#pocketsreads

One of Victor’s favorite tricks was programming his DVR to record and play back shows that wouldn’t air for another six months. He was supposed to send me next season’s Doctor Who. (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

“If you’d have let me into your mind like your friend here, I wouldn’t have needed the gun.” That was where the headache had come from. I grinned and tapped my head. “Blame that on the fish in my brain.” Deb stared. “What the hell are you talking about?” “Telepathic fish.” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #DouglasAdams

Her sudden, mischievous smile eased the mood. “It’s a lot to process, I know. I’m thinking of putting together a pamphlet. ‘What to do When a Dryad has the Hots for You.’ What do you think?” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

“The fountain of youth?” “From what I’ve been told, it was more like the mud puddle of youth...” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

I started to tuck the ID badge away, but Lena caught my wrist. “What is that?” She tugged the badge free. “It’s blank.” “Psychic paper. Works great for getting through airport security, too.” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #DoctorWho

I hadn’t wanted the ring. Gandalf said that ring was trouble, and eleven-year-old me believed him. I had wanted Frodo’s sword, Sting: an elf blade, one light enough for someone like me to use. Frodo’s tormenters had been goblins and orcs; mine were the bullies down the street, waiting at the bus stop to play another round of Punch the Nerd. (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #LOTR

“This is what I am. I can’t stop any more than you can stop seeing the world in color.” “Actually, the rods in the eye only see black and white, and they require less light than the cones, so if it’s dark enough—” “Shut up.” She gave me a playful smack on the arm. (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

“With Nidhi, I learned to love rock climbing and skydiving, country music, fresh malapua, and old episodes of M*A*S*H. Before her, Frank Dearing taught me to love the earth, the feel of the soil, the pride of the harvest, the satisfaction of a long day’s work. Those loves don’t go away, exactly . . . but they fade to make room for the new.” “So if you and I . . .” She winked. “Yes, there’s a good chance you’d turn me into a devoted Doctor Who fangirl.” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #DoctorWho

Lena laughed. “You’re practically glowing.” “I’m having a good day.” I could feel the books calling out to me as I walked through the third floor, moving unerringly toward the familiar shelves. So much magical potential waiting to be brought into this world. “Even before I learned what I was, books were my escape from the world. This place . . . bookstores, libraries . . . they’re the closest thing I have to a church.” “So you stopped here for a blessing before wading into the lions’ den?” “Not exactly.” I grabbed a book and dropped it into my bag. “K’s Books is more than just a church. It’s also my armory.” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

“What is it with you and brown jackets?” Lena asked. “There were two reasons I wanted that jacket,” I said as I slipped the new one on. It was a little long, but not horribly so. “Doctor Who—the tenth doctor, specifically—was one of those reasons. “And the other?” “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen Firefly?” I shook my head. “You and I have work to do when this is all over.” (Libriomancer, Magic ex Libris 1, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #DoctorWho #Firefly

“Check out this one. ‘Dream Deferred,’ by Langston Hughes.” Slender brown fingers sank into the poem, emerging moments later with a raisin held between them. “You think Hughes was going on about raisins? It’s a metaphor.” She left the “duh” at the end unstated. Shaking her head, she popped the metaphor into her mouth and said, “He packs every syllable with hope and fear and desperation, until the words are ready to explode. How can you not feel that?” (Codex Born, Magic ex Libris 2, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #LangstonHughes

“You believe in aliens?” “I’m dating a dryad, and you pulled a snake out of your phone. You’re going to draw the line at aliens?” (Codex Born, Magic ex Libris 2, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

She tilted her head to glare at me over her sunglasses. “If you diss Silverstein, I will hurt you. I’m talking chainsaws, machetes, and a fire-spider in a very uncomfortable place. Smudge has my back on this. Right?” Smudge turned toward me and rubbed his forelegs together. “Traitor.” I skimmed the poem. “Whatif?” “You never get the whatifs? Never worry about your house burning down or Smudge getting eaten by an owl?” (Codex Born, Magic ex Libris 2, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads #MagicExLibris #ShelSilverstein

“The closest Porter therapist would be Doctor Karim. I assume Pallas assigned you to her when I was removed from your case?” My silence was confirmation enough. “I’ve got her on speed dial. I consulted on one of her cases last year, a bakeneko with bipolar disorder who was living as a barn cat in Ohio. In her manic phase, she liked to reanimate dead mice and chase them through the house.” “Wait, how do you treat a shapeshifting cat for bipolar disorder?” “Stress management techniques, a light box for winter, lithium when she’s in her human form, and diet control. Particularly the catnip tea. Don’t change the subject.” (Codex Born, Magic ex Libris 2, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads

“Would you teach a middle school science class how to mix thermite?” “If those infants already have the ingredients to make thermite, I’d damn well teach them how to make and handle it safely instead of waiting for them to accidentally burn down the school.” (Codex Born, Magic ex Libris 2, by Jim C Hines) #PocketsReads