Susanne Freidberg | Belknap Press/Harvard University

A celebration of great opening lines in literature.

“Unlike some kitchen appliances, the refrigerator doesn’t cry out for attention. Sure, some fridges talk or broadcast TV, and some boast fancy brand names. But the best refrigerators are like clean windows: entirely forgettable.”

— Fresh: A Perishable History by Susanne Freidberg (Belknap Press/Harvard University, $28)