There exist few books that I can say are a personal favorite, but some stick out in my often fleeting memory.  Everything I Never Told You by Chelsea Ng, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez are three that I like to recommend friends in need of a page-turner. 

In all honesty I couldn’t tell you the major plot twists or who were the main characters. Despite this, there’s something that I remember: The first sentence from each opening chapter.

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.”

-Everything I Never Told You by Chelsea Ng

“I was thirty-seven then, strapped in my seat as the huge 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to the Hamburg airport.”

-Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

“It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.”

–Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez 

The first time I read these lines, I was like holy cow. These three sentences created an instant infatuation with their respective story and for me they proved that these authors are, or were, masters of their craft. In fact, reading these lines again brings a small tear to my eye.  They not only offered a reminder that reading physical books is an enjoyable experience, but they also inspired me to write this blog.

Now that I’ve shared these three opening lines, what the heck do I write about?

The main reason for this blog post isn’t to only express enthusiasm for three great writers.

I also wanted to share an update about my life and for a story that hasn’t been written yet. The epilogue started in 2009, when my best friend Jack Colombo and I made a promise. We agreed that one day we would take a break from our normal lives and backpack through Asia. Back then it was easy to say, yeah man let’s do it, even though we never had an actual Where, When, or How actually established.

Well, it’s been almost ten years since we pinky-sweared. It was our scout’s honor to fulfill this personal quest and, despite years of different plans, Jack and I didn’t forget about this dream.

I feel truly fortunate to say that after months of planning, it’s official; He recently left his job, and I just put my notice in at mine.

On January 6th, 2019 Jack and I are grabbing our backpacks and leaving the United States. I can’t tell you the plot twists, who all the characters will be, or how this story will unfold.

The only thing I can give you is the first sentence of our book’s opening chapter:

“It all started on a one-way flight to Bangkok.”