled air breached the warmth of her heavy cloak.”
Sounds like a sad day. Hopefully things get better for her. Thanks for sharing!
Talk about a hook! LOL Happy Friday!
It is isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by?
Oh my goodness! That is what I was thinking too…I’m so glad she is ok…I wondered what could be wrong. I love novella collections…I know I have said that a hundred times on my blog. 🙂 This was a book I spotlighted on my blog, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. I just purchased From Rags to Riches…can’t wait to read it!
Novellas are very fun. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Those novella collections are so handy (and I love meeting new authors) Win, win!
Absolutely. 🙂