Bird’s Eye: After you’ve looked at the hundred best opening lines, you can casually shrug and say, “Yeah, I’ve read part of it,” about a lot of very famous books. Or if you want to read (or listen) to SF, we have links to free (and legal) classics. (If you are into SF, read The Verge’s long piece on Philip K. Dick, and his fans, who are known as “Dickheads”.) And a short video in support of the ongoing fight against banning books.

* 100 Best Opening Lines American Book Review

Starting with “Call me Ishmael” this is an enjoyable quick scan. For those of a competitive bent, I was 10/10, and 18/20

* Free Science Fiction Classics on the Web: Huxley, Orwell, Asimov, Gaiman & Beyond   Open Culture

1984 (audio, print) Frankenstein, Foundation Trilogy, lots Dick, Gaiman (Graveyard Stories)

* Neil Gaiman Explains All Hallow’s Read – YouTube

Neil Gaiman, author of things, explains All Hallow’s Read, a Tradition that was just waiting to happen. No zombies were actually killed during the making of this video.

* Banned Books The Presurfer

Bookmans, an independent bookstore with six locations in Arizona, created this video for the 2012 Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out. During Bookmans’ 36-year fight against censorship, the shattered light bulb emerged as a powerful symbol of the importance of free speech.

In this video, combining passages from banned books read by customers and employees, Bookmans created a statement about how books inform, engage and inspire the light in each of us.