“How did you get a demon in your chicken?” “The usual way. Couldn’t put it in the rooster. That’s how you get basilisks.” ~ T. Kingfisher, Nettle & Bone
“It would be the biggest gamble of her life. But if she wanted greatness — she was going to have to stand up and claim it.” ~ Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun
“Niceness is all about what we do when other people are looking. Kindness, on the other hand, runs deep. Kindness is what happens when no one’s looking.” ~ Sangu Mandanna, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
“Dedicated to all the women who have come forward with their stories. Whether it be in front of a congressional panel on live television or alone in a windowless human resources office—we hear you. We believe you.” ~ Julie Clark, The Last Flight
“I’m going to keep you. You’re mine, Violet.” “Only if you’re mine.” “I’ve been yours for longer than you could ever imagine.” ~ Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing
“You know the advice about how you should always play tennis with people better than you? When I’m talking to you, I’m a funnier and smarter version of myself because you’re funny and smart.” ~ Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy
“You should just accept who you are, flaws and all, because if you try to be someone you aren’t, then eventually some turkey is going to shit all over your well-crafted facade, so you might as well save yourself the effort and enjoy your zombie books.” ~ Jenny Lawson, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Or makes you resent your pathological inability to set boundaries, one of the two.” ~ Ali Hazelwood, Love, Theoretically
“Take a moment for yourself,” Harriet said, “Every day.” “A Moment.” “A moment where YOU are your own priority. Just you. Not your baby, not your work, not your dead Mr. Evans, not your filthy house, not anything. Just you. Elizabeth Zott. Whatever you need, whatever you want, whatever you seek, reconnect with it in that moment.” She gave a sharp tug to her fake pearls. “Then recommit.” ~ Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry
I said probably they were just scared he was going to put ideas in our heads. She smiled. “Imagine that. A teacher, putting ideas in kids’ heads.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead
Even in that moment, with a major snake threatening her and her baby, Jesse could not help but be aware, in some small sector of her consciousness, that Slater, sweaty, filthy and glassy-eyed from weed, was without question the hottest man she had ever seen. Which is why she’d ended up out here in the Everglades with him and their baby. And ninety trillion mosquitoes. And no money. And this snake. ~ Dave Barry, Swamp Story
Austen’s novel feels alive because it is alive, just as the world that you and I profess to live in is alive. It’s made by a mind, not a machine, and that mind is what gives it the sense of deep order and purpose. You may not see it, but you can sense its presence, and that’s what makes life not merely endurable but also worth living. ~ Justin Cronin, The Ferryman
“Romance novels are about connection. About people who connect with one another against the odds—despite their differences, their flaws, their secrets. In a romance novel you never have to worry, you know everything will end happily.” ~ Emma Törzs, Ink Blood Sister Scribe