A Silly Book Game Part 35

"So, you want a promotion, Esther?"

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"I am only a lector but next month I shall be an exorcist and before long an acolyth."

The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade

-Is this an inn?
The head...nodded, but lazily.
-Can I have entertainment here?

"You're playing with me."

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

"What? You hit it? What was it?"

"Ostriches, dancing like music-hall girls"

The Colour by Rose Tremain

"What were you doing yesterday to make yourself so ill?"

"Merrylegs could not be resisted, so we broke off our long conversation, and got up our spirits by munching some very sweet apples which lay scattered on the grass."

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

"Did not your master take any thought for you?"

"I have seen him cast such a look on me as no friend casts."

The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade

"What shall I do, Denys, I die of famine?"

"...we must accept an uneasy status quo and hope for the best."

The Korean War by Max Hastings

"you know your country's been invaded?"

"It's a good job you remembered"

The Infatuations by Javier Marias

"Why do they have to make such a racket?"

"They meant to be kind," said the younger woman.

The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West

"Do you want to go to Paris and kill Kamensky and get killed, or won't you be sensible and go to England?"

The excursion bus-driver was waiting and an excited gaggle of 25 women was on the bus already.

Travels in Blood and Honey by Elizabeth Gowing

"Did you put perfume on this morning?"

"Probably nothing," interrupted her father hastily.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

"'Ere, mister," he added, "can I have your jacket?"

Bazilio shrugged his shoulders, showing his anger, and went to get his hat.

Cousin Bazilio by Eca de Queiros

"What would you say then, madam, if you saw a cock-fight?"

"Actually that gives me every right to treat you dismissively."

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

"Is common decency too much to ask?"

"Occupied by such thoughts, I went on my way."

One foot in Laos by Dervla Murphy

"Perhaps the World Wide Fund for Nature should distribute free Viagra throughout China?"

After a few months, though, everyone calmed down, and accustomed to the new pleasure, gave it its proper Saturday-night place in the week's pattern.

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

"Isn't it fantastic how long they live?"

Those who make it might flower for two hundred years.

The Trees in My Forest by Bernd Heinrich

Are they likely to be blown over by hurricanes?

"He used to have more than a hundred hives, but at the time of my visit was down to something less than forty."

Travels in Blood and Honey by Elizabeth Gowing

"I asked about Adem's bees. What happened to them while the family was away?"

"They do all kinds of stuff. Sometimes, they go bad."

Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn

"How do you two stay married?"

"If someone gives you a goat, you don't complain that it's got a hole in its tooth!"

Tomorrow I'll be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou

"Why do you back off when I tried to kiss you?"

(He didnʻt remember ever having been that sweet and that patient in his life)! (punctuation added)

"Maigret and the Old Men"
/ Maigret et les Vieillards
by Georges Simenon

"How long have they been in there?"

"Seven weeks and change."

story: The Championship of Nowhere by James Grady
in The Best American Mystery Stories 2002, James Ellroy, editor

"What did they promise you for winning?"

"Goats and some fruit"

Beneath the darkening Sky by Majok Tulba

-At my school we learned useful things.
-And dancing's not useful?

So inadequate, in fact, that she was forced to sell the pseudo-Elizabethan house .... in order to meet the very real debts which poured in on every side....

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick

If he wanted to be dead, why not stay dead?

"There were barely dressed dancers to watch."

Theodora by Stella Duffy

"And what do you think they all say about you, Theodora?"

" ʻApart from the fact that I am an alien* . . . the population here (in Prague), for the most part speaks no German and is strongly
anti-German.ʻ "

Einstein: the Life and Times
by Ronald W. Clark

"Eddington entered into an inquiry: ʻis the "Einstein world" stable?ʻ "

*alien: (to Czechoslovakia) meaning German-speaking and of Swiss nationality,
but not German ethnicity)

"Nothing had changed in almost forty-five years."

Equator by Miguel Sousa Tavares

"Who works in the gold mines of the Transvaal?"

"A majority came from the middle classes and today would probably be computer nerds."

The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan

"This is all very well but who is General Moltke?"

"A perfect example of the divine emanating from, but not one with, the human."

Theodora by Stella Duffy

"You think I won't close the door on your foot?"

"We shall work through to something better, though we who have been used to more than $500 a year may not think it better."

The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan

"How can I get to Marienbad without meeting my dear nephew?"

By inviting me to occupy my flat again, as I had occupied it before my marriage . . .

Altered States
by Anita Brookner

"What are you telling me?"

I forced a smile, and did not answer him, aware now of a stab of panic, an uneasy sickness that could not be controlled.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Who are all those people?

"I am not the person to explain it."

More Women than Men by Ivy Compton-Burnett

"Is this the first time you have done regular work, Mr Bacon?"

"If it weren't for you, I'd be doing meth in an IHOP bathroom."

The Future for Curious People by Gregory Sherl

"Do you believe in your work?"

"I don't know, Boss. I don't know anything about any of that."

Equator by Miguel Sousa Tavares

-Yes, they are free to leave.
-So why do they NEVER leave?

"They return to the same lairs generation after generation, you know, so I dare say some date back a pretty long way - though maybe not quite to the Ice Age."

Strange Shores: An Inspector Erlendur Novel by Arnaldur Indriðason

"Was there any reason to doubt his story?"

"I don't really know him."

The Future for Curious People by Gregory Sherl

"Why am I still thinking about him?"

"Perhaps to resume a conversation left unfinished one moonlit night."

Equator by Miguel sousa Tavares

"Isn't there anything on Sao Tome - isn't there food?"

"It's rare."

The Future for Curious People by Gregory Sherl

"Do you smell that smell?"

"I donʻt know WHAT it is, but it* smells like hell!"

The Sudoku Puzzle Murders
by Parnell Hall

"Can you get ʻhands-onʻ with solving the sudoku (which may be a code)" !?

*"it" turns out to be a dislodged human eye.

"Get yourselves ready and don't lose heart. You beat your tam-tams, as usual, and I'll look after the rest."

Tomorrow I'll be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou

"Why do you waste your money on these concerts instead of spending it on sweets?"

hi im new and i rp= roleplayin

Oh when she sang she could make a fence post cry.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

"You ever play down on them railroad tracks?"

"He smiled, reluctant to admit to this frailty."

Equator by Miguel Sousa Tavares

"How can a man with no money play for such large amounts?"

"It was curious."

We Were Soldiers Once...And Young by Harold G. Moore

"How about giving Cammie a little brother when I get back?"

"I'll see. If I get done quickly and am not too worn out."

Equator by Miguel Sousa Tavares

"But what crime have you committed that you need to flagellate yourself so?"

"I'm a child of hippy parents."

The Panic Zone by Rick Mofina

"Do you want me to start a civil action against the clinic?"

It was a high-profile case so my father was used as an example.

Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories by Sherman Alexie
Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock

"Why are you talking about my hero that way?"

"Mr Crague wore no socks"

The Remembered Visit by Edward Gorey

"Mr Crague asked Drusilla if she liked paper"

Dmitri: They found me printing the paper. I am going to the mines for life.

Vera, or The Nihilists by Oscar Wilde

President: What day?

"The same day you arrived here."

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

"You're giving her a scythe?"

"Everybody knew. It wasn't any secret."

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

"Who told you?"

"A great fat woman like a pregnant female hippopotamus"

Tomorrow I'll be Twenty by Alain Mabanckou

"Who can tell me what colour Celestine's pants are?"

"Mr. Orton's sister's child."

All the Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren

"Was she pretty?"

"She resembled a wasp"

The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky

-What if they send the police to find us?
-Why should they? Do you think anyone would miss us?

"We probably should have spent more time building trust."

Party of One by Michael Harris

"What does Marjory's letter mean for our talks?"

"How should I know? I'm not a soothsayer"

Selected Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

"Why did God make me so useless?"

". . .some of THEM (on the other hand) just surrendered; they were not captured!"
(emphasis added)

1901 by Robert Conroy

"Was the total number who participated, on both sides,
more or less than 10,000?"

"I don't know. We could look at my battle plans. It's all the regiments set out on a chart."

I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill

"Do you want to see my hamster?"

" OK,"

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

"Can we dance?"

"Stupid boy", she said, giving him a clout.

Selected Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

-Sir, I killed her.
-Why?

"It's no more one-big-happy-family around here."

Studio Saint-Ex by Ania Szado

"Where is Binty tonight?"

(Curiosity: Is "mo" (sic) of #60, line 1, a typo (for "no") or a recording of dialect?)

it's a typo...should say:

It's no more one-big-happy family around here. I fixed the original post. thanx!

"Lurking in the thick foliage"

Selected Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

"Didi, why are you frightened of me?"

>>>

Why not terminate one of the threads ?

www.librarything.com/topic/157888 (Similar Game)

it's such a good game it gives you twice the opportunity to participate! Plus not all members of Book Talk belong to Puzzles site, so they wouldn't see it (and vice versa)

". . . twice the opportunity to participate"... (64>65)

Well said, @starbox! I see no need to "terminate" either thread.

play on!

Playing on 63
/
//"Didi, why are you afraid of me?" //

ʻAh. Well, I should apologize, I suppose. But difficult to tell
in the circumstances."

Santorini by Alistair McLean

" ʻVitally urgentʻ and ʻFLYING downʻ to see us.
What do you make of that?"

"It sound like po'try."

The Mystic Masseur by V S Naipaul

-Leela, you got a ruler?
She brought it.
-You thinking of alterations, man?

"Your zeal is commendable, but you are misguided."

An Infidel Body-Snatcher and the Fruits of his Philosophy by Dan Allosso

"Why is there so much prostitution in the land?"

" I,I don't know."

C3 by Sherrie Cronin

"Why would that man kidnap my daughter?"

"To teach that tall, fair-haired, maddeningly desirable snob a lesson."

Rites by Victor Perera

"What happened to her husband?"

"He was from Tel Aviv, a socialist by conviction, but sociable, too, an orderly hard-working type. His name . . . was Azariah Gitlin. a few weeks ago . . . that is, roughly twenty-three days ago, he had been discharged from the army."

A Perfect Peace
by Amos Oz

"A Profession? . . . His job in the army?"

"Joe's a teacher, like you."

Eating Chinese Food Naked by Mei Ng

"Where were you born?"

"Really darling! You ARE unobservant!"

On the Black hill by Bruce Chatwin

"What's that you've got on your cheek?"

"I was almost run over."

A Deadly Judgement
by Jessica Fletcher and
Donald Bain

"Youʻre afraid of her, arenʻt you?"

"She was extremely difficult to handle."

On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin

The boy had...reeled into the kitchen with a glazed and faraway look...

-Been drinking?

"Don't start, Mother."

The Favourite Game by Leonard Cohen

"Do you remember Bertha?"

" She's not American".

Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs

" How did you make the connection to me?"

"Talking to people who get their news from the 'Daily Star' "

Marriage Material by Sathnam Sanghera

"I had rung him and shouted 'Happy Fathers' Day!!' down the line.
His reply?"

"Leave me alone, he shouted like a maniac."

The Favourite Game by Leonard Cohen

"What had happened to his plan?"

"I thought I burned it."

The Lute Player by Norah Lofts

"The princess has suggested that you stay here and be our minstrel. Would you like to do that?"

"Daisy would disapprove of the vulgarity"

Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs

" Do I have to turn a hose on you two?"

It's an old story, a broken record.

From Riches to Bitches (And a Cadillac for Your Vet!): Being a Mirthful Recounting of the Carry-On Kennel Chronicles
by Louise F. Shattuck

"WHAT are those spots and scratches all over the back of your shoulders?"

"A rather dozy hornet attacked me"

Hand grenade Practice in Peking by Frances Wood

"Lei Feng died at his post...We pressed for more information. Was he assassinated by class enemies?"

"Like YOU, you mean? See what happened to Terry Orchard? The pigs have framed her already."

"The Godwulf Manuscript"
by Robert B. Parker

"Do you know where the manuscript is?"

"A drawer which was originally designed to house underwear."

Marriage Material by Sathnam Sanghera

"Jesus Christ, Ranjit," I gasped at the sight of some knuckledusters and a spear. "Is this legal?"

"The Mounties made some inquiries, but...."

George & Rue by George Elliott Clarke

"Is I too bold?"

"You're throwing yourself into danger for no reason again,"

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

"Should we start without him?"

"There must be some compromise, some second way."

An accidental Man by Iris Murdoch

"I think I shall have to have all my teeth out, my gums are rotting. Does my breath smell awful?"

"I will add only that no other creature upon the earth has ever suffered, or will ever suffer, so painfully."

Canterbury Tales, A Retelling

"And for so long?"

"I don't exactly have working hours"

The Children's book by A S Byatt

"What have you done to my father?"

"I am given power over his body for the rest of my life."

The Canterbury Tales, A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd

"And what about me?"

"Better to be dead than unhappy"

The Wild ass's skin by Honore de Balzac

"Have you sold your mistress's hair for money to go gambling?"

"That's what all the harlots say."

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd

"Oh, so are you a bailiff?"

"You come in with that professional air which I detest and spoil everything with your questions."

A Cure for serpents by Alberto Denti Di Pirajno

"Am I still ill?"

"We must all learn to suffer and endure, whether we like it or not."

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd

"Is there no solution? No remedy?"

"Don't be a bluddy sissy, man."

The Cry of the Go-Away Bird by Andrea Eames

- They made Mary cook them dinner.
-What do you make for thirty War Veterans?

"Chicken, please."

Landing by Emma Donoghue

"How many children have you got, Mrs. Turner?"

"A stranger interview, surely, never fell to the lot of man!"

The Virago Book of Victorian Ghost Stories by Richard Dalby

"If the pink room ceiling is not put right by Saturday, where shall we put Uncle Augustus?"

"I thought my mother might tell me in a dream, but I haven't slept well these last few nights."

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin

"Vinnie, what are you doing?"

"Tracking a radio-collared juvenile female in the lush darkness of the rain forest."

The Other by David Guterson

"He spent a lot of late nights on his telescope project. Why was that?"

" As far as I can see there is no sense to be made of it all."

The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton

" Do you think it will be cheery now that he is dead?"

"My mother says that."

The Good Children by Roopa Farooki

"Are you having more children?"

"No. I'm just filled with the spirit."

Shelby by Pete McCormack

"Did you use a prophylactic?"

"... Not too bright. I knocked up my high-school girlfriend, knocked up my high-school gym teacher ....."

Jon Stewart: Beyond the Moments of Zen

"Who knew I was qualified to run this country?"

"I'm young and innocent. It makes me very unsure how I should reply to you."

The Heptameron by Marguerite de Navarre

"Open up, wife! Are you going to keep me standing here till morning?"

"There's always a risk,"

Dominion by C.J. Sansom

"Can't you wait?"

"Don't worry yourself."

American Rust by Philipp Meyer

A married woman, what did you expect?

"A terrific scandal, if you were in Paris at the time you certainly heard of it , and saw the pictures printed in all the newspapers."

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

"I am sure this place is infested with vermin. Do you want to poison us?"

"There's no plan, Daniel."

Martin Sloane by Michael Redhill

"What did she say to you?"

"I come in peace," ..... "take me to your Lizard."

So Long and Thanks For All The Fish by Douglas Adams

"Do you want to have a good time?"

"She just smiled, said she loved books more than anything, and started telling him excitedly what each of the ones in her lap was about."

A Man Called Ove by Fredril Backman

"You like reading?" she asked him brightly.

"My dear, you'll never marry the man with whom you discuss poetry and those sort of things."

Luminous Isle by Eliot Bliss

"And where was the old tyrant buried?"

"I gesture toward the dunes."

The Crown of Embers, Book 2 of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

"Is it really worth it, to destroy someone's life to save my own?

"It seemed such a shame, such a crying shame."

Khirbet Khizeh by S Yizhar

"What are we going to do with this camel and the donkey?"

"Brace yourself. It's quite weird."

Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell

"Do you want to hear this...?"

I cast about for a reasonable sounding lie.

The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

-Mina must not clean bathrooms.
-Why not?

"...let me...prevail on you to...defer from receiving from my lips that explanation..."

Italian Mysteries - Francis Lathom

"...what do you think of the Castello for a residence?"

"Only late in life."

Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen

"How did those poor souls end up here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Bunting could not have taken a job, had one been offered to him, for he had pawned his dress clothes."

The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes

"What sort of a hat was this man wearing when you saw him hurrying from the passage?"

"Just dust and ashes."

Weapons Of Mass Diplomacy by Abel Lanzac

"What's that white blob?"

"It was the first thing I saw when they locked me in this cell, and I've barely looked away since."

All our yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

"Did you see a kid come through here?"

"He said the kid here was missing."

A Fatal Advent

"Had something - or someone - frightened you? "

"I ain't coming into no cotton-pickin' hospital, if that's what you gonna say."

Ice Trap - Kitty Sewell

"Why are you here?"

"Let's look for worms under this stone"

Tales of the Amber Sea compiled by Irina Zheleznova

"Come now, are you ever going to get up?"

"I absolutely refuse to give you the chance to poison me."

No One Writes to the Colonel and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"What's in the news?"

"There were tales of fabulous robber dens made by the bandits."

Madol Doova by Martin Wickramasinghe

"How are the snakes to get out of those bags?"

"Can't afford to waste a single movement".

Weapons of Mass Diplomacy by Abel Lanzac

"Faced with that, what are the bureaucrats doing?"

"Trying to talk a missionary into highlights"

The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

-I'm pregnant!
-Your husband, he is happy?

"As far as I know--although you may know something I don't..."

Ice Trap - Kitty Sewell

"So you live here on your own?"

"I still miss him."

The Crown of Embers Rae Carson

"What happened to him?"

"Er verlobte sich mit der Tochter eines der reichsten Schweizer Industriellen, die ihm den Neustart in der Schweiz finanzierte." (He became engaged to the daughter of one of the richest Swiss industrialist who financed his restart in Switzerland.)

Dubach im Machtpoker : Mord im Bellevue by Norbert Hochreutener

"Hast du dich ganz erholt von deiner Grippe?" (Have you fully recovered from your flu?)

"Thanks for checking on me."

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

"Could he really kill me?"

"Shit happens..."

Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell

"How would you like to wake up one morning minus an ear?"

"Zu viele Zigaretten", keuchte sie erstickt, "Schlechte Angewohnheit." ("Too many cigarettes," she gasped, choked, "Bad Habit.")

Des Mauren letzter Seufzer by Salman Rushdie

"What shall we do with a shrunken sailor?"

"I met him at the door and threw him out"

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

"God made him to be a butcher. Why did he become a dentist?"

"Women and alcohol."

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson

"It's Craig, in't it?"

"Now there's a bad guy."

Weapons of Mass Diplomacy by Abel Lanzac

"Whew! Hot in here. Burning brain cells?"

"It is a miracle I am not in a locked ward eating spiders and yelling obscenities at my testicles."

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson

"Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?"

"The feeling of the place has changed, Otto. We've had some . . . incidents."

Dinner with Buddha by Roland Merullo

"What are you going to do, just abandon it?"

"Oh, surely there can be no occasion for such a precaution..."

Italian Mysteries - Francis Lathom

"--But. blessed Virgin! what do I see?"

"A pair of rubber-soled shoes"

The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes

"I am afraid, Mr Bunting, that you must have felt something dirty, foul, on my coat?"

"How to put this? Attention must be paid to certain things."

Weapons of Mass Diplomacy by Abel Lanzac

"Marquet? Since when has he handled anything serious?"

"My word. That's precocious."

A plague of caterpillars by Nigel Barley

"Why don't you complain to the manager?"

"Denk an den Rat deiner Doris und höre auf deinen Trieb. Ich meine damit den Selbsterhaltungstrieb, du Lüstling." (Remember the advice of your Doris and listen to your instinct. I mean the self-preservation instinct, you lecher.)

Dubach im Machtpoker : Mord im Bellevue by Norbert Hochreutener

"Wir fragen uns, wieso soll der Dubach sich seiner gerechten Strafe entziehen?" (We ask ourselves, why should this Dubach escape his just punishment?)

"We always know who is going to win"

Joe and Azat by Jesse Lonergan

"You're going to knock a hole in your living room wall? What does your mother say?"

"My mom said I shouldn't tell you."

Ice Trap - Kitty Sewell

"Why is it so important?"

"Freedom, sweetheart, freedom to choose how you live."

And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier

"You're not from the government, I hope?"

"It doesn't matter. My time will come."

The House of the mosque by Kader Abdolah

"You expect us to watch television?"

"It is a fine line we walk between sanity and madness..."

Biblioholism: The Literary Addiction by Tom Raabe

"Where does the line fall?"

He pointed upstairs and danced a little jig.

My Father's Island by Johanna Angermeyer

"Does the idea of rats bother you?"

But he said more cogently, "In the hangman's house we stay off some subjects."

Disorderly Conduct Rodney Jones

Now, in the past you have received numerous threats from the defendant, haven't you?

"One of the things I was looking forward to about college was getting rid of this, you know, so I could be like everybody else."

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

"What if we could live in an environment where people didn't judge each other on their appearance?"

"He was tall, twenty years old, gawky, and built like his body wasn't made to go together, but he was handsome to me and he had kind eyes and warm hands."

Larissa's Breadbook: Ten Incredible Southern Women and Their Stories of Courage, Adventure, and Discovery Lorraine Johnson-Coleman

"What was so exciting about bread?"

"I don't have to ask. I know. I can see."

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

"We need clothes. Do you have any?"

( (He) wore (only) a pair of white cotton
slacks, and a lightweight shirt.)
(punctuation added)

Dive to Oblivion
by Richard Henrick

"Are you feeling all right, Admiral?"

He was the second to go.

Seven Blind Mice Ed young

"What is it?" they cried, and they all ran home.

"I've never seen anything like them."

Breathless by Dean Koontz

"Is this really something? Is this something or isn't it?"

"By Jove'" said Scrubb "(It's) a city!"
And they all soon saw that he was right.

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

"What coil are you bringing from down there?"

"If I were to explain, dear lady, you would not understand."

The Caravaners by Elizabeth von Arnim

"Why not come to England?"

"For myself and my male companions...it matters not where we take our nap..."

Italian Mysteries by Francis Lathom

"Can you describe it to me?"

"It's an exact duplicate."

A Puzzle in a Pear Tree
by Parnell Hall

"Mindy, I have to know; . . .Tell me what happened?"

"The pianist, sitting down to play, gave her a brief nod."

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

"You remind me of someone. your face is very familiar. Now who can it be?"

"Then her example came to her: Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana."

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith

"'Think of Seretse Khama,' she said rising to her feet. 'What would he say to you, Mma?'"

" 'Darling, I ran into a fence and bent my fender. I haven't told Daddy' "

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

-I'm an admirer of Mimi.
-Platonic?

"A pained expression crossed Arthur's face."

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

"A teaser?"

"I was relieved that he did not seem inclined to follow that line of thought to its inevitable conclusion."

Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks

"But who could see into his heart?"

"It is a difficult thing to read""

Sanctuary by Robert Edric

I saw the small bruise on Charlotte's cheek.
"Did I cause that?"

"You're vicious."

Deep River by Shusaku Endo

"Could you possibly give her morphine?"

"Hey, it's not like I have anything else to do with my life right now."

Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes

"Unless you have a better suggestion?"

" Should I gather some wood for a fire? "

Uncharted Territory by Connie Willis

" And that impresses the female?"

"Eventually you'll understand", the tree replied.

Deep River by Shusaku Endo

"Do you think it's true, that once a person dies, she can be reborn again into this world?"

"You don't have to decide now."

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

"If I saw Talavera on the street I'd try to kill him. What with?"

"...cell phones and laptops"

No Place to Hide - Glenn Greenwald

"Do you have an address I can mail you something to help you get started...?"

"Sollis simply shook his head, as if by refusing the request he was also denying the reality of the situation."

Breaking Point, by C. J. Box

"You want to know who I work for?"

"I don't think we should talk about this on the phone..."

No Place to Hide - Glenn Greenwald

"You need to go to Hong Kong as soon as possible, like tomorrow, right?"

"But before he started, he wanted to clear up an important chapter on Kirkegaard."

The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow

"You lost a tooth or two, didn't you? How did it happen?"

"It was the most horrible of virgin-sacrifices."

Middlemarch by George Eliot

"Are you ill, Edward?"

"Take me to that place and scatter what's left of me"

Gingerbread by Robert Dinsdale

"What was Mama like when she was little?"

"Her face was white, but she stood her ground."

The Scar, by China Miéville

"Why had she chosen this tense, this part of speech? why had she rendered this word in this way?"

"A slip of the tongue."

Stoner by John Williams

"What does (Shakespeare) say to you?"

(He says) ʻIf music be the food of love, play on
Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken and so die."

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

"Will you go to bed, Malvolio?"

George, who was sitting in a mournful slump, looked up with interest.

Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk

"Why are you so childish tonight?"

"Sleep was all I wanted after my long flight..."

Shalom, Japan - Shifra Horn

"What's wrong with Ishi?"

"He might be in a rather fragile mental state."

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

"What about the troll?"

"Bound to be an accountant called bloody Barry."

Death of a River Guide by Richard Flanagan

"Why would they carry on like that?"

"People who get rich and act like idiots were always that way - only now they have money."

Between a Heart and a Rock Place: A Memoir by Pat Benatar

"What do you care? And what have you been doing?"

"I'm a reporter. From Charleston."

Bootlicker - Steve Piacente

"They taught you, gave you money, made you powerful?"

"Yes, I value it very highly."

A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth Taylor

"Stockings off already?"

"Record time."

Walt by Russell Wangersky

"Can you give me a lift?"

"I think it's safe for you to venture out now."

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

"Do I still have a position?"

"You're going to be chief of staff..."

Bootlicker - Steve Piacente

"Do you play too, honey?"

"No. Not until now."

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

"What do you expect?"

"Not much."

Walt by Russell Wangersky

"Wouldn't it be nice to get away, even just for a weekend, even to some place like Fredericton?

"The horses are ready, let us start!"

The Country Doctor by Honore de Balzac

"How comes it, sir, that the population of the valley has trebled in ten years?"

"No!"

Bootlicker - Steve Piacente

"Can you lower it?"

"I don't want to do anybody any harm."

The Belton Estate by Anthony Trollope

"But my dear, why should he not fall in love with you?"

I am penniless...I have no source of income.

Tel Avid Noir - Etgar Keret & Assaf Gavron

"Why did your wife kick you out?"

"War injury."

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

"There, does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"The odds are probably less than fifty-fifty on that."

Walt by Russell Wangersky

"Where the hell is my sister?"

She took a shower at my place...

Tel Aviv Noir - Etgar Keret & Assaf Gavron

Can I spend the night with you?

"Give me a few hours."

The Rainmaker by John Grisham

"Don't you want to meet Donny Ray?"

--That's my name, I said...

Tel Aviv Noir - Etgar Keret & Assaf Gavron

"What's your name?"

"I'm Lorraine."

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

"Were you looking for me?"

"I think you probably already know the answer."

The Barefoot Lawyer - Chen Guangcheng

"What were you doing this morning?"

"I killed the day as best I could, reading one of my father's mystery novels and being mad a my mom for blowing me off."

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

"Why don't you go outside for a while?"

"I was up cooking until very late last night..."

The Barefoot Lawyer - Chen Guancheng

"Why don't you buy anything besides bread?"

"It would have been an idea getting a vegetable or two."

Waterline by Ross Raisin

"What is it that retired folk do with theyselves?"

"I'm trying morphine."

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue

"Who's sick? Not the baby?"

"It's okay. It's spare."

Waterline by Ross Raisin

"Would you like a muffin?"

"Please, no more."

Cold-Blooded Kindness by Barbara A. Oakley

"What got him so mad?"

" He's cataloging and annotating something like six hundred photographs."

Death without Company by Craig Johnson

"What the hell'd you do that for?"

"For all the wrong reasons."

Final Verdict by Adela Rogers St. Johns

"The disclosures of graft shocked you into action?"

But of course not! Are you mad?"

Mrs Bridge by Evan S Connell

-I'm only going to the drugstore.
-What on earth do you do in the drugstore?

"We're building a fort."

The River Burns by Trevor Ferguson

"Will you be posting a guard?"

"A brawny larrikin"

The Three Miss Kings by Ada Cambridge

"Do you really think I am quite perfect, Elizabeth?"

"Youʻre capable of occasional
misjudgements, I guess."

Spare Change by Robert B. Parker

ʻYou feel like going to Milwaukee, Spike?"

"After all, it is not necessary to go to Europe to see the world."

The Three Miss Kings by Ada Cambridge

"May I come and see you tomorrow morning?"

"Lot of mainlanders find it cold down here in Tassie."

The Sound of One Hand Clapping by Richard Flanagan

"Sonja, (...) you do not mind leaving the Picottis?"

I just don't want you to have illusions about what this is about.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

I'm worried about the theological implications of this new body. What should I do?

"Dig up that lawyer."

The River Burns by Trevor Ferguson

"Who else?"

"I'm not talking about who's ahead in the overall tally, Alan."

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

"What is it about being married you miss?"

"I like my wife's friends."

Shoot the Buffalo by Matt Briggs

"How's your job?"

"We dreamt up a wizardry of industrial and medical marvels."

The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, by Diane Ackerman

"How do you scuba-sign wonder?"

"I have to either shave my head or do it this way."

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

"What did you do when you were pregnant with me?"

"I was a kid working thirty-hour shifts, fishing around the clock..."

The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, by Diane Ackerman

"How does life make things?"

"As I remember, I had just woken up from a nap when I decided to create the universe."

Mr g: A Novel of Creation by Alan Lightman

"May I give you some advice, Nephew?"

"This frame of mind requires a major flip in our way of thinking and our sense of how we exist in nature."

The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, by Diane Ackerman

"What if its sheer feral exuberance took charge?"

"I'd think My Lady was an interfering busybody."

The Children Act by Ian McEwan

"Are you coming back?"

"Breaking old habits and patterns isn't easy...."

The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, by Diane Ackerman

"How will we handle the responsibility of knowing that harsh words can be as physical as a punch, inflict violent pain, and subtly mess with the wiring in someone's brain?"

"Life, it's not a joke."

The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill

"Well, you were very lucky to have a nanny, weren't you?"

"After all, I had first heard of
(Lenin and Trotsky) in the high
chair, eating my mashed potatoes."

It all Adds Up, non-fictions
by Saul Bellow

(Interviewer): What about the critics?

"Anybody can be critical."

The Girl Who Was Saturday Night by Heather O'Neill

"How come you hate your dad so much?"

"Wanted to be a big chemist. That's what I wanted to do. But Dad chased me out on the road selling kitchenware."

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

"I suppose you'll be going to Europe pretty soon again, won't you?"

"...all the way from the tip of Norway through Germany, Austria, Romania, and Greece, deep into Spain, following ancient trails while searching for food, mild weather, and safe birthing grounds."

The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, by Diane Ackerman

"Are we natural anymore? How can we be when we've morphed into superheroes?"

And there was a quiver in Judy's voice which made mother stoop over and kiss her.

Judy - or Only a Little Girl by Yotty Osborn

"Do you always wash your face after dinner, Aunt Maria?"

"It seems to me that I've had enough of this sort of thing."

He Wanted the Moon - Mimi Baird

"Don't you want your breakfast?"

We stared at each other a moment, and then we both smiled.

Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth by V.C. Andrews

Did you see the weather report for tomorrow?

"...chills and continued discomfort..."

He Wanted the Moon - Mimi Baird

"Will you kiss me...?"

"The best form of birth control is whispering 'you're the daddy' in your lover's ear."

Laugh Lines are beautiful and other age-defying truths by Leigh Anne Jasheway-Bryant

"Have you lost weight?"

"NO!"

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth L. Ozeki

"You doing okay?"

"I might ask you the same question..."

The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly

"Who are you?"

"I am the boss! I am the boss!"

Bossypants by Tina Fey

"What was happening to my moral compass?"

"Guess I'll just have to stay out of the water."

Revel by Maurissa Guibord

"Have you been entertaining fantasies about me?"

"On the contrary."

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth L. Ozeki

"Why are you mocking me?"

"It keeps me from getting bored."

The Country under my Skin by Gioconda Belli

"What did the guerillas do?"

"The Task Force's members had been engaged in political guerrilla warfare for many months, since late 1992, attaching their Tory opponents with a barrage of leaks, stunts and advertising."

Kicking Ass in Canadian Politics by Warren Kinsella

Could such an approach work?

"You for got the part about robbing the Indians of their own culture and then abandoning them" - he raised his voice in mock outrage, as if he were making a speech - "leaving them with nothing strong enough, neither their old culture nor a new one, to support them against the next group to come along."

At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen

"How did they know we were coming?"

"An audacious protestor who had seized the mosque's loud-hailer."

The Devil that Danced on the water by Aminatta Forna

"Forgive me, Sir, but if Maureen dated a teddy-boy, would that be all right?"

"I'm all for it."

Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth

"Why are you into them so much?"

"She ate without answering."

Black Cherry Blues, by James Lee Burke

"What do you mean, you know about it?"

"I saw someone here."

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

"What's the matter with you?"

We are nothing if not Machiavellian about the inner machinations of others.

Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker by Jean Donaldson

Can we get him to stop doing this without resorting to hurting him?

"Let me take that stick."

The Sun also rises by Ernest Hemingway

"Here's a taxidermist's. Want to buy anything?"

“Would be valueless, if purchased by my daughter’s tears ...”

The Castle Spectre by M. G. Lewis.

“Angela here?”

"In a barbed-wire enclosed compound"

Bare feet in the Palace by Agnes newton Keith

"What's George doing in the garden?"

"I think he means to shear us all, then turn us into mutton."

Harvest by Jim Crace

"What happens to the hens?"

A cardboard triangle, square, and circle are put down and the chicken is reinforced for pecking the triangle.

Oh Behave! Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker by Jean Donaldson

Will he ever be trustworthy again?

"Well, maybe he'll have his mother's good disposition to offset his ugly face"

Bare Feet in the Palace by Agnes Newton Keith

"What do you do for a mynah bird's cold?"

“We are coming now rather into the region of guesswork,”

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

“What do you make of it, Dr. Mortimer?”

"If you wanted bricks or gravel delivered I could help you. But I can't help you about anything else."

The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul

-You have to be prepared to do anything to get what you want.
-You would even murder?

"I don't think so."

Up Ghost River by Edmund Metatawabin

"What's your real name?"

"I'm the King of Mars."

The Martian by Andy Weir

"That was going to be risky, but what choice did we have?"

"It's a good solution for you both."

The Same Sea by Amos Oz

"Is it out of the question, let's say, for me to put myself in your hands?"

"If you go on like this, Opu, I shall never get the cooking done"

Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Banerji

"It might be a diamond, mightn't it?"

"One interpretation."

Waterland by Graham Swift

"But what about your explanation?"

"A good deal of it is true as gospel, and shrewd besides."

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

"Have you any friends in this city?"

"What a foolish thing to say to a beautiful woman."

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofiumk

"What is that awful stench?"

"Je komt er nog wel achter, lieverd, 'fluisterde ze', ik zal je bed elke week verschonen."

"You' ll find out, darling," she whispered ," I will change the sheets every week."

Alles is altijd fictie by Daphne Huisden
(Everything is always Fiction)

"Wat zit je nu te lachen?"

"Come on. What's so funny?"

"He misses shots, shoots the wrong colour, and sinks the eight ball twice."

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk

"What troubles you, sir?"

"The flies. They were everywhere...their chief place of repose was the dining table."

The Chip-Chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul

"Professor! What are you going to do with all that book-learning?"

"Navigating. Sailing."

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofimuk

"And what about your wife?"

". . .pure, unadorned (and of) ineffable
simplicity. . . . achieve(s) a harmony
within before portraying it without."

The Tao of Inner Peace
by Diane Dreher

"Is it necessary? Will it bring a greater
good to my life on the planet?"

"Well, it's just a star."

The World Without Us by Robin Stevenson

"So, when am I going to meet your parents?"

"They were together in the armchair by this time, and Wendy plied him with more questions."

Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie

"But where do you live mostly now?"

"Nassau."

A Void in Hearts by William Tapply

(Sarcastically) "So you were dragged (into bed) kicking
and screaming?"

"That's what you have me around for."

Winter Kills by Richard Condon

"Did you buy me some winter underwear?"

"It's just you can't help but fantasize."

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

-With your other customers - does it work?
-Sure it works if you follow the program.
-And do they?

"Well, a drink helps."

Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote

"Don't you want to make money?"

"No, did I miss something?"

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

"Well, what brings you to this city actually?"

"Wait till you hear the crazy story the
telephone operatorʻs got to tell!"

The Canary Murder Mystery
by S. S. Van DIne

"So you, too, noticed that, did you?

"We are blessed."

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

"Why were we spared?"

"So I keep on singing 'Ants in my Pants' - all ninety-seven verses"

Call me Pomeroy by James Hanna

"Can you get me outta jail, Miss Jimenez?"

" En dan kom jij me zeker elke dag voeren, zoals ik nu met jou doe?"

'And then, You 'll come along to feed ME each day, like I do to YOU now?'

The city of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

"En wie mag jij dan wel zijn, dat je het lef hebt om mij zo te beledigen? "

'Who are you supposed to be, that you have the guts to insult me this way?'

"A student nurse"

Changes by Ama Ata Aidoo

"I know you are in there so why don't you answer?"

".. ... . . .The rabbits are escaping!"

The Sword in the Stone
by T. H. White

"Can you do anything else?"

"Play dominoes"

In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar

"How do I know that you are not dead?"

"You're just jealous."

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett

"Well, are there any dancing girls?"

"They have gone. I spoke to them. I told them that the canon theologian did not sit today."

La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas

"I'm all of a-tremble - I don't suppose you can imagine why?"

"Jij bent af en toe te slim voor mij, Anders, je lijkt niet veel behoefte aan een glas te hebben."

"You occasionally are to smart for me, Anders, you don't seem to have much need of a glass."

Dina's son by Herbjørg Wassmo

"Had je het gedaan als ik het je gevraagd had?"

Would you have done it if I had asked you?

"The activists in the aul will be onto me in a flash"

The Silent Steppe by Mukhamet Shayakhmetov

"Something unexpected must have happened - but what, exactly?"

"I don't think it's that important -- to need to talk about it."

You Must Remember This by Joyce Carol Oates

"Then what is important?"

"(that) I had to get out of that house."

The Last Aloha by Gaellen Quinn

"Why?"

"The place was so narrow, so cramped, there was hardly room to breathe..."

You Must Remember This by Joyce Carol Oates

"Where'd they send you?"

"Mountain peaks and church belfries"

La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas

"What was St Augustine doing there?"

". . .speak with Dr. OʻHara?"

"Birdʻs Eye View"
by B. F. Freedman

"When do you expect her back?"

"We expect to have a hundred head available tomorrow".

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

"How many could I get this afternoon?"

"Why, there are in all the Dominion of Canada 71 Jesuits."

Canada Transformed by Sarah Gibson

"What harm can they do?"

"Show him the instruments."

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

"What about the one in the trees?"

"Deal with it!" (cover title)


"The Donald has Landed
. . . Trump's latest Hit Show. . ."
by Michael Scherer*

"But it's interesting?"

*in Time 08/31/15

"Yes."

Sex of the Stars by Monique Proulx

"Are you managing to follow me without too much difficulty?"

"You talk loud enough - we must be deaf if we don't"

The Radiance of the King by Camara Laye

"Are you a witch-doctor?"

" . . . a doctor, not a detective."

The Mystery at Number 31, New Inn
by R. Austin Freeman

(with a smile at his eagerness): "And what is
the alternative?"

"To prohibit the acceptance of Bibles or religious tracts in public houses in payment for drink"

Max Havelaar by Multatuli

"And tell me now, are the people very much behind with their land-tax?"

"Maybe not."

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

"What do you intend to do?"

"What about staying to lunch? We have tinned Dutch cauliflower."

Max Havelaar by Multatuli

"After Number 3, there are two exclamation marks. What did Mr Slotering mean by those?"

"His spirit rose flying and released him from fear and bitterness and rancid memories."

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

"Do you need a cook?"

"Sure," said the owner.

The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

"But why, darling?"

"For ritualistic and maybe gastronomic reasons"

Transit of Venus by Julian Evans

"Norman, what did the Nobel Explosives Company want with copra?"

"Yes, I've wondered about that."

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

"Will you stay to dinner?"

"We will make enchiladas, tortillas, tamales."

The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

"And do their tortillas compare to ours?"

"Just regard what is evident to the eyes (I refer to the eyes of the soul) of any person of taste.

La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas

"What would become of foxes if there weren't any chickens?"

"You better study up on it in the book."

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

"Is there an opening here for a lawyer?"

"He desperately wanted to do something to help."

A Touch of Mistletoe by Barbara Comyns

"Now tell me, child, why do you want to study art?"

"That can be the cheapest kind of self-indulgence."

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

"Shall we talk about Aron?"

"If you put it that way, I can't say no."

Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

"Which participant do you believe to have a happier prospect for the future?"

"The Government Archivist"

My Bones and my Flute by Edgar Mittelholzer

-Day before yesterday she get drowned.
-Drowned? How did it happen?

"She'd forgotten to take a breath."

Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones

"What should we do with her?"

"Girls always taste better with carrots and leeks"

Hansel and Gretel by Michael Morpurgo

"What are you looking at, husband dearest?"

"A small black iron door."

Slade House by David Mitchell

"Are you unwell?"

"Attacked by a gorilla and bitten in the head"

Song from the Forest by Louis Sarno

-Mombongo had run out of manioc.
-What happened to the five sacks I bought?

"Here, ...where you left them"

Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather

"But why do you let me chatter on like this?"

"Watch your tongue young man. This is not a barrack room."

The Girl King by Meg Clothier

"Why is it so dark in here?"

"You're asking the wrong man."

Out of This World by Graham Swift

"Harry? Is that you, Harry?"

"The lord Mkhargrdzeli"

The Girl King by Meg clothier

"Why are they staring at me, aunt?"

". . . theyʻre here to protect their bossʻs
interests."

Third Rail by Rory Flynn

"Going to shoot me with a plastic gun,
fake cop?"

"I made the casket myself"

When hoopoes go to Heaven by Gaile Parkin

"How is Mama's driving coming along?"

"Don't you remember ...Mama's telling us of it when we got home?"

Emma by Jane Austen

"Who is that man on horseback?

"Probably the inspector . . ."

Hazards of the Game
by Norma Tadlock Johnson

"Will you talk to the police?"

"Only one of 'em."

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain

"Say, when a cow's laying down, which end of her gets up first?"

"A careful equipoise between imminent extremes"

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

"Cups or glasses, gentlemen?"

"...Some other vessel."

The Medieval Hospitals of England by Rotha Mary Clay

"What is it that thou does, O my lady? Surely if the King knew this, he would not deign to kiss with his lips your mouth..."

"Drinking cold black tea and chewing cardamom seeds"

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

"Have you ever thought about getting new servants?"

'What do we want with servants?'

Grimms' Fairy Tales: King Grisly-Beard
Jacob Grimm + others

"'Ah! what will become of me?' said she; 'what will my husband say?' "

Since she had a hairpin in her mouth he could not make out the words.

Broken April by Ismail Kadare

"How did they get their nails to grow so long in twenty-four hours?"

Religious faith.

Sam Phillips by Peter Guralnick

"Well, what do you want to sing?"

"We'll start with 'The Maple Leaf Forever'".

Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

Can we stay with you until you do?"

" Oh, you shouldn't tease me about that again."

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

"Why did you marry him?"

"Defiance is part of the answer"

Lingo by Gaston Dorren

"So what makes it so hard for us to get a handle on Polish surnames?"

"I don't think people are generally very smart."

The Case of Lena S by David Bergen

"Are you saying that's me?"

"Hair does grow"

The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop

"There was a graze across her knuckles.
- What did you do, Mamma?"

"Made my mark as manager of Buffalo Bill's horrifically successful Wild West Show."

Georgia: A Novel of Georgia O'Keeffe by Dawn Tripp

"Were you always this way, Edward?"

" By Jove, I always took three threes for nine."

LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST by William Shakespeare

" But are you not ashamed?"

"Quite at a loss to find an answer to these questions, the best thing I can do is to leave them without an answer."

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"That's what you always intended to do, isn't it?"

"There's a different reason every time you ask me."

Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo

"What' wrong with that child?"

"Haven't the faintest idea."

The Brothers Karamazov

"Will you still go on loving him?"

" With a joyful love and pride, for which I can find no description."

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

"And why don't you abandon me to my deserts?"

"Don't think I don't love you."

The Brothers Karamazov

"More brandy?"

"We'll drink right out of the bottle, like men."

Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo

"He advised you to drink and smoke and screw your brains loose?"

"Our fare is regulated in accordance with the ancient monastic rules."

The Brothers Karamazov

"And mushrooms?"

"Mohammed Abdalla, you'll give yourself indigestion"

Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah

"We left two of our men with you when we visited last year ...How did they fare?"

"I'd rather you didn't ask me."

The Brothers Karamazov

"Why do we bear a grudge against each other?"

"For a minute there, I thought you were going to be critical."

Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo

"Who'd have thought you and I would ever argue over a woman?"

"It's stupid, stupid."

The Brothers Karamazov

"What I want to know is -- are you going to the gold mines or not?"

"No, there are two perfectly good rooms upstairs."

The Juniper Tree by Barbara Comyns

"Why did he leave most of his prunes, doesn't he like them?"

"Well, he spat it out but pricked his tongue -- that's why he squealed."

The Brothers Karamazov

"What did you quarrel about this time?"

"That they let the cat sleep with the small boy"

Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemingway

"Papa, please can we have this cat?"

“Or an old lion, or a lover’s lute.”

Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.

“What sayest thou to a hare, or the melancholy of Moorditch?”

"I wish I were a man"

The Wilder Shores of Love by Lesley Blanch

"What makes those Arundell girls so pale?"

“That villainous abominable misleader of youth, Falstaff, that old white-bearded Satan.”

Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.

“How agrees the devil and thee about thy soul that thou soldest him on Good Friday last for a cup of Madeira and a cold capon’s leg?”

"Diablo's biologically inclined to be aggressive."

Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving.

"And where is the genius princess?"

“She’ll be a soldier too, she’ll to the wars.”

Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.

“Wouldst thou have they head broken?”

"Well done, keep it up."

Reading the Ceiling by Dayo Forster

"I plan to be loose today. But who with?"

“Come, Kate, thou art perfect at lying down;”

Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.

“What sayst thou, Mistress Quickly?”

Beautiful plus a casual demeanor always means deadly.

Naturalist by Edward O. Wilson

Was the whole world completely physical, after all?

“It will not be accepted, on my life.
The Douglas and the Hotspur both together
Are confident against the world in arms.”

Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare.

“Yea, but how if honour prick me off when I
come on?”

[Sorry - Touchstones doesn't seem to be working this morning.]

"I'm surprised you condone it. It doesn't sound like a Catholic process"

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

"What are you smiling at, you sow?"

"The curve, the dimple, the rouged mouth,...the attitude at once wanton and diffident,...the sensuous, sophisticated atmosphere, the silk and softness of the female..."

Century Girl: 100 years in the life of Doris Eaton Travis Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies by Lauren Redniss

"I dial the phone number and...say,"Is this Mr. Travis?"

"I was keen to come back with a response, but was simply too exhausted. Who was I again?"

Look who's back by Timur Vermes

"Which punishments would you recommend?"

"Being married to him..."

Beach Music by Pat Conroy

"I didn't tell you?"

"Weʻd be accessories if he got caught
knowinʻ what we know."

A Mammoth Murder by Bill Crider

"Have you seen him lately?"

"Underneath a giant toadstool"

The Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow

"The children picked up the dead snake.
"Where shall we bury him?"
"

". . . up there above Two Gray Hills"

The Ghostway by Tony Hillerman

"You thinking the same thing I am?"

"Would to God I were"

The Devil Drives by Fawn M Brodie

"Are you sorry for all the times you have been naughty and said bad words?"

"Not at present, my darling sister."

The Romance of Lust by Anonymous

"She calls me Fred, what can she mean?"

"Hardly surprising. I dread to think what time she staggered in"

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

-(The tide) changes a little every day
-But what on earth for?

"What do you think I know about
all this?"

"Jesusʻ Son" by Denis Johnson

"Are you still all worried about Alsatia?"

"The PM says there's gonna be a demonstration soon by Lula what's-her-name."

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill

"Where is Keita Ali?"

"He's swinging on a tree, with just one hand, but monkeys find it easy, as you see"

Miffy at the Zoo byu Dick Bruna

"And then - what's that? cried Miffy"

"Something or other . . . whatever is appropriate."

The Ghostway by Tony Hilerman

"Who is he, this Gorman? Who told you
he lived here?"

"Rather...my guardsman...who lives in one of the hotels near..."

Jack Hintman by Charles James Lever

"What do I care for the rigours of climate?

"You silly fool"

Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud

"Akari says we'll need a mijmar", Mum said, looking round a bare kitchen
"What's a mijmar?"

"...if it's not your business it's my business and I mean to see to it."

The Dubliners by James Joyce

"Why isn't it your business?"

"I don't like to take sides or get into arguments."

The Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami.

"Shall I make your tea?"

"What? Oh. Yes. See to it, Sargent."

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

""What've socks got to do with it?"

"Here at the home, they were teased about it."

The Stranger by Albert Camus

"Tell me, officer, isn't it against the law to call a man a pimp?"

"I prefer it. Honestly"

The House on Bellevue Gardens by Rachel Hore

"Have you ever thought of her becoming a model?"

"I do not know what your opinion may be... but I think it a bad thing."

Emma by Jane Austen

"A bad thing! Do you really think it a bad thing?—why so?"

"It's not right for that poor child to carry the whole burden of expenses."

Innocent Erendira and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

"What do you think the girl is made of, iron?"

"She is just a little bush girl, barely twenty-one yet, and has scarcely ever been out of the bush in her life."

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

" Where 'ud I go to, pray?"

'We are gathering, all of us, to make a plan, to use our rituals to renew our powers."

Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley

"What do you say?"

"Sit!"

Cruel Intent by J. A. Jance

"And did he get away?"

"No, Guinevere says this gully is noted for its copperheads."

Alfred and Guinevere by James Schuyler

"Let's tell each other secrets. What's the worst thing you ever did?"

"You wouldn't tell on me if I was to tell you,
would you...?"

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

"Where are you bound for, young man?" called
out the king.

"Follow that Dream".

"Jesusʻ Son" by Denis Johnson

"How did I get so fat when I never eat?"

"Good pasture makes fat sheep..."

As You Like It by William Shakespeare

"And would you have us kiss tar?"

"Oh well, Mr Blenkinsop, you're the best judge, of course"

Miss Mole by E H Young

"What's happened to my mattress?"

'I have hardly closed my eyes the whole night! Heaven knows what was in the bed. I seemed to be lying upon some hard thing, and my whole body is black and blue this morning. It is terrible!'

Stories from Hans Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen

"How she has got on as well as she has on her bare feet?

"Maybe she just - I don't know - maybe she camped out tonight."

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

"All right, what's the moral?"

" ʻSinʻ is a word that has been greatly
misunderstood and misinterpreted."

A New Earth: Awakening to your Lifeʻs
Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

"What could be heavier and more impenetrable
than a rock, the densest of all forms?"

"Tapioca cream"

What's for Dinner? by James Schuyler

"I wonder what you'll do when I'm gone? Are you planning to remarry?"

"The wedding's next month."

Maurice by E.M. Forster

"By the way, can you come down to Penge next week?"

"Don't listen to him, Yogi."

Summer of '49 by David Halberstam

"He told...the Times' general manager, that there was no other job he had ever wanted. 'No other job?' asked Daniel incredulously..."

"See, Ted cares about what I find, and he wants to smell it, too."

Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs
by Ted Kerasote

"Aren't we going to follow them?"

"You kept dragging me back and I got awfully frightened."

Maurice by E.M. Forster

"Why did you not come to the boathouse?"

'Got stuck doing the dirty work for the whole community."

Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs
by Ted Kerasote

"Why don't I look at it right now?"

"You, madam, for you are ... nobly born,
... shall, after three days’ open penance..."

THE SECOND PART OF HENRY VI by William Shakespeare

" Can you not see? or will ye not observe
the strangeness of his alter’d countenance?"

"You just can't tell with all the bruises."

Ice Run: An Alex McKnight Novel by Steve Hamilton

"Where's the comfortable chair you brought in for Natalie?"

"Sometimes I'm tempted to have a white elephant sale"

What's for Dinner? by James Schuyler

"Do you go in for any particular exercise?"

" I...always experienced relief from mental torment in bodily exercise. But the overflowing misery I now felt, and the excess of agitation that I endured rendered me incapable of any exertion. I threw down the oar, and ... gave way to every gloomy idea that arose."

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecradt Shelley

What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?

"Will had a lawyer come to the house,"

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

"Would you mind pointing me to the bathroom?"

"I thought of that. But there's this jazz place I wanted you to see first"

A Way of Life like Any Other by Darcy O'Brien

"Now can't you think of any little flaw in General MacArthur?"

His breath came in pale clouds.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

"So what is it you do for him?"

". . .Iʻm buying the drinks!"

Matagorda by Louis Lʻamour

"What about the team?"

...he strode off into the darkness at the far end of the trailer, returning with a quart jug of Canadian whiskey...

Thanksgiving - Michael Dibdin

"So what's going to happen now?"

On the ground the game will be played with people's imaginations, wants, hopes, and needs, and with their lives.

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall

What shape will it be?

..patched and potholed, ribbed from the summer heat and infiltrated by a scree of sand blown in from either side...

Thanksgiving - Michael Dibdin

...why hadn't he taken any pictures?

"Well, there are practical reasons."

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

"Does that satisfy you?"

At first I was annoyed, to be honest.

Thanksgiving - Michael Dibdin

"How did you know I was staying here?'

"Highland Peru...is the only place on earth...where millions...insist, against all apparent logic, on living at 10,000 or even 14,000 feet above sea level."

1491 by Charles C. Mann

"Archaeologists assign the invention of zero to sometime before 32 B.C., centuries ahead of its invention in India. How long before 32 B.C.?"

"Dearest, you must not question me unpleasantly or it may make me not love you."

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

"What do you mean?"

"The term is Greek and is what
Plato calls the creator of the world."

The Secret Teachers of the Western World
by Gary Lachman*

"Who were the Gnostics?"

*on my Favorites List

"I've forgotten."

Thai: an essential grammar

"He's a friend, is he?"

"Oh-ho-ho, right you are, son."

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

"Whatever do you need so many knives for?"

"How do you think she lost those other fingers?"

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

She poured herself a glass of milk ... "It's got THINGS floating in it."
-"What things?"

...a sheet of paper...a pen...an envelope...addressed to his mother.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

"When did you last go out for a meal...?"

He shrugs. "My interests have changed over time."

Ice Land - Betsy Tobin

"What makes you think the girl will recognise your claim?"

Louisa is one of the smartest people I know..."

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

"Who are you?"

" . . . something suspiciously body-shaped."

Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski

"Everything okay?" a gentle voice asked.

"She was bitten on the leg by a horse-fly"

The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

"Why can't I go to a girls' school?"

"I do not Like the Way that they play!"

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

If Mother could see this,
oh, What would she say?

next question?

next question (434>435)
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be."

Hamlet by Willliam Shakespeare

"Pale or red?"

Thing Two and Thing One

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Did you have any fun?

"Don't be silly. There is a nun in her room"

The greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

"You want us to eat with your servants?"

And there it was, out there. The truth that I could barely admit to myself.

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

"Why? What would they say?"

(that) you surely ainʻt changed.

Matagorda by Louis LʻAmour

You pushing north?

That bit of land, he said. Remember I telled you. We'll miss out if we don't grab it.

The Secret River by Kate Grenville

Remember? That little house waiting for us.

"Yes,...a small house on the extreme western verge of the town."

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain

"But why can't she pawn it or sell it?"

"Leave it alone!" , commanded Fern. "You've got a frog - isn't that enough?"

Charlottes Web by E.B. White

"What do people catch in the Queensborough Bridge - bugs?"

"Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog..."

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

" ...from what power hast thou this powerful might,
...
Whence hast thou this becoming of things ill...?"

To gain entry to the senate at that time it was necessary to be at least thirty-one years old and a millionaire.

Imperium by Robert Harris

And so you fled?

"There is no need for you to know more..."

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

"Tell me. Why did you give up your shadow?"

"He didn't speak a single friendly word...."

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

"And Giuseppina, his mother?"

She asks in Italian if we need to talk to someone.

Memoirs of an American Gypsy - Reece Gesumaria

Where are the tourists?

"At Sospan's ice-cream stall, preening themselves in their sharp Swansea suits and teardrop aviator shades"

Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce

"What do the little red dots mean?"

Significantly, the way the jagged edges do not precisely match up means that it is impossible to reconvert data back into its original form.

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

"Did you come from some other land?"

"I'd love nothing better than to be able to buy American, but the dogs just aren't here."

Soldier Dogs: The Untold Story of America's Canine Heroes by Maria Goodavage

What's up with this one?

"...The Sun Also Rises differed in style and subject from any book Maxwell Perkins had ever edited--or even read..."

Maxwell Perkins, Editor of Genius by A.Scott Berg

"Should I add in the epilogue? Is it needed?"

"Yup. We're really in a rush."

Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 3 - Hiromu Arakawa

"What? So it's going to take about a week?"

". . .They shall be elected every two YEARS
following a campaign lasting two years . . ."
(emphasis added)

Dave Barry hits below the Beltway
by Dave Barry

"How the heck did the Egyptians DO this?"

"Egypt's first hieroglyphic inscriptions...were formed in the same style...for 3500 years unlike Chinese characters or Mayan glyphs. In their steadfast approach, Egyptian scribes were very different from their Mayan or Chinese counterparts' writing, which became more fluid."

Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler

"Why is Russian, alone of the current top ten languages, set to lose speakers in the twenty-first century?"