A Silly Book Game Part 32

Thought it was time to start a new thread......

Here's the last posting:

"With pleasure, answered the parachutist, smiling at Billie like n one ever had."

Children in Reindeer Woods by Kristin Omarsdottir

"Would sir like me to carry his shoe and guitar case?"

oops....thanks bookwoman!

“I look to you, my dearest kinsman, to lift it and carry it on.”

The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker.

“Have you forgotten your mother so soon, Rupert, that you wish to give away the very last gift which she bestowed on you?”

"You know why."

The Neruda Case by Roberto Ampuero

'Could you be clearer please?"

"I'm going with you."

The Pirate King by R. A. Salvatore

"Was it worth the cost?"

"Everything in my drip felt Grade A."

Tenth of December by George Saunders

"Why didn't you write me about Ma?"

" Let me up and I'll tell you."

The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters.

"Where did you spend last night then? Not in the open!"

"I went not to him, but to my own room, where I sat for a long time and cried."

Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy

"Másha, what is the matter?"

"Unfortunately, friend, the sentence to which you have just given voice has loused up the whole matter entirely, and I don't have a thing to talk to you about any more."

The Guinea Pigs by Ludvik Vaculik

"How are your guinea pigs standing up under your care, friend?"

"I am afraid they will get wet."

Great Works of Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy

"What do you mean, my dear one?"

"They believe in 'peace, justice, morality, culture, sport, family life and the obliteration of all other life-forms.'"

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

"Where are we going?"

"We meant to start for the country the day after tomorrow."

Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy

"Aren't there plenty of young women in the village?"

“But age has dulled my personal ambitions as it has cramped my powers.”

The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker.

“You won’t mind, dear, will you?”

"I had to laugh."

The Guinea Pigs by Ludvik Vaculik

"What are you turning into? A beast?"

"Oh what nonsense!"

Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy

"Have you cleared up, Granny?"

" I will do that, when the time comes. But not here. Not now!"

The virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters

"Will he hang, do you think?"

"You just can't say that!"

The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood by Jack Zipes

"How come you wear such big ear-rings?"

"It seems we are not the same sort of men you were."

Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy by Leo Tolstoy

"And what of Daddy? Do you think I am quite dried up?"

"That decision will have no practical effect."

Mighty Judgment by Philip Slayton

"Who owns my life?"

"'You,' said Lady Benson with a void and wallowing noise in the throat."

The Sidmouth letters by Jane Gardam

"'what did she say?' asked Mabel Ince with unmoving lips."

"They won't let us in without a bottle," he hissed.

Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

"What was I talking about?"

"A nerd."

Mighty Judgment by Philip Slayton

"Why was he not popular with professors?"

"During the days before he left, he was extraordinarily demanding."

Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante

"Did he die of the heart attack or the car accident?'

"He was covered in blood."

A Wanted Man by Lee Child

"Does the gas station have cameras?"

"No, it's not right, that's what I say. Decent folk wouldn't stand for it."

The Heart of the Family by Annie Groves

"Are you going to the dance on Saturday?"

“There is no one else that he could send to take charge of the party from home, and I don’t like the idea of all those lassies coming out without an escort.”

The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker.

“Would it not be well when I am getting the ship, if I charter one big enough to take out all your lassies, too?”

"I will answer yo on Friday."

Danube by Claudio Magris

"Are we always going to be defeated?"

"You must start living, he said as the car began to draw away, and she felt like she'd received a smack across the mouth."

The Alexandria Quartet by Alexander Durrell

"When you write, let your letters be as gay as always, would you?"

"O.K., say your prayers and go to bed."

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

"How did the snake catch her?"

“It was for all the world like a rat shaken in the mouth of a skilled terrier.”

The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker.

“And why did you bolt the door?”

"That's the duty of a judge, Azizah."

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

"Will you tell Ah Cheong to have the house ready for me?"

“Aye! though the Ministers o’ the Doom be many an’ various, an’ though they hae to gather in ane from many ages an’ frae the furthermost ends o’ the airth! ”

The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker.

“Why had I risen in the night and come out to Whinnyfold? Was it intuition, or a call from the witch woman, who in such case must have had some hypnotic influence over me?”

'of course not. this is Plymouth, not the Wild West.'

A murder of crows by Margaret Duffy

'what are you working on?'

‘I had been of late studying secret writing so earnestly that there was now a possible secret meaning in everything I read.’

The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker.

“When a man is very anxious about a thing, and is afraid that just for omitting to say what he would like to say, he may lose something that he would give all the rest of the world to have a chance of getting – do – do you think he should remain silent?”

"Well, yes, to be frank about it."

The Second Son by Bob Leroux

"Do you want me to come home?"

'you can't come to Plymouth looking like that.'

A murder of crows by Margaret Duffy

'who's this Colonel squiggle dash blot?'

"We called him the professor."

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

"Is your brother-in-law here?"

?Mr. Keeler has been relieved of duty."

The Captain's Wife by Douglas Kelley

"What happened?"

"Dunworthy slept straight through till morning."

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

"Why would you go thence?"

"I want you to see that we are on course, and still bound for San Francisco. You will see that the time you spent teaching me the sextant was time well spent.

The Captain's Wife by Douglas Kelley

"You do know how to run a ship, don't you?"

‘A few seconds after, a dark speck moved on the water which became agitated around it; it was evident that a swimmer was making for the land.’

The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker.

“Are you not rowing too hard?”

"Aye, ma'am, and never ending."

The Captain's Wife by Douglas Kelley

"How far do you figure we have come in the last two days?"

"The small wheedling voice puts a husk of double meaning round everything he says, and his speech is not the less remarkable for being punctuated by small world-weary sighs."

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell

"How will I ever deliver myself from this whore among cities--sea, desert, minaret, sand, sea?"

“I thought that if you went dressed as a man it would be best.”

The Mystery of the Sea by Bram Stoker.

“You approve of my marrying Archie do you not?”

"I doubt Frederick will object. I'll ask him."

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

"Your friend's tattoo wasn't preserved . . . after his death?"

"the . . . man died, and was buried."

Gospel of Luke by Bible. N. T.

"Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry?"

He committed the great crime!

Evita: In My Own Words by Evita Peron

How?

"He held her trapped, laughing as she tried to get away from him."

Pirates! by Celia Rees

"What will they do with him?"

"They probably just want to know what we found."

Pulse by Jeremy Robinson

"You say something, old man?"

"Yes. I've been meaning to talk to you about this."

Pirates~ by Celia Rees

"Have you still got that thing he gave you?"

"I don't care about the people who want to buy it, I want to find the missing thing - the thing itself - because if he doesn't get his thing back, one of the major lords of Hell is going to remove all my nerves and organs."

The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams

"Is this some weird way of saying you're still pissed off at me?"

" I know it is unpleasant, Mr. Deck, but I'm afraid it's necessary."

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

"Charles, old dear, have you been a good patient?"

"To tell you the truth, I think I made them all nervous."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"Are you going on dates?"

"The town is always ready to gossip."

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell

Who invented the human heart, I wonder?"

"Sweet Molly Malone."

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

"What would I get if I mated a canary with a crow?"

"Ten little Bolívars."

In Bolivia: An Adventurous Odyssey Through the Americas' Least-Known Nation by Eric Lawlor

"Why would they do this?"

"Another manifestation of a people who pride themselves on being profoundly agrarian
. . ."
The Death of an Irish Tradition
by Batholomew Gill

"And, Tony -- did you see a policeman this after'? "

"I hit him on the head with my axe and he fell to the ground."

I, Rigoberta Menchu: an Indian Woman In Guatemala
Rigoberta Menchu

"How is this possible?"

"We're going to go and find out, " said Lyra.

The Amber Spyglass
by Philip Pullman

"Mama," said a child, "why's it getting dark in the daytime?"

"A visit to the autumn fair would answer your question, I think."

The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts

"How long have you been waiting?"

"'point made, i said. 'i'll come back in a week's time.'"

A murder of crows by Margaret Duffy

'don't they give you whistles to blow these days?'

"Just ring the bell."

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

"What on earth was this woman doing here?"

"To demonstrate the respect that C&W people have for their wives?...She didn't stay long."

The Beatles were meeting Elvis in his house in L.A. Paul tells us that they were playing pool when Priscilla Presley was brought in, almost "presented" to them.
The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles

"What's that?"

"' ' ' a leading equities trader for troubled Wall Street firm
Wertheimer Grant . . ."

Reckless
by Alex Gross

" 'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?' "*

*Italics, not caps in original.

"I sure wish I could take a look at the rest of those photos."

Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs

"How come you came here?"

"Well, every doctor likes a challenge."

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

"Now, where does the pain hurt most?"

"I stared helplessly up at him, convinced that I must now say something..."

Act One by Moss Hart

" ' And is there a masseur in the hotel, by the way?' "

"No one knows for sure, but all the betting is on a young man who used to be Zinna's lover."

Vulture Peak by John Burdett

"Did I say something to crack the case?"

"There are a great many holes in your testimony."

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

"So, this isn't going to be a fair trial?"

"Your Grace, that does not matter."

The Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts

"You have news?"

"Latest news with every beer."

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

"Did you ever see a ghost here?"

"So many of them."

A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

"I wonder why Maggie didn't tell us that?"

"She wasn't scared to be on her own anymore."

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

"Where was she, really?"

"...stomping around in riding clothes, brandishing a crop and eyeballing both her groomsman and a man feeding her hounds..."

A Woman's View by Jeanine Basinger

" 'Yeah, I'm a tramp and who's to blame?' "

"Papa will not be at all pleased, Ellie."

Death at Bishop's Keep by Robin Paige

"What kind of place is it?"

"It's like living in an aviary."

A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

"How many pets are we allowed to have?"

" ' You may keep one family pet.' "

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

" ' I don't have it wrong, do I?" "

#79, my book club read that book a couple of years ago, and I baked a potato pie. It was good! (The book and the pie).

"There is hardly time to think now: for teal and wigeon like flung darts whistle over me and I begin to shoot slowly and methodically."

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell

"How small can a world become?"

"Aren't you ashamed to leave that poor Sir John
Fasting all day while you go on and on?"

The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer

"Who ever lived so happy for a day
As to have been unmoved by any sense
Of guilt or rage, unvexed by some affray,
By pride or envy, passion or offence?"

"So really there was no ease for me except death, and sometimes I desired it not only for myself but for others."

The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes

"Have you eaten, boy?"

"O yeah. Sort of."

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

"What are you all having?"

"They ate in leisurely fashion, with long pauses between the courses, as Narouz acted host, placing choice morsels upon Nessim's plate and breaking up the fowl and the turkey with his strong fingers the better to serve his guest."

The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell

"Can't you see that we may need each other without ever fully realizing it?"

"Not at the moment."

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

"Have you got them back?"

"'Yes', we answered simultaneously..."

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

"'Where did she get these ideas?'"

"From our library."

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

"Why are you so quiet tonight?"

" 'I beg your pardon,' he hastened to say. 'I was only thinking --'..."

He Who Whispers by John Dickson Carr

" 'Can't we do something about finding out what's wrong?' "

"Legal steps."

Finn by Jon Clinch

'You happen to bring any tobacco?"

“Do you think I will be an instrument to be played on at your pleasure, till you have extorted all the treasures of my soul?”

Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams by William Godwin.

“Are my passions to be wound and unwound by an insolent domestic?”

"I ... I don't have much experience doing domestic work."

The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama

"You look pale. Is everything all right?"

“Sir, I could die to serve you! I love you more than I can express. I worship you as a being of superior nature.”

Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams by William Godwin.

“Who told you that I wished to part with you?”

'There have been rumors ..."

The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama

"What do you believe?"

“Mr. Falkland is the murderer! He is guilty! I see it! I feel it! I am sure of it!”

Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams by William Godwin.

“Am I then, thus miserable and ruined, a proper subject upon which for you to exercise your ingenuity, and improve your power of tormenting?”

"'Course we did a background check on you..."

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

"What do you say to a drug dealer afraid of socialism?"

"There's always danger involved, but many more people have made it out than have been caught."

The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama

"Why did you leave the sisterhood?"

"Jesus doesn't want anyone in heaven who doesn't want to be there."

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

"What's all the wood for?"

"It's none of your business what I do!"

The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama

"Is everything all right?"

"

"Things usually turn out better than you expect."

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

"Are you going to have a drink?"

"Eau sucrée, my friend -- nothing more."

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

"What do you see there to laugh at?"

"Suddenly, Duff's mule bolted through the bazaars with the captain hanging on until he was thrown into a shop and buried in peanuts."

Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore

"Do you appreciate the gravity of your crimes?"

"I felt so indignant - without knowing plainly why, for I was ignorant of course of what had passed at the interview - that I took Mr. Francis Clare by the shoulders, and pushecf him out of the room. I am careful to tell you how I acted towards him and what led to it; because I understand that he is excessively offended with me, anxc that he is likely to mention elsewherem what he calls, my unladylike violence towards him. If he should mention it to you, I am anxious to acknowledge, of my own accord, that I forgot myself - not, I hope you will think, without some provocation."

No Name by Wilkie Collins

"Is it all over?"

"We went to Maharishi, and I said, 'Look, I told you I was going...' He couldn't really accept that we WERE leaving and he said, 'What's wrong?' That's when John (Lennon) said something like, 'Well, you're supposed to be the mystic, you should know.'"

The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles

"What can we do if we can't think of any sort of gimmick?"

"'I have clues which we can follow; but it is a long task, and a difficult, and there is danger in it, and pain.'"

Dracula by Bram Stoker

"'Can you not tell frankly your real reason for wishing to be free this night?'"

"I cannot imagine why you are so concerned about this, Colin."

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

"Why all these questions?"

"You make it all sound so easy."

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

"Would you be able to do that?"

"I don't feel like painting today."

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

"What color do you see?"

"...(C)olours in their original prelapsarian state, as though straight from the imagination of God in His youngest days, when He still believed that all was good."

Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres

"In the name of God, do I have to do everything myself?"

"When you're sixteen you can do what you like. Until then you just gotta try a bit harder..."

Clay by Melissa Harrison

"Do you want me to come with you to the shop?"

"I won't argue with you there."

Bad Faith by Robert K. Tannenbaum}

"You're sure we can't reach some understanding, brother?"

"I'm having second thoughts."

Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson

"Have you hired your crew?"

"I've got a loony on board, Columbus."

Pollen by Jeff Noon

"You ever smelt that before, Jones?"

Felicity wrinkled her nose. "Ew, this is simply too revoltingly peculiar!"

Changeless by Gail Carriger

"Are you feeling well this evening?"

"Worlds better, Your Grace, bless you."

Justice Hall by Laurie R King

"Where? Where did he shoot you?''

"The Bowery Concert Hall. 257 Bowery."

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay

"Will you keep my secret?"

"You don't know the half of it."

Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson

"And how was your day and evening, master?"

"My God! A moment of bliss."

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Why, isn't that enough for a whole lifetime?"

"I shouldn't think so," Holmes said absently.

The Game by Laurie R. King

"So, what are you going as?"

"Not wishing to thrust myself more forward than need be in this narrative, I have scarcely thought it becoming or right to speak of my own adornments. But now, what with the brave clothes I had on...it is almost beyond me to forbear saying that I must have looked very pleasing."

Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore

"Wull, missus, what could us do?"

"Up you two get, and off we go!"

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

"What about an early start?"

"You must rest first and get better."

More than You Can Say by Paul Torday

"Where's my money, Kevin?"

"iʻm thinking thereʻs nothing so ʻworkingʻ about what youʻre doing."

Takeover by Lisa Black

"(Janitors). . . have access to places they lock vice presidents out of, you know what I mean?"

"I'm sorry if some of your friends think that."

More than you can Say by Paul Torday

"What do you think your man will do?"

'I expect he'll come to a bad end."

Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth von Arnim

"How do you know?"

"Upon (what I had said) she laughed at me in the sweetest manner, and with such provoking ways, and such come-and-go of glances, and beginning of quick blushes...that I knew...for certain and for ever this I knew...that Lorna had now begun and would go on to love me."

Lorna Doone by R.D. Blackmore

"If she means to be a farmer's wife, she must take to farmer's ways, I think. What do you say, Annie?"

'I should think so."

Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth von Arnim

"Didn't she like you?"

"Those who don't are pure asshole."

Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James

"But why should this be fair?"

"We can't be drowned all by ourselves in Mrs. Bilton. You wouldn't like it."

Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth von Arnim

"Do you think she talks in her sleep?"

"Yes, ma'am, we have one sort of witness."

11th Hour by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

"Is my client under arrest?"

"She's at lunch."

Everybody Has Everything by Katrina Onstad

"Do you want me to page her?"

"Do something to earn your pay."

The Crystal Frontier by Carlos Fuentes

"Think I should get a tattoo?"

"You can't buy them - they're for borrowing. You have to be a member of the club."

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore

"You've never looked at one?"

"Of course!"

The Shoemaker's Wife ~ Adriana Trigiani

"What brought you to the convent?"

" My wicked ways."

My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn by Errol Flynn, Jeffrey Meyers

"Who could live with himself believing himself to be a symbol of sex and nothing more?"

"Well, he's sitting out there waiting for you, right now."

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

""Ah ... what exactly shall I feed him?"

"Hatred! the painter hissed, we suckle it with the milk of our exploited mothers!"

Women of Algiers in Their Apartment by Assia Djebar

"Condemned to death at age twenty,and after that years of imprisonment......and again they lock her up?"

"It's a nightmare that we can't wake up from."

The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel

"Have you ever wanted to live somewhere colder?"

"Now don't be silly."

Dear Life by Alice Munro

"Are you so sure we are still in Canada?"

"I am, and after this voyage I will have a sugar plantatoin on the island of Cuba - half of my cargo to pay for the and, and half to work the cane."

A Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith

"Where is the Burnt Land?"

" . . .a distance of perhaps one hundred and twenty-five to one hundered and fifty feet from the scene of the holdup."

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess
by Erle Stanley Gardner

"And you keep track of who is working and who is not working?"

"My dear boy, you must be dreaming."

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne

"What then, my young friend, is your new cause of terror and alarm?"

"My old father used to say that even a brave man is frightened three times when he hunts the elephant, once when he sees his spoor, twice when he hears its voice and the third time when he sees the beast - big and black as an ironstone kopje."

A Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith

"You have not hunted these beasts?"

"They're hiding under the aqueduct."

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

"You would ask for help, wouldn't you, if you needed it?"

"Oh you, hero of the mountains!"

Women of Algiers in Their Apartment by Assia Djebar

".....independence, a word, is it only the word which brings rapture?"

" Not to me..."

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

"Did she know of any place in the neighbourhood where a servant was wanted?"

"Not an hour ahead of us."

A Falcon Flies by Wilbur Smith

"Who will lead me?"

"What do you think of the new owner over at the grocery?"

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

"I'm wondering, Mack, should I step across the street and get another pint or should I go to bed?"

"But let us go to our beds, that sleep may give us pleasure and peace for the time being."

The Odyssey by Homer

"Do we know, my dear, who these gentlemen are who have come to our house?"

"The Special Operations Executive would be my guess. Cloak-and-dagger boys."

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson

"What did you tell them?"

"Tomorrow we'll decide -er, what to do with hm."

The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory

"Why is he crouched so crookedly like that>"

"He is interested in the antonomasia to which they relate, or if you like, their symbolic value."

Inventing the Enemy by Umberto Eco

"Why should they send me such a letter?"

"I don't think I'd better tell you over the phone."

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess
by Erle Stanley Gardner

"Fully clothed. Shoes and everything.
Who is she?

?Doris Day was, and still is, in many ways an important supporter."

The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory

"Where's Marian?"

"If I were you, I'd be happy and leave well enough alone."

Loose Screw by Rae Davies and Lori Devoti

"Why did that woman grab our tickets?"

'I can't imagine what it could be about."

The Papers of Tony Veitch
by William McIlvanney

"Paddy Collins is dead. You knew that?"

"He was absent for a fortnight. On his return nothing had
happened to him; he was thought to be dead, but was perfectly well..."

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

"What think you of Marat clapping his hands at the guillotine?"

"That's never really been documented."

Malaria Dreams: An African Adventure by Stuart Stevens

"So what do we do?"

"I'm assigning you to follow through on the ballistics and find out how these guns came to be in that room and find the owner or owners and hang every last one of these cases around their necks."

Gun Machine by Warren Ellis

"Any questions?"

"I won't have to worry about dying of cancer, will I? I'd much rather drop dead of a stroke."

The Final Martyrs by Shusaku Endo

"Why has that coward Kisuke come here?"

"I come to wive it wealthily in Padua;
If wealthily, then happily in Padua."

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

"What raiment will your honour wear to-day?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Malaria Dreams

"You can take us to the coat, right?"

"Don't fret the small stuff, Benny."

The Memory Book by Howard Engel

"Have you talked to my mother?"

'She reports that the tile containing the letter "D" has fallen. I don't think this is mere rumor."

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

"Dear Ella, what have these fools on the council wrought?"

"Sit on (a) porch. Drink a little whiskey. Play some cards."

Blue-eyed Devil
by Robert B. Parker

"Heard you killed Randall Bragg, 'fore you left town?"

"Dawson was always vague on when and how the fossils were found. No one ever knew for sure."

Hoaxed! Fakes & Mistakes in the World of Science by YES Magazine

"But who was the hoaxer and what was his motive?"

"The Strongs were demented, that's all."

Seldom by Dawn Rae Downton

"Why the hell couldn't everybody just be quiet?"

"I guess that just about sums it all up."

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

"Waht happened? Was everything all right last nght?"

"Nope. Prosecutor's office saw the kid and said they were going after the stepdad, then they talked with him and all of a sudden it was an accident."

The Deep End by Chris Crutcher

"So why doesn't Fred listen to him?"

"Let me guess - baby of the family."

Gone Girlby Gillian Flynn

"You think that was an accident, Nick?"

"'There was without doubt, purpose to the tumble: this event constituting in my belief, a terrestrial manifestation of Mr. Nollop's wishes.'"

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

'Did i mention he chose flogging?'

"My word, if this is the best your founding fathers can come up with, I'd give your ugly regime six weeks before it vanishes up its own backside."

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave by Colin Cotterill

"Has this ruse ever worked?"

"De la Vega had trained them the best he could, but not too much could be expected of a few terrified girls who had never seen a musket at close range."

Zorro by Isabel Allende

"Do you truly believe that life is fair, Senor de la Vega?"

"When the odds don't go the way they're supposed to, that just pisses me off."

Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis

"How'd I lose this game?"

'I don't understand either. "

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell

"Then what is it I can do for you?"

"More than that, I expect."

The Body in the Library
by Agatha Christie

"What was the last you saw of her?"

"Dead offstage."

Dear Life by Alice Munro

"Are you waiting for somebody to get off work?"

'His name Abu el-Houl."

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux

"When wlll Paul be back?"

" .. . . . he must have come the other way: down the hill."

Why didn't they Ask Evans?
by Agatha Christie

"Do you mean book-learning?"

"So they will pass their exams."

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux

"Why hasn't the rest of Arab literature achieved any recognition?"

"...Arabic established itself as the language of religion...(Its religion: Islam)...unlike Christianity did not look for vernacular understanding, or seek translation into other languages..."

Empires of the Word by Nicholas Ostler

"What was really happening in Assyria in the seventh century BC?"

"This was a time when the tall tales of characters like Davy Crockett were just making the rounds."

20 Ads that Shook the World by James B. Twitchell

"Do you know Barnum?"

"He is a good man, a very smart man."

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux

"He used to live in Khartoum, right?"

" 'Yes, I think that's right,' Mrs. Ledford said approvingly...'To the best of my knowing, you've got it right. We don't know some of the dates, but I believe you've got everything as close as it can be got.' "

Generations: An American Family by John Egerton

" ' Where did he get all that information?' "

"The secret room."

Blood Orange Brewing by Laura Childs

"Are you, by any chance, mentioned in the article too?"

"I haven't finished with the paper."

A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes by Aileen G. Baron

"What's going on out there?"

"Too much."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

"Charlie .. . have you ever kissed a girl?"

"Thirty-six to be exact."

A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes by Aileen G. Baron

"Cousins?"

"Well, not in any serious way."

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler

"DO you, in fact, do any slicing and dicing?"

"It's not safe."

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

"Do you think I'll make a good shrink?"

"We hardly know each other."

A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes by Aileen G. Baron

"Does anyone reveal a guilty secret?"

"I do that by choice."

Modern Family: Wit and Wisdom from America's Favorite Family

"Well, have you guys kissed yet?"

"You're as oblivious as a snowflake."

A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes by Aileen G. Baron

"Is too darn nosy?"

"It is for situations like this that we coined the word 'unpleasant'."

Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson

"What will the neighbours think?"

"Leading a pleasure-driven, instant-gratification, consumerist life doesn't build happiness."

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

"Is all this under threat?"

"Pliz! . . . It must be done quick, now, because they will all be there at five o'Clock to settle it."

Over my Dead Body
by Rex Stout

"You haven't seen your daughter since she was three years old? Have You?"

"Is it not quite natural that I should desire to see my daughter?"

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

"Did she stand the journey well?"

"She said that she did not mind at all."

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

"But why should he shield her?"

"He must have some good reason,"

Magician's Gambit by David Eddings

"What have you been doing?"

"Oh, a few tricks with cards and coins."

Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast by Bill Richardson

"Can you get away?"

"As soon as I am dressed..."

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"Do you often dance at St. James's?

"I think you may already know about certain recent occurrences, but perhaps I should still tell you about them."

Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo

"Shall I brush off the dust from the letter lying on your table, sir?"

"There's no point. Bernie's dead."

Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom

"What's happened?"

"It was the cold."

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

"Ever seen an ice storm, my lord?"

"In the Old England there was a greater marvel still. The weather behaved itself.”

The Once and Future King by T.H.White

"Why do people not think, when they are grown up, as I do when I am young?"

Alexandria, the capital of memory!

Clea

How long had I been away?

"The king had left Whitehall the week of Thomas More's death, a miserable dripping week in July, the hoof prints of the royal entourage sinking deep into the mud as they tacked their way across to Windsor."

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

"Hans had joined them on the progress, and made a drawing of Anne the queen, but it did not please her; how do you please her, these days?"

"You may smile, but you may also admire."

Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo

"What's that out there? Someone in trouble?"

'I'm not sure. It's something I need to tell the police chief about, though."

The Cranefly Orchid Murders
by Cynthia Riggs

"Not (dead from) natural causes, I gather?"

"Sui-cide! That's what I'll have to write to my owners directly I get in."

Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad

"What on earth's the matter with you?"

"I just did what I was asked to do."

Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom

"What did Aranda want with you?"

"Lunch. Many people eat it at this time of day."

Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold

"So what happens if someone lobs a rock through a window?"

"I don't suppose anything."

Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad

"Are you going to try that, sir?"

"It's very unlikely."

The Cranefly Orchid Murders
by Cynthia Riggs

"One of US!? (has) offered a million dollars?

"I accepted the offer."

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

"Would you like to see 'em?"

"That should be fun."

The Kid by Sapphire

"What do they do in there?"

Oops, missed the thread continuation!