quotes#985671 Chasing Charlie Duskin
Mr Robbie's the sort of guy who loves somewhere way down in his middle. "Not everyone loves close to the surface, Rose," Mum says when I complain about the way he treats Dave. I reckon he'd have to dig pretty deep to find where Mr Robbie keeps his love. p48
Mum used to read me stories of beautiful places. "You'll go there one day, Rosie," she said. Those places filled my dreams. But Mum's too tired for books now. p17
Thursday, November 19, 2009
quotes#058378 Princess Stories by Nicola Baxter, c. 2003
Rosie gasped and whirled round. There stood a little boy, grinning.
"But .... where did you come from?" asked the Princess. "Where do you live?"
"Oh, I live in your head," said the boy. "You just never noticed me before. I can come out and play whenever you like." p76
Then on the third day, the Princess took the old lady's arm and led her into the palace, where the King, after a particularly close encounter with a prickly bush, was having thorns removed from his royal bottom. p64
next-book#706248
chasing charlie duskin, by cath crowley, c. 2005 wcl teens
Rosie gasped and whirled round. There stood a little boy, grinning.
"But .... where did you come from?" asked the Princess. "Where do you live?"
"Oh, I live in your head," said the boy. "You just never noticed me before. I can come out and play whenever you like." p76
Then on the third day, the Princess took the old lady's arm and led her into the palace, where the King, after a particularly close encounter with a prickly bush, was having thorns removed from his royal bottom. p64
next-book#706248
chasing charlie duskin, by cath crowley, c. 2005 wcl teens
Monday, November 16, 2009
quotes#304014 Who is Sylvia
When I review the information I've got on Sylvia's childhood I can't help marvelling at how lucky I am that my informants come from a family that madea religion out of storytelling. The importance of their stories lies not so much in their objective truth (though many can be independently verified), as in the fact they provided emotional and spiritual sustenance to this beleaguered family. p102
I told Julia Faed that one elderly teacher I'd met had said that Keith Henderson was boring, but all the others had said he was a saint. She observed, "You can't be a saint and be interesting. If you're interesting someone's bound to dislike you, but if you're dull and innocuous people will say you're good." p78
When I review the information I've got on Sylvia's childhood I can't help marvelling at how lucky I am that my informants come from a family that madea religion out of storytelling. The importance of their stories lies not so much in their objective truth (though many can be independently verified), as in the fact they provided emotional and spiritual sustenance to this beleaguered family. p102
I told Julia Faed that one elderly teacher I'd met had said that Keith Henderson was boring, but all the others had said he was a saint. She observed, "You can't be a saint and be interesting. If you're interesting someone's bound to dislike you, but if you're dull and innocuous people will say you're good." p78
Sunday, November 15, 2009
quotes#593642 Stay with me
"Sometimes it's easier to believe other people instead of listening to what you hope for," he says. p301
Now that school is over, the lull between exams and the start of summer plans gives Ben and me a few days to spend time together as we used to. We play cards, listen to music, and look through Ben's collection of industrial design books. We've never read any of them closely, but the diagrams of vacuum cleaners and the inside of early computers are pretty cool.
Ben's father came across these books on a business trip to Jakarta, where they're printed for an architecture firm. Mr. Greene is a structural engineer and his company does a lot of consulting in Indonesia. During eighth greade, these books seemed like a passport to heaven. Ben and I had this idea that if we could understand those first drafts of good inventions, we'd train our minds to come up with our own brilliant designs. p177
just-randomly-chosen#770730
who is sylvia? the diary of a biography of Sylvia Ashton-Warner, by Lynley Hood, c. 1990 ECL res
"Sometimes it's easier to believe other people instead of listening to what you hope for," he says. p301
Now that school is over, the lull between exams and the start of summer plans gives Ben and me a few days to spend time together as we used to. We play cards, listen to music, and look through Ben's collection of industrial design books. We've never read any of them closely, but the diagrams of vacuum cleaners and the inside of early computers are pretty cool.
Ben's father came across these books on a business trip to Jakarta, where they're printed for an architecture firm. Mr. Greene is a structural engineer and his company does a lot of consulting in Indonesia. During eighth greade, these books seemed like a passport to heaven. Ben and I had this idea that if we could understand those first drafts of good inventions, we'd train our minds to come up with our own brilliant designs. p177
just-randomly-chosen#770730
who is sylvia? the diary of a biography of Sylvia Ashton-Warner, by Lynley Hood, c. 1990 ECL res
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
quotes#367034 After the fire, a small still voice
No one asked him to stay, but no one seemed to expect him to go either and it was comfortable. He slept deep black sleeps and nothing woke him but the morning. The days were spent hunting and talking and fixing things, even if it was just a hole in a bucket or a blocked pipe, there was some satisfaction in it that he hadn't known before. Out the front of the house was a jungle of metal and scrap. You could pick up a piece, sit in the dirt with a drink and make things - a chair out of old fence and chicken wire, a bin out of insulated pipe. Sometimes useless things, a family of logs, each one with a different expression, wearing funnels and rusted colanders for hats, nails for eyes, scraps of oil-stained cloth for clothes. Leon cut a person out of a tin can, yellow with sharp fingernails, a ring pull for an empty head. p275
[in outback of australia, a group of vietnam vets hanging together]
At the door she turned back. "I like omelettes with capsicum in it." p142
[not stunning, but sounds good]
No one asked him to stay, but no one seemed to expect him to go either and it was comfortable. He slept deep black sleeps and nothing woke him but the morning. The days were spent hunting and talking and fixing things, even if it was just a hole in a bucket or a blocked pipe, there was some satisfaction in it that he hadn't known before. Out the front of the house was a jungle of metal and scrap. You could pick up a piece, sit in the dirt with a drink and make things - a chair out of old fence and chicken wire, a bin out of insulated pipe. Sometimes useless things, a family of logs, each one with a different expression, wearing funnels and rusted colanders for hats, nails for eyes, scraps of oil-stained cloth for clothes. Leon cut a person out of a tin can, yellow with sharp fingernails, a ring pull for an empty head. p275
[in outback of australia, a group of vietnam vets hanging together]
At the door she turned back. "I like omelettes with capsicum in it." p142
[not stunning, but sounds good]
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sunday, November 08, 2009
quotes#556800 It's all in the playing
With crippled determination he placed the following objects on the daybed beside us: an ear of corn, a wad of animal fat, some seeds, a crystal, a coin of silver and gold, a small book made of silver and gold paper, some seashells, a sponge, several marzipan candles, a piece of llama fetus (as I later learned), and a condor feather. He then sprinkled sugar over everything, on top of which he splashed some anisette liqueur. [skip]
Benito waved my words away as, one by one, he lifted each of his displayed objects and meditated on them separately.
Esther whispered to me: "He told me they each represent an element of life at Machu Pichu which must be respected and recognised." p280
... and I'm real sorry that you don't love yourself enough to follow through and do it. p184
by Shirley Maclaine bc 760 2418
With crippled determination he placed the following objects on the daybed beside us: an ear of corn, a wad of animal fat, some seeds, a crystal, a coin of silver and gold, a small book made of silver and gold paper, some seashells, a sponge, several marzipan candles, a piece of llama fetus (as I later learned), and a condor feather. He then sprinkled sugar over everything, on top of which he splashed some anisette liqueur. [skip]
Benito waved my words away as, one by one, he lifted each of his displayed objects and meditated on them separately.
Esther whispered to me: "He told me they each represent an element of life at Machu Pichu which must be respected and recognised." p280
... and I'm real sorry that you don't love yourself enough to follow through and do it. p184
by Shirley Maclaine bc 760 2418
Monday, November 02, 2009
quotes#186289 The Lost Symbol
[wcl hotpick]
Solomon let it [silence] sit for a long moment, then quietly said, "In closing, I should warn you that unveiling the truth is never easy. Throughout history, every period of enlightenment has been occupied by darkness, pushing in opposition. Such are the laws of nature and balance. And if we look at the darkness growing in the world today, we have to realize that this means there is an equal light growing. We are on the verge of a truly great period of illumination, and all of us - all of you - are profoundly blessed to be living through this pivotal moment of history. Of all the people who have ever lived, in all the eras in history ... we are in that narrow window of time during which we will bear witness to our ultimate resistance. After millenia of darkness, we will see our sciences, our minds, and even our religions unveil the truth." p403
"Not a death symbol, as most assume," Langdon said. "The scythe is actually a symbol of the transformative nourishment of nature - the reaping of nature's gifts." p156
book by Dan Brown
[wcl hotpick]
Solomon let it [silence] sit for a long moment, then quietly said, "In closing, I should warn you that unveiling the truth is never easy. Throughout history, every period of enlightenment has been occupied by darkness, pushing in opposition. Such are the laws of nature and balance. And if we look at the darkness growing in the world today, we have to realize that this means there is an equal light growing. We are on the verge of a truly great period of illumination, and all of us - all of you - are profoundly blessed to be living through this pivotal moment of history. Of all the people who have ever lived, in all the eras in history ... we are in that narrow window of time during which we will bear witness to our ultimate resistance. After millenia of darkness, we will see our sciences, our minds, and even our religions unveil the truth." p403
"Not a death symbol, as most assume," Langdon said. "The scythe is actually a symbol of the transformative nourishment of nature - the reaping of nature's gifts." p156
book by Dan Brown
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
quotes#046255 Daisy's War
It was a time of replenishing the spirit and rebuilding the parts that had been damaged, and she would walk alone through the different seasons, thinking sometimes, at others trying not to. In summer there were apples and plums on the trees and the smell of the fruit made your mouth water, followed by the rustier yellow of the autumn sun complementing the oranges and reds of the trees, the hedgerows full of elderberries, brambles and rose-hips. Almost imperceptibly winter arrived,, bringing crystal-clear air one moment and snow blizzards the next, so that you couldn't see more than a few inches in front of you and the freezing wind blew through you. p194
[not stunning, but still like the imagery]
It was a time of replenishing the spirit and rebuilding the parts that had been damaged, and she would walk alone through the different seasons, thinking sometimes, at others trying not to. In summer there were apples and plums on the trees and the smell of the fruit made your mouth water, followed by the rustier yellow of the autumn sun complementing the oranges and reds of the trees, the hedgerows full of elderberries, brambles and rose-hips. Almost imperceptibly winter arrived,, bringing crystal-clear air one moment and snow blizzards the next, so that you couldn't see more than a few inches in front of you and the freezing wind blew through you. p194
[not stunning, but still like the imagery]
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
quotes#373579 Chandler's Run
Moana's lovely face was without expression as she attended to Adam's needs, but there was pain in her heart, her dignity bruised. The wahine Pakeha had damaged her mana in the manner of her address to her. Wood was wood, wasn't it, whereever it was taken from. There was a longing in her now to be in her own home; to be with her hoa tane, but she knew she must stay until the wairua had left this ravaged body. The dark eyes filled with tears for her own mokemoketanga and then for the same loneliness that was to come for the pale woman. p188
[not spectacular but I enjoy seeing some Te Reo in my reading]
"I can't do all this, Daniel," she wailed. "I had no idea that a cow and hens would mean so much more work."
"Mama, there are three of us - Sarah is able to share in the daily tasks very well now. Between us we will manage until Papa comes home."
Lucy looked at her boy. Not yet thirteen, he was a pillar of strength and so sensible. She felt a little ashamed in the face of his sturdy optimism. "Of course, you are right, Daniel. It's simply a matter of arranging each day a little differently and getting used to these new tasks." p142
[reminder to me -- use of positive thinking]
by Denise Muir, c. 2008 -- bc7520787
Moana's lovely face was without expression as she attended to Adam's needs, but there was pain in her heart, her dignity bruised. The wahine Pakeha had damaged her mana in the manner of her address to her. Wood was wood, wasn't it, whereever it was taken from. There was a longing in her now to be in her own home; to be with her hoa tane, but she knew she must stay until the wairua had left this ravaged body. The dark eyes filled with tears for her own mokemoketanga and then for the same loneliness that was to come for the pale woman. p188
[not spectacular but I enjoy seeing some Te Reo in my reading]
"I can't do all this, Daniel," she wailed. "I had no idea that a cow and hens would mean so much more work."
"Mama, there are three of us - Sarah is able to share in the daily tasks very well now. Between us we will manage until Papa comes home."
Lucy looked at her boy. Not yet thirteen, he was a pillar of strength and so sensible. She felt a little ashamed in the face of his sturdy optimism. "Of course, you are right, Daniel. It's simply a matter of arranging each day a little differently and getting used to these new tasks." p142
[reminder to me -- use of positive thinking]
by Denise Muir, c. 2008 -- bc7520787
Monday, October 05, 2009
quotes#962137 Neat Vodka
"Look. Snow," he said, so we looked. The whole night sky was thick with fat, lazy flakes.
Even in the middle of this unsavoury story it was magical and everyone around the table
was six years old again, gazing out at the first real snow of winter. Something about Russia seems to put life in to perspective. Something here makes you stop looking in and makes you look out. Maybe it really is just the same. p158
[by Anna Blundy, c. 2006; lcl - quote not profound, but worth thinking about]
"Look. Snow," he said, so we looked. The whole night sky was thick with fat, lazy flakes.
Even in the middle of this unsavoury story it was magical and everyone around the table
was six years old again, gazing out at the first real snow of winter. Something about Russia seems to put life in to perspective. Something here makes you stop looking in and makes you look out. Maybe it really is just the same. p158
[by Anna Blundy, c. 2006; lcl - quote not profound, but worth thinking about]
Saturday, October 03, 2009
quotes#115666 The Message
Moving on is not about filling your life with new things. It is about resolving issues and finding new paths. And it is also about valuing and putting into proper perspective what you used to have in your life. p115
The most common question I'm asked is: 'What does the afterlife look like?'
I am always wary of ansering this question. This is partly because, even if I had been given a clear vision of what it is like, to do so would give people a fixed definition of something that is highly personal. This would, I believe, inhibit their ability to grow personally and spiritually. So my reply is always the same. I'm not capable of seeing eternity and nor is anybody. I can only tell you what I've seen. And what I've seen is an environment which reflects what people want their afterlife to look like. p101
[by Colin Fry, c. 2009 lcl]
Moving on is not about filling your life with new things. It is about resolving issues and finding new paths. And it is also about valuing and putting into proper perspective what you used to have in your life. p115
The most common question I'm asked is: 'What does the afterlife look like?'
I am always wary of ansering this question. This is partly because, even if I had been given a clear vision of what it is like, to do so would give people a fixed definition of something that is highly personal. This would, I believe, inhibit their ability to grow personally and spiritually. So my reply is always the same. I'm not capable of seeing eternity and nor is anybody. I can only tell you what I've seen. And what I've seen is an environment which reflects what people want their afterlife to look like. p101
[by Colin Fry, c. 2009 lcl]
Thursday, October 01, 2009
quotes#286585 The Children's Writer
Sometimes this happened when I was at St Finbar's, all those years ago. I remember Father Stevn, who was young and earnest, giving us boys sermons about 'Keeping the Faith, and 'The Temptations of the Devil'. St Finbar's was not a rich school, but it did have a stone chapel, which was vaulted and cool, and I would kick off my shoes and put my fett flat on the stone floor to feel the cool creep up through my socks. I would sit alone, off to one side, so chapel could be my dreaming time. p58
I was twenty-three and studying Literature at Uni. Lootie was even younger, just nineteen, and in her first year of Education. I wanted to be a writer, she a teacher. We rented a shabby terrace in Elm St, North Melbourne. We owned a bed, a table, two chairs, a sofa and hundreds of books... p2
[not particularly quotable but I like the concept portrayed in the last sentence]
Sometimes this happened when I was at St Finbar's, all those years ago. I remember Father Stevn, who was young and earnest, giving us boys sermons about 'Keeping the Faith, and 'The Temptations of the Devil'. St Finbar's was not a rich school, but it did have a stone chapel, which was vaulted and cool, and I would kick off my shoes and put my fett flat on the stone floor to feel the cool creep up through my socks. I would sit alone, off to one side, so chapel could be my dreaming time. p58
I was twenty-three and studying Literature at Uni. Lootie was even younger, just nineteen, and in her first year of Education. I wanted to be a writer, she a teacher. We rented a shabby terrace in Elm St, North Melbourne. We owned a bed, a table, two chairs, a sofa and hundreds of books... p2
[not particularly quotable but I like the concept portrayed in the last sentence]
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