Have you ever had a book suck you in from the very first paragraph?  The first sentence?  Some people think beginnings are the most important part of a book--the difference between hooking a reader and letting them get away.

I tend to agree with this idea.  Many books that I've looked at were set right back down just because I didn't like the starting paragraph or it didn't interest me.  But some I've read anyway.  A big example for me was Harry Potter, when it first came out.  I read the first page and found myself yawning, and as a result didn't pick the book up again until the hype began.  Thus, the opposite question: does a poor beginning ruin the reading experience?

I've heard that beginnings are "make or break" for a story, and I just wanted to know what people around here have to say about it.  Jim's books usually begin with fantastic first paragraphs, for example.  Can you think of any others?