Shards of Honour, Lois McMaster Bujold, x2
"He wanted to know what I saw in you. I told him..." he paused again, and then continued almost shyly, "that you poured out honor like a fountain, all around you."
"That's weird. I don't feel full of honor, or anything else, except maybe confusion."
"Naturally not. Fountains keep nothing for themselves."
Provenance, Ann Leckie
"So I follow. I am afraid, I do not want to be out of the world, it is terrible to be out of the world. But I look, I see. I hear, I listen. You are very strange, Ingray Human, but you do not seem to live in endless pain and sorrow. No, you swim here as though this were the world, and live your very strange life as though all was right and well."
Valley Verified, Kyla Zhao
"What's Catan?" Zoe interjected.
There was a beat of silence. Then Austin said, "Please tell me you're kidding about not knowing the greatest game in the world."
New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian, Freddie Bitsole & James O Fraioli
If you asked me to make you a dish, I'd ask what kind of wine or beer you like, and how much cream you add to your coffee. These defining bitter flavors tell me all the information I need to know about what your favorite foods might be, and how you like them prepared. This is what I mean when I say cooking is a way of communicating.
A Refiner's Fire, Donna Leon
Brunetti often succumbed to the temptation to joke about the excessive beauty of the city, but tonight he was silenced by it and could do no more than look upon it with wild surmise and turn towards home again.
All-Star Superman, Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant
A Court of Frost and Starlight, Sarah J Maas
More cleansing, more soothing than any of the hours I'd spent rebuilding the city. Equally as fulfilling, yes, but the painting, the unleashing and facing it, was a release. A first stitch to close a wound.
Second Night Stand, Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters
Her grace so controlled and so fierce. And it made sense: Lillian's relentless drive, the striving for perfection. Lillian was trapped in a diamond box of her own making, all so she could land the final move with a grace that rippled the silvery edges of the universe.
The Mistress of Bhatia House, Sujata Massey
The first drops of the summer monsoon were spread several seconds apart. They landed hard, like small stones, and Perveen held up her arms, watching the smile on Sunanda's face widen.
Not Another Love Song, Julie Soto
And just before she lifted the bow to cut the sound, he plucked a string. Like a book dropping closed at the end of the last chapter. Like a kiss dropped to her forehead.
Lei and the Fire Goddess, Malia Maunakea
No big deal, just a magical demigod that returned to me to help me defeat his ex-girlfriend after I yelled at him. Play it cool. "Hey, sorry for kind of freaking out on you before. Thanks for coming back. How'd it go?" Yeah, that sounded pretty chill.
Star Wars: Tempest Runner, Cavan Scott
LOURNA: I know how things work. In here. Out there. Whatever the Republic says. There's always someone being stepped on and someone doing the stepping.
SESTIN: And which were you? Out there?
LOURNA: You'd be surprised.
Wonder Woman, Volume One: Outlaw, Tom King, Daniel Sampere, & Tomeu Morey
A Fire Born of Exile, Aliette de Bodard
'You know who you are, and who other people are. You know what you can and cannot do, and you work to change what you're unhappy with.'
'That's hardly extraordinary.'
'It's rarer than you realize.'
My Life in Recipes, Joan Nathan
As the Biblical story goes, Judith made cheese pancakes so salty for General Holofernes that he would want to drink wine. As soon as he fell asleep, she killed him, cut off his head, and saved the Jews. (Of course, she did not serve the pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast, as we do.)
The Villa, Nora Roberts
They walked the rows in the coldest hour before dawn, while the sprinklers hissed and the vines glittered, iced silver, and safe.
Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains, Bethany Brookshire
Pests are what happens when we think we've got nature all figured out, and nature decides to give us the finger.
Gullstruck Island, Francis Hardinge
"Our enemies think that Lace make good victims and scapegoats. They are wrong. They think that they can strike at us and we will do nothing but scatter and hide. They are wrong.
"You have been wronged beyond endurance by powerful foes, Hathin. Pity them for not knowing what that means..."
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson
AMBROSIUS: Not so clever after all, are you? You thought you were setting a trap for us, but all along it was a trap for you!
BALLISTER: Ah well, you got me. Good job.
AMBROSIUS: We DID get you.
BALLISTER: You did. You've done very well.
AMBROSIUS: Is this another trap?
BALLISTER: I just want you to feel proud of yourself!
Casablanca: My Moroccan Food, Nargisse Benkabbou
I love lamb chops. No offense to my vegetarian friends, but I think there is something extremely satisfying about holding a lamb chop with your fingers and biting into it until there is nothing left but a lonely bone.
Balaboosta: Bold Mediterranean Recipes to Feed the People You Love, Einat Admony
After my mother soaked me in a warm bath and treated my cuts, she cooked me a bowl of ahsh, an Iranian soup made with pomegranates and rice. She then sat next to me at the kitchen table and stroked my hair as I ate, without saying a word.
She didn't have to. The ahsh said it all.
A House With Good Bones, T Kingfisher
Regardless, Mailbox Vulture was now just part of the yard, like a particularly goth lawn sculpture. Gran Mae would have considered that very not-classy, but Gran Mae kept jars of human teeth buried in the garden, so she no longer got to have a say in appropriate exterior decorating.
Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Walking the stacks in a library, dragging your fingers across the spines--it's hard not to feel the presence of sleeping spirits. That's just a feeling, not a fact, but remember (I repeat): people believe weirder things than this.
Batman/Catwoman, Tom King, Clay Mann, Liam Sharp, et al
The New Sugar and Spice: A Recipe for Bolder Baking, Samantha Seneviratne
On a cold snowy day, something with the bright, spicy heat of ginger might call to me. I know that the smell of cardamom instantly brightens my mood, especially when it's cozied up to chocolate. When I have a heap of fresh summer fruit warming in the sun on my kitchen counter, I reach for cinnamon or vanilla, always crowd-pleasers. The pleasures of sugar and spice together have eclipsed my desire for simply sweet.
The Fall of Koli, MR Carey
This is me! that cry said. What have you got for me, now I've come all this way? We're still making it, the world answered. Child of Mythen Rood, we're still only halfway there.
If you feel inclined to judge me, go right ahead. I'm literally incapable of giving a shit. My needs aren't the same as yours, and our lives barely overlap. You're a warm, cuddly biped with sexual dimorphism and a four-chambered heart and lots of other neat stuff. I'm a message in a bottle. And when you people were busy trying to burn each other down to ash and tallow, you kind of cracked the bottle.
My Feast, Peter Kuruvita
Everywhere you travel in the Philippines you will see small barbecue set-ups outside shops selling this traditional snack. It is always nice to sit down for a few minutes, have a conversation with the store owner and take in what is happening around you.
Wrath Goddess Sing, Maya Deane
"We have a great army, but no way past their walls; we have a vulnerable camp and not enough supplies; we have you, a demigod, sobbing like a little girl." Meryapi leaned closer, and her eyes widened, filling Achilles’s view: huge, dark eyes, with a tiny Achilles in each one. "I like our chances."
Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight Stories, Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott, Charles Soule, et al
In conclusion, which two words would you use to describe each of your stories?
SOULE: Badass and grand.
OLDER: Dangerous shenanigans.
IRELAND: Space hijinks.
GRAY: Surprising spacestation.
SCOTT: Epic and personal.
My Irish Table: Recipes from the Homeland and Restaurant Eve, Cathal Armstrong & David Hagedorn
Hollandaise sauce is relatively easy to make as long as you follow the rules.
The Tyrant's Tomb, Rick Riordan
Her rage was so palpable I could smell it like an approaching storm. Wait...I did smell an approaching storm, along with other forest scents: pine needles, morning dew on wildflowers, the breath of hunting dogs.
Gotham Central, Book One: In the Line of Duty, Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, & Michael Lark
Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora, Angela Dimayuga & Ligaya Mishan
All day we graze, pausing between plates until hungry again, lunch blurring into dinner. The food holds up, somehow as good six hours in as it was at the start. No one is allowed to go home without leftovers.
Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, Abi Balingit
Being a stand mixer owner became my whole personality.
The Belle of Belgrave Square, Mimi Matthews
"Your opinions are perfectly sound. I'm grateful to hear them on any subject."
It was by far one of the most wonderfully romantic things anyone had ever said to her.
Star Wars: The High Republic: Mission to Disaster, Justina Ireland
Avon could tell they didn't think her idea would work, but that was only because they didn't know her. Avon had an 87.3 percent rate of success when it came to hijinks and varying shenanigans.
Fangirl Down, Tessa Bailey
"Are you my caddie or my Zen master?"
"Get you a woman who does both, Whitaker."
The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, Cat Sebastian
From where she lay, she could see at least half a dozen scars on his arms and back. He spoke of them as if he didn't mind them, and she thought she understood--what were the pair of them, after all, but a collection of things gone wrong and then, slowly, made right again.
The Tower of Nero, Rick Riordan
As nonthreateningly as I could, I brought out my ukulele.
Batman: The Long Halloween, Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale, x2
The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery
People aim for the stars, and they end up like goldfish in a bowl. I wonder if it wouldn't be simpler just to teach children right from the start that life is absurd.
I have withdrawn, to be sure, and refuse to fight. But within the safety of my own mind, there is no challenge I cannot accept. I may be indigent in name, position, and appearance, but in my own mind I am an unrivalled goddess.
Chími Nu'am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen, Sara Calvosa Olson
To "regenerate" means to re-create in a better form and/or to effect complete moral reform. So is it really regenerative agriculture if you're using techniques that already existed, and is it truly a moral reform if you're not acknowledging the original people that developed this technique or the land theft that had to occur in order for the current Ag community to exist? I don't know, but here's a salad.
Batman: Dark Victory, Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
Silver Nitrate, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Tristán wondered who had been the kid who had the gall to ask Montserrat for a blow job, not because she was unappealing--she had, as he liked to say, her angles--but because she looked like the kind of person that would knife you in the bathroom stall if you asked for that. She was a Tlaltecuhtli, not a Venus.
Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky, Lois Ellen Frank
Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky is the story of eight plants that Native peoples gave to the world: corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, and cacao. Prior to 1492, these plants existed only in the Americas. Once these plants were introduced to cultures of the world outside of the Americas, sometimes referred to as "Old World," those cuisines were changed forever.
Marvel: What If...Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings?, Seanan McGuire She can never find the words to describe this moment, but it feels like she's holding hands with the universe, and the universe loves her. She knows the universe loves her best of all.
A Midsummer's Equation, Keigo Higashino
"Every problem has a solution," Yukawa said, staring straight at Kyohei through his glasses. "But there's no guarantee that the solution will be found immediately. The same holds true in our lives. We encounter several problems to which the solutions are not immediately apparent in life. There is value to be had in worrying about those problems when you get to them. But never feel rushed. Often, in order to find the answer, you need time to grow first. That's why we apply ourselves, and learn as we go."
On Location, Sarah Echavarre Smith
I know exactly what Blaine's trying to do. Whenever a guy like him makes a comment like that to a woman, he wants one of two things: to make her feel worthless and small or to make her cry.
I pause for a beat, then rest my hand on Blaine's shoulder. His eyes widen, like he's surprised I'm touching him. And then a split second later, I shove my right knee square in his nuts.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess, Rick Riordan
She always greeted me with such enthusiasm. It was nice, except when I remembered it was partly because she was surprised to find me still alive.
A Sorceress Comes to Call, T Kingfisher
Something inside her snapped. She could feel it like a physical blow, like a bone breaking. The weight of dread on her chest crashed down and the scaffolding that had held it up was crushed underneath.
And suddenly she was calm.
Catwoman: When in Rome, Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
Martyr!, Kaveh Akbar
"It seems very American to expect grief to change something. Like a token you cash in. A formula. Grieve x amount, receive y amount of comfort. Work a day in the grief mines and get paid in tickets to the company store."
Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories, Naomi Kritzer
So she went home, and quietly packed her belongings and left with Bear when no one was home. (She did leave a nice note on the kitchen counter, but she didn't want to stick around to explain in person that she was going out to fight the dragon because of advice from a talking rodent.)
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, Alka Joshi
"The charms of Paris aren't enough for you?" I tease.
"The men certainly are." She releases one of her spicy laughs. "And the food is divine. But after a while, I missed our turmeric, coriander and cumin. I longed for the scents of ripe mangoes."
The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos, Melissa de la Cruz
Dalisay lifts his hand to her mouth and kisses it. "Thanks for telling me," she says. "I'm sorry you sort of had to."
Bruja Born, Zoraida Cordova
"Why is it that humans like to say that the Deos ask too much when it is you who want the world to change at your whims and desires? We gave you the world. Find a way to live in it."
Simmer Down, Sarah Smith
I ease my foot off the gas pedal when I reach ten miles past the speed limit. I highly doubt that if I were pulled over for speeding, the officer would care for my excuse of breaking the law in the name of love.
So Shall You Reap, Donna Leon
'And what does this information add to what you know about a person?' Paola asked mildly.
Brunetti, no fan of television, did occasionally watch nature documentaries, and so he was familiar with the pose cobras took when they were preparing to attack.
Maiden Crown, Meghan Collins
They carried these happy days as one would carry wine in brimming goblets. Delicately. Cautiously. No hasty movements to let the precious liquid spill or the fragile vessel crack.
Egg Drop Dead, Vivien Chien
Saturday evening should be spent either doing something incredibly fun, or doing something very relaxing. It should not be spent talking about murder suspects with your significant other while you binge-eat cheesy popcorn and doughnut holes.
The Life Impossible, Matt Haig
'Everything looks obvious after history has tamed it. But at the time it was like finding proof of alien life. We are never at the end of history. And we are not at the end of science.'
The Backyard Bird Chronicles, Amy Tan
Songbirds prefer shorter, fatter unshelled sunflower seeds, more depth than length, because they contain more oil. They take half a second to judge the seeds, dropping the low-density ones, until they find a seed to their liking. It is not unlike my thumping a watermelon to assess density as a factor in sweetness, only I don't throw the rejected melons on the store floor.
The Lily of Ludgate Hill, Mimi Matthews
"This could ruin you," he said.
She stroked the cloth along the curve of his brow. "I could ruin myself dancing the waltz three times with the same gentleman or visiting the theater unchaperoned. At least this is something useful."
Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy, Anne Lamott
My pastor puts it: "God makes a way out of no way." We will somehow be cared for by that someone--a dear neurotic friend, minister, mullah--or something or a shift that helped release a bit of what tortured you an hour ago, or what you tortured yourself with, a space you've populated with demons, now opening from that trance out to what is really there: a cup of tea, kind eyes, paper whites, orange sand.
Great Expectations, Vinson Cunningham
I was one of the last Americans, I sometimes felt, with unabashedly secretive parents. He died, we were New Yorkers, and the world kept rushing on. On the night of his funeral, I wrote a song.
Marvel: What If...Marc Spector Was Host to Venom?, Mike Chen
"Khonshu, you're a god, can't you help us, like, fly or something?"
I don't know, Jake, can't your body run fast or something?
"Wow." Perhaps even gods got testy.
Mirrored Heavens, Rebecca Roanhorse
It was not a fair fight, but Xiala never wanted fair. She had wished for total destruction, and that was what she received.
The Spymaster's Lady, Joanna Bourne, x2
"Do you think you can hold off killing till after breakfast?"
"I must rest before I try again. It is very exhausting, fighting with you."
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories, Charlaine Harris
If experience has taught me anything, it's to dispose of bloodstained clothing immediately.
The Grey Wolf, Louise Penny
"The monastery at night can be a confusing place. We've lost several postulants." He shook his head sadly, then smiled at Armand.
"Well, perhaps we'll find them," said Armand.
"At this stage, I hope not."
Gamache was no longer completely sure it was a joke.
And that's it for 2024!
No comments:
Post a Comment