Thursday, May 24, 2018

First Line Friday: Chernobyl Edition


First Line Friday is brought to you by Hoarding Books.

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"Radiation is perhaps the most misunderstood phenomenon known to humanity"

I am hopelessly drawn to Chernobyl. I think it is partly because I am hopelessly in love with ruins - during my jaunts across Scotland and Ireland, by far my fave castles were the beautiful ruins. But there is something else to it with Chernobyl. Much like the endless fascination with Titanic and the tragedy of that dark night, it is the intrigue of man trying reign in that which he will never have complete control over.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Happy Reading!
Sarah

32 comments:

  1. Wow, well said. There is indeed something fascinating about Chernobyl, I think. That radiation quote is interesting, never quite thought about it like that.

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    1. Thank you! Part of it for me really is the footage of what the area has looked like since the place was evacuated. Time stopped and this is such a perfect example of what it looks like when normal every-day life has to suddenly be abandoned.

      Also, for your Movies That Suck feature, you should def watch Chernobyl Diaries. it is easily one of the worst movies ever made. And not even in a 'it is so bad it is good' way, like Tremors, lol.

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    2. You a TREMORS fan? LOL - The original was SUCH a brilliant movie.

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    3. What can I say, I have layers, lol. I loved the first one, it is one of my fave ridiculous movies.

      I did not watch many of the sequels, but I seem to remember one that was set in the 1800s, but it was the same supporting cast playing their ancestors or something like that? It's been ages, I don't even know.

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    4. Layers? Like an onion.....?

      Saw a few of the Tremors movies but they got more and more ridiculous. The original is still a brilliant film though.

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    5. I think so too, the original is usually the best - except in the case of The Godfather, where it is quite possible and nearly 100% true that The Godfather II was better than The Godfather, which is saying a lot. I always feel bad for The Godfather III, because had it not had to contend with the legacy of I and II, it would be better remembered as a quality film. Although Sofia Coppola was awful...it is still a quality movie - unless compared with its predecessors.

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    6. That's a fabulous suggestion *adds Chernobyl Diaries to my list*!!! I think I saw part of that movie once, does it involve young people running around Chernobyl being chased my horrible things?

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    7. OMG YAAAASSSS!!!! I am very much looking forward to this one and it will totally make up for the fact that you thought Mean Girls would ever be a 'Movie That Sucks' :P (But really, I've forgiven you, I PROMISE!)

      Yeah, it was the one by the guy who did Paranormal Activity (the first one was great anyway, the PA sequels, not so much) and was about this idiot group of people who thought it was a great idea to go to Chernobyl. Everyone dies. The end. I think the things that were stalking/killing them were people who had been exposed to the radiation and turned into these humanoid monster things? Maybe, I honestly can't even remember how they were described because I shoved this movie out of my brain as soon as I left the theatre! I look forward to your scathing live review.

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    8. Nice! That's definitely what I saw too, yup! Although I only saw maybe ten minutes of it? Clearly I need to give it the Movies That Suck treatment!! "idiot group of people" lol. Right, who would do that, mutants or not???

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    9. It was so terrible, and such cliches! Literally everything that happened was exactly what you would have expected to happen in a crappy horror movie where they clearly did not care about anything but making money off the back of the Paranormal Activity connection.

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  2. Agreed. Chernobyl is a fascinating human disaster. Full of pathos and heroism. I need to read more about it.

    My first line:

    "A sharp clip-clop of iron-shod hoofs deadened and died away, and clouds of yellow dust drifted from the cottonwoods out over the sage."

    Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

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    1. Yes! I sometimes get intimidated by the science aspect that comes along with the descriptions of the disaster, but I am going to persevere this time!

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  3. Interesting first line!

    I'm featuring the first line from 'Dancing in the Rain' by Eileen Rife and Jennifer Slattery on my blog today, but I'm currently up to chapter eleven, so here's the first line from chapter eleven:

    "Nervous energy filled Loni's stomach as her plane made its descent into Blountville, Tennessee."

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  4. Any kind of disasters interest me for reading and watching docs on tv, including Chernobyl.

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    1. Yes! The footage is captivating, of this whole city just suddenly abandoned. Even in daylight, it gives me a severe case of the wiggins. I can't imagine ever being there at night.

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  5. Sounds very interesting. I wonder how much we are fascinated by these things because we hope not to see them repeated. Therein lies wisdom also. And I agree that there is something very fascinating about ruins.

    Today on my blog I am sharing a book I read a long time ago by Mary Connealy that I greatly enjoyed, Petticoat Ranch. Here I will share the first line from the book I am currently reading/studying, "Saving Truth" by Abdu Murray. "You've been at an intersection before, waiting for the red light to change, and had that uneasy feeling: Is the bus next to me moving forward or am I in reverse?" This book is about finding meaning and clarity in a post-truth world. I highly recommend this author. Wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.

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    1. YES! How can we stop these things from happening again should be the first question we ask. Unfortunately our leaders often ask, how can money be made from this...which in itself is the problem.

      Thanks for sharing your line this week, happy reading!

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  6. Today on my blog, I am sharing the first line from To Kill a Mockingbird -- one of my most favorite books ever written. So here I will share from the book I am currently reading, The Theory of Happily Ever After by Kristin Billerbeck. I am just beginning chapter 14, so I will share the first line from there.

    "Try as I might, I can't release Sam's kiss from my memory."

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. To Kill a Mockingbird is my fave too! I read it the summer between 5th and 6th grade, quite by accident. I was at my grandparents' house and my youngest uncle had a bunch of his books, records, cassettes, etc in an office space in the basement. I found TKAM and started reading. A while later my grandma asked what I was up to and when I showed her the book she about had a heart attack and thought my mom would be upset with her, seeing as how it is kind of heavy on the maturity for an 11 year old. Luckily Mom was not mad and it has remained one of my most favorites of all time.

      Have you read Go Set a Watchman? I bought it, but can't bring myself to read it. I don't want the Atticus of my youth to become someone I don't recognize.

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  7. Happy Friday!😊

    My FLF comes from a book I will be reading soon, My Heart Belongs in Niagra Falls New York by Amanda Barratt.

    As the coachman loaded her trunk onto the carriage, nausea churned in Adele’s stomach.

    Have a great weekend and happy reading!😀

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  8. Wow, I've never heard of that book, but it sounds fascinating. Thanks for sharing! Have a great weekend!

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    1. So far, so good. I found it in Kindle Unlimited, so if you use KU you can read it for free. Happy Reading!

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  9. HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Oooooh...interesting!

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    1. HAPPY SATURDAY!!! :)

      It's free via Kindle Unlimited if you're interested in reading it!

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  10. Happy Friday!
    The book I'm sharing on my blog this week is Unblemished by Sara Ella but it's also the book I'm currently reading so I'll share the first line from chapter 4 here: "The expression on El's face before the wall closed was all the proof I required." Hope you have a happy Memorial Day weekend! :)

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    1. Thanks for sharing your line Becca, hope you have a good, book-filled weekend!

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  11. Nuclear power was one of the big issues in the 1985 New Zealand general election. We voted in a no-nuclear government, then Chernobyl happened the next year, which basically confirmed every anti-nuclear argument we'd heard during the election. We remain nuclear free, as no government would dare suggest it.

    My blog post today is sharing the first line from Solo Tu by Narelle Atkins. It's book #7 in the Tuscan Legacy series, and is set in Australia. I'm currently reading another beach book - Sanover Beach Memories by Emma St. Clair. Here's the first line:

    "They had both been grounded for a week when Jenna's father found the initials she and Steve carved into the birch tree."

    Happy Memorial Day weekend!

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    1. If only EVERY government could agree that nuclear is not really a good idea, we would all be in a much better place. I can't even imagine what it would be like to suddenly have to leave behind your whole life, and on top of that, NOT even be told what exactly happened. It's all so tragic.

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  12. Happy Saturday and Memorial Day weekend!

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