Opening Line

Hello all, during a conversation with one of my friends I was reminded how much I adore the opening line of Moby Dick "Call me Ishmael".  So simple, so effective, so perfect.  Here are some other opening lines that I personally find perfect for their books.

"There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

"When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton." J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

"This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it."  William Golding The Princess Bride

"Marley was dead to begin with" Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

" It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"Some people would say it's a bad idea to bring a fire-spider into a public library." Jim C. Hines, Libriomancer

"I am a coward" Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity

"Not every thirteen year old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial and found guilty."  Avi, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

"They murdered him."  Robert Cromier, The Chocolate War

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream."  Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife."  Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book." Lemony Snicket, The Bad Beginning

"I was born with a light covering of fur" Justine Larbalestier, Liar

Openings like these, grab my attention and I feel set the perfect tone for the books.  There are many other awesome lines I am sure I don't have up here, but that will just mean another post :-)  What is your favorite opening line?  Happy Reading Everybody!