Quantum Thief by Hanny Rajaniemi

Details:

Published in 2011 by Tor Books.

I read it in 2012.

From the Publisher:

Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist, and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy— from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of Mars. Now he’s confined inside the Dilemma Prison, where every day he has to get up and kill himself before his other self can kill him.

Rescued by the mysterious Mieli and her flirtatious spacecraft, Jean is taken to the Oubliette, the Moving City of Mars, where time is currency, memories are treasures, and a moon-turnedsingularity lights the night. What Mieli offers is the chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self—in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed.

As Jean undertakes a series of capers on behalf of Mieli and her mysterious masters, elsewhere in the Oubliette investigator Isidore Beautrelet is called in to investigate the murder of a chocolatier, and finds himself on the trail of an arch-criminal, a man named le Flambeur….

The Quantum Thief is a crazy joyride through the solar system several centuries hence, a world of marching cities, ubiquitous public-key encryption, people communicating by sharing memories, and a race of hyper-advanced humans who originated as MMORPG guild members. But for all its wonders, it is also a story powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge, and jealousy. It is a stunning debut.

First Line:

As always, before the warmind and I shoot each other, I try to make small talk.

Alternate Covers:

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Details:

Published in 1992 by Atheneum, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.

1998, probably.

From the Publishers:

Young Daine's knack with horses gets her a job helping the royal horsemistress drive a herd of ponies to Tortall. Soon it becomes clear that Daine's talent, as much as she struggles to hide it, is downright magical Horses and other animals not only obey, but listen to her words. Daine, though, will have to learn to trust humans before she can come to terms with her powers, her past, and herself.  

First Line:

Each year, at the end of March, a great fair was held in Cria, the capitol of Galla.

Alternative Covers:

The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron

Details:

Published in 1996 by Penguin.

I think I read it in 2001.

From the Publisher:

Washed up on the shores of ancient Wales, the boy had no home, no memory and no name... he was determined to find all three.

This best-selling Tseries follows the adventures and training of young Merlin on the mist-shrouded isle of Fincayra, an enchanted land between earth and sky that is being destroyed by blight. With this land's inhabitants to guide him, the boy will learn that Fincayra's fate and his own quest are strangely intertwined.

He is destined to become the greatest wizard of all time--known to all as Merlin.

First Line:

It was the hand of a boy.

Alternate Cover:

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Details:

Published in 2000 by Houghton Mifflin.

I think I read it in 2004.

From the Publisher:

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.

First Line:

"Mother?"

There was no reply. She hadn't expected one.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

Details:

Published in 1813 by T. Egerton, Whitehall.

I think I read it in 2003.

From the Publisher:

For over 150 years, Pride And Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen herself called this brilliant work her "own darling child." Pride And Prejudice, the story of Mrs. Bennet's attempts to marry off her five daughters is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature. Excitement fizzes through the Bennet household at Longbourn in Hertfordshire when young, eligible Mr. Charles Bingley rents the fine house nearby. He may have sisters, but he also has male friends, and one of these—the haughty, and even wealthier, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy—irks the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the Bennet girls. She annoys him. Which is how we know they must one day marry. The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and Darcy is a splendid rendition of civilized sparring. As the characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, Jane Austen's radiantly caustic wit and keen observation sparkle.

First Line:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Alternate Covers:

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Details:

Published in 1943 by Bobbs Merrill.

I think I read it in 2005.

From the Publisher:

When The Fountainhead was first published, Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him.

First Line:

Howard Roark laughed.

Alternate Covers:

Stone of Tears

Details:

Published in 1996 by Tor Books.

I think I read it in 2008.

From the Publisher:

An Epic of Awesome Power

Kahlan has at last gained the one goal she had always thought was beyond her grasp ... love. Against all odds, the ancient bonds of secret oaths, and the dark talents of men long dead, Richard has won her heart.

Amid sudden and disastrous events, Richard's life is called due to satisfy those treacherous oaths. To save his life, Kahlan must forsake Richard's love and cast him into the chains of slavery, knowing there could be no sin worse than such a betrayal.

Richard is determined to unlock the secrets bound in the magic of ancient oaths and to again be free. Kahlan, alone with the terrible truth of what she has done, must set about altering the course of a world thrown into war. But even that may be easier than ever winning back the heart of the only man she will ever love.

First Line:

Rachel clutched her doll tighter to her chest and stared at the dark thing watching her from the bushes.

Alternate Cover: