Hi-jacking 'a silly book game' from Book Talk site 2

Previous player:
"What do we get out of it?"

"...Things to eat"

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

"Why should any wish to kill me?

"You can't predict what a woman will do, and your mother is a woman. Maybe she's finally come to her senses"

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

"You should go to Amsterdam," Mr Pines said to me. He looked me in the eye.

"Why Amsterdam?" said Mother

"I am not going back to Paris again, mother."

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

"You mean to call on Thomasin?"

"Yes-s-s - well worth a visit!"

The Fox in the Attic by Richard Hughes

"Summonsed? What's he been caught doing, Sir?"

"...everything in his power to turn that state of affairs topsy-turvy."

The Millionaire and the Bard by Andrea Mays

"How long did it take Shakespeare to write a play?"

"I cannot answer you."

The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

"Two months -- is it possible?"

"I think it is not bad to hold to some of the traditions like the groom's wedding fast."

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

"What should I wear, Gitl?"

Top it off with a floppy hat, malarial drugs, binoculars, and a camera...

Running with Rhinos: Stories from a Radical Conservationist by Ed Warner

"Everybody ready?"

"The widow was ready, Rowena was ready, so also were the foreigners."

The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain

"Two—hund'd dollahs! Why, what is you talkin' 'bout?...En you ain't lyin', honey?"

"No, I'm not. I counted them. I got started counting, so I kept on - just to keep my mind occupied."

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

"Charlotte," said Wilbury dreamily, "are you really going to have five hundred and fourteen children?"

"729"

The Good Soldier Schweik by Jaroslav Hasek

"Has the state of your mind ever been examined?"

"I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw."

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

"Have you your father's leave?"

"That's my dad. Leave him alone."

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

"How old are you, and what's your personality like, and what did you have for dinner, and are you gonna be nice or a jerk?"

"You think if you just ask enough questions you'll get to know what people are like but you won't. You don't really know anything about people."

Max Perkins, Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg

" 'W-W-Why did she h-h-have me over if she w-w-wanted to insult me?' he bellowed."

"Tonight he appeared to her much smaller than on any previous night, all withdrawn, as if he were afraid of a sudden attack by something or someone."

The Zafarani Files by Gamal al-Ghitani

"Would he escape the spell by fleeing the alley?"

"You don't have to rescue yourself, the prince rescues you."

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

"Where is Tina?"

"The FOOTSTEPS went into the
preserve. . . . . . I lost them there."
(emphasis added)

Clouds of Witness (sic)* by Dorothy Sayers

"A suitcase#! . . . Why a suitcase?"

*a biblical citation; hence the singular rather
than the expected plural.
# I always thought the British said "a grip"
not "a suitcase". An old Laurel and Hardy
shtick depends on that usage.

"Personally I am not familiar with the details of it, but I think you had better bring the war paint when you come."

Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives by Edwin Black

Who was Albert Pope?

"...he is a suitable mount for a starter horse."

Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul by Jack Canfield

"What's your best offer?"

"Weʻll leave the rig. Youʻll ride
the buckskin."

Matagorda by Louis LʻAmour

"What about the team?"

"Our prayers have failed us, so we listen as we wait for them."

New and Collected Poems: 1975-2015 by Jay Parini

"Need more be said but that we slept as if the world had died together with that day?"

"What do you mean?"

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

"What is he to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him?"

"Ah well, seeing as he never hangs out with us any more, it's probably nothing."

Banana Boys by Terry Woo

"Nudity or serenity?"

"That's pretty cynical."

Straight Man: A Novel by Richard Russo

"What are we betting on?"

"Looks like a bar brawl to me."

Banana Boys by Terry Woo

"Are you making a pass at me or something?"

"Then it's worked!"

Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson

Is that so terrible if the alternative is running lawless in the wilderness?"

"I believe that people are basically good on the inside."

Banana Boys by Terry Woo

"Why would anyone ask for ten-thousand dollars in a single bill?"

"Digger, Iʻd take PENNIES, if there
was enough of them!"

"The Diggerʻs Game" by George V. Higgins

"Well, did you win or lose?"

"I don't think I'll have a job by the end of the week"

Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce

-I hear you were a recent guest at the police station.
-Yes, that's right.
-May I ask why?

"Our family hasn't joined the co-op, we're independent farmers."

Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out by Mo Yan

"Are they caught up in co-op fever where you are?"

" At this time...my poor pagan companion has been seized with a fever, which will bring him nigh to his...end."

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

"Dry heat upon my brow?"

"The era of the spell is here, to change the world."

The Zafarani Files by Gamal al-Ghitani

"Who knew what might happen now?"

"Oh, I donʻt want an accounting,
love; I just wondered if there was
anything left."

The Nixon Recession Caper
by Ralph Maloney

"Whatʻs he doing now? Just cars all
the time?"

"Plurabelle made as though to wink at her. "You know." "

Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson

"Did she say whether there would be dancing?"

"Yes. My mother danced at Kanda Swany. And now I am honored to dance for you."

Mata Hari's Last Dance by Michelle Moran

"Is she wearing anything?"

"Oh yes!...but I thought her dress hideous...I used to think she had some taste in such matters, but I was ashamed of her..."

Persuasion by Jane Austen

"Does she ever mean to go away?"

"Not yet, not exactly, no."

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

"Have you ever played Maximum Happy Imagination?"

"I do not believe in such things."

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

"Do you want a carbine?"

"You know, people didn't ought to mess about with revolvers. They're dangerous things, that they are."

The Good Soldier Schweik by Jaroslav Hasek

"Now be frank about it, Schweik. Don't you hate the sight of your own face?"

"Goddamn good face."

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I was in a lunatic asylum for a bit"

The Good Soldier Schweik by Jaroslav Hasek

"What are you staring at me like that for?"

"You scared me to death!"

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

"Bad day, huh?"

"You do pry so. Pry about everything."

The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas

"What was it like at Unn's then, Siss? Was it fun?"

"We've got a complete show, for children and for adults."

In Evil Hour by Gabriel García Marquez

"Why did you hide it from me?"

"You're an irritating prick."

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

"Can you see into the future?"

"Eternity's long."

The Other by David Guterson
https://www.librarything.com/work/4821240
Touchstone

"So what happens when the cans are gone?"

"You're getting obsessed with your dark thoughts again"

Eloise by Judy Finnigan

"But why, why would Ted want to harm his own children?"

"...because they said he looked like a fat, fat Brueghel."

Frida Kahlo by Claudia Bauer

"Why do I call him my Diego?"

"I admire the way you keep it up"

Orphan Island by Rose Macaulay

"Why were worms made?"

"Death in life, life in death."

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

How was it we became so afraid of the dragon?

"She'll mop the floor with you!"

Love by Toni Morrison

"That's been her whole life, don't you get it?"

"Listen, there's no meaning in it."

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch

"See the yellow sign?"

"It was meant for children, you know."

Winter by Christopher Nicholson

"How does one find out?"

"It is presumed I can think for myself
up to a point"

Two Solitudes by Hugh MacLennan

"Are you thinking of becoming converted?"

"Yes; I'd like a change very well. So would my husband."

Orphan Island by Rose Macaulay

"How tired I do get, to be sure, of my papa and mamma! Do you get tired of yours, Charles?"

"To a degree, but not entirely."

Winter by Christopher Nicholson

"Is he the same, the old man?"

"Even more handsome. And awful tall."

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

"Did I mention how much I hate you?"

"Poor little mother. To have nobody left but me!"

A Lady and her Husband by Amber Reeves

"What do other women do when their children go? How do they fill up their days?"

" ʻIndeed, our state becomes even worse
here when the human voice speaks.ʻ "

Priests, Warriors, and Cattle: a Study
in the Ecology of Religions by Bruce Lincoln

"With what?"

"It's a pillar of usefulness. The tranquilizer darts are stored in here."

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

"Why? Why did they make me a cyborg?"

"I always wondered if you might be Polish."

The Breaking of Eggs by Jim Powell

"To where would I retire? Where did people retire?"

"We won't be seniors for seven years."

You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt

"What are you writing?"

"Like invisible ink or something?"

The Bookseller by Mark Pryor

"I don't suppose you have some tea?"

"Could I interest you in coffee?"

The Dinner by Herman Koch

"Why the hell did you two put that footage on the Internet?"

Who had taken this picture? What was happening just outside the frame? What happened the moment before this image had been captured?

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

"Shut your ugly little snobby mouth, you long-nosed weenie-faced mama's boy! Didn't your mother teach you good manners?!"

"Well, gee whizz. I'm only trying to make polite bathroom talk."

Franny and Zooey by J D Salinger

"Did somebody have to CARRY me in here?"

"I don't give a shit. Now carry me over to Barlow's."

Father and Son by Larry Brown

"If they'd took Glen Davis and put him in the gas chamber, would you be happy?"

“Let's think about other ways to look at that..."

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Clinical Manual by Cabaniss & others

"How did you reflect on it?"

"I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for,... but nothing stands out."

The Button Man by Mark Pryor

"What do you have there, old boy?"

"I hang old photos of my childhood girls. . ."

Gasoline by Gregory Corso*

"Can such ponderous grace remain here, all
alone on this 9x10 stage?"

*Met author.

"That's okay. I'm not planning on staying long."

The Button Man by Mark Pryor

"And what would you be seeking in return?"

"Oiling my knees"

The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed

"What do you think are the particular challenges of being female in the army?"

"No idea. That's why we need to go, and right now."

The Button Man by Mark Pryor (it's what I'm currently reading!)

"If you don't mind me asking, what's his Lordship's role in all this?"

"He made conversation, uncorked bottles."

Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile by Francoise Sagan

"What are you reading?"

"Cool Brittannia"

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

"How did you know I was there?"

The hotel had a "Welcome! Class of '89" banner still drooping from the front door.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

"When was the last time a guy looked at you?"

"I remember an exciting moment one morning"

A Certain Smile by Francoise Sagan

"There's a new bebop orchestra at the Kennedy. What if we went there?"

(It was meant to be a lovely little gesture f inclusiveness, compensation for his lackluster response to her marriage proposal. Curiously, her stomach tightened around her small lunch.)
"You mean... go to Bournemouth? "

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

"Did you think that Oscar's used blendarized tofu?"

"That's why none of us should have been surprised when my Mama broke her own mold."

Before Women Had Wings by Connie Mae Fowler

"Why don't you lock your door when you're not home?"

"How thoughtless I've been"

Paul and Virginia by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre

"What would become of Virginia if I were to die and leave her without fortune?"

"What on earth?"

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Charles, it will be such a long walk for you!"
"Shucks! What's a couple of hundred miles?"

"To show our gratitude we will carry you home on our shoulders"

Paul and Virginia by Jacques Henri Bernardin de Saint Pierre

"Who lives in those little cabins on the mountain?"

"Several boys who have a fat allowance from home."

Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg

"Are you coming in? Or should I just hand the money through the mail slot?"

"Donate it to the charity of your choice. There must be some fund of retired snooker players down on their luck."

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

"Is there any reason you know of that your credit cards might be declined?"

"That's why I was hiding like a schoolboy."

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

"You're a gambler, aren't you?

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing about Bethany"

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

"What 'd he say when you clued him up it was me?

"It's a criminal offense to marry someone for a green card."

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

"Why you hate small children?"

"because I am a wolf"

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

""What's here?" said a sea lion gruffly."

"Veal, beef, soft woolly lambs", Bunny said.

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

"What news are you talking about?"

"On top of Copps Hill in Boston, a ninety-foot-wide storage vat for the production of rum burst its seams and sent 2.5 million gallons of molasses flooding onto the city."

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

"Who's been eating my porridge?"

"Bugger Baxter, Brownlee says."

The North Water by Ian McGuire

"Why are you still in the city? Why didn't you flee with all the others before the assault began?"

Which was when Maggie started to run.

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

"What do you feel like for dinner?"

"Rice cakes served on banana leaves"

Paul and Virginia by Jacques Henri Bernardin de Saint Pierre

"Why do people come to the islands?"

"To make sure there are no snakes."

A Painted House by John Grisham

"What did that deputy want?"

"He was here once before. ... He
got into a fight."

Tricky Business by Dave Barry

"Hey, Bobby! . . . Howʻs things?"

"Terrible the changes that's taking place, Tarry."

Tarry Flynn by Patrick Kavanagh

"Had you a hard day?"

"Yes. I operated on you"

All that is Solid Melts into Air by Darragh McKeon

"She's sitting up knitting, her needles clicking time.

-A scarf?"

She'd need a scarf. Also, she needed a cigarette...

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

"Where'd you find her?"

". . . at the inn."

Tricky Business by Dave Barry

"What about it?"

"Oh, dear. Lopsided."

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

"You okay?"

" . . . not a bad guitar player."

Tricky Business by Dave Barry

"Weʻre going out?"

"Damn it, Father, sit down and eat. I need to get back to my gardening."

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

"And don't tell me he's your tutor, because why did I have to sign your D-plus Spanish test yesterday?

If you find this logic compelling, you will be mystified that for decades in this country convicted felons were legally prohibited from buying guns from gun dealers, yet there was no uniform system of background checks to ensure against such sales.

"Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People": And Other Myths About Guns and Gun Control by Dennis A. Henigan

What would have happened if the Giants' right-hander had had a revolver strapped to his waist?

"Understanding? Forgiveness? Or, is that just what I want to believe?"

The Revenant A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke

"What happened to you?"

". . . I have a two A. M. dental appointment."

Tricky Business by Dave Barry

"What number?"

"A great many"

The Hacienda by Lisa St Aubin de Teran

"Doesn't the baby drink milk?"

"Grandbabies, don't get me started."

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

"So, how've you been?"

". . .not in pain, and thereʻs progress, ..."

Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr

"Even though it was a mushroom sandwich?"

"Nothing will ever make poor Miriam into a good hostess"

The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West

"Where are you going to stay for Ascot?"

"Thatʻs your real concern?"

"Progress Report" by Rajnar Vajra
(in: Analog Sept. 2016

"And what would we be coming home TO?"

"Funny little place isn't it? You couldn't even call it a town."

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

"Why do you always have to gloss things over, Maggie?"

"You got a paternal way about you."

Tricky Business by Dave Barry

"You going to take those idiots seriously?"

"We're pretty close to taking them down, and I'm not sure when you'll hear from me again."

A Stolen Season: An Alex McKnight Novel by Steve Hamilton

"You live in a pretty isolated place, don't you?"

"Have you ever been to Deer Lick?"

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

"Why do you feel the need to pour out your soul to some waitress?"

"She can sing."

A Thousand Hills to Heaven by Josh Ruxin

"Why are we going in here?"

"The riverbank, though it looks attractive
from a distance, is not so lovely, once you
get in there."

The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver

"Wasnʻt it somebodyʻs darn business
to predict it?"

"Not me!"

Not Me! (I Like to Read Books) by Valeri Gorbachev

"Why did you come?"

"Linda has been after me to move to New Jersey."

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

"What do we need food for anyway?"

If she didn't eat when the hunger started, it wouldn't be a pleasant evening for either of us.

A Thousand Hills to Heaven by Josh Ruxin

"Can you think of a place?"

(But Mordden was already on his way
to the elevator, and he didnʻt answer.)
- - punctuation added

Paranoia by Joseph Finder

"What are you caught up in?"

"In my own house!"

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

"How long since you had this checked?"

"Yego, yego -- yes, yes, I know."

A Thousand Hills to Heaven by Josh Ruxin

How can you drive through these hills and not be inspired by his story, and the stories of so many other brave heroes?

With maturity, with old age, all enthusiasm fades"

The Children of Men by P D James

-We ought to celebrate.
-How?

"I should start volunteering or something.."

The Beginners Goodbye by Anne Tyler

"What movie were you thinking of?"

John Boston, a slave in Maryland,... is no tongue-tied naif, as in the movie Glory, awaiting the discipline of sympathetic white officers to teach him that he is a man.

Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life by Karen E. Fields and Barbara J. Fields

How does it feel to be a question?

"Am I the person I did not want to be?"

"Hello" by Gregory Corso in: Gasoline

"Am I the looney man?"

"That's who I am!"

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

"What will they think in our village when we return?"

"I have no idea, but you're not well."

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

"What else do you know about me?"

"You eat too little and study too much."

John Quincy Adams

"What sort of a soul does this man suppose I have?"

"A nonlocal connection between incarnations is
available, but is not easy to access."

Physics of the Soul: the Quantum book of
Living, Dying, reincarnation, and immortality

by Amit Goswami

"What is the purpose of life? . . . What is the purpose of death?"

"I'd forgotten."

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

"How've you been supporting yourself all this time?"

"I play a goddamn-- We play football, you know?"

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer

"Was it wrong to expect hotties everywhere, or at least every now and again?"

"Those are good for you."

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

"My husband answered? When?"

"He took me to an abandoned power plant, drugged me, asked me a bunch of questions about my life and the choices I'd made....Then I woke up in your lab."

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

"So do you want to stay together, or is this goodbye?"

"I know you think I'm feeble-minded, but this is making me miserable! I'd rather just go ahead and die!

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

"What reason should I give him for calling?"

"There are no friendlies north of the canal."

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer

"What's going on?"

"It appear that my basement freezer has got these various meats in it,.. and they've been there quite a while."

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

"What if something dreadful has happened?"

"The superʻs enduring theory was that this
was all the work of lumpenprole delivery men,
the residents themselves being too well-bred
and status-conscious to muck up their own
walls."

334 by Thomas Disch

" ʻPlastic? why not?ʻ "

"The cheapest kind of stockings are best."

Morgan's Passing by Anne Tyler

"Why are people so willing to believe me?"

"Your grandmother says you read a lot."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

"How can you claim to be my friend and misuse and wrongfully abuse me?"

"I am sorry. There was no call to act like that."

If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler

"What was wrong with her family, for heaven's sake?"

"They had pressed in on New York society by giving...ostentatious parties. ...At a time of national depression, they transformed the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom into the Palace of Versailles and invited their guests to wear Louis XV costumes. The hostess...sat on a throne to receive her seven hundred guests."

Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee

"If you were popular, rich and famous, would that inevitably corrupt you and spoil your talent?"

"I'd risk it. That sort of cleverness doesn't last long."

The Three Sisters by May Sinclair

-Is that another new dress you've got on?
-Yes, Papa, do you like it?

"It's a bit small."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J.K. Rowling

"What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?"

"Why, I'm thinkin' of takin' one of them correspondence school courses."

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

"But what'll happen to us? How will we eat?"

"I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban..."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

"Well? Who is it?"

"Well, if it ain't Big Bill the Rat!

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

"Why ya late?"

"For once I was having a good time. Is that illegal?"

We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

"Brian's kids - they make you want one?"

"I think most people do that."

One True Thing by Anna Quindlen

"Ellen I need a pill. Where are they?"

"I have them where I want them."

Monsieur Proust by Céleste Albaret

"Imagine!...What's he doing out?"

"Work on the railroad, maybe."

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

"Why did thee not say anything?"

"No profit in that, love."

The Mist by Carla Neggers

"Does Estabrook know about March
and your mother?"

"I remember nothing else until I woke up the next morning."

Killing for Company: The Story of a Man Addicted to Murder by Brian Masters

Did he imagine himself as a victim?

After ten years of forty to forty-five bushels an acre, maybe he was just spoiled.

Some Luck by Susan Smiley

"How long have you known about the puppies?"

"Enough of that talk; I've had one!"

And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov

-There's a lot of talk about your wife in the village.
-What?

If Rosanna went to town on a Saturday she had to dress nicely - something in a new style and nice goods.

Some Luck by Jane Smiley

"Shall we save some for supper? Some what?"

". . . into the plastic trash bin (!)"

That Part was True by Deborah MacKinlay

"Do you agree?"

Yes, it's

"Sorry, I'm not sure."

His Whole Life by Elizabeth Hay

"What do you think, Jim?"

"Yes, I suppose I do (!)"

The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr

" Rumor?"

"Surely a person doesn't have to spell out these things."

Nine Island by Jane Alison

"So, he still eats?"

"Howard was careful not to eat much fat or refined sugar."

The Door to December by Dean Koontz

"Can you try again?"

"If I can. If sheʻll let me."

The Mist by Carla Neggers

"Your family was gathered for New Yearʻs? Where?"

"...the Sillerton's party..."

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

"The young man listened with considerable embassassment. Was there anyone to whom Madame Olenska had not proclaimed his intervention in her private affairs?"

"Can I ask why you'd like to know?"

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

"What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"...Doing what you've failed to do yourself."

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

""Why did you take the axe along?"

"A bridal present"

The Secret Life of William Shakespeare by Jude Morgan

"What became of your lute?"

"Stolen."

David Copperfield by Charles Dicken

"What other changes have come upon me, besides the changes in my growth and looks, and in the knowledge I have garnered all this while?"

"You're the only one who hasn't ordered a dessert"

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

"You know why Michele Solara comes to dinner with us?"

"He regrets he doesn't have more Jewish friends with whom he can exchange black thoughts and scoff at nature."

Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson

"Are you planning a jamboree?"

"What, at this time of night, Ma'am!"

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

"Ah, what light is yonder?"

"Residual light ... from the lamps outside."

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

"Comrade Wen has the aggression of a falling leaf! How did he injure two officers? The way a drop of water injures the pavement?"

"And much more than this did Helen say, till the policeman fled, beaten and ashamed."

The Love Child by Edith Olivier

"They would have thought her mad. And would they be right or wrong?"

"Youʻre an expert on Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (?)"

Lost Lake by Philip Margolln

"Why me?"

Sir?

Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

All pretty clear so far, what?

"I can read what you're thinking."

Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson

"What other explanation could satisfy an unbeliever such as you?"

"Another proof will make me cry 'baa.' "

Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare

"Why weep'st thou, man?"

"We're not allowed in first class"

Stand we at last by Zoe Fairbairns

"What made you go to Australia, Aunt Sarah?"

"I cannot fully explain why I'm drawn to the place."

Falling Palace by Dan Hofstadter

"We do commit sins sometimes, don't we, children? What are a few of the sins we commit?"

"Smothering Tina with kisses"

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

"Mama, what's a tramp?"

"Beasts, they are, the lot of them, don't you think? Just animals."

Longbourn by Jo Baker

"What, after all, was he hoping to achieve by this?"

"M-more money, sir, and shorter hours."

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

"Do you know what I believe, lass?"

"If it's necessary we'll let you know"

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

"What's wrong with my stomach?"

“I am saying nothing.”

A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

“Did he say anything about America, Miss Manette? Be particular.”

" 'This place must have been stiff with Druids' "

Mrs Miniver by Jan Struther

-Come along, we're having tea in the strawberry-bed.
-IN the strawberry-bed?

"Why are you questioning Me?"

The Holy Bible, John 18:21-23 Disciples' Literal New Testament


"What More Shall I Say?"

The Holy Bible, Hebrews 11:32

"For one thing, immortality . . . There is one listener."

Ring around the Sun by Clifford Simak

"You mean everlasting life?"

"My bishop won't buy that"

The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien

"If we are to picture a man or a woman lying on your couch, and the words Sex Therapist keep running through the mind, might they not be expecting something" (and here he gasps at the word) "kinky?"

Such was the scandal that the Imperial ambassador, to reassure his master, found it necessary to make inquiries about Elizabeth's virtue among those who had brought her up since childhood.

Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale

What, she asked, were Mary's amusements, and did she play well on the lute and the virginals?

"He seemed intoxicated by the music"

I am Nujood, age 10 and divorced by Nujood Ali

"Can you promise me that I will never return to my husband's house?"

"...'Just let me say this. I loved my husband.'

'Well, sure you did.'

...'It's nothing that matters now...Just that we were right for each other, for sure."

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

"You got that child to eat greens? Good God in Heaven."

Now that this thread has ended, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who participated. You guys have made me laugh so many times, and I look forward to reading your responses whenever I see there's a new comment in Home.

I hope everyone follows over on pt. 3!