40 quotes
There were things to do, people to see, questions to ask. Books to read.
The Burning Page (2016)
What is written can be erased, alas.
The Mortal Word (2018)
She was trying to work out who these men were working for. Were they Qing Song’s minions, random gangsters, specific gangsters, or undercover police? So many enemies, so little time.
The Lost Plot (2017)
Irene realized she was on the point of shouting. Worse, of being ungrammatical. She took a deep breath.
The Untold Story (2021)
They did attempt to leave the European Union last year, but apparently that was prompted by demonic interference.
The Secret Chapter (2019)
The atmosphere of the place soothed her automatically; the rich lantern-lights, the sheer scent of paper and leather, and the fact that everywhere she looked, there were books, books, beautiful books.
The Invisible Library (2015)
Indigo was precisely the sort of person who would declare that a just revolution was worth a million deaths. As long as she wasn’t one of them, of course.
The Secret Chapter (2019)
All that fear, all that paranoia, and all of it based on a lie simply to keep convenient control of this world. Maybe there were no universal standards of morality—but this was still just plain wrong.
The Secret Chapter (2019)
“My brother and I used to live in Rome,” she invented.
“Rome.” The other woman turned up her nose a little. “Well, I suppose people have to live somewhere.”
The Masked City (2015)
It was the sort of overly complex plan dreamed up by armchair manipulators who thought they could play chess with the universe and didn’t realize that the universe ignored rulebooks.
The Untold Story (2021)
And, really, Erda had put the basic problem in a nutshell. Everyone here viewed damage to their own particular interest as more significant than damage to anyone else’s. Whatever the scale of the damage.
The Mortal Word (2018)
They blew up a library. A library, Kai. They haven’t just offended me, they have attacked and insulted every single citizen of this place who used that library, who contributed to it, who even so much as might have used it someday in the future.
The Lost Plot (2017)
Walking through a library—any library—as they made their way to the exterior had its usual comforting, balancing effect on Irene. It was a reassurance that such places existed and that they would continue, even if she herself was as temporary as any other human.
The Mortal Word (2018)
“I have a complicated relationship with my parents. It’s a good relationship, but…”
“You hardly ever see them!”
“Yes, that’s why it’s a good relationship.”
The Secret Chapter (2019)
She was a Librarian, and the deepest, most fundamental part of her life involved a love of books. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and have nothing to worry about except the next page of whatever she was reading.
The Invisible Library (2015)
Here and there people sat at desks, carefully turning the pages of manuscripts, or unrolling scrolls and making notes. It comforted her. This is a place built to store books, by people who wanted to preserve books, and used by people who want to read those books. I am not alone.
The Masked City (2015)
My dear Miss Winters,
You will have realized by now that I intend to bring down irretrievable ruin on you, your loved ones, your friends and associates, your workplace, and anything else that comes to mind. Please don’t feel obliged to thank me. It is my pleasure entirely.
The Dark Archive (2020)
There were clear class divisions among the protestors: the upper-class ones stood back and gave the orders, while the lower-class ones did the actual work. Some things didn’t change, no matter how many worlds you visited.
The Lost Plot (2017)
She did find that the books displayed prominently in every chamber had been dusted, but the spines were pristine and uncreased. They had the sad, untouched air of literature paraded for display purposes but never actually used.
It was profoundly depressing.
The Invisible Library (2015)
Irene didn’t need Vale’s deductive skills to tell her she was in trouble. But there was something liberating about this. She was surrounded by known enemies, not politics. And she didn’t have anyone to worry about—apart from herself.
The Mortal Word (2018)