Shannon Hale: Something

“We know it's all just daydreaming… But sometimes, it'd be nice just to hold something real in your hands that felt like a measure of your worth.”

“Razo hopped back up and adopted a posture that said he was completely unruffled, never had been, and in fact was ready to do something manly like lift boulders or swallow live worms.”

“The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting. She opened to the first page and started to read, pronouncing the words in a reverent whisper.”

“Clearly she was expected to say something, but panic at having to speak stole the thoughts from her head.”

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a thirty-something woman in possession of a satisfying career and fabulous hairdo must be in want of very little”

“Nom, do say something funny so she can admire!”

“It's not something you tell your single best friend. It'd be like rubbing your nose in the poop of my happiness.”

“Seriously, a thirty-something woman shouldn't be daydreaming about a fictional character in a two-hundred-year-old world to the point where it interfered with her very real and much more important life and relationships. Of course she shouldn't.”

“You've been quiet lately… but it's not so much the quiet as something inside the quiet.”

“Her smile was peculiar - it made her nose wrinkle, not as though she smelled something unpleasant, but more that she was so amused, her whole face wanted to be a part of the smile.”