All stories are recycled and all stories are unfair. Many get luck, and many get misery. Many are born to homes with books, many grow up in the swamps of war. In the end, all becomes dust. All stories conclude with a fade to black.
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, Alison Espach
"Tell me, exactly what you are thinking right now," Billy said. "Don't hesitate."
I was thinking that there was nothing better in this world than to discover someone who was weird in exactly the same way I was weird. To be weird and then loved for it.
"I'm thinking how strange it is that flies have to have sex in the air," I said.
Dinosaurs, Lydia Millet
In the dark, when nothing else was sure, the soaring tree sheltered you. Almost the only thing you had to see before you slept.
How you came not from a couple or a few but from infinity.
So you had no beginning. And you would never end.
The Violin Conspiracy, Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb
And finally--finally!--Tchaikovsky, of course. Let's be clear here: Ray may have looked like a Black American, but secretly--secretly!--he was Russian. Secretly he'd spent his life ladling borscht and nibbling pelmeni. Vodka, not blood, surged through his veins. He was melancholy because it was always winter in St. Petersburg, and jovial because Muscovites are a good-hearted people who love to laugh. He killed the Tchaikovsky. He left the Serenade melancoloique bawling its eyes out onstage. He bowed.
Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, RF Kuang
He had a sudden, very clear vision of the tower in ruins. He wanted it to shatter. He wanted it to, for once, feel the pain that had made possible its rarefied existence. 'I want it to crumble.'
Victoire's throat pulsed, and he knew she was thinking of Anthony, of gunshots, of the wreckage of the Old Library. 'I want it to burn.'
Olga Dies Dreaming, Xochitl Gonzalez
Olga herself had never learned this linguistic mezcla that her brother had perfected, this ability to be all facets of herself at once. She always had to choose which Olga she would be in any given situation, in any given moment.
Paladin's Strength, T Kingfisher
"I imagine it is probably very tiresome to be fascinating."
"It's better than being stoned in the streets," said Clara.
"Yes, but one prefers to have more options available."
Dead as a Doornail, Charlaine Harris
I mulled that over at an accelerated rate.
Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo
Maybe that grief, that longing, fostered by stories of more beautiful worlds and their infinite possibility, was what made them all such easy prey for Lethe. Maybe it made Mercy dress in velvet and tweed and put fake emeralds in her ears, driven by the dream of finding her way through the back of the wardrobe. Alex just hoped there wouldn't be something awful waiting behind the coats.
Once & Future, Volume Four: Monarchies in the UK, Kieron Gillen & Dan Mora
DUNCAN: How did an innocent modernist like me fall in with all these classicists?
ROSE: Don't worry, Duncan. If we ever have to murder zombie Ezra Pound, I'm sure you'll be lots of use.
Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree
She leaned on the counter over a fresh chapbook, sipped her coffee, gazed at the blurs passing in the street, and gloried in a suspended moment of contentment.
The Kiss Curse, Erin Sterling
"I think Wells is a prick ninety percent of the time, but I find I cannot toast to his failure." He screwed up his face. "Is this what familial love feels like?"
Trese, Volume One: Murder on Balete Drive, Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
ASWANG: It's not often that someone comes in here asking for mermaid bones and are willing to give their first born child as payment. Heheheh.
ALEXANDRA: I need a name.
ASWANG: Do you really think these purchases have official receipts?
Lunar Love, Lauren Kung Jessen
"Is this car road-safe?" I ask, gripping the front of my seat. My waved hair lifts in the wind as we fly down the highway.
"Of course it's road-safe," Bennett says. "Just remember when you eject through the windshield, you want to go headfirst."
The Ruby Circle, Richelle Mead
"I don't think you can really sit down with a movie called Raptorbot Rampage and expect a plausible backstory," he said.
Falastin, Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley
"COME, SEE, TELL" is written on a sign as you enter the farm. It's a powerful reminder of the importance of visiting, of bearing witness to and then telling people who don't know (or aren't listening) about it, to propel them in turn to take action.
Paladin's Hope, T Kingfisher
"Paladins can't afford to be terribly bright, you know. Otherwise we'd start to think too much about what we're doing, and fret ourselves into apostasy."
Haboo: Native American Stories from Puget Sound, Vi Hilbert, translator and editor
"I have had a change happen to me. I guess I must have behaved unforgivably." There he was, and now what would he do? What would Coyote do? This is what he thought to himself: "What will I do?"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: No Future for You, Joss Whedon, Brian K Vaughan, & Georges Jeanty, x2
ROBIN: Willow.
WILLOW: Hey, Robin.
BUFFY: I thought you hadn't met.
WILLOW: We do later on.
BUFFY: And I'm just gonna ride with that.
A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny
Before the shooting, they were students.
Now they were warriors.
Before I was not a witch, wrote Ruth Zardo. But now I am one.
Star Wars: The High Republic, Volume 1: There Is No Fear, Cavan Scott and Ario Anindito
KANRII: Keeve, look at them all. It's hopeless!
KEEVE: There's always hope, Kanrii. Sometimes you just have to work for it.
Will you listen to that? Almost sounds like I know what I'm doing!
Ghost-Spider, Volume 1: Dog Days Are Over, Seanan McGuire, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Rosi Kampe
Here we go. My first class on my first day of college.
(That girl over there is definitely wearing pajamas.)
The Midnight Bargain, CL Polk
"I want the life of a thornback daughter, secretly aiding her father in his business affairs, but I will save my family and get Harriet into ladies' college. I will finance her bargaining season."
"Ianthe will gladly pay for all of that."
"I know he would. But I want magic aside from all that. I want it because it should be mine."
Spells for Forgetting, Adrienne Young
There was always more unspoken than spoken with Dutch. We were a long, trailing conversation of things that neither of us wanted to say.
Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home, Eric Kim
Talk to your parents, your grandparents, your loved ones. Write down their recipes. Don't wait until it's too late.
Fill a large pot with water, soy sauce, and aromatics. Chuck in a sheet of dasima while you're at it. Boil it until it smells like the sea.
How big?
This big. As big as your head.
You'll uncover so much more than food in the process.
Persiana Everyday, Sabrina Ghayour
Was it the Ottomans or the Arabs or was it the Silk Road traders who brought dumplings to the Middle East from China? The truth is, I just don't know. What I do know is that the Turks do a pretty fantastic manti dish laden with yogurt and sometimes a spicy butter, and there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of this when you are tired and hungry.
The Vegan Chinese Kitchen, Hannah Che
Chef Wen had a favorite analogy. "Cooking vegetarian food isn't just about removing all the meat," he said. "You can't cut off the wings of an airplane and call it a submarine."
The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna
"Wait--why didn't you just stop when you took my head? You didn't have to dismember me completely, you know."
"Well, I know that now." He sighs.
Nistisima, Georgina Hayden
Actually, I have many thoughts about chickpeas.
The Mimicking of Known Successes, Malka Older
"It has lately occurred to me," Mossa began after a pause, "that perhaps I should be more intentional in how I direct my attention."
Good & Sweet, Brian Levy
The Unquiet Dead, Ausma Zehanat Khan
"If we do not speak of it, it does not mean we do not dream. Survivors are quiet because they are haunted, because they still cannot entirely accept what happened."
The Foundling, Ann Leary
I remembered that feeling I had when my father came for me at St. Cat's. "Which one of you is called Mary?" he'd asked, looking at me and then at the others, draining my heart dry with his lost, vacant smile.
But I was a child then. I wasn't a child anymore.
Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal
"Where was your mother in all this?"
"My mother is very beautiful." That single phrase carried more condemnation than compliment.
The Ex Hex, Erin Sterling
"She's here," Vivienne breathed, then looked up at him. "That sounded really creepy. Sorry."
"Yes, it was really you saying a two-word phrase that made this entire situation unsettling."
Coconut and Sambal: Recipes from My Indonesian Kitchen, Lara Lee
In the interests of self-preservation, I deseed half the chillies for this recipe.
Without a Summer, Mary Robinette Kowal
As the mob heaved around the young man, Vincent's jaw tightened. "Jane. Stay in the carriage."
She did not.
Girl Giant and the Jade War, Van Hoang
"Betrayed by my closest friends." He laughed. "A great honor."
Thom gave him a funny look. What a weird thing to be proud of.
The Language of Secrets, Ausma Zehanat Khan
I have dipped my fingers in martyr's blood. He said it to the sovereign sky, speaking to an audience of leaves.
Poetry--winding you up with its archive of questions, its vainglorious phrases.
The Hating Game, Sally Thorne
Imagine it's two minutes before the biggest interview of your life, and you look down at your white shirt. Your peacock-blue fountain pen has leaked through your pocket. Your head explodes with an obscenity and your stomach is a spike of panic over the simmering nerves. You're an idiot and everything's ruined. That's the exact color of Joshua's eyes when he looks at me.
The Dream Runners, Shveta Thakrar
Tanvi was cracking like an egg. Little fissures were forming all over her, and she would dribble out, drop by gooey drop, until there was nothing left. These awful dreams, these memories--it was all their fault.
The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory
But what was she supposed to do with all of these feelings now? Bury them in a corner, drink her damn coffee, and stop having major life crises at eight a.m., that's what.
Israeli Soul, Michael Solomonov & Steven Cook
There are at least three theories about how sabich got its name. If it seems strange that this is not settled fact for a sandwich that is already seventy years old, consider that food always tastes better eaten alongside a story.
Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel, Beth Revis
"It's hard to believe you can do anything when you think you're alone," she said softly.
"Not everything is an analogy, Leia."
Hammered, Kevin Hearne
Saying good-bye properly afforded me a measure of peace. It was a binding of a different sort, absent of the earth's power, but still hard proof that there is magic yet in the world.
Definitely Dead, Charlaine Harris
Eric was seldom crossed in serious matters, and my annexation by the Queen of Louisiana--his queen--was a serious matter. My date with Quinn was sticking in his throat, too. Eric was just going to have to swallow.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Demigod Files, Rick Riordan
One dragon can ruin your whole day.
My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef, Kwame Onwuachi
A skewer is not simply a skewer. Meat is not just meat. Food is not just the proteins and fats that form it. It is a continuation of culture, the expression of a society, an embodiment of the tastes and customs of a people. In this hot dark night, that is what I was savoring: suya, at home.
Dead Space, Kali Wallace
I could take a minute, but it wasn't going to help. I could take an hour, a day, a whole accursed year, and it wouldn't help. There was no exercise in counting to ten or breathing deeply or soothing my nerves that would put me anywhere other than in space, on a lifeless rock in the outer system, in the room where David had died.
Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking, Bonnie Frumkin Morales
This recipe is inspired by a jarred eggplant salad that my mom buys all the time. You know how that goes--you express interest in something once, and before you know it, the pantry is three deep with the stuff and it has been worked into the weekly dinner rotation. And if I don't eat any, I get the "Why you don't eat? This is that eggplant you like!"
Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match, Sally Thorne
"I am the fourth?"
"In reality, you are at the back of a long queue of men who would not take me on. You know that good feeling you just had? How nice it felt to be special to someone? Please realize I have never experienced that feeling in return."
The Leopard Behind the Moon, Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev
His thoughts fed his panic, so much so that the panic grew big and swallowed Ezomo, and with Ezomo in its mouth, it stood and spoke on his behalf: "We can't just wait behind this bush! My mother is dying!"
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers, Jesse Q Sutanto
Vera can't remember the last time she had so much fun. People always say that your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but honestly, people should try solving murders more often.
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico, Rick Martinez
When you call something authentic, you're necessarily saying that everything else is not. You're saying there is only one true version of a dish and therefore everyone else is making it wrong.
Dragon's Lair, Sharon Kay Penman
He'd been hoping fervently that Angharad was not involved in Thomas's villainy. He'd not given much thought to the consequences if she were innocent, not until now, sitting with her in the castle garden and listening to the echoes of her broken heart.
Happiness for Beginners, Katherine Center
Sometimes I wondered if stating a preference to the universe just dared it to mess with me. It might have been a smarter idea, at this point, to try some reverse psychology.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8: Wolves at the Gate, Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, & Joss Whedon, x2
BUFFY: Did I do something wrong? Because I'm flying blind here. It's not like they make instruction manuals for these sorts of things.
SATSU: Actually, they do.
BUFFY: Okay, but I haven't read them.
The World We Make, NK Jemisin
"No one dies!" The Woman holds up square-block hands. "Come on, now, I may be a colonial hive mind built to emulate your form of life while providing a conduit for the encroachment of virulent exotic matter upon your reality, but I understand that much about you people. So, no one would have to die at all!"
The Stardust Thief, Chelsea Abdullah
Please don't let there be ghouls on the other side of this door, he thought.
Unsurprisingly, there were ghouls on the other side of the door.
Happy Place, Emily Henry
He smiles. "Flirting never killed anybody, Harriet."
"Clearly you're unfamiliar with the concept of the Regency-era duel," I say.
Camp Zero, Michelle Min Sterling
But she never told her mother her dreams, in the same way her mother never told Rose hers. The equilibrium of their relationship depended on a mutual deception that everything was perfectly fine.
Second First Impressions, Sally Thorne
I'm surprised by how quickly I've adjusted to this I'm-in-love revelation. It's like picking up a coat in a thrift store and shrugging it on; it fits. I don't need to look in a mirror to know it. Now I just carry on wearing it.
Trese, Volume 2: Unreported Murders, Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
And just when she thought she was done for the night, the night decides it's not done with her.
Sunday in the Park with George, Steven Sondheim and James Lapine
DOT: (Reads) "Marie wants his book. Fill in the blanks. Charles ran with Marie's ball. Charles ran with..."
(She writes as she spells aloud) h-e-r ball.
(To herself) Get the ball back, Marie.
Food of the Italian South, Katie Parla
The USDA strictly prohibits importing 'nduja directly from Italy, but if you're willing to risk a fine and possible incineration of your fatty meat spread, grab some at fine delis (look for Romano brand) and have it vacuum packed for your transatlantic flight. I'm not encouraging you to violate the law, but I'm also not not endorsing a bit of meat smuggling.
Faceless Killers, Henning Mankell
We live as if we were in mourning for a lost paradise, he thought. As if we longed for the car thieves and safe-crackers of the old days, who doffed their caps and behaved like gentlemen when we came to take them in.
The Dawnhounds, Sascha Stronach
I have seen many worlds, but this one is mine. I am the child of chapel and tree; I am twelve iron spears held up in the darkness. I was born here, deep beneath the earth, and I rose with the land.
"What if there's nobody to kiss?" she asked.
Iacci shrugged. "There is always somebody to kiss," he said. "That's how you know it's a good opera."
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