By the Book

by Amanda Sellet

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“Lydia.”

SHUT UP. I had doubts about this book, but now I'm hooked!!

Flighty. Gauche. Prone to ill-advised elopements.

Excuse me?! I am not any of those things!!

“Sometimes past associations hold us back. Nostalgia can be a trap. Don’t confuse loyalty and sentimentality,”

A number of men have made important contributions in serious fields of study. If you work hard, there’s no reason you can’t keep up with the girls.”

Preach!! (but just about the girls being smarter part, haha)

Far better to have a noble brow, or graceful figure, or some other subtly striking feature for the discerning admirer to notice, preferably after they learned to appreciate your strength of character.

Arden

I'm literally going to get her and Anton so confused durng this entire book.

the four of us chatted about classes, homework, the indignities of PE, TV shows I hadn’t seen, and whether soccer thighs were preferable to swimmer shoulders.

Okay, I fr need to know the answer to this one because I have swimmer shoulders.

They seemed genuinely curious about what I had to say, something I’d never experienced with Anjuli.

</3

Most people wanted to have what everyone else wanted, as if forming their own opinions was too mentally taxing.

Nowadays the list of things you’re supposed to master is a lot longer. Be pretty! And smart! And sporty! They call it being well-rounded, but sometimes it feels like they’re saying the same thing as in the olden days: Pretend to be perfect in every way!

I love the moment in a story when the love interest first appears on the scene. The heroine doesn’t always like him right away, but there’s still a zing that makes you sit up and think, Aha! This guy is going to be important.

*Cough* Alex *Cough*

up this

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From damned if you do to damned if you don’t: the story of women’s lives.

“Or The Notebook!”

*Note to self: read book and watch movie*

Somehow, I hadn’t remembered him being quite so vertically challenged.

Hahahahahaha, why is that so funny??

The rule of birthdays in the Porter-Malcolm household was that for twenty-four hours, you got to choose all your favorite things, and no one was allowed to complain. In practice, this applied mostly to food. Picking a menu without editorial comments from six other people was a luxury—as

I'm for real starting this tradition in my family!

“Be true to yourself and other people will see your worth. If they’re worth your time.”

As my last companion joined the swaying mob, I set off in search of a less obtrusive place to be alone.

Alex is going to come along and we know where it's going from there... ;)

I spun to face Alex Ritter.

Literally called it!!

Why do people in books always let themselves do things they know they’ll regret? It’s like they’ve never heard of self-control. I just want to yell at the page, Stop! Before it’s too late!

again my

Comma

“It’s the nature of existence. To err is human. We screw up, and then screw up some more.”

“Remorse forces us to take a hard look at ourselves. It gives us the strength to grow, and the courage to do the right thing next time—or at least try.

But you know what I hate?” I shook my head. “The part in books where supposedly smart characters screw up their lives because it’s just too hard”—he made a crybaby face, fists twisting in front of his eyes—“to tell someone the truth.”

A Room with a View,

Add to tbr!!

too stupid to live.)

Thank you, twin, for teaching me a "cool" acronym :)