55th Page

[Esther]

it's like a remix on Alice and Wonderland, what really happened

[Edward]

Okay, I'll just pick one out of the bookcase.

Title: Dean Koontz's Frankenstein

Author: Dean Koontz and Kevin J. Anderson

Passage: He didn't find it peculiar to be talking to her severed hands. Her hands had been the essence of her. Nothing else of Elizabeth Lavena had been worth talking about or to. The hands were her.


... Oh, Dean Koontz, why do you do this to me? I was planning on finally finishing Dies the Fire and you give this to me?

[M]

From Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, by James Finn Garner.

“And you,” said Snow White to the prince, “trying to make it with a girl in a coma! Yuck!”

[M]

I can see why you like Koontz's writing.

From I’ll Never Be Young Again, by Daphne du Maurier.

“I hated him then. I hated the way he didn’t even bother to finish his sentence, and I hated his laugh. But most of all I hated him for having destroyed my idea of him. That’s being young, Dick, and that’s why I killed him.”

[M]

From Byron, by Andre Maurois (1930).

“. . . He plunged out of doors into the dark night, and without knowing what he was doing ran without stopping all the way to Newstead. Sadness and rage, a longing to die and a longing to kill--the most violent feelings laid seige to him all through the night.”

[M]

From The Mystery of the Tolling Bell, by Carolyn Keene (1946).

“She walked up to the desk and asked the clerk for the number of Mr. Drew’s room. The clerk was about to reply when a flashily dressed man appeared. He rudely interrupted with a complaint that he had reserved a large room with bath and had been shown instead a small room with only running water. As she did not want to call attention to herself by protesting against the man’s rudeness, she sat down and waited for the clerk to finish. Much better dressed than the hotel guests who filtered past, she felt herself a target for all eyes.”

[M]

From The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks.

“When I asked him what happened at night he said quite openly that when he awoke in the night he always found that there was a dead, cold, hairy leg in bed with him which he could not understand but could not tolerate and he, therefore, with his good arm and leg pushed it out of bed and naturally, of course, the rest of him followed.”

[Jessica]

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Volume II
"Hasn't your mother taught you--?" Old Niccolo began angrily. "Ah, no. I forgot. Your mother is English."

...And, because I should be doing my homework (I've been slacking off all week, Calculus-and-Physics-wise), here's a bit of yuck:

College Physics: Ninth Edition
"In Bosnia, the ultimate test of a young man's courage used to be to jump off a 400-year-old bridge (destroyed in 1993; rebuilt in 2004) into the River Neretva, 23 m below the bridge. (a) How long did the jump last? (b) How fast was the jumper traveling upon impact with the river? (c) If the speed of sound in air is 340 m/s, how long after the jumper took off did a spectator on the bridge hear the splash?"

Calculus: Graphical, Numerical, Algebraic
"You should solve the following problems without using a graphing calculator."



Spare me.

[M]

“With her small allowance, she purchased books instead of food. London used-book sellers remembered her as a strange, lonely woman . . . During the second world war, she was often seen scavenging for books in the rubble of bombed buildings.”

Hoff, Benjamin. The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow: The Rediscovered Diary of Opal Whiteley. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1986.

[Michelle]

Al wrote: "Title: Odd Thomas
Author: Dean Koontz
Paragraph: In spooky movies, do you rail at the beleaguered characters to get the hell out of the haunted house, to get smart and leave? They poke into rooms..."

That's so funny and so true!

[[deleted user]]

Title: Dreamland
Author: Sarah Dessen
Paragraph: I looked over at him. "Hey," he mouthed soundlessly, smiling that wicked smile again. "Come on."

[[deleted user]]

oh my gosh so many books i know! somebody was reading tamora pierce EEEEKKKKK!!!!! and Uglies... i just read that.... and i didn't know howl's moving castle was a book! i have to read that RIGHT NOW but i have about ten books to finish! ugh!

title: Lockdown: escape from Furnace
author: Alexander Gordon Smith
paragraph: But it was too late to move. the siren rang out again, and a metal door the size of a bus to the left of the elevator began to hiss and rumble, mechanisms inside grinding and turning as they released a series of locks. with a blast of steam the vault door swung open lazily on its enormous hinges, revealing a sight that I knew there and then I would take with me to the grave.

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

OOh. I wanna play, I wanna play! Lol. :D

Title: Ghost Country
Author: Patrick Lee
Paragraph: (carry-over from other page) He thought about childproof caps on bottles of chemical cleaners, and for a second he felt a chill because (page 55) he could almost get a sense of their mindset, whoever they were on the other side of the Breach. These black cylinders might only be power tools to them, but they were dangerous as hell. Dangerous even to their makers.

[M]

Bayne, Rowan. Ideas and Evidence: Critical Reflections on MBTI Theory and Practice. Gainesville, FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type, 2005. (Page 55, third paragraph.)

“The terms Thinking and Feeling are particularly open to misuse and bias (along with Judging). They are sometimes misinterpreted as lacking emotions (said of T) and lacking the ability to be logical (said of F). Neither is true, but a subtler version does seem to have some truth. It is that on the one hand Thinking is associated with the view that emotions get in the way of good decisions; they cloud judgment, so they need to be kept in their place. And on the other hand, Feeling is associated with the view, perhaps felt rather than put into words, that logic can miss the point, and that emotions are central in decisions because they tell you what matters most and least to each person involved in or affected by a decision. . . .”

[[deleted user]]

thee are all so cool sounding...

title: hush, hush
author: becca fitzpatrick
paragraph: with my hands tight on the stearing wheel, i pushed the noen through the rain, praying the light at hawthorn would be green in my favor. it was, and i floored it through the intersection, keeping my eyes straight ahead, but at the same time, stealing glimpses into the shadows along the side of the road. there was no sign of the guy in the ski mask.

[Stephanie]

Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens

Paragraph: After hailing the mom with this second salutation, he threw a boot at the woman as a third. It was a very muddy boot, and may introduce the odd circumstance connected with Mr. Cruncher's domestic economy, that, whereas he often came home after banking hours with clean boots, he often got up next morning to find the same boots covered with clay.

[[deleted user]]

Wait, he threw a shoe at a chick?!

[Stephanie]

I guess so. I actually haven't reached that part in the book. Haha

[Christa VG]

Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen

Paragraph: Mr.Wickham was the happy man towards whom almost every female eye was turned, and Elizabeth was the happy woman by whom he finally seated himself: and the agreeable manner in which he immediately fell into conversation, though it was only on it's being a wet night, and on the probability of a rain season, made her feel that the most commonest, dullest and most threadbare topic might be rendered interesting by the skill of the speaker.

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

Title: And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie



He said: "Just now we had a somewhat disturbing experience. An apparently disembodied voice spoke to us all by name, uttering certain accusations against us. We will deal with those accusations presently. At the moment I am interested in a minor point. Amongst the names recited was that of William Henry Blore. But as far as we know there is no one named Blore amongst us. The name of Davis was not mentioned. What do you have to say about that, Mr. Davis?"

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

OOh. I love that this quote creates suspense and leaves you hanging. And I also love that it gives you in one paragraph almost a sense of what the entire book is all about.

[M]

An excellent quotation, CJ! It has a lot of atmosphere.

I’ve been poking at a French edition of the second Harry Potter novel. Here’s a passage from Page 55:

“Il prit dans le pot de fleurs une pincée de poudre étincelante, s’avança vers le feu qui brûlait dans la chimée at jeta la poudre au milieu des flammes.”

Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter et la Chambre des Secrets. Trans. Jean-François Ménard. Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 2007.

[Guy]

I like this game! I didn't see it before today. And I've even read several of the cited books.

Okay, I'm actively reading three books right now. Do I choose just one of them? Or do I pick the one with the most interesting p55? So many decisions! Okay, okay, I'll pick the p.55 from the book I last looked at.

On Literature
Umberto Eco
Up until this point the stage is certainly more real than the auditorium, and compared with the actress the spectators are nothing but 'empty appearances.' But in the second chapter Jerard seems to desire something more tangible, even if only by recalling the one moment when he came close to it. The person who has all the virtues of the actress, who had been seen all alone on the stage, is now Adrienne, glimpsed in the pale circle of the lawn by night.

[M]

I’m surprised they didn’t rename him for the French version--Henri Pottoir, or some such thing.

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

I think one of the best things about this game is that people's book choices that are cited on here have piqued my interests. I have a feeling that in the future I will try to search out these books and maybe even have some new favorites.

[Guy]

I've had the same reaction, CJ. It's why in my book review blog I include extended citations, and not just my own reactions.

[Laszlo]

Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Paragraph: 7
Quote: "If he didn't say something, the emptiness would swallow him."

[Rikki]

Leviathan is amazing!


Title: The Drowned Cities
Author: Paolo Bacigalupi
Paragragh: 2


Quote: A stupid little dream for a stupid war maggot.

[Laszlo]

I know it is! I am currently reading it. Sorry, I don't have the other book I am reading with me to quote.

[Caitlan]

*


Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Paragraph: 4

Quote: "In the winter of 1975, I saw Hassan run a kite for the last time."

[Stephanie]

Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Paragraph: 2

Quote: "The cured, incapable of strong desire, are thus rid of both remembered and future pain" ("After the Procedure," The Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook p.132)."

[Nanashi]

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom
Author: A.C. Crispin
Paragraph: 7

He watched as Venganza changed course as she approached the brig, so that she made a half-circle around Fair Wind and then hove to on her windward side. This was a typical pirate maneuver, designed to cut off the wind from the prey. Jack glanced up at the quarterdeck, wondering whether Bainbridge had yet realizad who their visitors were.

[Laszlo]

Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Paragraph: 3
Quote: "Tally gasped as she took in the view. The distant city was a bright coin nestled in darkness, the fireworks of New Pretty Town the barest cold-blue shimmer. They must have climbed a long way up; Tally could see patches of moonlight rolling slowly across the low hills around the city, pushed along by the light wind that barley tugged at the clouds."

[Kyra]

Stephanie wrote: "Title: Delirium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Paragraph: 2

Quote: "The cured, incapable of strong desire, are thus rid of both remembered and future pain" ("After the Procedure," The Safety, Health, and H..."

Delirium is an amazing book. Lauren Oliver is among my favorite authors.

[M]

“The gang of street arabs used by Sherlock Holmes to glean intelligence from London’s underworld.”

Payton, Geoffrey. Webster’s Dictionary of Proper Names. Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam, 1970.

[Guy]

Title: World Orders, Old and New
Author: Noam Chomsky
Paragrapgh: 2
Quote: The pretext for terror operations is the war against guerrillas, and narcotraffickers, the former a very partial truth, the latter a "myth," AI [Amnesty International] concludes in agreement with other investigators: the myth was concocted in large measure to replace the "Communist threat" as the Cold War was fading along with the propaganda system based on it. In reality, the official security forces and their paramilitary associates work hand in glove with the drug lords, organized crime, landowners, and other private interests in a country where avenues of social action have long been closed, and are to be kept that way by intimidation and terror. The government's own Commission to Overcome Violence concluded that "the criminalization of social protest" is one of the "principal factors which permit and encourage violations of human rights" by the military and police authorities and their paramilitary collaborators.

[Edward]

Title: A Nameless Witch
Author: A. Lee Martinez
Paragraph: 2

Neither seemed surprised or intimidated by Gwurm. Perhaps trolls were common in the region. Or perhaps these men just didn't care.

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

Title: The Re-entry Team: Caring for your returning missionaries
Author: Neal Pirolo

(A lone story about a missionary describing her experience)
"To say the lifestyle was different is an understatement! There was no telephone, no mail, and no television. The pace of life was drastically slower than what I was accustomed to but I did adapt. I was immersed in the culture. The only Americans I had daily contact with were the missionaries who ran the orphanage. English was only spoken at home. So I learned the local language. Hamburgers were not served. So I learned to eat rice and vegetables at every meal. Corn was the ice cream flavor in town. I learned to enjoy mango for dessert. I learned to not be particular about my dress or make-up. It became natural to wear my hair back every day as preventing lice was always a consideration."

[M]

Anglais: Guide de conversation et lexique pour le voyage. Princeton, NJ: Berlitz, 1989.

“Une bouteille de blonde, s.v.p. = A bottle of lager, please.”

(It would have been a good thing I had my conversation guide! If I had ordered that, not knowing what it meant, I’d have been disappointed when the waiter brought me a beer instead of a bottle blonde.)

[C. J., Cool yet firm like ice]

Haha, M.

Hmm. A bottle blonde. That sounds like you could work that into the story this week if you wanted to...

[M]

(Hello, CJ! I hadn’t considered that . . .)

[[deleted user]]

Lol!

[Garrison]

I just got finished with this book a few days ago.

TITLE: Prozac Nation
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Wurtzel

But day after day of depression, the kind that doesn’t seem to merit carting me off ot a hospital but allows me to sit here on this stoop at summer camp as if I were normal, day after day wearing down everybody who gets near me. My behavior seems, somehow, not acute enough for them to know what to do with me, though I’m just enough of a mess to be driving everyone around me crazy.

[Guy]

Began this last month. Good, but keep getting distracted as I read.


Title: Smoke and Mirrors, from the short story 'The Price.'
Author: Neil Gaiman

The thing that comes to my house does not come every night. But it comes most nights: we know it by the wounds on the cat, and the pain I can see in those leonine eyes. He has lost the use of his front left paw, and his right eye has closed for good.

[Guy]

This is one of my distractions:


Title: Lady of the Hare: A Study in the Healing Power of Dreams
Author: John Layard.

When asked about the three days' absence of her friend, however, she said outright that it reminded her of the three days which Christ spent in hell before the resurrection, and that her feeling of despair and subsequent relief tallied well with what must have been the feeling of the disciples at that time.

[Garrison]

Poor Neil Gaiman story kitty. I want to pet the little guy. :(

[M]

(Guy, you got a copy of it!)

[Guy]

[[Yes, M I did. It is amazing. One of the most interesting dream/psychology books I've read. Thank you for recommending it.

Garrison, Gaiman's short stories are very interesting. He might be a worthy candidate for the WSS short story contest. His introduction to the book is also interesting, as he describes the genesis of the stories and, to a small extent, their getting written.]]

[M]

Catton, Bruce. The Army of the Potomac: A Stillness at Appomattox. New York: Doubleday, 1953.

“It was the fourth day of May, and beyond the dark river there was a forest with the shadow of death under its low branches, and the dogwood blossoms were floating in the air like lost flecks of sunlight, as if life was as important as death . . .”

[Garrison]

(I'm definitely looking forward to reading something by Neil Gaiman, especially after seeing him in an episode of The Simpsons that made fun of team writing.)

TITLE: The Cat Who Killed Lilian Jackson Braun
AUTHOR: Robert Kaplow

Q. left Sallybikerrun to complete what research he could, and found himself food shopping at Trader Joe’s where he paid exorbitant prices for red organic grapes and bottled carrot juice in the hopeful notion that it might neutralize the extra-fatty corned beef sandwich he’d eaten an hour earlier. He imagined the dialogue with his stomach:

“Jesus Christ, he eats the entire sandwich. And not even lean yet. All right, stomach cancer, let’s roll.”

“No, no, no - look at what he paid for those organic grapes. Lousy grapes, too - soft ones.”

“Kiss my ass, five grapes don’t’ balance out sixteen ounces of nitrate-soaked beef. Somebody’s paying for this.”

“Hey, man, carrot juice, anti-oxidant, beta-carotene. Come on, give him a break. He’s trying.”

“Trying? Mr. Brown Rice Snaps - followed by a dark Dove bar? This is like the woman who orders ‘herbal tea - no sugar’ in the restaurant so her friends can see how disciplined she is, and then goes home and eats an entire Entenmann’s coffee cake.”


OOC: I know the rules said one paragraph, but the dialogue was too funny to leave out. Hehe!