The twins locked eyes and had a silent argument. Apparently Artemis won. Apollo heaved a sigh and kicked his broken ukelele across the stage.
Something Fabulous, Alexis Hall
"I never said you were infirm. You're very firm. Almost...excessively firm, really."
"I understand you're trying to be reassuring, but stop it at once."
Trese, Volume 5: Midnight Tribunal, Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Meals + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers, Julia Turshen
It could be as simple as meatballs with spaghetti, with maybe a little garlicky toast to sop up the sauce or a tangle of peppery arugula to add something green and to balance the whole thing. Each of those things is made better by the relationship it has with its friends. By assembling all of them, the meatballs and the salad and so on, I'm not just making food. I'm making a meal with a clear point of view and a story.
The Chinese Groove, Kathryn Ma
I felt that we, like the moon, were passing within the Earth's shadow. I hadn't come to Peach Blossom Land for this. I had meant to leave sadness behind.
The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill
"It's a lot more work to cause harm to someone who mistrusts you, or fears you. Or hates you. Love opens the city gates wide, and allows all manner of horrors right inside."
Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City, Jane Wong
Four years earlier, when the nurses placed me in my mother's arms, I stared at her silently. She held me up to the fluorescent hospital light and declared: "I'm afraid. She knows too much."
I am beginning to believe that difficult means independent. Let me say that more accurately. I am worried that being a difficult woman means I love myself.
Ghost Talkers, Mary Robinette Kowal
"I'll always be able to find you. You're like...a magnet made of fire."
"You always say the sweetest things."
Raiders of the Lost Heart, Jo Segura
She smiled. God, why did Ford find it so sexy despite the fact that she was joking about killing him?
Of Noble Family, Mary Robinette Kowal
Louisa still stood by the door, perfectly composed if you ignored the tears on her cheeks.
Crazy Stupid Bromance, Lyssa Kay Adams
"Tell me how you handle stress."
"Caffeine, therapy, and a relentless pursuit of justice."
Tim Te Maro and the Subterranean Heartsick Blues, HS Valley
'Cultures say more about themselves in their art than anyone can hope to learn from just science,' Elliott says.
I can't decide if it's pretentious or sexy, and that's too much to unpack, so I put down the tea and pick up Magical Symbology: From Inca to India and sit next to Elliott on the couch.
The House of Doors, Tan Twan Eng
'Where does a story begin, Willie?' I asked.
For a while he did not say anything. Then he shifted in his chair. 'Where does a wave on the ocean begin?' he said. 'Where does it form a welt on the skin of the sea, to swell and expand and rush towards shore?'
To Shape a Dragon's Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose
"I knew that the Anglish couldn't teach you to be a Nampeshiweisit," Grandma said with a crack of dry laughter. "I knew it! Daughter of my daughter, you're going to teach us all how to dance with dragons again."
Everyone was looking at me. The elders. The children, who'd gone solemn and silent because they knew that Tradition was happening. My brothers and my sister.
Kasaqua.
"Yes," I said, into a stillness broken only by the lapping waves. "I will."
Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
"I let someone live once, and he almost killed you last night, Silver One," Tairn says. Then, as if this is all that really matters in the end, "Justice is not always merciful."
The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family, Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin Leung
While my mom's first experience with an American grocery store may have made her feel like a fish out of water, as her daughter I only ever saw a calm, cool, collected couponing machine.
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star, Claudia Gray
"What reminded you that we didn't have to be aggressive? That we could be...small, even playful, and in being so, achieve a victory?"
Orla gave him an odd look. "I've never had to be reminded of that," she said gently.
Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade
"I'm almost forty. That's at least two hundred in Hollywood years."
Endless Night, Agatha Christie
"He's not sorry for me, though," she added meditatively.
"Why should he be?" I demanded.
"Oh, because--" said Ellie.
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, Lex Croucher
"Actually," Gabriel said, "it's Excalibur Nine."
"Excalibur Nine?" Arthur spluttered, as if this were the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard. "What happened to Excaliburs Two through Eight?"
"They--I don't know, they kept losing them," Gwen said crossly.
Alchemystic, Anton Strout
Corridors of gorgeous ancient tapestries wound around like a carpeted maze, leading from one massive room to another. I definitely had to come back here some time when my dead brother and a cultish group of Lithuanian dictator worshippers weren't forcing me to restore my gargoyle faster.
Proper English, KJ Charles
Pat waited for someone to protest. Nobody did. "But if he's injured...?" she felt compelled to say at last, without enthusiasm.
Demigods & Magicians: Percy and Annabeth Meet the Kanes, Rick Riordan
The pylons of a destroyed pier jutted up out of the water. The sea itself gnawed resentfully at the shore as if to say: Don't ignore me. I can always come back and finish the job.
The Book of Koli, MR Carey
I can set her words down in the right sense now, on account of some things that happened to me later: back then the best I could do was to run along next to her meanings like a man who's trying to get up onto a horse but can't fix his foot in the stirrup.
The Hunter, Tana French
"I'm always in favor of paying heed to the sly fuckers," he says. "Even when it's an inconvenience. You never know when there might be something you can't afford to miss."
All the Feels, Olivia Dade
His uncharacteristic reticence disappeared, possibly never to be seen again.
The Family Chao, Lan Samantha Chang
"I love my desires. They belong to me, and so I listen to them, I believe them, and if I were a smart guy, like Fang here"--he shoots a glance at Fang, who blinks behind his glasses--"I would take notes. I want them to flourish and multiply."
Ship Wrecked, Olivia Dade
"I can't fathom that."
He sounded--lost somehow. But finding him wasn't her responsibility.
Antimatter Blues, Edward Ashton
"Are you two done now? Because if you're not, you need to either start throwing hands, or else bang each other and get it over with."
Berto's eyes shift to her, then back to me.
"Your call," I say. "As far as I'm concerned, they're both good choices."
Isn't It Bromantic?, Lyssa Kay Adams
"We have spent a lot of time discussing the Russian's ass tonight."
"It's worth talking about," Yan said.
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail, Ashley Herring Blake
"You'll like this. I promise it's not scary."
"Does it involve tattoos or bungee cords?"
Jordan shot her a look. "What the hell kind of surprises have been sprung on you?"
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
By the time she crept into Reynie and Sticky's room half an hour later, Kate was in a better mood. Which is to say, she was disappointed with her mission, miserably cold, soaked to the bone, and in a good deal of physical pain. But at least she hadn't been eaten by a shark.
Bookshops and Bonedust, Travis Baldree
She wore comfortable-looking riding trousers and a flowing, open-throated shirt. Her feet were bare, and she occupied all the space she deserved.
Moon of the Turning Leaves, Waubgeshig Rice
The sun touched the western horizon. Nangohns looked around at the blueberry bushes and the strong, ancient rocks. The humble waves rolling in from the big lake caressed the hard shore, welcoming her home.
The Fraud Squad, Kyla Zhao
Smiling to herself, Samantha followed Franc. Timothy was the sweetest, but did he have to make a simple try-on sound like guerilla warfare--
Her eyes widened as she stepped into the dressing room suite.
What Feasts at Night, T Kingfisher
After dinner, we broke into the wine and, more importantly, the livrit. Miss Potter had never experienced livrit, and if we were good people, we would have allowed her to remain in that state of grace.
Forget Me Not, Julie Soto
She won't look me in the eyes as the EMTs load her up on a gurney, and it's probably because I just tried to kill her. It may put a damper on what was turning out to be a truly incredible first date.
A Conspiracy of Truths, Alexandra Rowland
There are many stories that aren't mine to tell. And, more important, there are some that aren't even mine to hear. Consanza carried a story in her heart that I would never have a hope of reaching, or even understanding if I did reach it, not in the way it deserved to be understood. But it was there and I could see the outlines of it, like the shadow of a whale below a boat.
The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman
Every time I walk into a bedroom these days someone has been shot. I was going to plump up the pillows in the spare room earlier but got cold feet.
Delilah Green Doesn't Care, Ashley Herring Blake
"What happened to your face?" Ruby asked when he put her back down.
He waved a hand. "Nothing I didn't deserve."
"Aunt Iris finally punched you, huh?" she said.
"I'm glad to see my work is noted and appreciated," Iris said.
A Very Merry Bromance, Lyssa Kay Adams
"Just be cool."
"When are we ever not cool?" Mack asked.
"Every fucking day since I've known you."
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins, x2
"Did you love Annie right away, Finnick?" I ask.
"No." A long time passes before he adds, "She crept up on me."
Love from Mecca to Medina, SK Ali
"A lot of my anxiety in life came from thinking that it was all in my hands." She paused. "But only the effort is in our hands, Adam. We can't force or focus on what the end looks like; that's in Allah's hands. I don't know how that feels to you, but for me it's been freeing."
Foul Lady Fortune, Chloe Gong
"Your life is mine as mine is yours," she said, very seriously. "We are bound in duty if not in matrimony. I won't make the same mistake twice."
Orion's smile turned into a wide grin. She didn't know what was so amusing about all this--did he like the idea of their mutual death?
Annie Bot, Sierra Greer
You want to know danger? she thinks. Try living with a man who creates you just so he can eat your soul.
Women of Good Fortune, Sophie Wan
"Shit!" With both hands, she grabs the ends of the slit up her thigh. The sound of fabric ripping splits the darkness.
"Wŏ cào," Jane says in admiration. "You badass bitch."
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date, Ashley Herring Blake
Iris felt triumphant at first--she'd read the line softly, but a little angrily, a bullet wrapped in a feather. It felt right, perfect even, but then Adri interrupted the moment.
Alterations, Ray Xu
The Paradise Problem, Christina Lauren
The day my husband moves out of our apartment is also the day Resident Evil Village releases for PlayStation, and you might be surprised which of these things lands with a greater emotional impact.
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, Molly X Chang
I spoke slowly, words sweet. He would like a docile victim. Grandma had also taught me how one caught more flies with honey than vinegar. Too bad I didn't want flies. I wanted this false God's beating heart, clutched in my hands.
Truly, Madly, Deeply, Alexandria Bellefleur
"No offense, but I have zero desire to turn a children's show into a drinking game." Again.
Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them, Dan Saladino
'To think," I said, as I watched the firm curds pile up, 'a few hours ago it was milk.'
'And just two days ago,' Schneider said, 'it was grass.'
Think of England, KJ Charles
There were vivid images, but they were extraordinary ones, not poetic at all in the way Curtis vaguely felt poetry should be, with trumpets or mountains or daffodils. These poems were full of broken glass and water—which was not clean water—and scaly things that moved in the dark.
Mr & Mrs Witch, Gwenda Bond
"He does not have a magic penis," Savvy says.
"He has bespelled you with his penis," Brie says, nodding.
"He has not."
"I, ah," Griffin says, and swallows, "never thought I'd have to say this, but I'm pretty sure it's just a normal penis."
Weyward, Emilia Hart
We never thought of ourselves as witches, my mother and I. For this was a word invented by men, a word that brings power to those who speak it, not those it describes. A word that builds gallows and pyres, turns breathing women into corpses.
No. It was not a word we ever used.
Manila Takes Manhattan, Carla de Guzman
"Cities are living things for me. New York doesn't want you there. Seoul is bright and shiny. Manila is--"
"Home?"
"A fucking mess. Hellscape and trashfire. But yeah. Fuck. It's home."
The Poisons We Drink, Bethany Baptiste
A museum of graffiti improved the walls and framed a masterpiece quote dripping like blood:
BE WARY OF LAMBS WITH LION TEETH
None truer.
Behind the Scenes, Karelia Stetz-Waters
Yes, it was weird to fall asleep to the sound of a stranger telling her she was special while rattling walnuts in a bowl, but it was innocent and private. It wasn't like she went to WinCo and fondled walnuts in the bulk aisle.
River East, River West, Aube Rey Lescure
There were so many shades of green in the Chinese language—the green of peas, tea, olives, apples, forests, moss, meadows, gray lakes, crystal, jasper, jade, peacocks, beetles, ink, tenderness. But there were other, more elusive versions, too.
The Frame-Up, Gwenda Bond
"Anything that has been given a name is real," the Curator said finally. "Some of those things may no longer exist, but they did. We think people are creative enough to make these things up, but they aren't. Not really. No, they put a name to what they encounter. That's all."
Stonecast, Anton Strout
"I've got unfinished business here that needs some discussion with the big man. I planned to cover my ass. What are you doing here?"
"Protecting Alexandra," I said.
"Shit," he said. "Can I change my answer? That sounds a lot less selfish than mine."
The Bullet That Missed, Richard Osman
"What is the Thursday Murder Club?" asks Viktor. "I like the sound of it."
"We meet up every Thursday," says Ibrahim. "Usually at eleven in the Jigsaw Room, but you are forgiven on this occasion. And we try to solve murders. Though today seems to be about committing murders, so the remit is elastic."
Star Wars: The High Republic: Race to Crashpoint Tower, Daniel Jose Older
"I'm bringing us down," Vernestra said.
"On purpose?"
"Something like that."
Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea, Rita Chang-Eppig
"What else are you lying about?" he demanded when he saw her.
"Don't be precious, I lie about everything I need to lie about," she said.
King of the Armadillos, Wendy Chin-Tanner
His voice was a bit thin and his fingers unsure, fumbling a chord or two, but with every note, he fell deeper into the song until he forgot his body. Until the world faded from color to black and white, and all that existed was the music and the job of making it.
Midnight Taxi Tango, Daniel Jose Older
My stride is long today, my fro magnificent. I tall-step in and out of long shadows, watch my own shadow dance along beside me; the great gravity-defying waves of my hair make my head a wild dark star against the pavement.
Heroine's Journey, Sarah Kuhn
I'd had a fantasy in my tween years about getting trapped at the top of the Ferris wheel with whatever dorky, floppy-haired boy or mysterious gothy girl I'd been crushing on at the time. It had seemed devastatingly romantic. Now it seemed like a really stupid way to die.
Last Violent Call, Chloe Gong
Benedikt kissed like he painted: with consuming, frantic inspiration before slowing down to find the details and pinpoints.
The Race, Nina Allan
For us, words are objects as well as sounds, a physical arrangement of letters on a printed page. Dogs have no written language, and so for them a word is just a sound with learned associations attached. When a familiar word is spoken with a new intonation, a dog will hear it as a different word entirely.
Wrapped Up in You, Jill Shalvis
"What are you doing?" he asked. "Ivy'll be back any minute."
"Will she?"
"What does that mean?"
She gave him a slightly pitying look. "Son, she climbed out the bathroom window about ten minutes ago."
The Galaxy Game, Karen Lord
"Let me tell you what a nexus is. We are artists and our medium is people. We weave and knot, we contrast and complement, we make a whole that is so much more than the sum of its parts. You, Rafi, will use your perception and skill to fashion a body of humanity with mind, strength, and heart surpassing what any individual could accomplish."
Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris
"I try your house, and the magic won’t let me enter. I've tried to kill you over and over, and you just won't die!"
I almost felt like apologizing.
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