How do you play Opening Lines?

Read the opening sentence and choose the novel it belongs to. Look for the narrator, setting and tone as clues. A remembered first sentence can help, but a line can also be a starting point for finding a new book to read.

When do the daily book games change?

New puzzles arrive at midnight UTC. That may be morning, afternoon or evening in your time zone. The date on the game identifies the puzzle everyone is playing.

Can I play without an account?

You can play the daily games as a guest. Sign in if you want to keep your streaks across devices, and use the archive links when you want an earlier puzzle. Avoid posting an answer where people who have not played will see it.

Secondhand · Well-read · Much loved

Creasy Spines

“Every crease is a story.”

Vol. I · No. 292Monday, 19 October 2026Today’s edition

Opening Lines #24 · Monday, 24 August 2026

Opening Lines

Five first sentences from public-domain classics. Which book does each one open?

Replaying an archived puzzle. Play today’s

Line 1

“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

The Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesLittle WomenLouisa May AlcottUlyssesJames JoyceHeart of DarknessJoseph Conrad

Line 2

“‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.”

Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark TwainThe Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesRobinson CrusoeDaniel DefoeLittle WomenLouisa May Alcott

Line 3

“The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home.”

The Wind in the WillowsKenneth GrahameThe Wonderful Wizard of OzL. Frank BaumAnne of Green GablesL. M. MontgomeryBleak HouseCharles Dickens

Line 4

“‘Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow,’ said Mrs. Ramsay.”

The AwakeningKate ChopinTo the LighthouseVirginia WoolfDraculaBram StokerA Passage to IndiaE. M. Forster

Line 5

“No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own;”

Pride and PrejudiceJane AustenThe Thirty-Nine StepsJohn BuchanThe War of the WorldsH. G. WellsA Room with a ViewE. M. Forster

Archive · Your stats · First lines are from works published before 1930.

A few playing notes

How do you play Opening Lines?: Read the opening sentence and choose the novel it belongs to. Look for the narrator, setting and tone as clues. A remembered first sentence can help, but a line can also be a starting point for finding a new book to read.
When do the daily book games change?: New puzzles arrive at midnight UTC. That may be morning, afternoon or evening in your time zone. The date on the game identifies the puzzle everyone is playing.
Can I play without an account?: You can play the daily games as a guest. Sign in if you want to keep your streaks across devices, and use the archive links when you want an earlier puzzle. Avoid posting an answer where people who have not played will see it.