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 #62 · Thursday, 1 October 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

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

Tess of the d'UrbervillesThomas HardyHowards EndE. M. ForsterThe Wind in the WillowsKenneth GrahameGreat ExpectationsCharles Dickens

Line 2

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

The Secret GardenFrances Hodgson BurnettTo the LighthouseVirginia WoolfA Passage to IndiaE. M. ForsterThe Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain

Line 3

“No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine.”

The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark TwainThe Count of Monte CristoAlexandre DumasNorthanger AbbeyJane AustenStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeRobert Louis Stevenson

Line 4

“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.”

EmmaJane AustenThe Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesHowards EndE. M. ForsterAnne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery

Line 5

“Marley was dead: to begin with.”

The Portrait of a LadyHenry JamesThe AwakeningKate ChopinA Christmas CarolCharles DickensThe Sun Also RisesErnest Hemingway

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.