Skip to content

Bespoke

ancient ideas, fresh trails

Tag: books

September 15, 2025

Downton Abbey: a reflection

Continue reading →
November 18, 2024

Musings at 35,000 feet

Continue reading →
February 12, 2023February 12, 2023

Roger’s Library Books

Continue reading →
August 26, 2013December 6, 2013

New Book: Lay Down Your Guns

Continue reading →
February 16, 2013August 1, 2021

I’m Pilgrim, but My Indian is Stirring

Continue reading →
February 8, 2013December 5, 2013

Do you prefer reading bound books or digital books?

Continue reading →
February 2, 2013December 5, 2013

Sonic hearing $19.95…the Wisdom of George Eliot, Priceless

Continue reading →
January 5, 2013December 5, 2013

My favorites lines

Continue reading →

Menu

  • About
  • Blog name

Recent Posts

  • What Progress Can’t Measure: A Ripe Life December 18, 2025
  • Jair and the Drum December 6, 2025
  • Driving Through East Texas and the Garden of Gilgamesh October 10, 2025
  • The Ryder Cup: Between Delirium & Decorum September 29, 2025
  • Downton Abbey: a reflection September 15, 2025
  • Turn the Page July 18, 2025
  • For Mom on Her 90th Birthday July 6, 2025
  • Bless the Beasts and the Children June 15, 2025
  • The Parable of Spud Dinkins June 11, 2025
  • Seven Hills May 22, 2025
  • How Ice Cream Saved the World and Then Ruined It May 18, 2025
  • Save the Dancer April 26, 2025
  • Cheers That Bring Us to Our Knees April 14, 2025
  • Redeeming Beelzebub March 14, 2025

Archives

  • December 2025 (2)
  • October 2025 (1)
  • September 2025 (2)
  • July 2025 (2)
  • June 2025 (2)
  • May 2025 (2)
  • April 2025 (2)
  • March 2025 (1)
  • February 2025 (2)
  • January 2025 (2)
  • December 2024 (1)
  • November 2024 (2)
  • October 2024 (2)
  • September 2024 (2)
  • August 2024 (2)
  • June 2024 (1)
  • April 2024 (3)
  • March 2024 (1)
  • February 2024 (1)
  • January 2024 (2)
  • December 2023 (1)
  • November 2023 (2)
  • October 2023 (2)
  • September 2023 (2)
  • June 2023 (3)
  • May 2023 (2)
  • March 2023 (1)
  • February 2023 (2)
  • November 2022 (1)
  • October 2022 (4)
  • August 2022 (1)
  • July 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • November 2021 (1)
  • August 2021 (1)
  • July 2021 (8)
  • May 2021 (1)
  • March 2021 (1)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • July 2020 (1)
  • June 2020 (1)
  • May 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (5)
  • March 2020 (3)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (1)
  • November 2018 (1)
  • September 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • August 2017 (6)
  • July 2017 (2)
  • June 2017 (3)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • February 2017 (2)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • November 2016 (3)
  • October 2016 (3)
  • September 2016 (3)
  • August 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • June 2016 (3)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (4)
  • February 2016 (3)
  • January 2016 (5)
  • December 2015 (1)
  • November 2015 (2)
  • October 2015 (2)
  • September 2015 (1)
  • August 2015 (2)
  • July 2015 (3)
  • June 2015 (1)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (3)
  • March 2015 (3)
  • February 2015 (1)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (3)
  • November 2014 (1)
  • October 2014 (3)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (1)
  • June 2014 (9)
  • May 2014 (4)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • March 2014 (3)
  • February 2014 (5)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (4)
  • November 2013 (4)
  • October 2013 (4)
  • September 2013 (3)
  • August 2013 (3)
  • July 2013 (3)
  • June 2013 (3)
  • May 2013 (4)
  • April 2013 (2)
  • March 2013 (4)
  • February 2013 (7)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (2)

5 responses to “My favorites lines”

  1. Charlotte Avatar
    Charlotte
    January 5, 2013

    Thanks, Brent, for letting me know about this!! What a neat way to share thoughts and insights. The only one of the quotes I think I know is #2 about the rain coming on the scarred earth – was that from the book about the Dust Bowl? I have to confess that I have never looked at books that way before – I usually look at the description on the back to see if it is interesting. But this puts a new perspective on perusing books. Here is a beginning “I jumped out of bed that morning with one question in my mind- sun or fog? of “The Hiding Place” and ending “The circle of white cotton tells us that when we’re feeling poorest – when we’ve lost a friend, when a dream has failed, when we seem to have nothing left in the world to make life beautiful – that’s when God says: You’re richer than you think.” So thanks to you and Corrie Ten Boom for blessing my day. Love, Mom

    Reply
  2. Rudy Taylor Avatar
    Rudy Taylor
    January 9, 2013

    First line:
    At first, I thought light smelled like coal oil.
    Our farm home in the Oklahoma hills didn’t have electricity, so the amber light of coal oil lamps kept our family reading, playing, singing and generally contented during the long evenings of the late 1940s.

    Closing line:
    An admittedly naive editor believes the shimmering lights that he has seen, and hopefully reflected, in this lifetime will illuminate the town for another hundred years.
    The thud of the home newspaper hitting the doorstep is a sound nobody should miss.

    (“Light On Main Street”)

    Reply
    1. brent ray taylor Avatar
      brent ray taylor
      January 9, 2013

      Thanks for sharing Rudy. That’s a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read “Light on Main Street”

      Reply
  3. Heather Brown (@Skeeter1300) Avatar
    Heather Brown (@Skeeter1300)
    January 11, 2013

    I read the first sentence of books to get a feel for the author’s style. I often pick books to read based solely on the cover and its first sentence. I love the parenthesis way of looking at it. I may borrow this from now on and start reading the last bit as well.
    I work for Rudy and i think “Light on Main Street” is a great book. Its written about the type of town where I grew up and feels like a bit of home.
    I’m going to look at my own favorite books in a different way now. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. brent ray taylor Avatar
      brent ray taylor
      January 11, 2013

      Heather,
      Thanks for the thoughts. And yes, I also place a lot of stock in a book buying decision on reading the cover/jacket/first page. Of course some
      novels are spoiled by reading the last page first, so that’s something I only do when the rebellious spirit of immediate gratification strikes me (or maybe it’s just laziness!) By the way, you are blessed to work with Rudy. He’s a good man, even if I am a biased nephew.

      Reply
  • About
  • Blog name
Blog at WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Bespoke
    • Join 318 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Bespoke
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar