Bakers Dozen

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer
  8. “The shaman came to town near sunset, riding a dead horse.” Devil’s Tower - Mark Sumner

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer
  8. “The shaman came to town near sunset, riding a dead horse.” Devil’s Tower - Mark Sumner
  9. “I want my two hundred dollars!” - Addie Pray - Joe David Brown

The book which inspired Paper Moon. The movie’s great, but the book’s fantastic (and has some additional funny scams).

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer
  8. “The shaman came to town near sunset, riding a dead horse.” Devil’s Tower - Mark Sumner
  9. “I want my two hundred dollars!” - Addie Pray - Joe David Brown
  10. “As Siva twisted and turned, leapt and whirled, the age of Kali came to its predicted end.” Kalki, Gore Vidal

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer
  8. “The shaman came to town near sunset, riding a dead horse.” Devil’s Tower - Mark Sumner
  9. “I want my two hundred dollars!” - Addie Pray - Joe David Brown
  10. “As Siva twisted and turned, leapt and whirled, the age of Kali came to its predicted end.” Kalki, Gore Vidal
  11. “Once upon a time, there was a wizard named Prospero, and not the one you’re thinking of, either.” The Face in the Frost, John Bellairs.

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer
  8. “The shaman came to town near sunset, riding a dead horse.” Devil’s Tower - Mark Sumner
  9. “I want my two hundred dollars!” - Addie Pray - Joe David Brown
  10. “As Siva twisted and turned, leapt and whirled, the age of Kali came to its predicted end.” Kalki, Gore Vidal
  11. “Once upon a time, there was a wizard named Prospero, and not the one you’re thinking of, either.” The Face in the Frost, John Bellairs.
  12. “It was a dark and stormy night.” Paul Clifford, Edward Bulwer-Lytton

It’s a very famous line admittedly, but the novel is obscure.

Of course, that’s not really the line. A lot of people wonder why “It was a dark and stormy night.” is considered such a classic of bad writing when it seems fairly pedestrian.

The full opening line of Paul Clifford is “It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.”

Yeah, but that seemed a bit gust of windy. Should have remembered space isn’t a consideration.

Favorite Lines from Obscure Novels

  1. “I’ll squck yur thrug till all yu can whupple is geep!” - James Thurber - The Wonderful O
  2. “He was in the next room mixing my favourite drink; I call it ‘the top shelf in a pail’.” - Paul Quarrington - The Life of Hope.
  3. His dear mother in Boston had given him the middle name of Jellicle, after the Jellicle Cats in T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practcal Cats, which she’d read long before Andrew Lloyd Webber was even a gillmer in an Englishman’s eye. - Ed McBain - Downtown
  4. “The water is singing the Hallelujah Chorus.” Sex & Sunsets, Tim Sandlin
  5. “It was a malodorous gut wind.” Aztec, Gary Jennings
  6. “Ecstasy, It’s finally spring down here on the Chattahoochee-- the azaleas are in bloom, and everyone is dying of cancer.” James Halloran, Dancer from the Dance
  7. "If Thoreau had been a drinking man, “Walden” would have been a completely different book - “The damn birds woke me up at 4 AM, screeching like banshees!” - Zod Wallop, William Browning Spencer
  8. “The shaman came to town near sunset, riding a dead horse.” Devil’s Tower - Mark Sumner
  9. “I want my two hundred dollars!” - Addie Pray - Joe David Brown
  10. “As Siva twisted and turned, leapt and whirled, the age of Kali came to its predicted end.” Kalki, Gore Vidal
  11. “Once upon a time, there was a wizard named Prospero, and not the one you’re thinking of, either.” The Face in the Frost, John Bellairs.
  12. “It was a dark and stormy night.” Paul Clifford, Edward Bulwer-Lytton
  13. “Once you get past a certain threshold, everyone’s problems are the same: fortifying your island and hiding the heat signature from your fusion reactor.” Soon I Will Be Invincible - Austin Grossman

New category: Roman Emperors

  1. Augustus

Roman Emperors

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero

Roman Emperors

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian

Probably the second most important emperor.

Roman Emperors:

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus

Roman Emperors:

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus
  5. Valerian

I just wanted to throw in that I’m gratified to learn that I’m not the only person in the world who has read ‘The Face in the Frost’.

Roman Emperors:

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus
  5. Valerian
  6. Julius Caesar

Roman Emperors:

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus
  5. Valerian
  6. Julius Caesar
  7. Nerva

Julius Caesar was never Emperor.

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus
  5. Valerian
  6. Julius Caesar
  7. Nerva

6a. Hadrian

New Category: Roman Emperors

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus
  5. Valerian
  6. Nerva
  7. Hadrian
  8. Marcus Aurelius

New Category: Roman Emperors

  1. Augustus
  2. Nero
  3. Diocletian
  4. Titus
  5. Valerian
  6. Nerva
  7. Hadrian
  8. Marcus Aurelius
  9. Vespasian