response 160 of 195:

Mar 13 22:08 UTC 1999

Okay, no quesses for a few days... I'll post another quote, but
from a different book sometime today... In the mean time, some
hints... The author is female, and from North America.

response 162 of 195:

Mar 14 20:58 UTC 1999

Nope, not Margaret Atwood.  This author also happens to be dead.

Next quote- new book, same author (of course)

        "Emily, with an eloquent glance at Ellen's hands, went and got the dish
towel.
        "Your hands are fat and pudgy," she said. "The bones don't show at
all."
        "Never mind sassing back!  It's awful, with your poor pa dead in there.
But if you Aunt Ruth takes you she'll soon cure you of that."
        "Is Aunt Ruth going to take me?"
        "I don't know, but she ought to.  She's a widow with no chick or child,
and well-to-do."
        "I don't think I want Aunt Ruth to take me," said Emily deliberately,
after a moment's reflection.
        "Well, you won't have the choosing likely.  You ought to be thankful
to get a home anywhere.  Remember you're not of much importance."
        "I am important to myself," cried Emily proudly.
        "It'll be some chore to bring you up," muttered Ellen. "Your Aunt Ruth
is the one to do it, in my opinion.  She won't stand no nonsense.  A fine
woman she is and the neatest housekeeper on P. E. Island.  You could eat off
her floor."
        "I don't want to eat off her floor.  I don't care if a floor is dirty
as long as the tablecloth is clean."
        "Well, her tablecloths are clean too, I reckon.  She's got an elegant
house in S. with bow windows and wooden lace all round the roof.  It's very
stylish.  It would be a fine home for you.  She'd learn you some sense and
do you a world of good."
        "I don't want to learn sense and be done a world of good to," cried
Emily with a quivering lip. "I-I want somebody to love me."
        "Well, you've got to behave yourself if you want people to like you.
You're not to blame so much- your pa has spoiled you.  I told him so often
enough, but he just laughed.  I hope he ain't sorry for it now.  The fact is,
Emily Starr, you're queer, and folks don't care for queer children."
        "How am I queer?" demanded Emily.
        "You talk queer- and you act queer- and at times you look queer.  And
you're too old for your age- though that ain't your fault.  It comes of never
mixing with other children.  I've always threaped at your father to send you
to school- learning at home ain't the same thing- but he wouldn't listen to
me, of course.  I don't say but what you are as far along in book learning
as you need to be, but what you want is to learn how to be like other
children.  In one way it would be a good thing if your Uncle Oliver would take
you, for he's got a big family.  But he's not as well off as the rest, so it
ain't likely he will.  Your Uncle Wallace might, seeing as he reckons himself
the head of the family.  He's only got a grown-up daughter.  But his wife's
delicate- or fancies she is."
        "I wish Aunt Laura would take me," said Emily.  She remembered that
father had said Aunt Laura was something like her mother.
        "Aunt Laura!  She won't have no say in it- Elizabeth's boss at New
Moon.  Jimmy Murray runs the farm, but he ain't quite all there, I'm told_"
        "What part of him isn't there?" asked Emily curiously.
        "Laws, it's something about hi mind, child.  He's a bit simple- some
accident or other when he was a youngster, I've heard.  IT addled his head,
kind of.  Elizabeth was mixed up in it some way- I've never heard the rights
of it.  I don't reckon the New Moon people will want to be bothered with you.
They're awful set in their ways.  You take my advice and try to please your
Aunt Ruth.  Be polite- and well-behaved- mebbe she'll take a fancy to you.
There, that's all the dishes.  You'd better go upstairs and be out of the
way." "

response 164 of 195:

Mar 15 14:28 UTC 1999

Yup. :)  The first was "Blue Castle" one of Lucy Maud's later books,
and a lot of fun. :)

Gloria's up. 

response 166 of 195:

Mar 16 20:00 UTC 1999

Ok.  Hints about the author:  Male, American, still living.

"D_____ began to read hungrily. as though starved for print.  And the speed
next -- and why.  Everybody else is a robot, a machine.

     "Some persons seem to like you, and others seem to hate you, and you must
wonder why.  They are simply liking machines and hating machines.

     "You are pooped and demoralized," read D_____.  "Why wouldn't you be?
Of course it is exhausting, having to reason all the time in a universe which
wasn't meant to be reasonable."

     "D_____H_____ read on:  "You are surrounded by loving machines, hating
machines, greedy machines, unselfish machines, brave machines, cowardly
machines, truthful machines, lying machines, funny machines, solemn
machines," he read.  "Their only purpose is to stir you up in every reasonable
way, so the Creator of the Universe can watch your reactions.  They can no
more feel or reason than grandfather clocks.

     "The Creator of the Universe would now like to apologize not only for
the capricious, jostling companionship he provided during the test, but for
the trashy, stinking condition of the planet itself.  The Creator programmed
the robots to abuse it for millions of years, so it would be a poisonous,
festering cheese when you got here.  Also, he made sure it would be
desperately crowded by programming the robots, regardless of their living
conditions, to crave sexual intercourse and adore infants more than almost
anything."

response 168 of 195:

Mar 16 20:10 UTC 1999

Brian Aldiss?

response 170 of 195:

Mar 16 22:26 UTC 1999

Stanislaw Lem?  

response 172 of 195:

Mar 17 07:27 UTC 1999

douglass adams?

response 174 of 195:

Mar 17 19:26 UTC 1999

Kurt Vonnegut it is.  That quote was taken from Breakfast of Champions.
Cyklone - you are up.

response 176 of 195:

Mar 18 00:14 UTC 1999

        Tom Robbins?

response 178 of 195:

Mar 18 00:57 UTC 1999

Terry Pratchett

response 180 of 195:

Mar 18 06:15 UTC 1999

  Unless I miss my guess It's from "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and
  Neil Gaiman.  I'd say, though, that Brenda should get credit.

response 182 of 195:

Mar 18 13:18 UTC 1999

(Good Omens is wonderful. :)  Have to love a book that has a HellHound
named 'Dog' -no spoiler, there is a 'cast list' at the beginning of the
book- and an angel who didn't fall, but sauntered vaguely downwards...)