First Line(s) Friday | June 18, 2021

Happy Friday! Today I am participating in First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books, AND First Lines Friday, hosted by Wandering Words!

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

“I’ve decided to stop lying to you.”

Anyone have any guesses on what book this is? I’ll give you a few clues…

Last chance to guess!

Today’s book is…

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
Series: The Carls #2
Published on July 7, 2020 by Dutton
Genres: Adult, Alternate History, Contemporary, Futuristic, Mystery, Neurodivergent, New Adult, Queer, Science Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 452
Format: Audiobook
Source: Rochester Public Library
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The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger. Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.
Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.
As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?

“I’ve decided to stop lying to you.”

I’ve been listening to The Carls audiobooks by Hank Green the last week or so, and I’m really enjoying the stories! They read to me like a delightful blend of Sylvain Neuvel, Casey McQuiston, Naomi Kritzer, and Maureen Johnson, which is just *chef’s kiss* perfection.

I’ve been home with a terrible migraine for the past few days, and 99% of life sucks right now. But! I do appreciate that noises don’t bother me and I can listen to my audiobooks all day, which has definitely helped me get through this 16 hour audiobook in about half my usual time.

Have you read these books before? What did you think of them? If not, what have you been reading lately?

Do you participate in either of these memes? Let me know if you do and link your posts in the comments so I can visit! And don’t forget to have a splendiferous week!