Category: First Line Friday

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #266 | Why I Still Believe by Mary Jo Sharp

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line.

Today I’m sharing from Why I Still Believe: A Former Atheist’s Reckoning with the Bad Reputation Christians Give a Good God by Mary Jo Sharp. I’m not a big nonfiction reader, but picked this up because I’m always interested in understanding why people become Christians (especially as adults), and how we can deal with hypocrisy.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Have you ever zoomed out—I mean really zoomed out—from your life to wonder: what am I doing here?

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Why I Still Believe

For anyone who feels caught in the tension between the beauty of God’s story and the ugliness of human hypocrisy, Why I Still Believe offers a stirring story of hope.

Why would anyone be a Christian when there is so much hypocrisy in the church? Mary Jo Sharp shares her journey as a skeptical believer who still holds to a beautiful faith despite wounding experiences in the Christian community.

At a time when de-conversion stories have become all too common, this is an earnest response – the compelling conversion of an unlikely believer whose questions ultimately led her to irresistible hope. Sharp addresses her own struggle with the reality that God’s people repeatedly give God’s story a bad name and takes a careful look at how the current church often inadvertently produces atheists despite its life-giving message.

For those who feel the ever-present tension between the beauty of salvation and the dark side of human nature, Why I Still Believe is a candid and approachable case for believing in God when you really want to walk away. With fresh and thoughtful insights, this spiritual narrative presents relevant answers to haunting questions like:

  • Isn’t there too much pain and suffering to believe?
  • Is it okay to have doubt?
  • What if Jesus’ story is a copy of another story?
  • Is there any evidence for Jesus’ resurrection?
  • Does atheism explain the human experience better than Christianity can?  
  • How can the truth of Christianity matter when the behaviors of Christians are reprehensible?

At once logical and loving, Sharp reframes the gospel as it truly is: the good news of redemption. With firmly grounded truths, Why I Still Believe is an affirming reminder that the hypocrisy of Christians can never negate the transforming grace and truth of Christ.

Find Why I Still Believe online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #265 | Any Given Moment by TI Lowe

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Any Given Moment by TI Lowe, an older book which I recently picked up on sale on Kindle.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Some girls need a fruity drink with a colorful umbrella and tropical blue waves to find their happy place. Not me.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Any Given Moment

Previously titled The Reversal.

Life can change at any given moment. Good or bad, one must make the most of it. Samantha Shaw thought she was giving each moment of her life a fair shot until former pro-football quarterback Wiley Black saunters into her world and shows the sassy tomboy exactly what she’s been missing.

A sweet sports romance for fans of happily-ever-afters.

Find Any Given Moment online at:

Amazon | BookBub| Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #264 | The Start of Us by Jill Lynn

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line.

I’m sharing today the first line of The Start of Us by Jill Lynn, a New Adult novella I found free on Kindle.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Could it get any worse? Not for me. It's Christmas break, and my mom arranged my ride home from school.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About The Start of Us

Janie Reardon is determined to get over her old high school crush Jack Smith. So when he asks her to help him find out if another woman is interested in him, she agrees, deciding it’s the best and fastest way to permanently remove him from her heart. But the more time they spend together, the more her crush grows. Can she really let Jack go once and for all?

Find The Start of Us online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #263 | All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese, a 2022 Christy Award and ACFW Carol Award winner.

Here’s the first line from Chapter One:

I used to marvel at the way my Great Mimi's arthritic fingers would pinch her eyeliner pencil and trace a perfect stroke of midnight black across her upper lash line.

The Kindle version is currently on sale for less than a dollar, so click here to check out the sample.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About All That Really Matters

Molly McKenzie’s bright personality and on-trend fashion and beauty advice have made her a major social media influencer. When her manager-turned-boyfriend tells her of an upcoming audition to host a makeover show for America’s underprivileged youth, all her dreams finally seem to be coming true. There’s just one catch: she has little experience interacting with people in need.

To gain an edge on her competitors, she plans to volunteer for the summer at a transitional program for aged-out foster kids, but the program’s director, Silas Whittaker, doesn’t find her as charming as her followers do. Despite his ridiculous rules and terms, Molly dives into mentoring, surprising herself with the genuine connections and concern she quickly develops for the girls–and Silas. But just as everything seems perfectly aligned for her professional future, it starts to crumble under the pressure. And as her once-narrow focus opens to the deep needs of those she’s come to know, she must face the ones she’s neglected inside herself for so long.

Find All That Really Matters online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday | Week #262 | To Believe in You by Emily Conrad

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from To Believe in You by Emily Conrad, the fourth book in her Rhythms of Redemption Romance rock star romance collection (how’s that for alliteration?).

I’ve read and enjoyed the first three books in the series, and have no doubt I’ll enjoy this one just as much.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Lina didn't have a good track record for trusting the right people, but she did have some idea of who not to trust.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About To Believe in You

Can she trust her heart to a man who can’t trust himself?

Since his dismissal from the rock band Awestruck, former bassist and addict Matt Visser has been transformed by faith and a year of sobriety.

Betrayed by her fiancé, Lina Abbey surrenders her hopes of a family of her own. Instead, she focuses on her work as Awestruck’s social media manager and director of Key of Hope, a non-profit funded by the band to teach music lessons to kids from low-income families.

She would never hire a man with Matt’s track record as a bass guitar instructor, but her boss, a firm believer in God’s grace and second chances, overrules her objections. Matt takes the job to clear an old debt, but soon finds he can’t resist the challenge of winning the beautiful but cautious Lina’s trust.

When a new truth about his past reveals a wrong he can never right, he and Lina both need Someone more trustworthy than Matt to believe in. Otherwise, history will repeat itself in all the worst ways.

A meaningful Christian romance with a side of fame and fortune for readers who enjoy faith-filled escapes and happily-ever-afters where no one is beyond hope of redemption.

You can find To Believe in You online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #261 | What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from What Came Next by Christina Suzanne Nelson, a dual timeline novel with an intriguing mystery to solve.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Faith Byrne's carefully laid plans took advantage of unplanned distractions and skipped town, never to be seen again.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About What Happens Next

Popular podcaster and ex-reporter Faith Byrne has made a name for herself telling stories of greatness after tragedy–but her real life does not mirror the stories she tells. While her daughters spend the summer in Hawaii with her ex-husband and his new wife, she must manage life on her own. But all that changes when she’s asked to spotlight her childhood best friend’s missing person case on her podcast.

Dora Crane has never accepted that her younger daughter could be dead, keeping her home looking the same as when her daughter disappeared. But when her husband leaves her, and her older daughter intervenes, she agrees to counseling and to pack up her missing daughter’s belongings under one condition: Faith Byrne comes to Deep Valley and sheds light on the cold case.

As the investigation moves forward, the two women uncover desperate secrets, and Faith and Dora must face the long-hidden truth before they can begin to move forward.

Award-winning author Christina Suzann Nelson masterfully leads readers on a journey of discovery, healing, and friendship in this suspenseful and poignant tale.

Find What Happens Next online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads | Koorong

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #260 | Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. I’m quoting from Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham. It’s an epistolary novel, a genre I enjoy and would love to see more of.

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

This is a cautionary tale. A tale of family, literary classics, podiatry, matchmaking, Shakespeare, and distance.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Authentically Izzy

Dear Reader,

My name is Isabelle Louisa Edgewood—Izzy, for short. I live by blue-tinted mountains, where I find contentment in fresh air and books. Oh, and coffee and tea, of course. And occasionally in being accosted by the love of my family. (You’ll understand my verb choice in the phrase later.) I dream of opening my own bookstore, but my life, particularly my romantic history, has not been the stuff of fairy tales. Which is probably why my pregnant, misled, matchmaking cousin—who, really, is more like my sister—signed me up for an online dating community.

The trouble is . . . it worked. I’ve met my book-quoting Mr. Right, and our correspondence has been almost too good to be true. But Brodie lives across an ocean. And just the other day, a perfectly nice author and professor named Eli came into the library where I work and asked me out for a coffee. I feel a rom-com movie with a foreboding disaster nipping at my heels.

But I’ve played it safe for a long time. Maybe it’s time for me to be as brave as my favorite literary heroines. Maybe it’s time to take the adventures from the page to real life. Wish me luck.

Authentically,

Izzy

Find Authentically Izzy online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #259 | Calor by JJ Fischer

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Calor, the first book in the Nightingale trilogy by Australian author JJ Fischer. I’m not always a fan of fantasy, but this Young Adult novel has a unique hook that might make me change my mind …

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

His father might be in the middle of saving the world, but Dorian was still bored.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Calor

What if you could edit memories with a single touch?

The world-that-was is gone, lost to everything except living memory . . . but remembering comes at a terrible price. Sixty-two years after the apocalypse, a new society has emerged from the ashes of the old world where highly valued memories are traded and nostalgia is worth dying—and even killing—for.

Enslaved by a cruel master, Sephone Winter is forced to use her rare ability to manipulate memories to numb the darkest secrets of the ruling aristocracy.

Then Lord Adamo appears, speaking of a powerful relic capable of permanently erasing memories and recovering Sephone’s own lost childhood. But not everything about the young lord is as it seems, and soon Sephone must choose between helping Lord Adamo forget his past or journeying deep into the land of Lethe, where the truth about who she really is might finally be revealed . . . and a long desired future restored.

The Nightingale Trilogy is a fantasy transformation of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved 1843 tale The Nightingale, with echoes of the myths of Hades and Persephone.

Find Calor online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

First Line Friday

First Line Friday #258 | Muskoka Blue (Original Six #6) by Carolyn Miller

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m quoting from Muskoka Blue by Australian author Carolyn Miller, the sixth book in her Original Six ice hockey contemporary Christian romance series.

It was the perfect time to be brave

Here’s the first line from the Chapter One:

Yes, this book actually comes before Muskoka Shores, which I read a few weeks ago. Yes, you should probably read them in order. I didn’t, but I don’t think that will matter too much. I hope.

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

 

About Muskoka Blue

An ice princess with a broken heart. A pro hockey player with a secret.

For Sarah Maguire, spending the summer at Lake Muskoka was supposed to be about finding the courage to put back the pieces of her shattered life—not falling in love with the charming yet unsophisticated hockey player from next door.

Daniel Walton may have been praying for Miss Right to appear, but Sarah’s ice princess act just cries Miss Wrong. Dan’s summer plans hadn’t included befriending a redhead with a sassy tongue and cute accent, but as Muskoka works its magic he soon discovers that underneath the frost and prickles is the funny, feisty, loving woman he’s waited all his life to meet.

As their friendship deepens, Sarah comes to appreciate Dan’s patience and kindness yet struggles to let go of the past and embrace the future, while Dan, only too conscious of the personal history he wants to forget, questions the wisdom of pursuing a girl whose heart may never be wholly his – who may soon return to live on the opposite side of the world.

Will past regrets lead to further heartbreak? Or can Sarah and Dan learn to leave the past in the past and embrace God’s promises for the future?

Muskoka Blue is the sixth book in the Original Six, a sweet and swoony, slightly sporty, Christian hockey romance series from bestselling author Carolyn Miller.

Find Muskoka Blue online at:

Amazon | BookBub | Goodreads | Koorong

Click here to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

Don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

Do you Finish Every Book You Start?

Bookish Question #250 | Do you Finish Every Book You Start?

Do I finish every book I start? Ha ha ha. No.

In fairness, it depends on your definition of “start a book”.

I’ll often read the first few pages of a book in a bookstore or library (or the Kindle sample) to decide if I want to read the book or not. I don’t count this as starting a book. It’s part of the purchase decision.

I have the same attitude to books I’ve borrowed or got for free (e.g. as a free ebook download). If I haven’t paid for the book, I’m not invested in any way and don’t feel any obligation to finish the book I’m not enjoying if I haven’t paid for it. In these cases, I treat “starting the book” as the same as the Kindle sample: it’s part of the purchase (or reading) decision.

I’m much more likely to try and finish a book I’ve bought, because it’s cost me real money. Even though I check books out before I buy, I do occasionally find I’m not enjoying a book I’ve bought. In this case, I will put it aside and come back to it later.

Sometimes I enjoy the book the second time I try. Sometimes I don’t.

But even a paperback only gets three chances before I give up. There’s one book I bought by an author many readers love, but I’ve tried three times and jsut couldn’t get into it. I read another one of their books and still couldn’t see what everyone was raving about, so I don’t think I’ll try again.

I almost always finish review copies, because that’s the point.

I was given a free copy with the understanding I’d read and review. Even then, I do come across the odd book I can’t force myself to finish.

My did-not-finish books are almost always because of the characters. It’s hard to read a book where I don’t like one (or both) of the main characters. Sometimes that’s about the character being intentionally unlikeable, but it’s more often because the character says or does something stupid or inappropriate, and that’s not portrayed as an issue.

For example, if a character makes a sexist or racist comment and another character challenges them, that’s okay. If the comment is ignored, I wonder why … and if the author, editor, and publisher all think that’s okay. (This is why it can be useful to have an author’s note at the beginning, so I know to expect inappropriate language and know why it’s there).

So no, I don’t finish every book I start. I do occasionally DNF.

What about you? Do you finish every book you start? If not, why not?