Teaser Tuesday: First Lines

Question: How important is the first line of your book?

Answer: Um... I dunno. Kind of?
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Here are the first lines of some books that are a) popular, b) my favorites, c) currently within arm's reach, or d) some combination thereof. I'll ruin the surprise-- the answer is: Pretty important unless you have a damn good hook.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling:
"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

My reaction: It's the "thank you very much" at the end that gets me. Just a little bite of voice that makes me go on.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie:
"I was born with water on the brain."

My reaction: What? I'll admit, Alexie didn't hook me until the later line, "My brain was drowning in grease"-- the imagery made me curious where he was going with this story.

Libby on Wednesday by Zilpha Keatley Snyder:
"'I've decided to quit school again,' Libby said."

My reaction: This book has a special place in my heart. My best friend and I realized we were destined to be together forever when we learned that years before we met, we had both stolen a copy of the same book from our childhood libraries. (On accident, of course.) I know you're not "supposed" to start with dialog, but this works, in my opinion. Who is this kid who thinks she can just quit school? Why does she want to quit? Why can't I just quit school?

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher:
"'Sir?' she repeats. 'How soon do you want it to get there?'"

My reaction: From the cover blurb, I already know we're dealing with a mysterious shoe box. Where he's sending it or how fast it gets there doesn't really matter to me-- I'm going to keep reading because I want to know what's on the tapes in the box. Had I been undecided, this might not have dragged me in, but the issue was irrelevant because I was already intrigued by the premise.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer:
"My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down."

My reaction: Yawn. I've read interviews with Meyer where she says that she was nervous about sending agents the first few chapters of her book because she didn't think they were the strongest part. I wouldn't argue with her. But like Asher, she's got a killer premise (no pun intended). So I dutifully slog along until I find some sparkle.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr:
"'Four-ball, side pocket.'"

My reaction: I read the prologue to this book three or four times in the store and put the book back. One day I finally read the first line of the first chapter and thought, "Faeries playing pool? WTF is this?" So I bought it. This time it was less knowing the premise than seeing the odd juxtaposition of what I thought was the premise with what appeared to be happening that drew me in. That, and a rockin' cover. Melissa hit the jackpot on that one.

Hm, I have a bunch more of these, but maybe I'll see what y'all think about this post and save the rest for next Teaser Tuesday. So what do you think? How were your reactions similar or different?