What are the first few sentences on page 51 of the book nearest you?

[KizzyShima]

"I'm Nicholas Sayre," he said, pointing at his burnt hair and blackened dress shirt, and his bloodied cuffs. "The Chief Minister's nephew. I am not playing games for Dorrance. Look at me, will you! Get out now or you will die here!"

That's from Across The Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories by Garth Nix

And just because I find this fun:

He laughed, not at all unpleasantly. "I hadn't intended to, but see how sweetly you beguile me?"

Eddi made a disgusted noise.

From War For the Oaks by Emma Bull

[Meilos]

"'I am Tualha Slaith, a princess of the People,' she said, rattling it all off in a hurry, 'a bard and a scholar. And who are you?'" -A Wizard Abroad

[fionnaula]

I knew Malkar did not keep his promises, but this I did not expect. The only thing at this point that seemed worse than staying with Malkar was being given to Stephen. Malkar's cruelty was at least a known quantity, and I had the protection of being useful. Or, rather, I thought I did. Never trust Malkar. Never, never, never.

From Mélusine, by Sarah Monette

[meteorite]

--and here are the same stars with lines to show the constellations

You see it on clear, dark nights, a wisp of faint, hazy light. It is tiny yet worth looking for: it is the most distant object -- the farthest-away thing -- anybody can see with the naked eye. And this wisp of haze looking so small is in reality the biggest thing you can see. It is a Galaxy (stress on Gal), a gigantic swarm of stars, a hundred billion of them, far, far out in space.

Find the Constellations, by H.A. Rey, of Curious George fame. One of my favorite small-kid-time books, and still pretty good.

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by fionnaula:
From Mélusine, by Sarah Monette

I started reading Monette's LiveJournal when she posted some analyses of Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. She's a very good writer.

The book nearest me is a Kakuro puzzle book, so there isn't much point in posting a quote. :-)

[fionnaula]

Originally posted by Garrett Fitzgerald:

I started reading Monette's LiveJournal when she posted some analyses of Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. She's a very good writer.

Ooh, thanks for the link. And I agree, she is very good. I'm excited for when The Virtu gets released. (:

[Herb87]

"she was shaken to the bone by her feelings, from her needs, from the loss. "yess you forgot to be a man." As she had forgoten to be a queen. "but we'll blame this on the night, and the strangeness of it." She got to her feet to pick up the dager. "I think perhaps this is some sort of test, for the both of us. I'ved you as long as i can remember"

dude gotsta love the nora roberts. "a little fate"

[drama_queen _supreme]

"In another moment, she hadburst into the dinning room of 27 and flung her paws to heaven, her most expressive way of making a communtication. Mr. and Mrs. Darling knew at once that something terrible was happening in the nursery, and without a good-bye to their hostess they rushed into the street.
But it was now ten minutes since three scoundrels jadbeen breathing behind the curtains; and Peter Pan can do a great deal in ten minutes.
We know return to the nursery."

Any guesses? If you guess Peter Pan then congratulations! You've won our grand prize!!!

Drama_Queen

[Slash]

"Her life was about to flash befor her eyes!"
in the book: Death trying
By: Qweakel Seeray

[lucee]

"--Repairing a window shade--

Sluggish rewinding caused by insufficient spring tension is a common problem with window shades and is easily remedied. Occasionally the opposite difficulty exists: too much tension. To reduce spring tension, roll the shade all the way up and remove it from the window. Unroll it by hand to about half the length and then reinstall it..."

This is from Reader's Digest Fix-It-Yourself Manual. Window shades!

[Angel]

"For a second he was tempted to pile his two bags back on the cart and return whence he had come, but he rejected that plan in a flash and resolved that if anything that could alleviate the grief and rage of Rosa's loss it would be breaking his back in working this ruined land."

- 'The House of the Spirits' by Isabel Allende

[Sunstar]

"Starting with his back against the Tower of London, Norwood spent two devoted years marching the 208 miles north to York, repeatedly stretching and measuring a length of chain as he went, all the while making the most meticulous adjustments for the rise and fall of land and the meanderings of the road. The final step was to measure the angle of the Sun at York at the same time of day and on the same day of the year as he had made his first measurement in London. From this he reasoned he could determine the length of one degree of the earth's meridian and thus calculate the distance around the whole."

That is from A Short History of Nearly Everything, a slightly humourous examination of the science and history of the Universe, Planet, and People. Its by Bill Bryson, I strongly recomend that those who have an interest in science or history read it.

[MagikMelody]

"Tales of great wars abd great heroes, for men and boys. For women and girls, the entire Aptarigine Cycle. Tales of Artur Paendrag Tanreall, Arutr Hawkwing, Artur the High King, who once ruled all the lands from the Aiel Waste to the Aryth Ocean, and even beyond. Wondrous stories of strange people in strange lands, of the Green Man, of Warders and Trollocs, of Ogier and Ail. The Thousand Tales of Anla, the Wise Counselor . 'Jaem the Giant-SLayer.' How Susa Tamed Jain Farstrider. 'Mara and the Three Follish Kings.'"
"Tell us about Lenn," called Egwene.

from The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

[Frivs]

"Please! Do please at least try!" Farid's voice sounded almost pleading. "Suppose Orpheus has already read Basta back after all? Dustfinger has to learn that they're in league with each other. He thinks he's safe from Basta in his own world!"

--From Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke

[Dragon Writer]

...i'm in a library. i don't even KNOW what book is closest too me! well, i kinda do...i borught one wiuth me, and there's a shelf in front of me, but still... *only JUST started reading and hasn't gotten to fifty one yet, so hopes for the best. "body else. you make your own ruoles. that's something i always like dabout you." i stepped closer to her. "one of the many things." i put my hand on her shoulder. "beth, what can i do?" i whisperd. "what is it?" it actually started with or anybody, but that was page fifty. :P