The First Sentences Virtual Bookbox is on the last few people for round 18 before it comes back to me, so I've started a new thread for round 19.

For a refresher, here's a link to the previous thread: https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/567612

Here's how it works (thanks to wubbaducky, who originally dreamed up the idea of this VBB, for most of the text):

I'll PM the list to participant 1, who picks their choices and replaces them with their own. They'll PM the list back to me. I'll make a note of which books have been added by participant 1 and then PM the list to participant 2, who'll pick their choices and replace and PM back to me the updated list. Etc. etc. etc. So I'll be keeping tabs on who's contributed what and who's chosen what.

The catch is, you DON'T put down book titles, authors or genres. All you put on the email is the First Sentence of the book. So, for example, if books I was including on the list were Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, the virtual list would read:

1. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

2. Call me Ishmael.

3. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

Then you would email me back saying you were taking out numbers 1 and 3 and replacing them with:

4. First sentence of new book

5. First sentence of other new book

Whenever the list comes back to me, I'll then PM you with the first sentence(s) you chose and the screen name(s) of the person who owns the book(s). You will then need to PM them to ask them for that first sentence book.

Please don't tell the recipient what the book is before they receive it- it's all meant to be a mysterious surprise...

Please PM me back the list ASAP- it shouldn't take you more than two weeks to make your choices and replace them and PM me back with the updates.

There should always be 17 books in the virtual bookbox. If you take out five, please replace with five, etc.

Genre doesn't matter so long as the first sentence is interesting (you define interesting). No author's notes/acknowledgements, please. Just the first sentence of the book. I will make one exception in this case: if a book has a prologue, you may choose between the prologue's first sentence and the first chapter's first sentence.

Please update this thread with the first sentence(s) you've chosen to take out and later, please let us know what book(s) they turned out to belong to- we all want to share in your fun too! And of course, don't forget to journal the books themselves later...

Please mail your books out to the people who have chosen your books as quickly as possible- within a month is preferable.

You must be willing to mail internationally, as this is an international bookbox and I can't guarantee who's going to choose your contributions.

You are responsible for contacting the person who owns your first sentence book(s).

Please post here if you are interested. No PMs, please.

COVID-19 Update: I understand many of you may be stuck in your homes and unable to post books at this time. Please be patient with the senders of any books you are expecting. I’m sure we all will get to the post office when it’s safer to do so.

Initial list of participants:
sedna5213
Lamilla
Icila
Bookworm-lady
Delphi_Reader
Annimanni
greenbadger
Paulanni
Arvores
russbaum
Meekachu07
kizmiaz —Asked to be skipped
msjoanna
mcsar
tigergirlnz —LIST IS HERE
adrienne10
Askeladda
disneyfreaksam
Soozreader
Billbooks
catsalive
etripney
mysteriousmummy

Thanks for running this VBB again!

I'd like to join again. Thank you for the PM

I'd like to join again. Thank you for the PM

Same here.

Thanks for your PM. :)

Thanks for organising collectorkerri !

I'd like to join in again, thank you!

Thank you for organising again.

Thank you for the PM and for organising. This is a fun VBB!

Thanks for the reminder 😊

I love this game :)

thanks for the invite.

I'd like to join again, please.

Love to play again. Thanks for the invite.

This sounds like fun!

This was fun when I could do round 17. Thanks for your patience when I opted out of round 18.

I'll love to enter again. Thank you for hosting this VBB!

1. On that Tuesday in January, when her life changed forever, Martine Rhodes woke with a headache, developed a sour stomach after washing down two aspirin with grapefruit juice, guaranteed herself an epic bad-hair day by mistakenly using Dustin’s shampoo instead of her own, broke a fingernail, burnt her toast, discovered ants swarming through the cabinet under the kitchen sink, eradicated the pests by firing a spray can of insecticide as ferociously as Sigourney Weaver wielded a flamethrower in one of those old extraterrestrial-bug movies, cleaned up the resultant carnage with paper towels, hummed Bach’s Requiem as she solemnly consigned the tiny bodies to the trash can, and took a telephone call from her mother, Sabrina, who still prayed for the collapse of Martie’s marriage three years after the wedding.
2. On July 8th, 1992, a small girl woke up in her bed in her family house in the Australian state of Victoria and knew exactly who she was.
3. The man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath.
4. It was the Bishop boy who started it all.
5. During the summer of 1941, every weekday morning at the top of the tide, McCall Purnell and I would board my skiff and go progging for crab.
6. A man with binoculars.
7. Kimmo Thorne liked Dietrich best of all: the hair, the legs, the cigarette holder, the top hat and tails.
8. I had been frightened many times since I started my sea-voyage but always by the rage of winds and waters, dangers I could not properly comprehend and which I could do nothing about.
9. Andrew Villard couldn't remember when he'd last closed his eyes.
10. If there was a bishop, my mother would have him to tea.
11. I want you to take a good look at him.
12. "Hey, Hello" Candee Taylor said as she tapped Jonathan Sellers on the shoulder.
13. It was the day in my life when, were I F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda would break off the engagement at the weekend.
14. Fine white flakes sifted across the sallow slash of the spotlight in the town square.
15. At noon, the clouds clinging to the top of Cerro Gordo broke free and scattered.
16. It’s like dancing sitting down.
17. He came up with the names.

I would love to rejoin

Count me in too, please.

I'm in again

Here's my choice from the VBB:

15. At noon, the clouds clinging to the top of Cerro Gordo broke free and scattered.

My replacement sentence is:

Though I'd caught only the briefest glimpse from the corner of my eye, I knew immediately that the brown creature darting across my warped hardwood floors was a water bug - the largest, meatiest insect I've ever seen.

Thanks a lot for running this VBB again, collectorkerri!

I'm taking out:
2. On July 8th, 1992, a small girl woke up in her bed in her family house in the Australian state of Victoria and knew exactly who she was.
17. He came up with the names.

I'm putting in:
- As she woke up in a pod, she remembered three things.
- Dechert stood at the crater rim and looked down.

I pick up :
3. The man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath.
10. If there was a bishop, my mother would have him to tea.

And I replace with :
-"Pierre, something's wrong with the garden," said Sophia.
And:
- It was raining.

Thank you one more time collectorkerri.

10. If there was a bishop, my mother would have him to tea.

This book has been mailed to Icila. [Note that the book will come via Better World Books]

Thought I added my name obviously didn't I'm in again if not too late

You did. I had you on my master list but didn’t update the post. Fixing it now.

I'm chosing those four:

1. Once upon a time...
5. During the summer of 1941, every weekday morning at the top of the tide, McCall Purnell and I would board my skiff and go progging for crab.
12. "Hey, Hello" Candee Taylor said as she tapped Jonathan Sellers on the shoulder.
17. Dechert stood at the crater rim and looked down.

And replacing with:

a) The Franciscan monk approached the convent entrance, cautiously tugged at the rope that rang the bell, and waited tensely until he heard the shuffling steps of the gatekeeper.
b) And then say what?
c) It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she'd been told.
d) Perhaps reality is but a mass delusion, thought Phileas Book, watching the waves of the Mediterranean Sea breaking against the concrete quays of Paris.

Thank you collectorkerri and everyone for this fun BookBox. It's always hard to restrict my self, I'm tempted to chose everything and see what comes up! lol

I'm chosing those four:

1. Once upon a time...

This one is mine; please re-send me your addy, and the mystery book will fly to you in my next batch. :)

And PM received... :)
Surprise, surprise!

12. "Hey, Hello" Candee Taylor said as she tapped Jonathan Sellers on the shoulder.
....is mine and I've sent you a PM.

The list is here, thank you! I'm being greedy this time and picking four:

2. Clouds bearded the moon and the horizon was still inky, with every one of the world-famous lights turned off, save for the beacon at the top of the distinctive tower that distinguished the famous city even in the dark.

3. "Pierre, something's wrong with the garden," said Sophia.

7. Kimmo Thorne liked Dietrich best of all: the hair, the legs, the cigarette holder, the top hat and tails.

14. Fine white flakes sifted across the sallow slash of the spotlight in the town square.

And here are my replacements:

* It’s early, not yet seven a.m., and once again I’m waking up beside my adoptive sister.

* The catamaran, its blue-patched sails no longer flapping, its nets full of glistening catch, came in after the night’s fishing.

* Jorge said he wasn’t coming back until I learned how to be a better wife.

* I had always thought that a person born blind and given sight later on in life through the miracles of modern medicine would feel reborn.

Thanks once again for organizing, collectorkerri!

The list is here, thank you! I'm being greedy this time and picking four:

2. Clouds bearded the moon and the horizon was still inky, with every one of the world-famous lights turned off, save for the beacon at the top of the distinctive tower that distinguished the famous city even in the dark.

This one is mine; please send me your address, and I will send the book to you in my next trip to the post office. :)

3. "Pierre, something's wrong with the garden," said Sophia.
And this one is mine. I have your address. I w'll post it next week.

3. "Pierre, something's wrong with the garden," said Sophia.

This one turned out to be The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas. Brilliant! Thanks, Icila!

https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13445483

2. Clouds bearded the moon and the horizon was still inky, with every one of the world-famous lights turned off, save for the beacon at the top of the distinctive tower that distinguished the famous city even in the dark.

This one turned out to be The Paris Secret by Karen Swan. Thank you, Bookworm-lady!
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/14585309/

My first sentence "At noon, the clouds clinging to the top of Cerro Gordo broke and scattered" belongs to Relic by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/4243089

I have chosen:
4. It was the Bishop boy who started it all.
8. I had been frightened many times since I started my sea-voyage but always by the rage of winds and waters, dangers I could not properly comprehend and which I could do nothing about.

and I'll put in:
When people ask me what I do - taxi drivers, dental hygienists - I tell them I work in an office.
He jolted awake, sweaty and short of breath.

8. I had been frightened many times since I started my sea-voyage but always by the rage of winds and waters, dangers I could not properly comprehend and which I could do nothing about.

This turns out to be All the Tea in China by Kyril Bonfiglioli. I've never heard of this but apparently he's "one of the funniest writers ever" - looking forward to reading it, thank you!

4. It was the Bishop boy who started it all.

This is The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox. Looks like one I'll enjoy, thank you!

Your book didn't make it for Christmas but arrived safely today and anyway, having all this lock-down situation it feels like an extended holiday with lots of spare time to read!

"Hey, Hello" Candee Taylor said as she tapped Jonathan Sellers on the shoulder.
turns out to be the first sentence of
Invasion by Robin Cook, "Master of the medical thriller"
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/15852212
Very timely and topical I think : )

I haven't played for ages

So many tempting choices, but I'll restrict myself to these two:
1. The Franciscan monk approached the convent entrance, cautiously tugged at the rope that rang the bell, and waited tensely until he heard the shuffling steps of the gatekeeper.
14. I had always thought that a person born blind and given sight later on in life through the miracles of modern medicine would feel reborn.

And replace them with:
Opening his eyes, William recognized the feel of Saturday morning.
and
Father McK. could feel pins and needles in his feet.

Thank you for organizing, collectorkerry!

1. The Franciscan monk approached the convent entrance, cautiously tugged at the rope that rang the bell, and waited tensely until he heard the shuffling steps of the gatekeeper.

This one is mine. Please PM me your address and I'll send it asap : )

Thank you in advance. PM sent earlier today.

Once upon a time...
turns out to be the first sentence of
The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/14884314
It seems interesting. One more new book/author discovered through BC!
Thank you very much!

Once upon a time...
turns out to be the first sentence of
The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/14884314
It seems interesting. One more new book/author discovered through BC!
Thank you very much!

I'm glad it arrived safely. Enjoy! :)

I i wouwould love to join please

I would love to join this please. Very excited xx

Sure. I’ll add you to the list.

I have chosen:
4. When people ask me what I do - taxi drivers, dental hygienists - I tell them I work in an office.
12. It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she'd been told.

And my replacements:
- "During a freezing November sunset in 1941 Dr. Lachlan McCready stands near the cliff edge contemplating his final house call of the day."
- "Thirteen is not a superstitious or unlucky number, it's the number of months in a year in Ethiopia."

Thank you all.

12. It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she'd been told.

This one is mine. Please PM me your address and I'll send it sometime this week : )

PM sent.
Thank you 😊

I missed this, please can I join if it is not too late

Sure, I’ll add you.

"If there was a bishop, my mother would have him to tea" turned to be :
Oscar & Lucinda by Peter Carey.

I am taking out:

8. He jolted awake, sweaty and short of breath.
9. Andrew Villard couldn't remember when he'd last closed his eyes.
14. Father McK. could feel pins and needles in his feet.
15. Though I'd caught only the briefest glimpse from the corner of my eye, I knew immediately that the brown creature darting across my warped hardwood floors was a water bug - the largest, meatiest insect I've ever seen.

And I am replacing them with:
8. When I was fifteen, I got hepatitis.
9. The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted.
14. Oh dear God ... it was a long way down.
15. I keep hearing the tune.

Thanks all and especially collectorkerri for keeping this going.

I am taking out:

14. Father McK. could feel pins and needles in his feet.

This is from me and ready to send. I have your address, so I'll drop it into a postbox this week.

This sentence "I had always thought that a person born blind and given sight later on in life through the miracles of modern medicine would feel reborn." is from Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland. https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/15816464

A new book and author to me, and I look forward to reading it. All the more so as I happened to read a novel inspired by the Beatles' song Eleanor Rigby just this month. What a coincidence!

"The man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath." turned to be I See You by Clare Mackintosh.

I will pick:

9. The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted

I will replace with: Like many of us, I think, my father spent the measure of his life piecing together a story he would never understand.

Your book arrived safely today (Wed Feb 3). The sentence "The Franciscan monk approached the convent entrance, cautiously tugged at the rope that rang the bell, and waited tensely until he heard the shuffling steps of the gatekeeper." is from Graciela Limon's novel Song of the Hummingbird. https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/6109970

Again, a totally new book, author and theme for me, looks very interesting. Through this VBB I have received books that I had never even heard about. So cool!

Enjoy!

Through this VBB I have received books that I had never even heard about. So cool!

I second that : ) It's a fun BookBox!

First sentence for this book was:
"It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she'd been told", which turned out to be "The Forgotten Garden", by Kate Morton.
I like the theme of the book so, this may be an interesting read.

Thank you so much for sharing.

An "epic" read. I think you'll like it : )
Enjoy!

I am going to select:
Perhaps reality is but a mass delusion, thought Phileas Book, watching the waves of the Mediterranean Sea breaking against the concrete quays of Paris

I am going to put in:
The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

I am going to select:
Perhaps reality is but a mass delusion, thought Phileas Book, watching the waves of the Mediterranean Sea breaking against the concrete quays of Paris

This one is mine. Please PM me your address and I'll send it asap : )

So many interesting first lines, I am taking out 5 books. My picks are:

2. It’s early, not yet seven a.m., and once again I’m waking up beside my adoptive sister.
3. The catamaran, its blue-patched sails no longer flapping, its nets full of glistening catch, came in after the night’s fishing.
7. Jorge said he wasn’t coming back until I learned how to be a better wife.
9. Like many of us, I think, my father spent the measure of his life piecing together a story he would never understand.
12. Thirteen is not a superstitious or unlucky number, it's the number of months in a year in Ethiopia.

and replacing them with:
- It was once a sanatorium high up in the mountains.
- In her youth Louise Daudry, née Geuze, had committed a wicked and unusual crime.
- Every summer Lin Kong returned to Goose Village to divorce his wife, Shuyu.
- That day started just like any other for me: late and slow.
- I stayed up at the bar a few times but I didn't want the barman thinking that I needed someone to talk to.

Thanks for hosting the new round.

Excellent picks – the first three all reside with me :) I have your address (unless you've recently moved) and will get them posted asap.

Excellent picks – the first three all reside with me :) I have your address (unless you've recently moved) and will get them posted asap.

Wow, three from you, interesting offers. I am at the same address. No hurry and do post them surface if it is available. Three books are going to cost.

"He jolted awake, sweaty and short of breath." is from The Patience of the Spider, by Andrea Camilleri.
I like a good crime novel and based on the author's extensive bibliography this one deserves a shot.

"Though I'd caught only the briefest glimpse from the corner of my eye, I knew immediately that the brown creature darting across my warped hardwood floors was a water bug - the largest, meatiest insect I've ever seen." is from Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger, author of The Devil Wears Prada. Not my style but you can't win 'em all.
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/15431816

This time from greenbadger.
First sentence was "When people ask me what I do - taxi drivers, dental hygienists - I tell them I work in an office", and the book is "Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine", by Gail Honeyman. Great choice, as I am very curious about this one.
Thank you!

I'll send it over soon, together with a wish list tag

I'm taking out two books:
"It was the day in my life when, were I F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda would break off the engagement at the weekend."
and
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

and putting in:
"I address these lines - written in India - to my relatives in England."
and
"When my mother was angry with me, which was often, she said, 'The Devil led us to the wrong crib.'"

Yay I'm looking forward to this! :D

I'm taking out two books:
"It was the day in my life when, were I F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda would break off the engagement at the weekend."
and
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

Um...I've picked my books [see above] but I still don't know who to give my address to? Do the first lines belong to any of you perchance?

I still don't know who to give my address to?

Send a PM to collectorkerri and she will let you know who has the books.
And hope it's someone who is still playing the game !

I still don't know who to give my address to?

Send a PM to collectorkerri and she will let you know who has the books.
And hope it's someone who is still playing the game !

Thanks but I did this first and haven't received a message back. I've no idea of the pace of this Virtual Book box, just noticed that people usually say 'oh that's my one!' fairly fast. I don't want to hold any of it up :D

So because I'm bored I did some searching through threads -

"It was the day in my life when, were I F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda would break off the engagement at the weekend." is with kizmiaz (added in Round 18)
and
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." is with msjoanna (added 3 weeks ago)

So because I'm bored I did some searching through threads -

"It was the day in my life when, were I F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda would break off the engagement at the weekend." is with kizmiaz (added in Round 18)
and
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." is with msjoanna (added 3 weeks ago)

Aw thanks I'll chase them up :D

Oh, dear, I seem to have deleted my original post by mistake; anyway, this one goes like this:
"On that Tuesday in January, when her life changed forever..."
Yes, a looong sentence of epic proportions; after choosing it, I was afraid it might turn out to be some chick-lit novel, but instead I got pleasantly surprised by:
"False Memory", by Dean Koontz
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/4028481/
Thank you very much; I also enjoyed your cheerful pink envelope, and I am sure I will enjoy reading this one...

Summing up: The two books I offered have been sent and received, and I am still missing the one starting by: "As she woke up in a pod, she remembered three things." Or at least I think I haven't received it yet... ?

I am still missing the one starting by: "As she woke up in a pod, she remembered three things." Or at least I think I haven't received it yet...

The book is with me, you wrote that it's no hurry to send. Let me know if this changed

I am still missing the one starting by: "As she woke up in a pod, she remembered three things." Or at least I think I haven't received it yet...

The book is with me, you wrote that it's no hurry to send. Let me know if this changed

No, no hurry at all; I was just concerned that it might be lost on its way, or that I might have misplaced it. Please take your time; never too late to get pleasantly surprised. :)

I selected:The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted

It ended up being "The Girl Who Feel in Love With Tom Gordon" by Stephen King.

As a baseball fan this looks like it could be fun.

"During the summer of 1941, every weekday morning at the top of the tide, McCall Purnell and I would board my skiff and go progging for crab." turns out to be the First Sentence of

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
https://www.bookcrossing.com/---/4545789
One more new to me book/author, I'm intrigued!

Sorry for slight delay to journal this, it patiently waited for a while on work place No 1 for me to go and get it (Both work places are closed right now so I show up every now and then to keep an eye on things lol )