“
Seventeen, eh!" said Hagrid as he accepted a bucket-sized glass of wine from Fred.
"Six years to the day we met, Harry, d’yeh remember it?"
"Vaguely," said Harry, grinning up at him. "Didn’t you smash down the front door, give Dudley a pig’s tail, and tell me I was a wizard?"
"I forge’ the details," Hagrid chortled.
”
”
J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7))
“
But we're going to smile and pretend we're fine with the dorky birthmas gifts because people do not get that they can't mush a birthday into christmas.
”
”
P.C. Cast (Chosen (House of Night, #3))
“
Millard! Who's the prime minister?"
"Winston Churchill," he said. "Have you gone daft?"
"What's the capital of Burma?"
"Lord, I've no idea. Rangoon?"
"Good! When's your birthday?"
"Will you quit shouting and let me bleed in peace!
”
”
Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1))
“
You gave me a dead frog for my birthday!
To remind you we all die and end up rotting underground eaten by maggots so we should enjoy our birthdays while we have them. I found it thoughtful.
”
”
Soman Chainani (The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil, #1))
“
I believe it was Shakespeare, or possibly Howard Cosell, who first observed that marriage is very much like a birthday candle, in that 'the flames of passion burn brightest when the wick of intimacy is first ignited by the disposable butane lighter of physical attraction, but sooner or later the heat of familiarity causes the wax of boredom to drip all over the vanilla frosting of novelty and the shredded coconut of romance.' I could not have phrased it better myself.
”
”
Dave Barry
“
Why are you here?"
"'Here' as in your bedroom, or 'here' as in the great, spiritual question of our purpose here on this planet? If you're asking me whether this is all some cosmic coincidence or if there's a greater meta-ethical purpose to life, well, that's a puzzler for the ages. I mean, modern-day reductionism is clearly a fallacious argument, but-,"
-"I'm going back to bed."
-"I'm here because Hodge reminded me it's your birthday.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, #1))
“
Embroidery?" I sucked at embroidery. Aunt Hyacinth had tried to teach me, but we'd both given it up as a lost cause.Lucy, strangely, had picked it up really quickly and embroidered a tapestry of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow for my last birthday.
”
”
Alyxandra Harvey (My Love Lies Bleeding (Drake Chronicles, #1))
“
She seemed to be a nice person, too, instead of a homicidal bitch like his former wife. Otherwise, the world should fear. When Mencheres fell for a woman, he fell hard. If Kira asked for her own continent as a birthday present, Mencheres would probably have one conquered for her before she blew out her candles.
”
”
Jeaniene Frost (This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, #5))
“
Except, now that I don’t have a car, I can’t really make good on my birthday promise.”
Sydney thought about it for several moments. “Well. I’ve got a car.”
An hour later, I vowed I’d never make fun of that Mazda again.
”
”
Richelle Mead (The Fiery Heart (Bloodlines, #4))
“
Gwen stopped putting her money in the bag. "You're giving your father a picture of a door for his birthday?" And she'd thought Mitch marking up pages in her copy of Vogue and telling her, "This is what I'd get you for your birthday if I had money" had been cheap.
”
”
Shelly Laurenston (The Mane Squeeze (Pride, #4))
“
If Joan of Arc could turn the tide of an entire war before her eighteenth birthday, you can get out of bed.
”
”
E. Jean Carroll
“
Every day is a gift. But some days are packaged better.
”
”
Sanhita Baruah
“
Just so I'm clear...you thought a brothel would be a suitable place to host a birthday party for a woman?
”
”
Lindsay Buroker (Dark Currents (The Emperor's Edge, #2))
“
Never touch my brother on his fucking birthday.
”
”
Jim Butcher (Many Bloody Returns)
“
There's a gift in your lap and it's beautifully wrapped and it's not your birthday. You feel wonderful, you feel like somebody knows you're alive, you feel fear because it could be a bomb, because you think you're that important.
”
”
Aimee Bender (The Girl in the Flammable Skirt)
“
She couldn’t take her eyes from the dancing flame. No, this was so wrong. Candles should be used for meditation…for romance. Or on a birthday cake at least.
So where was the cake? The present? The song? As he stepped closer to her—as the damned flame got way too close—she started singing. “Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me…” Marcus paused, looking at her in disbelief. See. I knew he didn’t have a sense of humor. “Happy birthday, dear Gabi”—she lifted her head and blew out the candle—“happy birthday to me.
”
”
Cherise Sinclair (Make Me, Sir (Masters of the Shadowlands, #5))
“
I invited a few people to help celebrate your birthday," Cameron said sheepishly. She threw up her hands. "Surprise."
"We sort of come with the package," Collin explained. "Think of it as a collective gift from all of us to you: five bona fide annoying and overly intrusive new best friends."
"It's the gift that keeps on giving," Wilkins said.
Jack grinned. "I'm touched. Really. And since it appears I'm going to be moving in, let me be the first to say that all of you are always welcome at my and Cameron's house. Subject to a minimum of forty-eight hours prior notification.
”
”
Julie James (Something About You (FBI/US Attorney, #1))
“
I see birthdays as a reward for having shown up 365 in a row. It's like getting a badge for attendance.
”
”
Gina Barreca ("If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?": Questions and Thoughts for Loud, Smart Women in Turbulent Times)
“
For my birthday that year Anne gave me an inflatable atlas globe, along with a birthday card in which she wrote:
I give you the world.
Have fun blowing it up.
”
”
Craig Ferguson (American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot)
“
When someone's rattling on about blocked toilets, collapsing marquees, and penis-shaped birthday cakes, it's hard to convince yourself that you're in a life-or-death situation.
”
”
Catherine Jinks (The Reformed Vampire Support Group)
“
Someone asked me when is my birthday?
The poet inside me replied,
"My birthday is on the last day of the year,
It's 31st December my dear!
”
”
Anamika Mishra
“
Growing up in my family meant ambushes on your birthday, crossbows for Christmas, and games of dodge ball where the balls were occasionally rigged to explode. It also meant learning how to work your way out of a wide variety of death traps. Failure to get loose on your own could lead to missing dinner, or worse, being forced to admit that you missed dinner because your baby sister had tied you to the couch. Again.
”
”
Seanan McGuire (Discount Armageddon (InCryptid, #1))
“
Perfect! You guys are the same age. I bet you have a lot in common.”
Classic adult logic. Reid and I are vaguely the same age, so of course we’re basically soul mates. It’s like horoscopes. Somehow I’m supposed to believe that I’m similar in some meaningful way to every single person born on my birthday. Or every single Sagittarius. I mean, I barely have anything in common with Cassie, and we were born six minutes apart.
”
”
Becky Albertalli (The Upside of Unrequited (Simonverse, #2))
“
I want a room decorated with bones!" Dan said. "Where'd they come from?"
"Cemeteries," Amy said. "Back in the 1700s, the cemeteries were getting overcrowded, so they decided to dig up tons of old bodies–all their bones–and move them into the Catacombs. The thing is...look at the dates. See when they started moving bones into the Catacombs?"
Dan squinted at the screen. He didn't see what she was talking about. "Is it my birthday?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues, #1))
“
hope your birthday is hot hot hot
”
”
Jeff Kinney (Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid))
“
You got me a birthday cake. It was pink. I smashed it into the ceiling.
”
”
Karen Marie Moning (Dreamfever (Fever, #4))
“
The circumstances surrounding your birth are not as important as the opportunity to live life.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
It me birthday and nobody came...Bigfoot decide do something nice for self for big day and sneak in they house at night and pick out own present and blow out flickering candle of life in they brains. Make a wish, jerks.
”
”
Graham Roumieu
“
I gave up on being Nice. I started putting more value on other qualities instead: passion, bravery, intelligence, practicality, humor, patience, fairness, sensitivity. Those last three might seem like they are covered by “nice,” but make no mistake, they are not. A person who smiles a lot and remembers everyone’s birthday can turn out to be undercover crazy, a compulsive thief, and boring to boot. I don’t put a lot of stock in nice. I’d prefer to be around people who have any of the above qualities over “niceness,” and I’d prefer it if that applied to me, too. I
”
”
Anna Kendrick (Scrappy Little Nobody)
“
Cake is for the weak,” Mom always says. Funny, I thought it was for birthdays.
”
”
Danielle Joseph (Shrinking Violet)
“
Oh, Neil!" Andrew wiggled his cigarette at Neil in greeting.
"Hello."
"Can we talk?" Neil asked.
"Today's not a good day," Andrew said. "Try again tomorrow."
"I wouldn't crash your birthday party if it wasn't important."
Andrew grinned. "Sarcasm from Neil? Your repertoire of talents is ever-expanding."
"Two minutes," Neil said.
"So persistent.
”
”
Nora Sakavic (The Raven King (All for the Game, #2))
“
Oh, Kendra, before I forget, Gavin asked me to give you this letter." He held out a gray, speckled envelope.
"Happy birthday to you!" Seth exclaimed, his voice full of implications.
Kendra tried not to blush as she tucked the envelope away.
"Dear Kendra," Seth improvised, "you're the only girl who really gets me, you know, and I think you're very mature for your age--"
"What about some cake?" Grandma interrupted, holding the first piece out to Kendra and glaring at Seth.
”
”
Brandon Mull
“
The psychotic clown I sent for his birthday will feel like a feather falling on a pillow atop a cloud. The laxative in my lunch? Child's play. If you think it was bad when I sent that fake resume for his open assistant position and the stripper came for the interview? No. We're talking Defcon Five, Vietcong-level mind fucking, do you hear me, Chloe?
”
”
Christina Lauren (Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful Bastard, #3.5))
“
And the news got worse. It appeared that there was this whole other person Jesus Christ whose birthday a lot of people tended to confuse with mine. I was personally outraged. It was a long time before I forgave the Lord for that.
”
”
Ava Gardner (Ava: My Story)
“
The baby was almost certainly one year old. They knew this because of the red rosette pinned to her front, which read, 1!
"Or rather," said Charles Maxim, "the child is either one year old or she has come first in a competition. I believe babies are rarely keen participants in competitive sport. Shall we therefore assume it is the former?
”
”
Katherine Rundell (Rooftoppers)
“
Interrupting what promised to be a long spate of fatherly advice, St. Vincent said in a clipped voice, “It’s not a love match. It’s a marriage of convenience, and there’s not enough warmth between us to light a birthday candle. Get on with it, if you please. Neither of us has had a proper sleep in two days.”
Silence fell over the scene, with MacPhee and his two daughters appearing shocked by the brusque remarks. Then the blacksmith’s heavy brows lowered over his eyes in a scowl. “I don’t like ye,” he announced.
St. Vincent regarded him with exasperation. “Neither does my bride-to-be. But since that’s not going to stop her from marrying me, it shouldn’t stop you either. Go on.
”
”
Lisa Kleypas (Devil in Winter (Wallflowers, #3))
“
What's your name?"
"What?" I asked, squinting at the light.
"Your name." I recognized Dr. Olendzki peering over me.
"You know my name."
"I want you to tell me."
"Rose. Rose Hathaway."
"Do you know your birthday?"
"Of course I do. Why are you asking me such stupid things? Did you lose my records?"
Dr. Olendzki gave an exasperated sigh and walked off.
”
”
Richelle Mead (Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2))
“
I don't appreciate people who celebrate their dog's birthdays with "dog parties," and then invite their friends who don't even have dogs. I understand why people like dogs, and I think they definitely bring more to the table than cats or those godforsaken ferrets, but I don't think it's healthy for people to treat their dogs like they are real people.
”
”
Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea)
“
A cupcake temple?' Her chest still tight with anxiety, Bertie forced herself to imagine it: bricks of pound cake mortared with buttercream and chocolate ganache, torches like striped birthday candles set into the walls, pilgrims upon the Path of Delectable Righteousness delivering daily tributes of almond paste and raspberry filling. . . .
”
”
Lisa Mantchev (So Silver Bright (Théâtre Illuminata, #3))
“
Violet Lynn Parker, you’d better spill or I’ll start bellowing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you in my Bobcat Goldthwait voice.
”
”
Ann Charles (Optical Delusions in Deadwood (Deadwood, #2))
“
One of the main functions of a push-up bra is to lower the number of mothers who seem like mothers.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Glen had a disability more disfiguring than a burn and more terrifying than cancer.
Glen had been born on the day after Christmas.
"My parents just combine my birthday with Christmas, that's all," he explained.
But we knew this was a lie. Glen's parents just wrapped a couple of his Christmas presents in birthday-themed wrapping paper, stuck some candles in a supermarket cake, and had a dinner of Christmas leftovers.
”
”
Augusten Burroughs (You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas)
“
It was generally agreed that a coffin-size studio on Avenue D was preferable to living in one of the boroughs. Moving from one Brooklyn or Staten Island neighborhood to another was fine, but unless you had children to think about, even the homeless saw it as a step down to leave Manhattan. Customers quitting the island for Astoria or Cobble Hill would claim to welcome the change of pace, saying it would be nice to finally have a garden or live a little closer to the airport. They’d put a good face one it, but one could always detect an underlying sense of defeat. The apartments might be bigger and cheaper in other places, but one could never count on their old circle of friend making the long trip to attend a birthday party. Even Washington Heights was considered a stretch. People referred to it as Upstate New York, though it was right there in Manhattan.
”
”
David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day)
“
We can't predict what's going to happen, but having love is worth the risk.
”
”
Nina Crespo (Take Me if You Dare (Birthday Dare #1))
“
Although they probably know that some children were used and some children are used as miners, most adults are ignorant of the chocolate industry’s use of minors.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana (The Use and Misuse of Children)
“
My birthday? Is he gay?” Eli asked me with a confused look on his face.
”
”
Mariana Zapata (Rhythm, Chord & Malykhin)
“
The birth of a child is a sacred phenomenon.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)
“
By the time he graduates, projected to be by his thirtieth birthday, Wheeler’s transcript will be a meme used to scare children into studying harder.
”
”
Kurt Dinan (Don't Get Caught)
“
Sending someone all of the possible birthday party emoji is extra festive: great! But sending someone all of the possible phallic emoji (say, the eggplant and the cucumber and the corncob and the banana) is NOT extra sexxaayy: that’s a weird salad.
”
”
Gretchen McCulloch (Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language)
“
Found naked with a few of his grandfather’s kitchen maids? His
father’s claw right to the back of the head. Suggest that when his mother
was in human form she may want to stay away from things that brought
out the largeness of her ass? His father’s claw right to the back of the head.
Set up a small eightieth birthday party for his youngest brother Éibhear that
involved a few of the local brothel girls? His mother’s claw right to the
back of the head.
”
”
G.A. Aiken (What a Dragon Should Know (Dragon Kin, #3))
“
Zues?" I said.
"His computer. He named it." Then she whispered conspiratorially, "He acts like it's a person."
"I do not," he said as we walked down the hall toward his room.
"You gave it a birthday party," she said.
Grayson stopped walking for a moment. "Annual hard-drive maintenance and software upgrades do not count as a birthday party."
"No," she said. "But singing 'Happy Birthday' to it does."
He took a deep breath. They've obviously been through this before. "You know I was testing the new voice-recognition software."
Natalie looked at me. "Birthday party.
”
”
James Ponti (Dead City (Dead City, #1))
“
If you don't read my book, I'm not coming to your birthday party.
”
”
Tim Yeager
“
Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!
Celebrate your day of birth, no matter the circumstances of your birth.
Be thankful and joyful for the gift of life on this divine day.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
A child s a special possession from God.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
I gave up on being Nice. I started putting more value on other qualities instead: passion, bravery, intelligence, practicality, humor, patience, fairness, sensitivity. Those last three might seem like they are covered by “nice,” but make no mistake, they are not. A person who smiles a lot and remembers everyone’s birthday can turn out to be undercover crazy, a compulsive thief, and boring to boot. I don’t put a lot of stock in nice. I’d prefer to be around people who have any of the above qualities over “niceness,” and I’d prefer it if that applied to me, too. I’m also okay if the most accurate description of me is nervous, and a little salty. But at least I know what I want to strive for.
”
”
Anna Kendrick (Scrappy Little Nobody)
“
For many years, February was a difficult month for me after the death of my parents. My father died in February, just a week before my mother's birthday. For years their loss cast a pall over the month. I missed them terribly. But time has changed things. I see my father often in the face of my son and I run into my mother daily each time I pass the hall mirror.
”
”
Mary Morrell (Things My Father Taught Me About Love)
“
His comment brings me back to my birthday dinner with Jared, and I grin at the memory. Dev blinks a few times at my pleased expression and gives me one of his knee-weakening smiles. Immediately, my face falls. "I wasn't smiling at you." "I see." He glances around. "So it was for the other man who opened the door for you." "As a matter of fact, it was," I say and breeze past him.
”
”
E.J. Mellow
“
Was it tacky to get a cake during a hostage crisis? What was the protocol? She pictured chocolate frosting with white lettering: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOPE YOUR DAUGHTER ISN’T DEAD. But this year was her fiftieth, a year with a zero. Veronica had to do something. So on her way to the condo she’d swung by a bakery and picked up a small German chocolate cake. It was her mom’s favorite—or at least it had been, a decade ago.
”
”
Rob Thomas
“
Looking for a supernova, therefore, was a little like standing on the observation platform of the Empire State Building with a telescope and searching windows around Manhattan in the hope of finding, let us say, someone lighting a twenty-first birthday cake.
”
”
Bill Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything)
“
Isn’t it wonderful to give birth to your own kind?
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
This moment is spectacular!
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)
“
The easiest way to remember your future wife’s birthday is to marry her on Super Bowl Sunday.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
You can tell you're getting old when the heat blast from your birthday cake candles feels hotter than the surface of the sun.
”
”
Stewart Stafford
“
Also,' McCoy continued, 'this is the yearly reminder that our beloved scoreboard's birthday, the anniversary of its donation to the school, is coming up in just a few short weeks. So everyone get ready, prepare your offerings, and be ready to celebrate this great occasion!'
The PA system went quiet. I stared at the ceiling. Did he just say 'offerings?'
For a scoreboard?
”
”
Francesca Zappia (Made You Up)
“
The Count was Prince Humperdink's only confidant. His last name was Rugen, but no one needed to use it - he was the only Count in the country, the title having been bestowed by the Prince as a birthday present some years before, the happening taking place, naturally, at one of the Countess' parties.
”
”
William Goldman (The Princess Bride)
“
The last time I had sex,” I said, “was Halloween.”
He nodded slowly. “That was my birthday.”
I choked on my waffle. This was getting worse and worse. “No!”
“Why do you think they called me ‘Poe’?” I had always guessed it was because he was morose and taciturn and creepy.
“Um ... because ‘Hotstuff’ was taken?
”
”
Diana Peterfreund (Tap & Gown (Secret Society Girl, #4))
“
If only, I thought, I could talk to Eugene just one more time. This was before I came to understand that you cannot make someone fall in love with you But here's what you can do. By arguing and pleading and screaming and crying and throwing plates and phoning a lot and bringing hot food and sending flowers and buying gifts and doing unsolicited favors and remembering a birthday and being nice and declaring your abiding love and trying hard or sometimes merely by being present, you can make someone who was hitherto lukewarm really detest you.
”
”
Patricia Marx (Him Her Him Again the End of Him)
“
Was it tacky to get a cake during a hostage crisis? What was the protocol? She pictured chocolate frosting with white lettering: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOPE YOUR DAUGHTER ISN’T DEAD. But this year was her fiftieth, a year with a zero. Veronica had to do something. So on her way to the condo she’d swung by a bakery and picked up a small German chocolate cake. It was her mom’s favorite—or at least it had been, a decade ago.-page 218 of The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
”
”
Rob Thomas
“
When I worked in a second-hand bookshop — so easily pictured, if you don't work in one, as a kind of paradise where charming old gentlemen browse eternally among calf-bound folios — the thing that chiefly struck me was the rarity of really bookish people. Our shop had an exceptionally interesting stock, yet I doubt whether ten per cent of our customers knew a good book from a bad one. First edition snobs were much commoner than lovers of literature, but oriental students haggling over cheap textbooks were commoner still, and vague-minded women looking for birthday presents for their nephews were commonest of all.
”
”
George Orwell (Books v. Cigarettes)
“
Gunner shook his head; he wasn't in the mood. He stared down at his bottle as he spoke. "Yeah, and what if I do go after it and what if I find no one, and I'm alone for the next sixty years? What then? Huh? Friends and family will get married. I'll be stuck buying gifts. Years pass: children, birthday parties. At dinner parties, I'll be odd man out, forcing people to arrange five chairs around a table instead of four or six. Or, okay, let's say maybe twenty years down the line I meet someone nice and I've already given up on ever finding true love. Let's say the girl is a few pounds overweight, has fizzy hair and an annoying laugh, but at this point, I'm also a few pounds overweight and my hair is thinning and my laughter is annoying. Maybe then the two of us get married, and both our groups of friends will say, 'See I told you that you'd find true love. It just took a while.' And we'll smile, but we'll both know it's a lie--
”
”
Michael Anthony (Civilianized: A Young Veteran's Memoir)
“
If this is where you ask me to run around in my birthday suit, I’m not entirely comfortable with that,” I said, smirking.
”
”
Laura Kreitzer (Fallen Legion (Timeless, #4))
“
I don’t even know what I’m concerned about,” I say, my voice thick with humor. “You’re a good girl. You don’t have what it takes to work there.
”
”
Penelope Douglas (Birthday Girl)
“
The most memorable birthdays in life, are the ones that you don't remember!
”
”
Safdar Ansari
“
The sacred gift of parenthood is inscribe in the universal words ‘Papa’ and ‘Mama’.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
Most people would instantly start feeling ten years older if someone were to convince them that they were actually born a decade before their birthdate.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
I hate to tell you this, but it's not my birthday. Do I still get the present? ~ Michael McCade
”
”
Samanthe Beck (Falling for the Marine (McCade Brothers, #2))
“
Ducks like balloons. Think about THAT next time your child has a birthday party and you choose to not invite all of mine.
”
”
Jarod Kintz (A Memoir of Memories and Memes)
“
which is why mimes are rarely invited to birthday parties, as the gifts they gave were usually invisible boxes.
”
”
J.S. Mason (A Dragon, A Pig, and a Rabbi Walk into a Bar...and other Rambunctious Bites)
“
You’re so dumb… when I said my birthday is right around the corner, you went and looked!
”
”
Various (100+ Insults: Funny Insults, Comedy, and Humor!)
“
. . . a ripped out page from a book called The Art of Happiness. Reva had given it to me for my birthday a few years earlier, saying I'd 'get a lot out of the Dalai Lama. He's really insightful.' I'd never read the book.
”
”
Ottessa Moshfegh (My Year of Rest and Relaxation)
“
Six express tracks and twelve locals pass through Palimpsest. The six Greater Lines are: Stylus, Sgraffito, Decretal, Foolscap, Bookhand, and Missal. Collectively, in the prayers of those gathered prostrate in the brass turnstiles of its hidden, voluptuous shrines, these are referred to as the Marginalia Line. They do not run on time: rather, the commuters of Palimpsest have learned their habits, the times of day and night when they prefer to eat and drink, their mating seasons, their gathering places. In days of old, great safaris were held to catch the great trains in their inexorable passage from place to place, and women grappled with them with hooks and tridents in order to arrive punctually at a desk in the depth, of the city.
As if to impress a distracted parent on their birthday, the folk of Palimpsest built great edifices where the trains liked to congregate to drink oil from the earth and exchange gossip. They laid black track along the carriages’ migratory patterns. Trains are creatures of routine, though they are also peevish and curmudgeonly. Thus the transit system of Palimpsest was raised up around the huffing behemoths that traversed its heart, and the trains have not yet expressed displeasure.
To ride them is still an exercise in hunterly passion and exactitude, for they are unpredictable, and must be observed for many weeks before patterns can be discerned. The sport of commuting is attempted by only the bravest and the wildest of Palimpsest. Many have achieved such a level of aptitude that they are able to catch a train more mornings than they do not.
The wise arrive early with a neat coil of hooked rope at their waist, so that if a train is in a very great hurry, they may catch it still, and ride behind on the pauper’s terrace with the rest of those who were not favored, or fast enough, or precise in their calculations. Woe betide them in the infrequent mating seasons! No train may be asked to make its regular stops when she is in heat! A man was once caught on board when an express caught the scent of a local. The poor banker was released to a platform only eight months later, when the two white leviathans had relinquished each other with regret and tears.
”
”
Catherynne M. Valente (Palimpsest)
“
Chato visualised strangling her thin neck with the same underwear; tying it around her collar like a luscious red bow on a birthday present. Pesto gasped for air, her reptile like tongue sticking out, her face turning to a beautiful shade of onion pink as she choked on Chato’s kachcha. What a lovely contrast of that delicate pink against that gaudy red and green underwear. Poetry in motion, Chato thought, smiling. What an exquisite and intense way to die.
”
”
Nishta Kochar (Cinnamon Bizarre : Collection of Short Stories)
“
I had a dream about you. You had no skin or muscle on your face, and to try to conceal your bare skull you liberally applied lipstick and makeup. Your birthday was coming up, and I knew you were probably sensitive about parties that emphasize the aging process, so I decided to box up your gift in a coffin and wrap it with black wrapping paper. I got you the best gift ever too—a hooker, who happened to be dead, because that enabled me to procure a sizeable discount.
”
”
Dora J. Arod (I Had a Dream About You)
“
This was a troublesome supplication, because at the dawn of July, Ukraine was to celebrate the first birthday of its ultramodern constitution, which makes
us feel very nationalistic, and so many people would be on vacation in foreign places.
”
”
Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated)
“
Two aisles, each a quarter of a mile long, were entirely devoted to camouflage clothing in every possible colour: desert brown, forest green, arctic grey, and hot pink, just in case your spec-ops team needed to infiltrate a child's princess-themed birthday party.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo, #3))
“
For his birthday, she'd bought him an iPhone, which he'd returned to the store. He'd apologized, saying that it was a thoughtful gift, but he didn't want to carry a tiny high-powered mainframe on which he could compute astronomical algorithms, or check Facebook. He wanted a phone.
”
”
Laura Kasischke (Mind of Winter)
“
That's the other reason I came actually," Rhys continued. " I need to ask a favor."
My eyebrows went up in surprise. "Okay, I'm listening."
"Can you teach me how to bake a cake?" he asked. "My mom's birthday is next week , and I want to do something special."
Be still my heart. This guy was something else.
”
”
Cookie O'Gorman (Cupcake)
“
6. Sleep with a bra on every night in fear of your boobs dropping should you forget. Intermediate: Don't wear a bra in the daytime. Advanced: Forget bras and wear the Hear Comes Trouble T-shirt you got for your eighth birthday. Act offended if anyone stares at the new shape of the word Trouble. Wear the shirt until your mother asks what smells.
”
”
Tupelo Hassman (Girlchild)
“
You know, I still feel in my wrists certain echoes of the pram-pusher’s knack, such as, for example, the glib downward pressure one applied to the handle in order to have the carriage tip up and climb the curb. First came an elaborate mouse-gray vehicle of Belgian make, with fat autoid tires and luxurious springs, so large that it could not enter our puny elevator. It rolled on sidewalks in a slow stately mystery, with the trapped baby inside lying supine, well covered with down, silk and fur; only his eyes moved, warily, and sometimes they turned upward with one swift sweep of their showy lashes to follow the receding of branch-patterned blueness that flowed away from the edge of the half-cocked hood of the carriage, and presently he would dart a suspicious glance at my face to see if the teasing trees and sky did not belong, perhaps to the same order of things as did rattles and parental humor. There followed a lighter carriage, and in this, as he spun along, he would tend to rise, straining at his straps; clutching at the edges; standing there less like the groggy passenger of a pleasure boat than like an entranced scientist in a spaceship; surveying the speckled skeins of a live, warm world; eyeing with philosophic interest the pillow he had managed to throw overboard; falling out himself when a strap burst one day. Still later he rode in one of those small contraptions called strollers; from initial springy and secure heights the child came lower and lower, until, when he was about one and a half, he touched ground in front of the moving stroller by slipping forward out of his seat and beating the sidewalk with his heels in anticipation of being set loose in some public garden. A new wave of evolution started to swell, gradually lifting him again from the ground, when, for his second birthday, he received a four-foot-long, silver-painted Mercedes racing car operated by inside pedals, like an organ, and in this he used to drive with a pumping, clanking noise up and down the sidewalk of the Kurfurstendamm while from open windows came the multiplied roar of a dictator still pounding his chest in the Neander valley we had left far behind.
”
”
Vladimir Nabokov
“
A writer’s brain is full of little gifts, like a piñata at a birthday party. It’s also full of demons, like a piñata at a birthday party in a mental hospital. The truth is, it’s demons that keep a tortured writer’s spirit alive, not Tootsie Rolls. Sure they’ll give you a tiny burst of energy, but they won’t do squat for your writing. So treat your demons with the respect they deserve, and with enough prescriptions to keep you wearing pants.
”
”
Colin Nissan
“
Today was my forty-fifth birthday. Impending old age and a problem marriage were staring me in the face. Not a good place to be. I figured that right now, I had two choices — crawl out of the pit, or wallow and die. To wallow or not to wallow? That was the question. Look at Scarlett O’Hara. Did she cry and whine when Rhett walked out the door not giving a damn? Well, okay, she did. But not for long, I’ll bet. Not Scarlett. Same story here, baby, same story here.
”
”
Karen Cantwell (Take the Monkeys and Run (Barbara Marr Murder Mystery, #1))
“
Uh… not sure buying the entire store for that boy is good, Chace. If he’s living on the street, the rest of the homeless population in Carnal will fall on him like vultures,” I remarked.
Then he turned to me. “Got one homeless guy in town, darlin’. He calls himself Outlaw Al. He celebrated his seven hundredth birthday this year and looks it. You talk to him, he’ll swear he was the one who shot Billy the Kid. Every feral cat in Carnal will claw you soon as look at you but of any day or night, one or a dozen of ‘em will be curled into Al like he’s their Momma. He has two teeth. And I don’t see good things for his dental future since Shambles and Sunny built a small lean-to behind La-La Land so he’ll have some protection from exposure. He was much obliged for this effort. Moved in while Shambles was still hammering in the nails. He mostly stays there except when it’s his time to howl at the moon. And Shambles gives him baked goods he doesn’t sell. I think our kid’ll be good.
”
”
Kristen Ashley (Breathe (Colorado Mountain, #4))
“
I remember my wife's birthday, but forget how old she is; I forget our anniversary date, but never forget we're married. I remember the days when women I didn't know would smile at me because they thought I was nice looking, then smile to myself because the memory of that time is enough. I especially give thanks that the phrase, "I know better" is on the tip of my tongue, Finally, I found out Christ has a sense of humor, He has some pretty cool jokes, and boy oh boy, can He tell some stories, especially stories that involve me. Growing old is not the bad thing I thought it would be, especially since growing older is still on the table. But some of those stories He tells.....damn....I didn't realize I made Him laugh so much. But I did. And that's not an entirely bad thing
”
”
Lee Goff
“
One of the things I loved about Chris was his sense of humor, which seemed perfectly matched with mine, even at its most offbeat. April Fools’ Day was always a major highlight. A month before our daughter was due, I woke him up in the middle of the night.
“Don’t panic,” I told him, “but I think I’m going into labor.”
“Do we have a bag?” he asked, jumping up immediately.
“No, no, don’t worry.” I slipped out of bed and went to take a shower.
Chris immediately got dressed and, calmly but very quickly, gathered my clothes and packed a suitcase.
“I’m ready!” he announced, barging into the bathroom.
“Babe, do you know what day it is?” I asked sweetly. It was two A.M., April 1.
“Are you kidding me?” he said, disbelieving.
I laughed and plunged back into the shower.
He quickly got revenge by flushing the toilet, sending a burst of cold water across my body.
In retrospect, maybe I’d been a little cruel, but we did love teasing each other. At our wedding, we’d smooshed cake into each other’s faces. That began a tradition that continued at each birthday--whether it was ours or not. The routine never seemed to get old. We’d giggle and laugh, chasing each other as if we were crazy people. Our friends and neighbors got used to it--and learned to stay out of the line of fire.
”
”
Taya Kyle (American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal)
“
Do you think she's going to hang out your dirty laundry for all to see?"
"How can you say she has sense after what she pulled today? Bah! You don't know what you're talking about."
"What Willow did today was nothing more than an act of rebellion, a way to let off steam and let you know, in the only way she knew how, that your treatment of her is entirely unacceptable."
"Woman, what you need is a man, then maybe you wouldn't be putting your nose in everybody's business."
"Why,Mr. Vaughn, are you applying for the job?" Miriam asked, with an ill-humored smile.
"Hell,no!"
"Then I suggest you leave my personal life out of this. My life is in perfect order, which is more than can be said for yours!"
Owen grunted and took a pull on his pipe.
Well aware of his bold perusal, Miriam attacked her darning as if it were infinitely more engaging than any conversation with the man across the room from her.
Owen wasn't a handsome man by any standards with his bearlike build and ruddy complexion. And heaven knew he wasn't very likeable either. Thus, Miriam was at a complete loss to explain her powerful attraction to him. Good heavens, she thought, I haven't felt so giddy since that time on my eighteenth birthday when Hiriam pulled me behind Aunt Harriet's coachhouse and we... The landlady's face reddened.
”
”
Charlotte McPherren (Song of the Willow)
“
What if—” I stopped, swallowing hard. Nope. I couldn’t even say it aloud. We’d figure something else out because we had to. Time for a subject change before I lost it. “What did your mom say?”
“Mostly that she thinks my hair is getting too long and I should cut it.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“That’s my mom for you.” He was trying for humor but his voice caught, and I wondered if he was thinking about how if she left and he didn’t, he’d never ever see her again.
“So,” I said, sitting on the floor against the wall as close to the kitchen doorway as I could get without Lend dropping like a rock, “do you want your Christmas present?”
“You got me something?” He sounded surprised.
“I’ve been working on it for a while.”
“I, uh, didn’t find you anything yet. I was actually setting up for your party, not Christmas shopping like I said.”
“Being kidnapped by the Dark Queen and then cursed gets you off the hook for a lot. Besides, my birthday party totally counted.”
“This isn’t how I wanted our first Christmas to go. We were going to go all out, pick out a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, decorate it, watch cheesy holiday movies, drink hot chocolate, let my dad make his eggnog and then complain about how disgusting it was, then I was going to deck out my entire room in mistletoe . . .”
“Wait, you mean you didn’t plan for us to be stuck in different rooms for the holidays?”
“Well, that part’s kind of nice.” I heard his head bang against the wall where he was sitting right on the other side of it from me. “I mean, who wants to actually be able to touch their super hot girlfriend? Overrated.”
“I know, right?” I tried to laugh, but it came out choked. I swallowed, forcing my one to come out light. “And I totally dig watching people sleep. It’s so sexy.
”
”
Kiersten White (Endlessly (Paranormalcy, #3))
“
The past you lost is just like a dream. As you woke up new life
starts. So, your actual birthday will be your death day.
”
”
A.G. Sorachi
“
Besides," he said, "I had another reason for coming, one that will delight you, I believe, as you have been pestering me for years. I wanted you to meet Miss Goddard, the lady I plan one day soon, when the setting and the atmosphere are quite perfect, to ask to marry me. It is time, you see, to do that most dreaded of all things to men, though suddenly it does not seem so dreadful after all. Indeed, it seems infinitely desirable. It is time to settle down."
He smiled sleepily at Eunice, who gazed briefly and reproachfully back at him, eyebrows raised, her cheeks pink, before wishing his mother a happy birthday.
”
”
Mary Balogh (The Secret Mistress (Mistress Trilogy, #3))
“
Joe blinked, turned his head and tried to focus on the table. There was a card that said 'Happy Birthday' except that the word Birthday had been crossed out and the phrase 'Badass Cyborg Arm Surgery' had been hastily written beneath it in what appeared to be black marker.
”
”
TimeCloneMike (Terra Incognita (We're Not Weird, We're Eccentric, #2))
“
Two presents left to deliver, and then I can open the P-38 and go out on the same day I came in. Happy birthday to me! God, I can't wait.
”
”
Matthew Quick (Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock)