He is already trying to come up with something he can use as proof without having to go in, when he reaches the gates. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

He’d sat here under the trees for hours, in a kind of numb shock, trying to figure out what to do. I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 2017-08-01T00:00:00Z

I give up trying to figure out his motives. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

Then, fixing his scowl back on me, he said, “Isn’t that right? Isn’t that what you were trying to do? Isn’t that what you put in your bag?” All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Every day we were out in the streets, hustling, trying to act as if we were in some way down with the gangs, but the truth was we were always more cheese than hood. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“Want any more?” asked the old gentleman, looking grim and vexed, but trying not to show it. Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I dont know why you are trying to make me fire you,” he says. The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

My mother laughed girlishly one night, trying not to pronounce sheep as ship. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

I fell back too, trying to push the door closed, but by now the other men were there. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

Celaena kept her hands pressed against the maroon bodice, trying not to wring them. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

Later, when he thought about it, Sergio wondered if Paul had actually been trying to come up with some kind of lie about how he had lost it. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story 2016-06-28T00:00:00Z

I must look like a dog chasing its tail, twisting and twirling, trying to see the stains on my back in the mirror. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

Daddy kept trying to peek over her shoulder, but she kept turning away. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to fight back the flood of color in my cheeks. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

But when Momma makes up her mind, there ain’t no use in trying to change it. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z

In retrospect, you might imagine he was trying to tell her something. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

I can’t see my father, and I’m trying to cry out, Where is aba, where is my father? Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

She burned her fingers trying to light a fire for the first time in her life and she had to ask Aureliano to do her the favor of showing her how to make coffee. One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

Quickly, trying not to feel anything, we went through the kid’s pockets. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

But if she wasn’t nursing or trying to keep up with the bigger ones, she was by herself. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

I tugged at my mom’s purse, trying to find her phone. Absolutely Almost 2014-06-01T00:00:00Z

In Africa, Gene had felt that C. J. was trying to run the show, and it irritated Gene to no end. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Even after his mistake with the Governor, he'd never given up trying to make a better world. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

I began, hesitant, while she was trying on a pair of pink strappy heels — she was overjoyed to have a date tall enough that she could wear high heels at all. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

But instead of trying to scratch those itches, I pick up my phone and FaceTime the person who encouraged me to post the story in the first place. What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

“Give the old man a chance. He’s trying to get his daughter back, alive. He’s given you a big story; now wait.” Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

In the chaos, when everyone was shouting and the factionless were trying to push us toward the staircase, I curled my fingers in the h^m of his shirt so I wouldn’t lose him. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

But as the day grew long, more of them were drawn in, gazing into the television—into the void of space, into their own hearts, trying to make some meaning of what they were watching. Hidden Figures 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

Captain Stewart was still saying that the VC were trying to get into place in time for the Tet holiday. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to clutch at drips and drabs of my old best friend, hoping she’s still in there somewhere. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

“What’s so important about this?” the Special asked, shaking the container and trying to peer through its translucent plastic. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

“And that’s what you were trying to tell me about yesterday?” Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

Toby was still trying to calm down, but Annie stood up and brought him the plate anyway. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

At one point, I felt his hand slip against my arm, like he was trying to help me. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I was watching cartoons, trying to drown out the teen voices by raising the volume higher and higher. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

With the black kids, I wasn’t constantly trying to be. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

Back when my great-grandmother passed we were all at my grandmother’s house, trying to clean it up so she could come home to a house of happiness. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Imagine the poor teacher trying to take attendance each morning. Wishtree 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

I t’s not easy for either of us, but we keep trying. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Connor and I spent the next morning trying to unearth more peacock snails. Willodeen 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z

I sat on a pile of bricks, trying to keep the Madonna from sliding through my fingers. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

The freight trains on the siding were loaded down with men trying to get from one part of the country to another, looking for work and something to eat. A Long Way from Chicago 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

After she leaves, I stare at the clock, trying to make the time go faster. Lucky Broken Girl 2017-04-11T00:00:00Z

“I was scared, Dèja. The building kept moaning, chattering its pain. Then electrical power went. Battery-powered lights switched on. Folks were scared but still trying to be nice, helping others. “ Towers Falling 2016-07-12T00:00:00Z

I say, trying to get the thoughts floating around in my head to land on the paper. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

I knelt a moment, trying to catch my breath in wind that held more snow than oxygen. The Honest Truth 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

I take a shower, and this morning my brain is not assembling lists of supplies for the wild, but trying to figure out how they organized that uprising in District 8. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

Mouth dry, stomach lurching, Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

Jeanne shouted, trying to tear herself from the knight’s hard hands. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

“Are you trying to look good for someone? Oh, my god. Do you have a crush or something?” How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z

These days, it wasn’t Buddy who was trying to get out of naps. Full of Beans 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro coin. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

It became so tedious and draining to watch that I eventually turned my head to the side, trying to keep guard with the corner of my eyes. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

I realize I'm still trying to fight my way out of the soldiers' grasp. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

Valiant undoubtedly, but about as effective as trying to cut down a tree with a feather. Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z

He crawls frantically under a church pew, trying to work out how he can fight her. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 2016-07-31T00:00:00Z

As she sobbed, Papa rocked her in the dark, trying to console her. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

I’d heard stories on TV of traitors being executed, but those people were trying to harm us. The Red Umbrella 2010-04-25T00:00:00Z

“One of those white wigs that British barristers plop on top of their heads when they are trying a case.” Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

A false accusation—especially against someone trying to help—could mean blowing the best chance I have to learn anything at all about Moreau and being a magician. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

“Panic rooms are what rich people have in their houses, where they can go and be safe and lock themselves in if someone breaks in. Or if someone is trying to kidnap them.” The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

But Al Ulbrickson wasn’t one to waste a lot of time trying to figure out a touchy kid’s tender spots. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

I was trying to figure out how I was going to get down the black stuff I had been handed. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

So for half an hour, as the girls watched from the grass, he paddled around by himself, trying to make it all look fun, irresistible. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

To keep my mind off my troubles I began trying to name all the countries in the world, which I was supposed to know because I’d learned them in geography. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We’re trying. All I know is that all of the Mosses’ adopted kids have the same guardian.” Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

“I made this beautiful dinner, and you’re trying to ruin it with your negativity.” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

I protested, trying to scratch her* but C.C. squeezed me so tight I almost blacked out. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

Caitlin thought you were trying to hurt me because sometimes you pull people off the monkey bars. Mockingbird 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

He tossed his salsa container into the paper bag and stared at me, trying to figure out what I meant. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

Probably the Patriots were trying to get the guns away from all the Tories. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I asked, trying to sneak a peek around her arm. Absolutely Almost 2014-06-01T00:00:00Z

The wind tugged at my baseball cap and ballooned inside my hoodie as I raced down the streets of Stokum trying to outrun my life. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

Every day you see people completely lost, trying to have conversations and having no idea what the other person is saying. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

Gwin moved on his shoulder, trying to wriggle out of his collar, which he liked as little as he liked the dog's leash Dustfinger always carried with him. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

“How in the ...” I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

My body tenses when my phone starts to buzz, and I see that it’s Zohra trying to FaceTime me early in the morning before Sunday school. Amina's Song 2021-03-09T00:00:00Z

Maybe Matthias was lying, or all this stuff about Black Protocol is a fake to keep people from even trying to open the gates. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

The customer I was trying to help was practically leaning his head on my shoulder, trying to see the computer screen. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

Rondell stumbles trying to get away from the guys holding him back. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

“What you mean, girl? What you trying to say?” Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

Upon seeing us all trooping out of the house, Millard scolded us for trying to leave him behind. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

“You know. Paul was just trying to help someone inside the store. That’s what he says. And then there’s the whole stopping people from stealing thing.” All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

I blink rapidly, trying to get my bearings—that skinny nurse with the horse face has dropped a tray of food at the end of the hall, and it’s woken me up. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

“That they were trying to pick out any of the dangerous ones that were still hiding out.” The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

“As I am home now too,” Sifen said, and if it was at all possible, his grin grew broader, as if trying to include the entire garden and sky. When the Sea Turned to Silver 2016-10-04T00:00:00Z

Everyone started pressing in, trying to get a look at my injuries, but I pushed them away and jumped on my board and took off, fast. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

But was it a threat if they were only kidding, if they were just trying to make a fool out of me? Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He shook it, trying to clear it, and the moths on his brow and cheeks took flight and fluttered around his head in a corona. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

Hazel followed behind, trying to move as stealthily as the creature. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

We didn’t keep track of time at Thurmond in the usual way; I recognized seasons passing, but somewhere along the line I had stopped trying to mark it. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

The cafeteria cashier is trying to find my name in the red folder. Free Lunch 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

I was glad they had done this before, because my heart felt like it had grown feet and was trying to run away from my body. All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“I mean, not money or anything, but I’m trying to find our biological mom.” Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

And off he went, trying to exorcise the demon of football. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

“She was just trying to—she likes you—” “I don’t care if she likes me or not,” I said. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

Our house had burned, with the blame going either to Mother’s spirit or the mischief of village children, though Tata Boanda allowed it was probably Father trying to toast meat over a kerosene flame. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

The scythes closest to him leaped into action, trying to stop him, but he kicked and spun, and sliced and flipped. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

Chou looks at me now with her brows wrinkling close together, as if trying to figure out my thoughts. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

We kiss, we dance, we get caught trying to sneak away to be alone. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

Maya could tell that Jessica was trying not to cry again. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

I covered my head with the blanket and through a hole in it I watched her, trying to see what gifts she was going to wrap. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

So he was trying to make me feel stupid. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

The blood inside her is aggravated, trying to get out. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

Still, she thought, Roger must have felt like that as he plunged down the mountainside, trying to cling to her desperate fingers. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

Ron was buried deepest: Harry and Hermione climbed, as quietly as they could, over all the wreckage to where he lay, trying to prise a heavy chest of drawers off his legs. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

“But Sidney’s listing,” he said, trying to show her the catalogue. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z

Much of my life had been devoted to trying not to cry in front of people who loved me, so I knew what Augustus was doing. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to make it sound, you know, grand,” I said. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to remember some things I read that I didn’t have time to save or write down.” A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

That's what trying to deal with one of them carriage drivers will do to you. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

I toss every which way trying to shut out his voice. American Street 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

My mother is on the phone periodically, trying to reach Mrs. Finch. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

On the water the haze was so thick it was like trying to inhale wet cotton. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

“No, no,” I mumbled, trying to keep the agony out of my voice. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

“So I’m trying to shove her hands back into her mittens when all of a sudden Beck mumbles, ‘Hey, I’ve got this all figured out.’ Into Thin Air 1996-08-01T00:00:00Z

He’s currently jet-lagged to all hell from trying to keep the press from ruining the presidency, and the irony isn’t lost on him. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to remember whether he looked pleased or disappointed. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

But anyway, the key stuck, and was a great inconvenience to anyone trying to play the piano. Stuart Little 1945-10-17T00:00:00Z

Like you trying to put a hole in the floor. Patina 2017-08-29T00:00:00Z

They were kind in their way and were trying to cheer Ruth up. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I guess being a good neighbor is better than cash,” I said brightly, trying to be charming. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

I held my breath, trying not to make any noise. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Lissa tugged at the dog’s collar, trying to pull him away from the tree. The Old Willis Place 2004-09-20T00:00:00Z

As I sat there, trying to focus on the shorthand book before me, I could hear some of the things the crowd was shouting. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Already, I’m trying to figure out what kind of new virtual reality they have installed in their headquarters. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“Will the robe become so damaged during the Song that it will need repairing again?” she asked him, trying not to show how distressing the thought was to her. Gathering Blue 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I could see him trying to come to grips with the situation. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

“So let me get this straight,” Juanita asked Pita as my mind raced through the warning signs, trying to remember the things I should be looking for. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

They spent so much time trying to normalize her life that Maya sometimes felt like she was anything but normal. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

A moan escaped him as he pressed his palms against his head, trying to block out something she could not hear. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

She came over to me and completely ignored the fact that I was trying to burrow my way through the bottom of my seat and into the luggage compartment. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sam snorted in his sleep and shook his head as if he were trying to shake a fly off his face. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I spent more than a hundred years trying to fade into anonymity, but even the youngest of children know of me. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

I’d spent so much of my life running from her, trying to show her I didn’t need her as much as she thought. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z

“What have you there?” he added, trying to sound unconcerned. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

I watched the shark wiggle, like he was trying to scratch an itch on his back, and I ran along the railing to get ahead of him, so I could see him swim by. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

They jumped and lunged at the sign, trying to catch it. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

“But I couldn’t call,” April said, covering her face and trying not. to remember so vividly the fingers across her mouth and throat. The Egypt Game 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

“People aren’t even trying to get their vote back,” she said. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z

With great effort she was trying to fold the sides of the screen together. Farewell to Manzanar 1973-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We’re just trying to make the world a little sweeter,” Duke said after the Dog Squad rolled the bad guy down the slope and turned him into a giant snowball. Dog Squad 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

Been trying to ignore her *assets* since they started blooming, if you will, in seventh grade. Odd One Out 2018-08-09T00:00:00Z

“I’m twenty-three,” I said, trying to keep the defensive tone out of my voice. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

“I have not yet found it necessary,” Penelope said, trying to keep her temper steady. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z

“I loved your photo exhibit at last semester’s Arts Night,” I said, trying to change the subject. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

I immersed the sponge and turned my focus back to the task, trying to pretend the scar wasn’t there. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

He’s trying to stay sober for our practices. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

The only thing I was worried about was trying to speak perfect English. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

Kate was leaning against a wall, trying to hold herself up. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

The sailor stood upright quickly, trying to conceal a crystal butterfly behind his back. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

“No, I’m just going to keep trying to catch you some dinner, princess. And I’ll keep watching your back too, if only for Matt.” Adrift 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

What he’s trying to accomplish—it looks impossible. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

“You look gorgeous. Poor Mike’s going to have no idea what to do with all that skin. I can picture him fumbling around, trying to figure out where to put his hands.” Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

The good-looking doctor is trying to get my attention. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

She looks at the boy sitting on one of the bottom bunks—he is a fewyears younger than we are, and he’s trying to undo a knot in his shoelaces. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

I walked away from the children, step by step up the stairs, trying to focus my eyes on nothing but the Diamants’ door. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

“It’s never going to be a real book, but it’s a story I’m trying to finish for me.” What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

Waits and waits, trying to see if I’ll say anything to this. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

That’s when I disconnected from the pain and lifted a hand, trying to twist my body enough to grab whoever was holding me. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

Would he once again think about trying to make Vincent a ward of the state? Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

“All I do is go around trying to forget the arena and you’ve brought it back to life. How do you remember these things so exactly?” Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

The doctor and his wife lingered over each girl, "trying to get them straight," and remembering how each one had been only this tall when last they had seen them. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z

I lay turning, twisting, holding my eyes closed and trying first to think, then not to think. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

I peered through the slats at the other car, trying to see. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

I say, trying to shout and whisper at the same time. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

I look up at her at this, trying to see, trying to know, to know real and true. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

"I had no idea you were taking pictures. We’re trying to save actual lives, and you’re flitting around with your camera? I told everyone you were too young." Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

“Bless the Lord, just trying to make it in.” I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

I covered my own mousy hair with the curled wig trying to hide my triumph, trying to hide my smile. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

“Teach me your mindspeech,” I said, trying to speak easily and with no rancor, “your language that has no lies in it. Teach me that, and then ask me why I did what I’ve done.” The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

What with Ladybird Hope trying to kill us and all. Beauty Queens 2011-05-24T00:00:00Z

“I’m not trying to be an exhibitionist or anything.” The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

And she might have even asked the question Chess was trying very hard not to think about. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

She cleared her throat, trying to mask her upset. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

“Now, as I was trying to explain, young lady, your boyfriend has not sent any reports since we voted him into exile.” The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

Maybe Baba is trying to make up for being late, but he won’t stop asking questions. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z

And the swan was still trying to stretch his head right off his neck. Raymie Nightingale 2016-04-12T00:00:00Z

Everybody else in the hooch was trying to get out of it. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Koffi forced the words, trying to ignore the growing sting behind her eyes. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He was always on the edge, trying to hold on to the rim of the family with what gifts he had—care, and reason, application. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

I thought about Ashley, about that monogrammed sweater and the pearls and how she was trying so hard to escape from this life. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

He was trying to hide behind one of the sails. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

He kept trying to balance the rake upside- down on the palm of his hand. Doing Time Online 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

One time I saw an old jet-black woman, bent like an ostrich with its head in the sand, trying to cultivate the bone-dry soil with a broken hoe. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dad and Uncle Robert started discussing business and I wandered away, trying to get a better angle on watching the continuous miner and the shuttle go through their choreographed dance of mining coal. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

He had looked at Mr Hooper surreptitiously across the dining table, and when he passed by him on the staircase, trying to understand. I'm the King of the Castle 1970-09-03T00:00:00Z

Then, she thanked me for not trying to make what I did seem less by offering a lot of excuses. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

In the darkness I heard the steward continually cry out while the other men stumbled about, trying to find where I was. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

“I can’t believe . . Thomas stared at his plate, trying to understand why Gaily would do that. “Don’t worry about it, dude. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

But we knew we had no choice, we had to make it across the clearing because, as young boys, the risk of staying in town was greater for us than trying to escape. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

At the height of the Selma campaign, on July 4, 1964, students trying to enter the segregated Wilby Theater and Thirsty Boy drive-in were attacked by whites and then arrested for trespassing. Because They Marched 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ernest had been at the Balboa house trying to steal a few days of rest when the invitation to Geneva arrived from Washington. Big Science 2015-07-07T00:00:00Z

That night, I sat through supper trying to decide where I could take Meryl Lee on an allowance that I had to string together for three weeks just to get some cream puffs. The Wednesday Wars 2007-05-21T00:00:00Z

Give them a bone to gnaw on or they will keep on trying to bite you. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

“Are you sure? I thought you might be trying to say something else.” Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

He’s one of those eternal optimists, which is another one of those cute Sahil things I’m trying not to notice too much. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

She scanned the street trying to figure out what had gotten him so worked up. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

“Maxim,” I whispered, “what are you saying, what are you trying to tell me?” Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

He sounded as if he were trying to clear something really big out of his gullet. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

We scurried up the ledge, trying to keep low, and, after several nerve-racking minutes, we reached the final curve. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z

She walked away, and I stayed there for a bit, trying to catch up with my brain. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

“I’ll keep on trying,” he said, as a look of despair crossed his haggard face. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

The Hattiesburg police had a plan: they would block every entrance to the train depot, making it impossible for blacks to purchase tickets; then they would arrest anyone trying to board without a ticket. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

He squinted at the sky as if he were trying to figure out the weather. Homesick 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Like, maybe the universe is trying to save me from my destiny now that I’ve given up on saving myself. Please Ignore Vera Dietz 2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

I start writing to Tom, writing and deleting, writing and deleting, trying to find ways to ask forgiveness for the things I said last night. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Farid was still trying to get the lock open when they reached the cage. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

I've lied to the doctors and nurses who were trying to help me. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

She hawks me up and down, like she trying to figure out why I’m here and not in school. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

"I was simply trying to find out if she came from a family that loved good literature." Matilda 1988-10-01T00:00:00Z

“No! The story is that my team is trying to do something amazing and positive! We do not have to get into all this negative stuff!” The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

She pulled her hand back from the table, trying desperately not to make a face. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

Or was he, as some historians claim, merely trying to understand the nature of hybridity in peas? The Gene 2016-06-02T00:00:00Z

Brian and I would hide behind the sagebrush across the highway, trying to peer inside the front door when someone went in or out, but we could never see what was going on. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying not to say "uncle," which was what he was waiting for. Ghost 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

I grit my teeth, trying to hold back the anger and missing-Amma feeling and whatever-else feelings that slosh about inside my stomach like Rani's stew. Born Behind Bars 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z

What certainly went on the Harlem and Roxbury wires was that Detroit Red was going crazy in stir, or else he was trying some hype to shake up the warden’s office. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

The tile was slippery, and I swung my legs around, trying to squirm away. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

She said I was trying to hurt her feelings and she hated me and we weren’t friends any more. Wintergirls 2009-03-19T00:00:00Z

Uncle Basil offers, trying to lighten the mood. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

“And there I was, trying to be all valiant and stuff by catching you?” The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

“Well, it’s just that people have questions They are trying to sort things out for themselves.” Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

The hard bed hadn’t helped, either, and she gingerly eased herself out of it, trying to avoid waking Shae and Taisin. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

“Do you realize I’ve been trying to get your mother for an hour and a half and the line’s been busy?” The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z

I stood at the token booth with my hands in my pockets trying not to notice the people standing in line behind Ty'ree getting impatient. Miracle's Boys 2000-04-23T00:00:00Z

And still trying to comprehend why I was in so much trouble. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z

Jam sent the message and walked down her driveway, squinting through the dying day, trying to find him. Pet 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

It feels like trying to wring out a towel that just isn’t wet enough to drip anymore and yet you keep squeezing and twisting, hoping that some drops will fall. Shouting at the Rain 2019-05-07T00:00:00Z

“Are you trying to arrange a romance for my supercargo?” Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

But I didn’t understand what he was trying to get at circuitously. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

The ball would go to Comer on the pitches and the sweeps and he would lead the noble but anonymous charge trying to take out the defensive ends and the linebackers. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

Talked with his body like an old street hustler trying to convince people that stolen goods are a steal. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

He played “YMCA,” and the strawberry plants started going crazy, wrapping around our feet like they were trying to strangle us. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

There was no doubt about it, the foxes were trying to dupe the Warlord. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

He was actually trying to make amends for his unfair characterization of Adams in the Priestley letter as one of the “ancients.” Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation 2000-10-17T00:00:00Z

We saw another group of kids still at work, trying to sell newspapers to people who were stopped in their cars at a traffic light. The Bridge Home 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

“Okay, I get off work at six. Applebee’s. Might have to multitask, though, because I’m trying to finish a story—don’t take it personally okay he’s calling I have to go thanks love you bye.” Turtles All the Way Down 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

Toby shook his head to each of them, trying to think up a name that wouldn’t have consequences. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

When I looked back, the old man was circling around like a dog trying to catch a fly on its tail. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

It was Bear who now attacked, trying to slip sideways to the steward’s dagger side, while making a dive at the man’s body. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

I know the technique, how to look blank and as if you are listening when really you are trying to fly away from your body. A Step from Heaven 2001-04-30T00:00:00Z

Astonished, he spun around, looked at her as if trying to remember who she was, and put his hand to his bleeding face. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

This time, he nearly tore the pages flipping through them, trying to find some explanation. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He was done trying to rise above himself. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

I stood there a couple of minutes, trying to think up some kind of scheme, then opened my bag, dug into my peach money, and took out a couple of dimes. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Just as I’m trying to decide whether to show teeth, a huge flash goes off and blinds me. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

"Are you trying to run up my bill?" The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

“When he was little, my father played with her kids here. She was murdered right inside her apartment for trying to stop drug dealers from selling in this very park.” Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

He glances around, like he’s trying to figure out where the smoke is coming from. The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

“Only the high schools are closed. No one is trying to send Negroes to the junior highs.” The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

“He does not mean him to succeed, he wants him to be killed trying!” Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

“It was a game,” I offered, and I felt myself talking on and on, trying to put things on a lighter level. The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z

Everyone was trying to do what I was, so we twisted and moved constantly, a mass of humanity jostling in a never-ending quest to avoid freezing. The Boy on the Wooden Box 2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

“What are you trying to get at?” he said. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

I passed our homeless friend from the Embarcadero, who was still trying to warn the other guys about the metal angels from Mars. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

But the axis had shifted: I was now trying to balance parenting with something altogether different and more confusing—politics, America, Barack’s quest to do something important. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

The day was cloudy but the sun was trying to come through. A Farewell To Arms 1929-09-02T00:00:00Z

Looking at the volcano-shaped creature, he knew what some of his friends had been trying to tell him was correct. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Unfortunately, the day it was due, the collection agency showed up at my door trying to get the money and I didn’t make it to school. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

I was always thinking of Dante, always trying to figure him out, always wondering why it was that we were friends and why it seemed to matter so much. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

"When I come up they said a white woman set it oft by trying to take a black gal's man." Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I mean, you played notes, but that doesn't mean you were good. It was just a little...mechanical. But wait, I don't mean it like that," I add quickly, trying to undo my blunder. What the Night Sings 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

I rode the elevator down in silence, trying not to stare at the camera mounted above the doors. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

“I’m very believable,” I said, trying to comfort her. Liar, Liar 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

He’s trying to taunt, trick me with his relaxed, almost sloppy parrying. Black Brother, Black Brother 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Some more cop cars came and before you turned around there’s about seven cars and a whole mess of people milling around 145th Street, trying to figure out what was going on. 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

I turn around and start walking, trying to ignore the lump rising in my throat. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

Then Mr. Lew saw' the old Plymouth trying to dock at the curb, scraping its hubcaps against its moorings before finally coming to rest. A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

On stiff and frozen legs, she followed the other students off the plane and into customs, trying to keep her eye on them as they were split into different lines. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z

Leer nearly drowns trying to demonstrate a sausage. All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

We spent those days frantically trying to clean the house in anticipation of the return of the child-welfare man. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

“I don’t,” I said, trying to get past him. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

I remember trying to like it since Amil liked it so much. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

In front of the open refrigerator, I unwrapped a piece of leftover pizza and took a quick bite, like a shark, trying to decide if it was really worth eating. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hopefully I wouldn’t have to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

He stood about ten feet away from them, head tilted back, trying to stop the bleeding from his nose. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z

“Because I was worrying about what everyone else was thinking about me, and I was trying to live up to everyone’s expectations.” Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

At the beginning, it sounds like a guy is trying to get his girlfriend to secretly meet up with him at midnight. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Velia slid back into her seat like a turtle trying to get back in its shell. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

As soon as Clara was able to move, she pushed Esteban out of her way, rose with great difficulty, and left the study, trying to walk as erect as she could. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Would they spend the rest of the evening outside on the porch, trying to keep up appearances? The Red Umbrella 2010-04-25T00:00:00Z

Desperately trying to marshal my own thoughts in narrative order. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

But Reggie felt like he was trying to do some new things, live life in a more full way. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

“Were trying to find out the best way to support him.” I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

I smiled, trying to set her at her ease. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

They had been moving in a group, or trying to: actually, they had straggled widely at times. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

I shout, trying not to touch my face too hard. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

She takes off rubber gloves and then kisses Mummy and hugs me too long and too hard, like she is trying to hug some deep and secret message. We Were Liars 2014-05-13T00:00:00Z

Those aren’t going as well as he would like, but he’s trying. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

Doha grabbed hold of his friend, desperately trying to calm him. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

It was as if in trying to run away from the Governor’s words, he'd instead made them come true. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

I could tell people were trying to break it up, but no one knew how. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

He told her how he’s trying to teach himself to play guitar, and about his dog named Marty, who can get into every locked cupboard. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

I squinted, trying to focus on the papers I held, the ones that would contain the mysteries of Julia Bishop. 100 Sideways Miles 2014-09-02T00:00:00Z

She must be trying to tell me something, but what? On the Far Side of the Mountain 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Sir, I have an ex-Sergeant Wintergreen on your other telephone. He’s been trying to reach you all morning.” Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

Some moved gracefully, others resembled frozen mountaineers trying to shake off the cold, but all danced with enthusiasm and emotion. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Almost as if she’s trying to keep out of the way. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

“When do you return to America?” he asked, trying to sound placid. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z

Aristotle might have had difficulty in following Galileo’s argument that the size of the container matters when trying to understand floating bodies, but Archimedes would not. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

“Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful.” The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

Always smelled like incense smoke trying to mask dirty mop water. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

“I’m sorry I am late for the geography lesson. I was trying to get a few small birds with my cross-bow. Look, I have killed a thrush.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Luke,” I said, trying to catch my breath. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to find that shotgun. You haven’t seen it?” Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

“I’m really sorry. The only reason I told him about the letter was because I was trying to explain how no one got hurt by the phony tickets.” Small Steps 2006-01-10T00:00:00Z

“Just trying to help out,” he said pleasantly. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

Mark’s doing the same, trying to find the source of the noise. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

He went to hollering and jumping up and down and trying to pull away, but she held on till I got there with his clothes. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stood still for a moment, holding on to my throat, gasping, trying to catch a good breath. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I know, I know," she simpered, "you were trying to tell us about the itsy-bitsy snowflings." The Westing Game 1979-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to be helpful,” I called after her, but they hurried toward the dorm. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

I was still trying to accept what had happened. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to keep me away from the gangs at my school. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

I wrinkle my brow, trying to remember, and nod again. A Step from Heaven 2001-04-30T00:00:00Z

Fangburn, who was trying to extract a piece of elm branch from his Chief’s chest, leaped backwards in fright as Cluny’s eye snapped open inches from his own. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

I pressed my hands against my cheeks, trying to hide my blush. Keep It Together, Keiko Carter 2020-05-05T00:00:00Z

I just slouched in the chair and stared into my lap, biting on my bottom lip, trying to turn the red inside back to black. Ghost 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

I kept trying to fall asleep, but then my eyes would dart open, just to check. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

I took a deep breath and pushed forward, trying as hard as I could to drag my left leg up and out of the mud. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

He explained, stiffly and simply, that he was in kemmer and had been trying to avoid me, insofar as one of us could avoid the other. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

Then he caught on and he stopped hitting and started trying to grapple and wresde me. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

I shove his hands off my shoulders and step away, trying to clear my head. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

When the blood began to flow, she giggled maniacally as she ran around trying to drip blood on as many kids as possible. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

My feet and hands were completely numb with cold, but I didn’t bother trying to warm them up. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“What I’m trying to say is, this number here is what you end up with. So-called money in the pocket.” Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

Con asked, grunting as he lay down, trying to prop his leg up at a more comfortable angle. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

About what it’s like trying to keep the anger inside, but never succeeding. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

I held up first one and then another to the light, trying to find the first one I remembered her making. The Color Purple 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“They must be trying to get the fire under control,” Frankie said, slapping the tuxedo guy on the back. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Usually when our house phone rings, it is someone trying to sell something. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

Dicey kept trying to speak, but her voice caught in her throat and she couldn’t make words come out. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

“So I injected it in myself and the rest is history! I was trying to get the rest of the T. melvinus specimen out of the lab when the rent-a-cop busted me.” The Fourteenth Goldfish 2014-08-26T00:00:00Z

His mind functioned without flaw, trying to calculate his surroundings and predicament. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

“Which is why I’m trying to explain it to you.” Auggie & Me 2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

The men say nothing, not even a single swear, and I take that to be because they’re still trying to put their best foot forward with the mysterious Katherine Deveraux, fine lady from the east. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

I laid down on the couch, trying to keep myself as calm as possible while talking—well, texting—Lovey. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

I’m not even trying to hide that I’m going somewhere with Bo. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

‘That’s hard, trying to go without me and all. If I hadn’t a guessed right, where would you be now?’ The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

I reluctantly went to sit by her, trying to convince myself it would be better to get it over with as soon as possible. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

I can see her leaning backward as if she's trying to retreat. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

My eyes were upon Mr. Olin’s face, trying to make out what he meant. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was like me—a kindred spirit crazy enough to keep on trying. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

“Harry,” he said, very seriously, “whoever put your name in that goblet — I — I reckon they’re trying to do you in!” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

I used to stare at them for a long time, trying to imagine what it would be like actually to live in such a glamorous place. The Boy on the Wooden Box 2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

Gnawing off the last bits of nail polish, trying to keep my teeth from chattering. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

I pace, trying to temper the old frustration. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He was trying to sound cheerful, but he wasn’t succeeding too well. The Chosen 1967-04-28T00:00:00Z

Coach was trying out different combinations of players, and although he didn’t say it, he was evaluating who was going to be a starter for sure. All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

She swept her finger, trying to clear it away. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

The last thing I needed was to be swept up in someone else’s revolution, when I was battling my own war trying to get my family here. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

She struck me as the actress who’s constantly trying out for very different parts, never sure of which role she’s supposed to play. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

“Keep your eyes open,” he said, and bent back to the oars, trying to get the stern steady and the bow pointed to the island. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying, Percy. I just I need some time.” The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

He had finished eating and was standing by the sink, trying to remember what his aunty had told him about opening it to have water gush out like a spring, when Master walked in. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

If she wanted, she could start trying for distance like Jenkins or maybe Sherrie, to get away from him now before it’s too late. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I said looking around the empty room, eyeing the closed doors, trying to think of some way to persuade him to let me in. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

What I’m trying to do is give you the space to talk about the things kids talk about when no grown-ups are around. Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

“Are you — are you hunting today?” she asked, trying to make conversation. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

He fumbled at the embroidered coverlet, trying to take it from the bed, and lay down stiffly--was instantly asleep. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z

The lion regarded us both, trying to decide which of us to kill first. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

I feared the rug more than I did the drunk, so I held on, surprising myself for a moment by trying to topple him upon the rug. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

I frown at it, my thoughts racing, trying to make sense of the name, proj_ice. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

On the one hand—superstition and old wives’ tales; on the other hand—the scientist, trying to solve the puzzles and find the answers. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

“The data is of the utmost importance,” I say, trying to sound as arrogant as some of the Erudite I’ve met. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

All we had left was the hustle, and we hustled even harder, taking the bit of cash we had on hand and trying to double it, buying this to flip it for that. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“Because you are trying to realize your Personal Legend. And you are at the point where you’re about to give it all up.” The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Wash walked slowly, listening for her, trying to figure out where she’d gone. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

He could see in her eyes how much she was struggling, trying to marshal her emotions into neat orderly rows like strands on her loom. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

It is distinct, sweet and yeasty, the smell of death, like spoiled bread, damp and swollen, coating walls, nostrils, skin, anything within reach, trying to tag it all. The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

Leandro and I were trying like crazy in December and January. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I never paid attention to that expression before—neither joyous nor somber, but as if she were trying to tell me something. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

William and his team spent the next week working hard—“almost day and night,” he later said, trying to wedge open the crack in the cipher that Gene Grotjan had found. The Woman All Spies Fear 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

Still howling, Bull was trying to remove his shoe to survey the damage. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stared into the darkness, searching it for her face, trying to understand what power my brother had over her. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

City boy with your dty ways sitting in die sand trying to read the tracks and not knowing, not understanding. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Anyway, that was the motif of the thing, so to speak—what I was trying to bring out in a fairly subtle way,” Lane said, very closely following the trend of his own conversation. Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z

I lay and listened, trying to figure out what it was that had aroused me. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

When Mitch walks into second period, I am studying my notes, trying to recall some of what I studied. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

In the next ten minutes, I managed to anger or amuse most of them, or so it seemed, by trying to enforce my hopelessly outdated porter list. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Big step now,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

When Jordie, Pouncey, and I spread lard across the Fourth of July parade route, we were just trying to wipe out the marching band. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

He looked at me a long time, trying to work me out. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

When he got to the top of the steps she was completely limp and was still trying to mumble something. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

Though Vincent is trying to lighten his palette, he still wants to use black. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

I knelt piously, my hands in prayer, and stared in front of me, trying to look like I was having nothing but the very best thoughts. When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z

Prosper got dizzy trying to follow Scipio with his eyes, He heard him laugh out loud, and then suddenly he too felt a strange surge of happiness spread through him. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

It surprised Toby, not because he didn’t know—he’d spent his entire life trying to be different. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

Just worn out and sick, even though he was trying to smile, and you could tell he was feeling low. The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z

I began, trying to make sense of the jumbled thoughts in my brain, but I couldn’t continue. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Her voice fluttered as though it were trying to fly away, as she herself wished she could do. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

She’d get another headache trying to decide all over again what Miss Love wanted out of her daddy. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

Now he understood why the owner of the bar had been so upset: he was trying to tell him not to trust that man. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was called Joe and he started hanging around trying to get my attention by telling stupid jokes while we worked and asking totally duh questions like What’s it like being a Yank? How I Live Now 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Without looking over at me, Augustus said, “You’re killing my vibe here, Hazel Grace. I’m trying to observe young love in its many-splendored awkwardness.” The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z

Gregor would have been more concerned about these questions if he Wasn’t trying so hard to stay alive. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

At the time, my aunt Geneva was trying to find a hotel in London, because the friends she'd planned to visit were suddenly unreachable. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z

Her gaze seemed fractured—like she was trying to focus on him through a kaleidoscope. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

I was just trying to do God’s will. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

The boy was in his arms, and again the woman seemed to be dragging back, and trying to get her son from him. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

Putting yourself in his place, trying to imagine what it will be like in that room. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

He danced around, trying to escape her swinging arms as the others egged him on. Monday's Not Coming 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Harry bellowed, and he flung his arms over his head, hardly knowing whether he was trying to hold in his anger or protect himself from the weight of his own disillusionment. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

She squinted at me, and threw her head down, trying to walk around me. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

I didn’t know whether she was saying what she believed or was just trying to keep me from thinking that my father was dead. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

What use was it trying to compete with the Americans: they would always have the head start. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to figure a way out of this mess. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z

They stared very hard at one another, trying to remember. The Magician's Nephew 1955-05-02T00:00:00Z

My mother paused again as if she was trying to take it all in. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

I fuss with my hair, removing the silk scarf and trying to pull the mess of frizzy curls up into a Belle-bun. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

We are told that the trouble with Modern Man is that he has been trying to detach himself from nature. The Lives of a Cell 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

None of us is talking; we’re all just trying on a bass, holding it, strumming it. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

Here it was, after the fact, and I was still trying to walk away. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z

‘The usual obnoxious venti trying to destroy the ship. You ready for guard duty?’ Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

She found Arya on the banks of the Trident, trying to hold Nymeria still while she brushed dried mud from her fur. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

“When I first hired you, all I wanted to do was stop a hacker whom I knew was trying to stop me. I didn’t know that...” Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

She sits down on the chair next to a white woman who is also trying on shoes. Betty Before X 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Ron had given up completely, and was merely trying to avoid breathing in the putrid fumes issuing from his cauldron. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

Would she pass by, or would she appear at his window, wondering about the man trying to disappear below her? Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

Day after day I read the letters, hoping for better news, trying to believe that eventually it would come. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

“That’s a very pretty thing,” said Stuart, trying to hide his eagerness. Stuart Little 1945-10-17T00:00:00Z

“I thought I was trying to fool you.” Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

I was trying anything to convince him of how great this was—a MoMo party, and all we had to do was bring Needles. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

“Yes, I could,” I said, trying to hide my surprise that Nabila couldn’t read. Amal Unbound 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

And something else—almost like a voice, trying to say something. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

He bit his lip and scratched his neck, looking as if he was trying to figure out the perfect way to answer Luke. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

Didn’t like the idea of her trying to run with a baby and a small child, didn’t like the idea of her trying to run at all. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

One game involved trying to pull a decorative bow from a vachette's head, and another seemed to amount to nothing more than name-calling. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z

We listened like it was some kind of serenade, while I sat with my eyes closed, trying to picture my mother asleep in a ditch. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

As my mom took her seat, I was still trying to figure out the best way to start this conversation. I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

I was trying not to make this a sad thing, but the whole vibe in the room changed. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

The news is reporting nothing today except for footage and reels about the games, each station frantically trying to outdo the next, channels in every language and country. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

The choices someone makes—and the clarity of their mind— directly relate to how much information the person is trying to juggle. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

There’s a moment of determination between them—Hilly trying to escape, Celia holding on, and then a ripping sound cuts through the air. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

We filled a 7-Eleven bag with trash, trying to make the Chrysler look and feel as if the past six hours had not happened. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

Adam was trying to arrange the letter’s information in his mind, and it was as restless as a setting hen scrounging into the nest. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

She was trying to hold on to power, after all. A Monster Calls 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z

Rashid felt around for it on the floor, trying not to get cut by broken glass. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

They were hitting ground balls to each other and trying to field them. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

“Enjoy it, Rufe. At least he’s not out setting fire to the stable or trying to drown himself.” Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

Suddenly the reeds became people, trying to get out of the water, returning our fire. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I swam out, trying to swim through the rollers, but having to dive sometimes. The Sun Also Rises 1926-10-22T00:00:00Z

The history writer says this is what Catherine, who is a wife of Henry the Eighth, says to Cardinal Wolsey, who is trying to have her head cut off. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

I do as she asks, trying to ignore the faces and letting the images and words fade into a blur. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

Then, trying to make up for lost time, he would ruin himself, and finally silence his voice in my life forever. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“No! I mean, not really. I just—” I was saved from trying to explain when Zoe and Grover arrived with the drinks and pastries. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

Bigwig was trying to think of some appropriate reply to this when he saw Chervil running across the grass toward him. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Like trying to find an honest man on that silly Council of Defense,” she said. Hattie Big Sky 2006-09-26T00:00:00Z

Still, in the beginning the bigger birds would try the smaller cars, get trapped, and raise holy Hannah trying to get out before the tourists drove off with them trapped inside. This Side of Wild 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

I was drinking it ’cause of how it made me feel and how all the things I wanted to say came right into my head without me even trying. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

In trying to stop him, the officer had broken his dental plate, the inmate complained; and all he’d been trying to swallow anyway, he said, was a written note. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I gave him a shove, trying to wake him up so Tiny Trucker would have someone else to harass, but Fang actually seemed to be sleeping. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

Around two in the morning, she gave up trying to sleep. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

In the meantime, he and his siblings had pretty much cleaned out the cabinets trying to find enough to eat. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

It looked like she’d fallen asleep trying to call for help. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

“When they attacked, they weren’t trying to kill us. They were shooting us with these,” I say. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

Most of his time was spent trying to find ways to amuse himself. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

His eyebrows tense, and he looks over at me, trying to find a way in. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

“Your grandfather saw fit to build this house on land that did not belong to him—that does not belong to you now. The sheriff is trying to explain the consequences of that.” Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

I sit back down, and Sana keeps glancing at my face, trying to puzzle out why I look familiar. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

“One one-millionth?” asked Milo, trying to think of the smallest fraction possible. The Phantom Tollbooth 1961-09-01T00:00:00Z

I leaned my head against the window and watched Ben Franklin Elementary disappear, trying to ignore Marcus. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

Wide open to all the secrets that people keep trying to shut away. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

There was no use trying to talk him out of anything once he’d made up his mind. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

We tumbled on the ground, no punches, just thrashing arms and legs and trying to get on top. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z

Anyway, Sloan was giving everybody wedgies until he made the mistake of trying it on my friend Tyson. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh, Mr. Deckard—Inspector Bryant has been trying to get hold of you. I think he’s turning your name over to Chief Cutter for a citation. Because you retired those six—” Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z

Some of my classmates are going through a war ... an undeclared war, waged on innocent kids just trying to grow up. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

Hassan was trying to tuck the slingshot in his waist with a pair of trembling hands. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

But any time I woke up in the middle of the night, Ollie was still swimming, his little mouth opening and closing like was he trying to say something. Out of My Mind 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z

They’re only trying to prove that the peace of God is nonexistent. Bronx Masquerade 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

There was so much in the hills, Hazel could’ve buried the town without half trying. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

When I was growing up, my mom spent a lot of time trying to teach me about women. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

Was he trying to lead them back to the Mother Church? Go Set a Watchman: A Novel 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z

I sit there on a toilet for a long time, just trying to breathe. Landscape with Invisible Hand 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“If the cucos were trying to stop the vote, why didn’t they just attack the Hall of Elders?” asked Thorn, scratching her head. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

“No . . . I . . . Sorry. I didn’t mean . . .” Thomas didn’t know what to say—he was just trying to help. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

I worried sick about it, trying to think what to do and I could not decide. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

That’s how I found myself racing through the streets of Key West, trying out the route. Full of Beans 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You don’t have to like it or anything,” I say finally, trying to get the pad back. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

“As a matter of fact, most cops are good. I worked with a lot of great guys, really trying to make a difference. You need to know that they’re not all wolves.” All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“Albert here just gave Shay a whole bunch of letters that are the same forward and backward. If she wasn’t spitting-nails mad, trying to hurt people, she probably would’ve figured it out.” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to follow. I do my best,” I said. Grendel 1971-01-01T00:00:00Z

In fact, for a minute there it even looked like he was trying to help me. Fourth Grade Rats 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

Chubs knocked his head into the passenger seat window, as if trying to ram the noise out of his head. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

The boy was looking up, trying to see if his father was really trying to jump out of the balloon. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

They’d pause as if at the edge of deep water, and then start down the escalator, running, trying to match the apparent speed of the stairs. Mountains Beyond Mountains 2013-04-13T00:00:00Z

I was still trying to collect my thoughts when she spoke. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

It’s cloudy now, like even the sun is trying to spare you the embarrassment of being seen walking hand in hand with the object of your unrequited affection like some lovesick puppy. Odd One Out 2018-08-09T00:00:00Z

Perhaps he appeared to be comforting me, but he was only trying to muffle my noise, which couldn’t be muffled. Ella Enchanted 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

It feels like my heart is a squirrel trying to climb up and out of my throat. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

She turns to the people around us, trying to figure out who to ask. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

She is standing by her bed, trying valiantly to squeeze her schoolbooks into a purple minibackpack that I haven’t seen before. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

Amari huddled in a corner, trying to make herself look like one of the children, trying to look lame or stupid or unappealing. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

I wasn't trying to move mountains of injustice or fight for the equal rights of masses of people... Dear Martin 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

“You trying to get the nerve to stick me up or you running from somebody?” The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

I take out nine candles and, trying to move as mechanically as possible, carry them past the guards. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Others tried to push him; some from below swatted at him, grabbed his legs, trying to pull him into the seething mass of bodies. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

The swelling on my insides has faded away, but that feeling I’ve been trying to shake long before today lingers. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Wishbone let out the funniest yips and bit at the water, trying to grab the tiny minnows that darted around the rocks. Wish 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

I’m off in the wings, dressed in black, trying to disappear. Shine! 2019-11-05T00:00:00Z

I was trying to be supportive and protective at the same time. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Now imagine trying to estimate the size of the triangle by inscribing little rectangles inside the triangle. Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea 2000-02-07T00:00:00Z

Her chair seemed to have grown fond of her and kept trying to twine around her legs. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

My mind raced around, trying to work out this puzzle. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

Lee went in to Adam and found him trying to open the box that held the clippings about his father. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

The rider did as told, and Seabiscuit took off with him, trying once to hurdle the infield fence but meeting with no resistance from the reins. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then he reached back, presumably trying for some kind of reverse, and Luke hammered the kid. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

I just knew her hug was trying to tell me I was still her grandson, even after everything I did, and it made me sick about myself. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like hed been at this girl’s funeral. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

I'm still trying to think of a question to ask Jane when the bell goes off, and we all hustle inside. Will Grayson, Will Grayson 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z

I was honestly trying to beat him to death.” Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z

Chamberlain sat for a long moment silently trying to function. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

She was trying to see me but her eyes wouldn't focus am aer head kept swinging to one side, yet she was making a real effort, and suddenly I felt lighthearted. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ron yelled, trying to force the rat back into his front pocket, but Scabbers was fighting too hard; Ron swayed and overbalanced, and Harry caught him and pushed him back down to the bed. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

My mouth is full of burrito, and I am trying to decide whether to swallow it or spit it out, which means I don’t answer right away. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

She was trying to find her own answers to things. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stood near the border of the girls’ area, waiting, trying to spot Michelle. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

There he was, fifty yards behind me, seeing me safely home, trying to look like he wasn’t following me. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z

“He said that Mr. Dalton’s trying to slander the Communist Party by having him arrested. And he says it’s an attempt to break up his relationship with Miss Dalton.” Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying,” Mr. Goldberg said to me, as if only the two of us existed. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

"Okay. Okay...that's enough for today!" she said, trying not to laugh herself. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

Instead of trying to fire again, Powell raised the pistol high in the air and brought down a crushing blow to Frederick’s head. Chasing Lincoln's Killer 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Nina batted at her hair and clothes as she lurched through the snow, trying not to retch. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

The boy was trying to understand the truth of what the old man had said. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I wonder how many spies the Germans have sent into that doctor’s office, trying to catch him at doing something wrong. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

I pace the courtyard, trying to calm myself. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

I'm saying, "No way! No way!" and this nurse is trying to throw a hug on me and I push her away. Freak The Mighty 1993-10-01T00:00:00Z

It snorted and stamped and whipped its head back and forth, trying to pull itself free, but it was trapped. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

It was like trying to fight darkness or heat or a stink in the air. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

He just slumps, and looks out the window, probably trying to avoid his own thoughts, too. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

Madam Hooch’s whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

I guess our minds were tapped out trying to figure out this one. Adrift 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

Still, all he could manage was, “I’m still trying to lose weight.” We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

They seemed to be circling closer, like they were trying to sneak up on Raphael’s tomb without it noticing. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

Kaz had crouched down, turning all the keys, trying to get all the dogs waddling at the same time, and the boy selling them had struck up a conversation with Jordie. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“I was just trying to help my own brother,” said George, shaking his head as he carried the sauce back to the kitchen. Stuart Little 1945-10-17T00:00:00Z

“But not for long,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

It had tumbled the length of its body and was trying to stagger to its feet; after a moment it gave up and lay still, barefoot, shivering, its belly heaving in and out. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to be nice, but if she’s more interested in her artwork than in me, fine. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

Papi cranks the engine a bunch of times, trying to get it to turn over. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

“I’m not trying to be rude,” I said, gritting my teeth and keeping my words low enough not be overheard by the strange little boy standing only a few feet away from us. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

Behind him at the helm, a burly bearded guy in a mechanic’s uniform was tinkering with the controls, furiously trying to keep the ship aloft. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

And part of me is trying to tell the other part that it is sort of silly. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

Lori was in the front seat between him and Mom, and Brian, who was in back with me, was trying to trade me half of his 3 Musketeers for half of my Mounds. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

What I'm trying to say is, Darryl wouldn't say a word. Sunny 2018-04-10T00:00:00Z

He kicked his feet back, one after the other, trying to cut his captor down at the ankles. The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

He could see Mars Bar’s foot sticking out, trying to trip him up as he circled the bases for a home run. Maniac Magee 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I just mean...listen, I wasn’t trying to kiss you or anything. The other night. In your backyard.” Better Nate Than Ever 2013-02-05T00:00:00Z

Both Benny Maestas and Jimmy Ortega were whacked with crude clubs, and Benny’s nose was broken; Jimmy sustained a huge bruise on his arm trying to ward off the blows. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Their hands are full, too,” I answered, trying to look a little embarrassed. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I told her that prophecies can be broken — I told her the whole logic of prophecies is questionable— ALBUS: In twenty-four hours’ time Voldemort curses himself trying to kill the baby Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 2016-07-31T00:00:00Z

I knew Momma must be too embarrassed about why he wasn’t with us and was trying to break it to me gentle. Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z

In a second I have two bottles of lemonade up under my jersey and I saunter away trying to look innocent. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

Soil was caked under his fingernails, and he was trying to clean them out in the kitchen sink. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

Koffi tugged at her tunic’s frayed neckline, trying to temper a moment’s guilt. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

She was just trying to bolster my mood and keep my spirits up—and maybe my courage, too. Red Kayak 2004-09-23T00:00:00Z

“I’m not trying to pressure you. I just don't understand.” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

He’d nearly killed himself trying to finish the Argo II. Now he’d fired on the Roman camp, most likely started a war, and maybe lost the trust of his friends. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

I watch David trying to get into the car without closing his umbrella. Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

They both fidgeted nervously during the course of their deceitful narrative, trying desperately not to contradict one another, while at the same time avoiding the cold impassive eye of the Warlord. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

“Tell us about Mexico,” Roberto said, trying to draw the attention away from himself. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

Both cried silently as Papá braced himself on their shoulders, trying to ease his back pain. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

I’m trying hard to get this, but my cut’s thumping against my brain. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

Every year we spend hundreds of dollars on phone calls and letters, writing, faxing, cajoling, and bribing, trying to get out of the pilgrimage to Mommy’s tiny house in Ewing. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

In 1937 they opened a drive-in restaurant in Pasadena, trying to cash in on the new craze, hiring three carhops and selling mainly hot dogs. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal 2001-01-17T00:00:00Z

I clear my throat and squint, trying to send the tears back. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

He’s got his back to me now, his hands on the doe’s front legs, trying to see can he pull her himself. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Yes — giving up trying to be good. I’m just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may.” Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

“I'm just trying to get you to see things for the way they are.” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

“I do not quite understand you, mon vieux. You were trying to do—what?” Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z

I didn’t know what everyone else was thinking, but I was thinking that this was supposed to be joke time, so why was Mr. Clifton trying to make us do math? Absolutely Almost 2014-06-01T00:00:00Z

Lily hesitated, and I knew she was trying to decide whether she should tell our mother that he hadn't been home. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

I shook my head, trying to shove the whole matter aside. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

She gasped for breath and clung to Masvita as though she were trying to keep her from being dragged off by lions. A Girl Named Disaster 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to alter them so that they would shut more firmly, and, as the interlacement of such braces was complicated, be had got himself in a muddle. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

I keep right on, helping Chucha, trying to stay one step ahead of being terrified. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

For a moment Sam thought that he was trying to rouse Frodo; then he saw that it was not so. The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

Now she stretched, trying to make room for a large Pyrex casserole. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

Amari lay on the ground one particularly hot night, trying to escape into sleep. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stayed true to my habit of not obsessively checking my ranking or trying to plan my results. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

“Well, I was just thinking. It’s kind of funny. As soon as you stopped trying to be a man, you became one. In a nice little way, I might add.” Fourth Grade Rats 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

Here, her body was tense, trying to avoid inching too close to Shae’s slumbering form. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

“He’s already friends with the boys. Maybe he’d like a boy as his buddy,” I say, trying to give her the hint. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

“Your abuelo was responsible for the destruction of the shadowshapers. I’m trying to save them. You don’t understand any of this, Sierra. This is not your world.” Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

My heart felt like it was trying to break free from my chest. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

At dinner, I sat bookended by my parents at the table, moving peas around my plate, trying to ignore the fact that neither of them were speaking—to each other, or to me. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

He’s trying to draw his dad’s attention away from his mom. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

He knew he was sensitive about this stuff, but it sounded like she was trying to blame the students for the lack of schools at the college fair. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t know what it would mean for us. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

“A curious line to recite, especially since the combination never occurs in the play. Are you trying to improve on Shakespeare?” The Wednesday Wars 2007-05-21T00:00:00Z

I imagined what it would feel like if I were wrapped in a blanket and someone were trying to break my neck. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

I took the stairs two at a time, trying to be quiet, and flew into my room, closing the door tightly behind me. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

He limped back to the car, trying to stay calm. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

They assured the public that they were just creating cells, not “trying to produce centaurs.” The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

Percy looked at Nico one more time, as though he was still trying to place a memory. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

If necessary, Tyson could summon an army of Cyclopes to the camp’s defense, and Ella and Rachel Dare were already comparing prophecies, trying to learn more about what the future held. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

I pressed, trying to ignore his angry expression. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

They’re trying to remember six thousand years of history and all the versions of all the stories ever told. Everything Sad Is Untrue 2020-08-25T00:00:00Z

It kept trying to move around to different parts of her face. Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

"Well, Mother," the son said, trying to comfort her, "your embroidery is so lifelike perhaps you should embroider this picture. Then you will feel the same as if you were living in it." When the Sea Turned to Silver 2016-10-04T00:00:00Z

Manchee barks, coming up to my face and trying to sniff it. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

After one particularly trying day, Mrs. Trepid snared her husband. Ruby Holler 2002-02-01T00:00:00Z

I rubbed my eyes, trying to collect my thoughts. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

“Oh, no.. Creepy is like spiders and rats and, you know, things that make chills run down your spine. You’re just....difficult,” said Gregor, trying to be honest but not flat-out rude. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

Every single breath is a struggle, and I watch as he gasps for air, trying desperately to fill his lungs. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

At another shelter, a woman spends hours each day in the shower, trying to cleanse herself of the attack. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

He pulled open the top drawer in the bureau, and trying hard not to think about it, threw an assortment of undergarments into the duffel bag. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z

A couple of littluns were playing at the edge, trying to extract comfort from a wetness warmer than blood. Lord of the Flies 1954-09-17T00:00:00Z

Several jute bags lay on a pile of sand in her little front garden, and she was trying unsuccessfully to fill the first one. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

The whole way there, X-Ray kept glancing sideways at him, trying to see a hint of a smile, or some kind of clue, but Armpit remained cool, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Small Steps 2006-01-10T00:00:00Z

I’m glad my brother is trying to help. Black Brother, Black Brother 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

She's peering in, trying not to stick her entire head in the window. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

"Ms. Raz," I say, trying to find a way out of this. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

He was struggling with something beneath the sheets, and I realized he was trying to move his hands toward the opening. Tuesdays with Morrie 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I am always trying to commiserate with her. Lucky Broken Girl 2017-04-11T00:00:00Z

Some were probably people who had been caught or accused of trying to practice magic. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

I fight the urge to sigh, trying instead to channel the fire for which I'm known, beloved, and criticized. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

That night, finally, I wrote to Mr. Muhammad, trying to defend my brother, appealing for him. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tried to barrel through folks who were standing in the doorway to the Serenity Suite—“Excuse me! Pardon me!”—but there were too many people trying to get into, or out of, the room. Each Little Bird That Sings 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

“You thought of me,” Joaquin said, trying to keep from laughing or crying or whatever that reaction was that was bubbling up in his chest, pressing down on his lungs. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

I tell him about Abby and Nick, who I'm trying not to look at, because every time I look at them, their eyes start yelling at me. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

His manners are extremely crude, I thought, trying to put him at a disadvantage in my own mind by pointedly taking a small piece of the cheesy stuff and placing it neatly into my mouth. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

Something was wrong, some signal was trying to get through to his brain. The Pearl 1947-01-01T00:00:00Z

During the rare moments Ann is not busy, she has every unmarried man in the colony trying to get her attention. Blood on the River 2006-05-04T00:00:00Z

The homeboys hanging on the corners keep trying to step to Beatriz. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

It involved solving some relatively complex equations, and also trying to remember information he’d been asked to memorize a few equations prior. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

It is ironic, but when we say someone is a “crusader,” we generally mean he is striving to do something noble: he is trying to improve the world. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village 2007-07-24T00:00:00Z

If they are trying to warn us of some great danger, they are not being very effective. A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mark followed on his heels, trying hard not to look at the trail of blood. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

I realize Cinna’s trying to put a coat on me, so I raise my arms. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Take a break?” he asks, still trying not to smile. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

No one answers him except for Donna, who is trying to get him to sit down. American Street 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

“Concentrate, Harry, concentrate. “What d’you think I’m trying to do?” said Harry angrily. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

But I didn’t know she’d been shot trying to reenter the country a few months after the war started, desperate to get back to her family. How I Live Now 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dinwiddie believed that France was trying to keep the British colonists pinned to the Atlantic coast. George Washington, Spymaster 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

The therapist kept trying to get me to pronounce my words clearly, but apparently I did not. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

She had already tried to feed him earlier with a teaspoon into what remained of his mouth, trying to spare him the humiliation of dribbling. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

“Yes. Dozens. I’m trying to choose the best ones to send to my agent.” The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

“Okay, so the first rule is: No trying to kiss Ari.” Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

Afterward, Con had to sit still, holding his head in his hands, trying not to throw up. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

With the first crack and whoosh of water, the clamber to get out was so fierce that others who were trying to help were pulled to their deaths. Sula 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

"I keep it hidden back here," she says, unzipping a flap in the wallet, "because if I, like, die or something, I don't want the hospital trying to call Zora Thurston Moore's parents." Will Grayson, Will Grayson 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z

They jumped off the bench, ran to the pinball machine, and pushed each other, trying to pull on the handle. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

I rub my eyes, trying to clear them of tears. A Step from Heaven 2001-04-30T00:00:00Z

For every clever person who goes to the trouble of creating an incentive scheme, there is an army of people, clever and otherwise, who will inevitably spend even more time trying to beat it. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

Embryo once again narrows his eyes to a squint and stares at me hard, trying to induce a sweat. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

At the very least, she would want me to make sure the police were trying to catch Nicole’s attacker. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

Pro-Japan forces were trying to organize a NO NO vote by blocks, in massive resistance. Farewell to Manzanar 1973-01-01T00:00:00Z

Every athletic coach at Bartlett High has been trying to recruit him since he first walked through the school doors, but he refuses to be a black stereotype. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

Mr. Dill was still laboring to get his words out, desperately trying to thank me for trying to save his life. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

When she finally got a fire going, she set about trying to cobble together an evening meal for Harry and the boys. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

“Are we, though? Or are we just panicking around and trying to save what we like?” Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

I didn't feel too much like trying, either. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

I didn’t really hear what she said, because I was too busy trying to see what the girl was reading. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

It was no good trying not to think of Hugo. And Then There Were None 1939-11-06T00:00:00Z

“My mom made me,” he told them, trying to sound resentful. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

“Oh, Imani! That is nasty,” I say, trying really hard to keep from laughing. American Street 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

I took a long draw from the straw jammed into my Yoo-hoo bottle, trying to calm myself. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

Despite our efforts to shoo them away, the local children spend hours staring at the bonobos and trying to get them to wake up. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

The girl was trying to stanch the wound. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

I knew he was mad but trying not to show it. Auggie & Me 2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

But Catholics are always trying to find out if you're a Catholic even if they don't know your last name. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to clear the rumblings in my brain, but I couldn’t tear it out. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

Caught, I stammer, trying to come up with some kind of explanation, because I know how bad this must look—but Mrs. McCracken’s face softens. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

“No, no,” Genie eeked out, trying his best to swallow another mouthful. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

I think I spend a little too much time thinking how adorable you are in emails and trying to translate that into a viable mental image for daydreams and the like. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

I sat there quietly, trying to listen to my heart, to make the right decision. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stare at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling, trying to recap the night before. The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

Fuller understood that there are two routes to power in America—money and people—and dollars were in short supply in the neighborhoods he was trying to organize. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

In war the innocence of a child is lost, and though the soldiers feel theirs is a worthy cause, they behave like children when trying to achieve their goals. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

More comfortable than trying to keep in mind what was really happening. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

Houseman was trying to alert him to what was happening at CBS headquarters. Spooked! 2018-08-07T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to keep you from doing anything stupid.” Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

I scrubbed one hundred attempts clean with my eraser, trying to get the right distance between the fins or the right amount of muscular girth. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

She had vowed to come through for her players and their families or to come apart trying. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z

After breakfast, Hazel stood at the port rail, trying to settle her stomach. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

The Rosenblum girls wailed like they were trying to outdo each other in volume, so I slipped out into the hall. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

She was trying to keep his attention on her while Mini fumbled for another magical item from the Seasons. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

"But you're so brave not to give up on trying to help your mother." Born Behind Bars 2021-09-07T00:00:00Z

I know he’s just trying to make me feel childish when he knows perfectly well why I shouldn’t be there, but even though I am aware of what he’s doing, it works. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

He shouts encouragement, trying to move us along, and the sound of his voice acts as a guide, though little more. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

She stumbled ahead more recklessly, trying to ignore the pain in her ankle. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

“Save your breath, kid. I know the stakes. I’m trying to find where the PFC is headquartered in the city. I just needed a rest.” The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

I was trying to stay mad but I couldn’t help smiling. Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

Thomas returned to the crude map, trying to visualize the Maze and see stone walls where Minho had penciled lines. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

Jacob is struggling to keep up, trying to duck and weave past all the peasants and peddlers in the road. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

Emma felt like she was trying to solve some huge math problem that didn’t involve numbers but people and events: The kidnapped kids in Arizona. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

I’m sitting next to Bradley and trying to concentrate on our assignment, which is hard enough. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z

There was a broadcast of a speech by this man Fidel, who is trying to overturn their dictator over in Cuba. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then he turned away, drew his sleeve over his nose, and got up, and stamped about, trying to whistle, and saying between the efforts: ‘Where’s that dratted creature?’ The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

All we know is the phenomenon: we spend our time sending messages to each other, talking and trying to listen at the same time, exchanging information. The Lives of a Cell 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

See what trying to be nice will get you? Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

I said my prayers, trying to push it away with ritual, but it kept oozing back round the worn edges of the words. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

He and I had been dicking around in the cafeteria, trying to study, and we’d both been in serious danger of flunking. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

It was a halfhearted one that she was trying to make look friendly and eager. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

If I wake up yelling three times a night there’s not much point in trying to hide. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

He was merely trying, that sigh suggested, to drag us all toward enlightenment through the marrow of our own poor female bones. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

Hitler had only succeeded in destroying the Jewish body, he shouted in Yiddish, but the Revisionists were trying to destroy the Jewish soul. The Chosen 1967-04-28T00:00:00Z

I clenched my jaw tight and stared down at the floor, trying not to let her tears make me cry back in response. All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“Mr. Milo,” I say, trying to be calm. On the Far Side of the Mountain 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see me. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

Before he had a chance to react, she had already put a record on the portable phonograph she had brought with her and was trying to teach him the latest dance steps. One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

I folded his wrist onto itself and squeezed hard, trying to get his upper body to collapse the way mine had. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

Or was she trying to be a good friend and telling me to make my move? Keep It Together, Keiko Carter 2020-05-05T00:00:00Z

The three boys gave up all attempts at dignity and now were just trying to keep from bursting into laughter. Stella by Starlight 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

Werfel, trying to make him feel better, said, “Oh, of course not—it’s in Old Goblinish. Very difficult even for goblin students to understand. Of course! Of course.” The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z

But then I realize he's only trying to make sense of the world. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

“I need more help around here, Chuck,” Mom would say, trying to keep her voice low. Out of My Mind 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z

Fang, on the other hand, sat motionless beside me, trying his best not to exist. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

She picks up her pace, because she pictures another man behind her, trying to catch her. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

All the while I was trying to back away from their harsh inquisition. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then again, that might seem like trying, and texting Daisy was no help because she responded she was going to wear an evening gown, and I couldn’t totally tell if she was kidding. Turtles All the Way Down 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

I would rewhisper all the words and sounds I had messed up earlier that morning, trying to invoke how the one girl who always wore a baby-blue cardigan would speak. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

He bounced up and down trying to make the bus shake, rapped a snippet of the song “Started from the Bottom” by Drake, screeched random words like “Chinchilla!” and “Obituary!” The 57 Bus 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

“Why not Lifebuoy?” said Father Christmas, trying to be helpful and looking anxiously at Mary Poppins, for she was being rather snappy. Mary Poppins 1962-10-27T00:00:00Z

I lay on my bed that night, trying to ignore the shuffling coming from less than a metre away. The London Eye Mystery 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z

“What, you trying to look good for someone?” Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

While Haupt was registering for the draft, the FBI was trying to figure out his whereabouts. Nazi Saboteurs 2019-12-03T00:00:00Z

“That’s really not my specialty,” I say, trying not to think of all the ways people get eaten in the dinosaur movies I’ve seen. Dragons in a Bag 2018-10-23T00:00:00Z

“When gas runs out, they just get out and walk. See, that family there. Hitchhiking. Thousands of folks are trying to leave New Orleans.” Ninth Ward 2010-08-16T00:00:00Z

“Shut up, I’m trying to pick something to watch. Ew, you have Garden State on your watch list? Wow, how’s film school in 2005 going?” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

He’s still trying to get his winter boots off without using his hands. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

Glimmer appears to go completely mad, shrieking and trying to bat the wasps off with her bow, which is pointless. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

And throughout the evening of my birthday, Cade kept looking from me to Julia with the eye of an interrogating detective, no doubt trying to determine what might have happened between us the night before. 100 Sideways Miles 2014-09-02T00:00:00Z

“He’s just trying to get under your skin.” Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Thank goodness, the midwife checked Mama at the last minute and lowered my arms the way you fold in a captive bird’s wings so it doesn’t hurt itself trying to fly. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I said nothing for a minute, staring at him a long time, trying to memorize every inch of his cocoa brown face; his wide shoulders; his thick, black hair. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

Tyson tried to protest, but I was already running up the hill toward Clarisse, who was yelling at her patrol, trying to get them into phalanx formation. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

“You’re ever so much cleverer and brighter than I am, Charlotte. I guess I was just trying to show off. Serves me right.” Charlotte's Web 1952-10-15T00:00:00Z

I’m still trying to piece it all together when an unsettling feeling creeps up my neck, like the greedy touch of a ghost’s fingers. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

Gradually he moved faster, trying to imagine a whale migrating thousands of miles, being led by instinct. Touching Spirit Bear 2001-01-09T00:00:00Z

He was just trying to reach for it when it slipped past his chin and over his head. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

Over the firewood, she struck two rocks together, trying to catch a spark. Beauty Queens 2011-05-24T00:00:00Z

With a steady, determined voice, he’d answered, “I’m trying to get that feeling.” Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“A friend asked me to ...” she paused and ducked her head a little, trying to glimpse the face under the shadow of the hood. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

She stopped going to museums with us ages ago, which is probably a good thing, because when she did, her shadow kept trying to strangle mine. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

Natalie’s face twisted and untwisted, like she was trying to decide. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

Alex closed his eyes, trying to remember why his birthday was so important. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z

Walter and Camel spend the night making the noises men make when they’re trying not to cry, and I spend the night punching my pillow up around my ears trying not to hear them. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

She kissed my forehead and stared at me as if she was trying to recognize the kid beneath the bruises and bandages. All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“Nothing,” he says, trying to hold in a laugh. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

The trying forty days of Lent lay ahead of us, then the shining goal, Easter Sunday and first holy communion! Bless Me, Ultima 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

He took a deep breath, and did his best, squinching up his eyes and trying to fade away. The Graveyard Book 2008-09-30T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to save the precious minutes for emergencies. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

“Thank you, sir,” said Malcolm, trying to keep his voice steady. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

"A pleasure to meet you," I murmur, while trying to figure out why the name sounds familiar. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

Fumbling with a key while trying to steady his candle, he unlocked the nearby door that led to the king’s lodgings. Ophelia 2006-10-31T00:00:00Z

“Harry, let go of him,” he heard Fudge’s voice say, and he felt fingers trying to pry him from Cedric’s limp body, but Harry wouldn’t let him go. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

“Then maybe it’s you who can talk to May for me. She’s been trying to reach me, but I ain’t too good at communicating on her new wavelength. I need me an interpreter.” Missing May 1992-03-01T00:00:00Z

He was frowning now, as if searching his memory, trying to find something that would please the boy. The Chocolate War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Good. I’m inviting all the girls in our homeroom. Well, my mom is. She’s worried I’m not trying hard enough to make friends. But it wouldn’t be fun without you.” The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

Inej thought as she looked for the guards patrolling the roof above, trying to pick out their shapes in the dark. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Seven dove deep into her memories, trying to recall something, anything, she’d read in one of her many botánica books that might help them now. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

Amari held Tidbit, trying to soothe him, but Polly knew that nothing she could say or do would make the child feel better. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mr. Johnson patted Dismay and said to me, “Keep trying—it was a good write-up...but not yet newspaper worthy.” Each Little Bird That Sings 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

Chucha narrows her eyes as if trying to see something that has been a long way off but is now coming closer. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

And then it was over—the car ride and the discussion, Mabel's body against mine—and we were letting ourselves into her garden and I was trying to call it back. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

My mom’s face looks like it’s a quivering mask that’s trying to stop her from crying. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

“You looked so funny, trying to wash your butt in the water!” The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

And the fact that he was trying to pick me up. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

He was probably trying to convince her not to hex him. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

I don’t want to be carried in a medevac chopper while guys you could be home playing ball with were banging on your chest, trying to get your heart beating again. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

After three years of trying, she had been pregnant five times, and there was still no baby. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

"No, sir, I don't. It looked the same to me. I didn't know what I was using and you didn't tell me. I was trying to save time and took what I thought was right." Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

The naiads had not given up—they were trying a different strategy! Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

Or Ellis, who is still a scared little girl trying to fit in. Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

“Don’t know what got into me,” Trotter mumbled, trying to turn it into a joke. The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z

I poked a stick in the hole at the base of the rock trying to provoke him. My Side of the Mountain 1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

I started pushing against those bricks like I was trying to keep myself alive. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

He was frantically trying to find Frankie when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The Marvels 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

I forced a fake laugh, because I got what she was trying to do. Patina 2017-08-29T00:00:00Z

I saw him twist violently to the left in his hip cradle, trying to turn even farther to the left, away from the hill. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying to paint a bouquet of purple and orange flowers but the teacher, Ms. Murphy, wanted us to only use primary colors, so I blended the paints to get the colors I wanted. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

Ophie, however, was frozen, trying to understand what had just happened. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

Arturo shook his head as if he were giving up on trying to understand me. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

I sit back on my heels, trying to think. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

I kept my eyes closed, trying to recall the sound and movement of train on track that could make you feel lonely sometimes and peaceful at others. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z

Once again the two men paused while trying to decide their next move. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

Or maybe just once or twice, in the beginning, though he wasn’t trying to get me to talk. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

"Plus, that's pretty much what people do after church. Stand around and talk to each other," I said, half-slick and half trying to make him feel better. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

“Well,” said Fadi, trying to erase the image and come up with something interesting to report. Shooting Kabul 2010-06-22T00:00:00Z

“I’m just trying to figure out what I can do with half a bedsheet.” Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

He was fifteen again, and his mother was dying, and she was trying to tell him something very important, and he couldn’t understand her. American Gods 2011-06-21T00:00:00Z

“But only if you’re trying to teleport someplace outside the Bureau.” Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

“Most dangerous, most dangerous,” mumbled the Humbug, still trying to be in agreement with everybody. The Phantom Tollbooth 1961-09-01T00:00:00Z

He held the tail in his left hand, trying to quiet it down as he talked. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

What happens when you find—if you find—an animal believed extinct? he asked himself, trying to remember. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z

He was tempted to smack Octavian on the head again, but he realized Octavian was baiting him, trying to make him look unstable. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

“Go away, Papa,” Celia says through clenched teeth, trying to control herself. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

He hands me the Red Bull, and I sniff at it, trying to figure out whether it's laced with something. Will Grayson, Will Grayson 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z

I turn back to the girl, trying to stand, but I’m so tired. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

I let go of her hand where she was clutching my shirt and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to push her off me. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Um, I believe in the equal treatment of women,” I said, trying to say something important. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

I didn’t return her hug very well, as I was busy trying to hold back my tears. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

I think, in his unbelievably off-putting way, he’s trying to “hang out.” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

"That joker's trying to steal your wallet. Move your pocketbook to the front where he can't get at it." Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z

He was trying hard not to sound like the disappointed father. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z

We were all sitting around on the rail outside of Big Joe’s place, trying to figure out which was the best fighter of all time. 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Would Mrs. G. have smiled so patronizingly at the Enigma codebreakers during World War II who were trying to figure out how to stop Nazi subs from sinking Allied ships? The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

I keep trying to squish my jacket in. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

I sat down in the desk chair and told Radar about my evening in Margo’s vacation house, trying hard not to leave out any possibly helpful details. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

I could feel that he was trying to rein in our independence. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“Good. That’s what I’m trying for. That turkey-bone thing you did was creepy, too. Creepy in a good way, good creepy. It’s been months and I’m still thinking about it.” Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

She’d noted it in the corner with what appeared to be a matrix of some sort: GB AM 222 I was trying to figure out what it meant, when hinges squeaked. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

I asked, trying to be mature and comfortable. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

He chewed every nut into a paste before he swallowed, trying to make each one last as long as he could. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Behind the man, Roza slapped at the glass, scratched at the door, trying to find the lock. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z

I felt myself trying to give him some energy, a good mood. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I feel like someone took a slingshot and shot me high into the air, and now I'm waving my arms and trying to find a soft place to land. A Soft Place to Land 2021-09-14T00:00:00Z

I sat there, trying to figure out what to do about the BATHROOM. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had a sickening image of trying to sit on the roach and crushing it. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

But you know what happens when you’re trying to be quiet—the old stairs creaked twice as loud. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

And he had our dog Oscar's sad eyes, as if he’d given up on trying to please. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

Using her and James’s secret code, she wrote out her plan, but made an effort to act like she was trying to recall the pretend cipher she was conjuring up. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

Taran called over his shoulder, trying to keep Hen Wen from the mud. The Black Cauldron 1965-06-01T00:00:00Z

“Go ahead, Trotter,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Doing Time Online 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

So beautiful that even when I wake up again, I just lie there with my eyes shut tight, trying to remember every color. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

The Government car was parked next to the post office under the flagpole, and he had set up the table next to the car, trying to find shelter from the wind. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

“They need me here more,” Zeitoun said, trying not to sound too grandiose. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

Unless she was trying to provoke trouble between us? The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

As W had headed to chow, Miller said, he’d noticed an inmate, W-9, holding his face, trying to hide blood that was coming out from under his hand. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Wimpy has been trying to work it so that Mami and I can board that plane at the last minute. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

Lizzie looked at him for a long time, tilting her head to one side as if trying to figure him out—which was what she was doing. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

They were very obviously trying to get a closer look at my screen. Auggie & Me 2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

Bernard looks like he’s going to cry, and his hands get all fumbly trying to take off the sock, so Coach West helps him. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

Then he turned his attention to the ball, trying not to see Benji’s reaction. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z

“You are trying to fight right in school! What’s the matter with you?” Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

But maybe he was more like glue trying to hold everyone together. Hope Springs 2021-08-10T00:00:00Z

In trying to be objective and fair, such perspectives ignore centuries of US policy and law that did not question whether European Americans had the right to take over the entire continent. An Indigenous People’s History of the United States 2019-07-01T00:00:00Z

Back in the yard Boxer was pawing with his hoof at the stable-lad who lay face down in the mud, trying to turn him over. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story 1945-08-17T00:00:00Z

The little boy grabbed my leg, trying to yank me to safety. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

“I...I guess Mom could text from her laptop,” Emma said, trying to remember if she’d ever seen Mom do that. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

“Come,” he said, grasping her arm and trying to pull her into the dancing. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

The type of measurement he was trying to make was perfectly familiar to astronomers: such measurements had been made since Ptolemy. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

The perfumed seneschal could well be part of this, trying to lure him into a secret meeting so he could sweep up him and Skahaz both and charge them with conspiring against the king. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

There were no poker-faced sitcom martians in his part of Africa, no oil-rich hillbillies or aproned brides trying to wean themselves from the practice of witchcraft. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z

I believe Gideon himself might have looked there if he hadn’t been trying to raise a daughter on the road. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z

The problem, as it turned out, was not so much bad math as false hope: Colin had been trying to tweak the Theorem to make K-19's graph look like: An Abundance of Katherines 2006-09-21T00:00:00Z

Like she’s trying to keep herself from shouting from Brooklyn to here. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

“But, Papa, you said it yourself, it’s in his heart. I’m just trying not to be the worst kid at writing in Mrs. Grayson’s class.” Stella by Starlight 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

They’d lower their heads, better to grasp what I was trying to say. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“But...change is scary. What if I fail at what I’m trying to do?” From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

“But I have to be here,” she says, trying to catch up. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

He paused, his hands on his knees, trying to get his breath. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

Instead of trying to improve their listeners, musicians started pampering them. The Story of Music 2012-12-25T00:00:00Z

He thought fleetingly of trying to set something up with the D.A., but there again was the problem that people would be missed from lessons; most of them, after all, still had full schedules... Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

His mother was trying to tell him something, but she was very far away, and the air was very loud and very smoky, and he couldn’t hear her. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

I think she was trying to be my friend. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Silver leaped in front of the hull trying to trip him or slow him down. Julie of the Wolves 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to annoy you,” she said. A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z

I swear he looked like my dog T.R. when he’s ashamed and trying to wag his tail and drag his belly at the same time. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

Grandfather was picking through the broken chairs in the front room, trying to salvage something to sit on. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

To pass time, Helmuth fiddles with a radio dial, trying to tune in a station other than the German Reich radio, the RRG. The Boy Who Dared 2008-02-01T00:00:00Z

“Can't you see I’m trying to have a nice conversation about clothes? Why do you always have to be so negative?” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

Tyrion saw one great fool of a knight trying to ride across, urging a terrified horse over gunwales and oars, across tilting decks slick with blood and mAlmg with green fire. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

He keeps trying to squirrel out from under my arm, but I squeeze tighter. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

I watch him for a long time, trying to decide what to think about him. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

After about a year of trying to explain it, Gregor came up with the story that his parents were divorced and his dad lived in California. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

“A big mystery,” I said, then gave her a smile to show her I wasn’t trying to be nasty to her. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

When the final climax came with the front of Holman’s bootery broken out and the party trying on the shoes in the display window only Gay didn’t hear the fire whistle. Cannery Row 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

I held Maisie to my chest and whispered in her ear—there’s none of them can sing so sweet, my singing bird, as you—trying to silence her. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z

For a long while Jonathan stood there, trying to calm his thoughts, which pulled him first one way, then another. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

I know he is still trying to impress Mrs. Walton, and I so want to tell the old man he doesn’t stand a chance. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

When she was home in the evenings or the early morning, Wes would normally be out, “trying to find a job,” as he would tell her. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z

I stop where the water crashes onto the sand, foaming up around my toes, trying to suck me back out again. Hurricane Child 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

I neglect to ask what he had been trying to steal but Vic tells me who he is—the kid with the buzz cut and the earring, you know, he’s back there right now. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We can’t tell. The British are trying to blockade the harbor. They’ve got ships offshore there, all the time, watching for our ships.” Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to help you. Why are you being so mean?” The Invention of Hugo Cabret 2007-01-30T00:00:00Z

It was kind of funny to think about hanging out at Tina's house every day, doing each other's nails, trying on lip gloss. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

I kept trying to crawl away from the blows, but I didn’t have the strength or the coordination to get far. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

I jerk my head, trying to drive out illusion. Grendel 1971-01-01T00:00:00Z

Aech rubbed the back of his neck while biting his lower lip, something he always did when he was trying to gather his thoughts. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

“I don’t even know why I waste my time trying to teach you how to be a woman. Karen wants to put her best foot forward. She takes advice.” The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

That was exactly the way Mom’s face developed twin worry lines on her forehead—and then the worry lines erased—when she was trying to sound more optimistic and cheerful than she actually felt. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

He wasn’t trying to be my father or even a stepfather, really. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

He had been nasty enough while they had been trying to run away. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

"You should answer the phone," I said with forced calm, trying to release my hands without touching her, for if I touched her — "And you'll continue?" she said. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

It be like a wild flame trying to burn, burn while everyone else wants to extinguish it. Watch Us Rise 2019-02-12T00:00:00Z

Let us so live in this trying time that when it is all over we islanders can look one another in the eye with the knowledge that we have behaved honorably and fairly. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

“All right, all right, everyone, calm down,” said Mark, trying to hush them. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

Then President Snow, trying to use me to put out the flames of rebellion, only to have my every move become inflammatory. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Jason’s grandchildren sat around his feet, and he was trying to explain to them what had happened on this day in Athens. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Who knew if Mrs. Cobb herself could be there, still trying somehow to get her last words right? Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

Tendai stumbled on, trying to ignore the ache in his legs. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

The giant stood close by, trying to yank his hammer out of the floor where he’d embedded it. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Dad explained that he was out trying to earn money. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

Mr. van D. is trying to control himself. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

Still, he slowed his canoe to keep a safe distance, trying to figure out a way to get to his office without passing directly by them. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

I was standing on top of a cliff, and he was leaning out of a helicopter trying to grab my hand. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

Then you poke at it sometimes, trying to remember what was there by the shape of the hole. Everything Sad Is Untrue 2020-08-25T00:00:00Z

They were very much trying to suppress a vote to give Spares more rights and believed that was the extent of the fake Uncles’ agenda. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

He did not add that he was already on his way out of the Klan, ostracized by the very people he had been trying to help. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to tell you how it is.” The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

And I was trying to figure out whether or not I’d counted Arabia when it suddenly hit me that I hadn’t seen Father for a long, long time. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

He just gapes at me, like he’s trying to process that. What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

And Belet had grown up trying to be perfect for Ishtar. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

Immediately Matthias scrambled about on all fours, hastily trying to stuff nuts back into the basket as he muttered clumsy apologies, avoiding the stern gaze of his elder. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

Amil and I wandered around trying to think of stuff to do. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Grandma was looking intently at Genie, her head tilted like she was trying to figure something out. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

I scraped my hand trying to keep from falling. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

“Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don’t show up,” Eric says. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z

“Never Grandpa. He thought the English words for grandparents sounded ugly. But you know, sometimes when I was trying to be funny, I’d call him Gramps. Just to see the look on his face.” The Sea in Winter 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

Papa walked the couple out the door and accompanied them part way to the next cabin where they continued trying to peddle their few possessions. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

This would let them attack from two sides, and stop the Americans from trying to escape back to New York City. I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 2017-08-01T00:00:00Z

Percy sat in back, hanging on tight, desperately trying not to slip off the horse’s rear. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

Not right now, when I prefer painting to trying to fit in. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

“I’m just trying to fit it all together,” Axel says. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

She was trying hard to pull the devil cat’s fangs from the throat of Old Dan. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

Some leaned forward, trying to watch what Somkit was doing, but his brown fingers worked too fast to follow. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

We've got just six thousand trying to scramble out of our bridgehead. Black Swan Green 2006-04-10T00:00:00Z

All over the country people are trying to get hold of an old radio that they can hand over instead of their “morale booster.” The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

She had recognized Jerome Paisley as a weak, insecure man who was constantly trying to impress everybody. Small Steps 2006-01-10T00:00:00Z

I didn’t want the others to think I was trying to steal the spotlight, but once I had spoken out of turn, “integrated turkey” became the theme. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

The thing was, you could tell by the way he asked me that he was trying to find out if I was a Catholic. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

Nico expected to feel angry - to shout at them for trying to judge him. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

But I can see the old man is trying to distract. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Daliwonga’s response was that he was trying to restore the status of his royal house that had been crushed by the British. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Though my legs are tired, I run faster up my driveway, trying to put every feeling into words for Jason’s cards. Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dr. Fanning was trying to help out by lining up jobs, but first Papi needed to pass his licensing exam. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z

Guy bent down by a small clump of old mushrooms, near the boy’s feet, trying to get a better look at the plant. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

She shifted on the step, trying to think of some way to change the subject. Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

His mom was trying to get gravy out of Josh's white jacket with a washcloth. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

“She’s hacked off at me for some crazy reason, and I’m just trying to figure out why.” Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

The United States was trying to keep out of it, but it was hard to stay neutral. The Woman All Spies Fear 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

There she was, trying to hide behind a tree. Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

Here is the point of everything I have been trying to tell you, Oskar. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

“The explosion,” I say, trying to hide my smile because after all these months of ignoring me, she’s sucking up. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

O’Brien talked to her now and again when he saw her on the street, and started writing down everything she said, trying to piece together enough information to determine her true age. 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Directly in front of him, facing him, Don Hume was trying to conserve energy, setting a nice, methodical paddling pace for the boys behind him but not putting much into his own strokes. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

Matt was holding on to one leg, trying to lift it off the floor. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to teach him to read, and he can, a little. Free Lunch 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

I sat all the way against the hard door of his truck, trying to will myself into something small and distant from him. The Miseducation of Cameron Post 2012-02-07T00:00:00Z

Now we wondered if she was trying to spook us. A Long Way from Chicago 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

He gave a deep-growling sound like a hog dying down in the swamp and trying to drive off disturbance. Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937-09-18T00:00:00Z

He fumbled at the lid, trying to release the catch. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

He stared back up at the figure, trying to find a face beneath the hood’s shadow. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

I argued and fussed, trying to tell her what a bad shape Old Yeller was in and how we needed to hurry back to him. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

I feel the rain on our backs as you crouch on the road, trying to save worms. The Bridge Home 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

It was almost as if the guy was purposely trying to hide from me. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

The audience probably thought it was for dramatic effect, but I was mostly trying to steady my breathing. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

I dig the chisel into the block and push, trying to follow the line of a tree trunk. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

Then Cecile said, “Enough people in the world trying to silence us. Girl, you better speak up.” Gone Crazy in Alabama 2015-04-21T00:00:00Z

Thomas asked; he dug in the darkness of his thoughts, trying to find a crack to his past. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

“And then the assistant principal accused us of trying to break into the school. Or something like that.” The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Belet paced up and down the street, trying to hail one. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

I’m almost out of breath, trying to cram it all in. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

She is using the same excited cadence they use when trying to decipher what Bit wants when he sits and stares at them. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

I’ll never forget her telling me the digits one by one as I wrote them down, trying to keep my hand from shaking. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“It’s like a kid you were hoping...and a family you’re really close to...,” she said, trying to explain before interrupting herself. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z

“Yes. Why do you think I’ve been trying to call you both so many times?” Amal Unbound 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

"Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but it's just...a little weird," Taylor jumped back in. Patina 2017-08-29T00:00:00Z

Tidbit, seeing his mother so upset, began to wail, reaching for her and trying to squirm out of Amari’s arms. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

The look of disgust on her face matches the one I’m trying to keep off of mine. Fast Pitch 2021-08-31T00:00:00Z

The baldness I was always trying to hide. The Honest Truth 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

I can’t tell if she’s trying to get us back into our clubs because she really wants to fix things, or if she just wants us to leave her classroom. Watch Us Rise 2019-02-12T00:00:00Z

I knew she was trying to avoid what she would call losing her cool. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

Joaquin looked in the mirror, straightened his collar, and wondered if he was the biggest idiot on the planet for trying so hard to find the woman who had left him so easily. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

“Yes,” I say instead, because she is trying to be kind. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

They were searching for work, scrounging for food, traveling among street markets, and trying to steer clear of the police. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

The man looks up, trying to guess a window. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z

He kicked his legs steadily, trying not to expend too much energy, but they both knew it was probably futile. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

“Like trying to go after Black,” said Ron sharply. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

We spend the rest of the period trying to translate the sentence. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

And watching their stony faces, still trying to read their thoughts, Jonathan grew sleepy. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

June just stares at me, as if trying to decide whether or not to answer my questions. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

“Don’t you realize I’m trying to save your life? Help me just this little bit. . . .” Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

It was no good trying to swim like a human being, for it made him go corkscrew and much too slowly. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

Even though it was Sunday, Ma was probably out in the fields trying to get a leg up on the weeding. The Journey of Little Charlie 2018-01-30T00:00:00Z

Teeny hints of spring are trying to sprout up already in Dad’s yard. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

All three stared at Stanley as if they were trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z

I think he's trying to prove something to me, like maybe that the big bag isn't too heavy for him. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

I had learned through my years of trying to find balance in my life that it was okay to flip those priorities and care only for ourselves once in a while. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

It turned out that the year before there had been some sort of stationery arms race among the kids, with each trying to have the most unique pens and paper. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

I tilt my head back and watch the sky, trying to pick shapes out of the clouds. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

I grasp at the thoughts ricocheting through my mind, trying to corral them. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

He did his best and he wasn’t done trying. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

What was the harm in trying a new thing? A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

I must have been down there, banging away, for a couple of hours — I was trying to stay hidden until everyone else went up to bed so I wouldn’t have to deal with anybody. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

Keesing was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

He stood still, trying to make up his mind whether to go back for it now or later. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

In a phone call with the president a few days later, King backpedaled on his comments, trying to soften them. Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam 2018-04-10T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to get all my homework done today, because tomorrow morning is the big procession, the culmination of all the queen events, when I’ll be paraded through the city with Luz and Elsa. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

Great insects, angry and buzzing over the steaming jungle, ignoring the fact that every hostile in the area was trying to bring them down. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mom still thinks I’m not trying hard enough. Muffled 2020-10-27T00:00:00Z

“He’s trying to discipline you. He wants you to grow up to be like him.” Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

Along with all this, I suppose I’m trying to say that I know how bitterly you resent the years when S. and I were regularly conducting home seminars, and the metaphysical sittings in particular. Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z

Once I saw him trying to make an ant colony, filling a mason jar with dirt. Ninth Ward 2010-08-16T00:00:00Z

“Yeah, right. You trying to get killed out here on these streets?” American Street 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

There was a rustling sound in the darkness, like someone or something trying to get up. The Honest Truth 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

Mr. Griswold extended his walking stick between the two men, trying to force his way through, but the tall man grasped him firmly by the shoulder. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

As for Piper, all she could do was stare at her knife Katoptris, trying to locate Leo, Hazel, and Frank. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

You spent hours writing back to Vinny all those summers, trying to make it sound as if the girls at camp were lame, as if you were hardly having fun at all. Goodbye Stranger 2015-08-04T00:00:00Z

“What the hell are you fools trying to pull?” he snarled. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

He gathered a pile of twigs and heavier branches and with the knife cut them to a useful length before trying to get them lit. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

You should be very proud of yourself for trying so hard today. Mockingbird 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying to see what it was they were so interested in, when I became aware of Moira beside me also watching them. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

She pressed her hand over her heart trying to feel a jagged edge under the flesh. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stop before our door, trying to catch my breath and calm the wild panic that I’m sure shows on my face. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

Like he can see in a girl’s head and know exactly what she’s thinking without barely even trying. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

Or is she just trying to make a fool of me? The Westing Game 1979-01-01T00:00:00Z

He’s a cop in charge of making sure things are okay in the ER and someone must have told him they had a depressed kid in 22, and now he’s trying to be helpful. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

“I’ve served your purposes, and now I’m trying to work out your mistakes, so how the hell does that make me indebted to anyone?” Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to will herself back to sleep, convinced that Claire would never write back. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

"Who are you trying to fool, me or you?" The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

I stopped inside the gym doors and looked around, trying to be inconspicuous about spinning in circles. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

I was trying to find the right moment to speak up, when JT walked over to our table. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

When people emerge from their trailers, I thrust my shoulders back, trying to stand up straight. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

The girl pulls her feet back as we pass, trying to make herself small. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

Instead of creeping stealthily down an unfamiliar street surrounded by unfamiliar buildings while trying to steal the most valuable treasure in an unfamiliar city, guess what I was doing? Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

Whatever thought you were trying to convey has been delivered. Woe Is I 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m not excusing it. I’m just trying to explain what happened.” The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Cejas and I, two young lone ones on a train, trying to stay alive. Beast Rider 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

Now Winky was trying to cheat us out of our money? Full of Beans 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

He drove his paddle into the water, trying to hold the boat and bring it round. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

He was trying to seal off the front of his cell by hanging plastic bags and blankets all over the bars—the smoke was that dense. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I went to work, my head still trying to sort itself out. Girls Like Us 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

“Stop!” said Werfel, grabbing the guard and trying to pull him away. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z

I moved near him, trying to position my body to conceal his. Between Shades of Gray 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

It was easy to believe everything Styx promised, until you started trying to think it through. The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

Do they feel a girl sitting on the steps trying to make sense of the world? Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

Officials began to suspect that Myers was the sole killer and was desperately trying to implicate others to minimize his culpability. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

Mrs. Salinger repeated it, as if trying to convince herself. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story 2016-06-28T00:00:00Z

Reyna’s eyes stayed on Frank, like she was trying to guess his weight. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

I end up there for two nights, actually, just trying to get my courage up, I guess. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

“I hope not. But these are trying times, Professor.” The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

“We’re trying to figure out why no one ever sees the owner. We think he might have even been...” Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

They were only trying to save me from humiliation, lovelessness, even death. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“Pretty good. Filled out some applications. No bites yet, but I’ll keep trying.” The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

One minute I was spinning, and the next minute my mind was dragging itself around in a circle, like an old, arthritic dog trying to lie down. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

The boy tilted his head, trying to reassure her with wide, gentle eyes. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

“It was all over, and all the shrews and raccoons were running everyway, trying to get out.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

The Fugees were in a playful mood, laughing and joking with one another, trying, it seemed, not to think too much about soccer. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z

I lean close and open my eyes very wide, trying to see beyond the sagging flesh. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

I didn’t know if they be serving colored here and was just trying to figure that out. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mostly they report the same facts and allegations as earlier in the day, trying to talk to girls who work at the club, hounding its owner as he gets into a car. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

Elizabeth was brokenhearted, and it was while they were trying to cheer her up that April and Melanie got the idea for the Ceremony for the Dead. The Egypt Game 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

I watched the pigeons devour my bread, trying to think why my stomach felt so bad. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

He would get up and go to school with Lydia, their rides mostly quiet, with Lydia trying to get him to talk. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

Malcolm felt behind him with his right hand, trying to feel for the knife. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

I knew I was too old, but I snuggled close to Dad anyway and breathed deep into his shirt, trying to memorize his familiar smell of laundry detergent, peppermint gum, and sweat. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

“Is that what you were trying to do down there?” It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

“I used to believe in em. I don’t anymore. They in our heads. People like Miss Hilly is always trying to make us believe they there. But they ain’t.” The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

I felt her roughly wiping my face while trying to get a clear look at my wound. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

I was trying to figure out how many leos I’d need for ten days of Olympic training camp. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

I had been trying to get the mud from my boots, gave it up, and went to the mess tent. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Once Jay’s light snores started, I kept ignoring sleep, instead trying and trying to lift out of my body again, but I couldn’t. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

Wab led us through the brush, trying to demonstrate the movements required to take prey by surprise. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

Emilie moved forward, trying to follow the guards taking the body into the yard. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

King believed singing kept alive “a faith, a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in our most trying hours.” While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

“He’s down in the office now trying to get you suspended,” Goldy said. Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z

It is like three people trying to talk to you at the same time about different things. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

I hear him trying to sneak up behind me. Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish 2018-08-21T00:00:00Z

As I stumbled up to Juanita, Pita scooted over to me and clung to my waist, trying to hide behind me. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

“Go away,” Conor whispered into the darkness of his bedroom, trying to push the nightmare back, not let it follow him into the world of waking. A Monster Calls 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z

“Hello, Percy,” said Harry, trying not to laugh. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

I do, trying to focus on chewing and swallowing, but even when I attempt to concentrate, my mind drifts. Challenger Deep 2015-04-15T00:00:00Z

“I know I did. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I was trying to see if we could fix it somehow. But it won’t work.” The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

The man, short and dark, was trying to explain that he could get fifty dollars for the lamp downtown and had to charge her twenty-five. 145th Street: Short Stories 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Another man was thrashing wildly, trying to keep his head above the surface. I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 2019-09-03T00:00:00Z

While I’m trying to think what that means and how I should act—maybe throw up or something—Finnick has positioned himself at the edge of the water. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to find Zeitoun, but he had gotten the city wrong. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

We spent a lot of time trying to find ten-year-old Johnny’s family. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I wanted to say to her, It’s no good, you won’t be able to help him now, but then I realized she wasn’t trying to stop the bleeding. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Since last summer, Grover had stopped trying to disguise himself as human. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

I examine this writing from every angle, trying to figure out if it could be Cordelia’s, disguised. Cat's Eye 1988-09-01T00:00:00Z

Yes; Britten was trying to trap him, trying to make out a case against him; but he could not find anything to go upon. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

I’m just trying to make the best of our situation, and he knows it. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

As he talks, I write, but the same thing happens as when I was trying to read—the words are there one minute, and the next they’re gone. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

A week later, they were still trying to make radio contact, but they could not get through. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Bobby Gene bit his lip, trying to look braver. The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

I said, trying, against my better judgment, to give him the benefit of the doubt. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

They scrambled down the path to the stream at its bottom, frantically trying to get their bearings, but they had no idea which direction to turn. Ruby Holler 2002-02-01T00:00:00Z

The press had learned that Gerhardt was somewhere in Germany—and that Bobby was in the country—and they were trying to track down the father so they could interview his famous son. Endgame 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

I stuck around for a while, apologizing and trying to get her to excuse me, but she wouldn't. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

“Are you all right?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

I look up to see him watching me with cruel delight, like a raptor bird trying to decide whether to be bothered devouring a small mouse. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

She stood there, breathing hard and trying not to scream at the sight of all the guns. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z

Paranoid got tacked on about a year later, after I verbally attacked a librarian for trying to hand me propaganda pamphlets for an underground Communist force operating out of the basement of the public library. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

They’d sing about far-off places and about days gone by, about silly things like peach cobbler and the devil trying to steal their soul. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

She leaned over, trying to bow, but she couldn’t because of her back. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

“What if the children were only trying to herd the squirrel outdoors?” she wondered frantically. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z

“You must remember, there’s a chance that the woman in black knows where your mother is, and is only trying to tell you the truth.” Hurricane Child 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

‘God knows we don’t have anything now—but maybe I can scrape it up. I realize you’re not trying to take advantage of us and I appreciate it. We’ll do what we can.’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

Kaz’s mind stuttered and reeled, trying to explain what he was seeing as a cluster of mist became a cloak, boots, the pale flash of a face. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Mai was incredibly impressed—not just that I could say these things, but also because she spent two weeks trying to teach a friend's mother four words of Vietnamese and had not succeeded. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

He stands there catching his breath, and trying to ignore the throbbing in his joints. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

I moved slowly, as if a wild bird had landed there and I was desperately trying to avoid startling it into flight. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

“Most definitely. And Victor and those guys. They’re trying to save those Golden Dawn tangerines, and the rest of the trees out there.” Tangerine 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stood there several minutes looking out on the world, trying to understand. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Annie tripped trying to get up, laughing even harder when Luke tried to explain why they were still in the gym. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

I lean my head against the headrest, trying to think of a way to change my future so it stops feeling like an empty hallway that stretches forever and ever. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

“I’d say if he’s trying to make things safer, he’s already failed.” Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

I was staring at my hands, trying to think. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

I give that some thought, trying to push out of my mind how it will be when he’s not across the room every day. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to convince myself as much as him. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

But a migra agent caught them trying to walk around a checkpoint. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

I took to looking for books, trying not to grin so as not to get yelled at for smiling too loudly. Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

Tyson worked his way around Polyphemus, trying to get behind him. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

Chantal is above me, pulling my leg, trying to keep me upstairs. American Street 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

“Bearden isn’t a bad school,” I say, trying to be helpful. Ghost Boys 2018-04-17T00:00:00Z

“I was trying to get a look at it before my brothers do. Is there a house around here? The magistrate told us it was north over the bridge.” Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

Darrell’s face turns purple, and it’s obvious that he’s trying to come up with a better response. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

That was the reconciliation I was trying to make and couldn’t. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

As we ran, I could hear the disorganized sounds of an entire army trying to jump out of the stands and follow us. The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

Father was over yonder trying to get people to pray for salvation, and no one listening to him either. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

Was I trying to understand something that really had no explanation? Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish 2018-08-21T00:00:00Z

One arm is splayed out uselessly while she paws at her shoulder with the other, trying to stanch the sluggish pulse of blood draining out of her. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

“He was trying to hide, but I saw him.” The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

Sophie dug her nails into the sides of the pocket, trying to prevent herself from tumbling out when she was upside down. The BFG 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You were trying to do the right thing.” Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

Moving quicker than lightning, the cuco whipped around to Beefy’s crib, trying to grab the baby. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

“Just trying to help you because you’re busy, but if you want me to leave, I will.” Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

The kid sitting next to me gave me a puzzled look and asked, “Are you trying to say something?” The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

He needs to know what the author is trying to accomplish as she explores the topic. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to figure out my own life. I don’t have your answers.” Pax 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

She said, “Carry your bag to Cooter’s room, Elijah. And don’t be trying to talk to that dunce neither. Another thing he gunn be doing till he turn thirty is keeping his mouth shut.” Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z

“You said we were going to meet the others,” I tell him, starting with what I know, trying to keep up and avoid stumbling on the uneven ground. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Took a rush hour bus trying to get to you. Brown Girl Dreaming 2014-08-28T00:00:00Z

And we are glad we are not caught trying to open a secret door. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z

I sat very still, trying not to think. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

Robert E. Lee has spent the afternoon on horseback trying to find his own army. Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z

A few fish flopped around trying to get back to the sea. Hole in My Life 2002-03-26T00:00:00Z

And my mother says, “You must think for yourself, what you must do. If someone tells you, then you are not trying.” The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

It reminded her in a way of those cats who followed the laser point on the ground, trying forever to trap it between their paws, but she didn’t tell Joaquin that. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

The women giggle, but it’s a purring sound, an encouraging sound, as they continue trying to get a response. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

He softened his expression and lay a hand on my shoulder, obviously trying to take some of the sting out of his bald refusal. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

I wasn’t a straight-A student, but I was always trying, and there were semesters when I got close. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

The agents oily grin, trying to grease me for information I didn’t even have. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z

Chamberlain rolled over onto his back and lay for awhile longer, hands clasped on his chest, gazing at the sky, trying to see the balls as they passed. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to take deeper breaths, and he stretched his lips across his teeth in a strange grimace. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

A hush fell over everyone as we went through our notes, the textbook, and “A Course Review,” trying to find links to what we were taught this year. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

Boatwright’s dæmon fell to the floor and rolled over, and Boatwright was cringing back, trying to hold his dæmon, trying to avoid the deadly white teeth of the vixen. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

She sounded close, and like she was trying to reassure herself. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

“No,” I mumbled, dabbing at my mascara with a tissue, trying to wipe away the smudges before I went out onto the arena floor. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

I’m not trying to be mean, but Kevon’s not Sneaky, and this stuff is personal. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

I stand in front of the train car, trying to see into its musty interior. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

Grandpop was still at the table, turning the dial on his radio, trying to clear up the fuzz. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

She was digging through her drawers and saying how stupid all her clothes were, even the good things, but I didn't listen because I was trying to figure out what to do. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

He lay in his bunk, staring at the ceiling and trying to control his racing heartbeat. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

He steps closer, murmuring, “I’m just trying to say thanks, Jerome. You helped me out a lot. Good friends share. You can bring it back tomorrow.” Ghost Boys 2018-04-17T00:00:00Z

I dig my fingers into the tendons of the brute’s arms, trying to work myself free. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

He started tugging at the hem of his shirt again as if he were trying to drag himself down through the earth and disappear. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

If there’s a more helpless feeling than trying to reach someone you love who’s trapped underground, I don’t know it. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

I went to sleep—and woke up—trying to figure what kind of a hype it could be. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

And he’s trying to distill all of these ideas into easily digestible chunks—science meets pop science. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

I shake my head, trying not to laugh. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

Without hesitating, knowing the others would think he was trying to commit suicide, Thomas sprinted in their direction until he found himself in the middle of the pack of creatures. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

Truth is, the Colonel's trying to sell the place off. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

She also took to walking around the house in her stocking feet, trying to catch me unawares as I scrubbed or dusted or polished, often with Ruth at my side. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh, so you trying to get a summer job or something?” Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

Miss Love shook her head at Grandpa like a mother trying to shush a child in public, but he chose not to notice. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

“Oh good, you’re here,” I said, trying not to sound too relieved. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

I brushed my teeth fiercely, trying to be thorough and speedy, removing all traces of lasagna. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

Cooter said, “We trying to solve us a mystery, sir.” Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z

Hazel spoke in a soothing voice, like she was trying to calm a horse. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

He focuses on the dish brush, swishing the suds around, trying to get a streak of pizza cheese off a plate without getting his cast wet. Things Not Seen 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

What we were trying, what we should be doing, do you really think you should be having a second glass of wine? The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

A fellow pilot draped his flight jacket over the U-2's cockpit window, trying to give Powers some relief as the unmarked black aircraft baked in the sun on an airstrip near Peshawar, Pakistan. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

She tried and quickly abandoned trying to teach them how to play charades; they were simply no good at guessing the names of famous people, since they had never heard of any of them. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z

I shook my head, trying to reassemble my now- confused thoughts. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

The guy who was trying to steal just put the chips back and apologized. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

I ask, trying to keep my voice neutral. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

But I waited and waited, and still she kept looking at me, trying to figure me out. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

She knew that Maddie would land her safely or die trying. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

He knew that Hooper was trying to find out where he went now. I'm the King of the Castle 1970-09-03T00:00:00Z

“But, Margaret, I’m not trying to be a good lawyer. I’m trying to be a good friend.” Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

She could have given up on her mother, but she was obsessed with trying to get Anastasia to love and take care of her, even though Anastasia acted as though she didn’t have a daughter. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

But she was not alone in trying, and she was not alone in losing. Jazz 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

Pa. When he thought of die old man he could see him suddenly in a field in the spring, trying to move a gray boulder. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

There were no disabled role models for a young boy trying to work out what sort of man he could become. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

He untucked his shirt and put the book inside, hastily retucking it just as the hook-handed man reentered the library, escorting Violet and carrying Sunny, who was trying without success to bite the man’s hooks. The Bad Beginning 1999-08-25T00:00:00Z

Melynlas pitched furiously, trying to break away from the press of warriors. The Black Cauldron 1965-06-01T00:00:00Z

“Nice that he’s doing something social, isn’t it, Vera? After all these years of trying to be so different.” Please Ignore Vera Dietz 2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

“You’re reacting to your mom and dad splitting up by trying to steal someone else’s best friend. Mine. I see right through you.” Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story 2016-06-28T00:00:00Z

I walked outside trying to hold my head high, and Dinitia and her gang surrounded me and it began. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

She stretched her fingers out, then curled them into fists, in and out and in and out, trying to get the blood flowing. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

Instead, I was inside drinking, trying to make myself better. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

He says this last part quietly, but with the frustration of someone who’s been trying to solve the same unsolvable problem for a long time now. Everything, Everything 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

She was trying to get everything straight in her head. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

He hurled himself at Will, shaking his arm, his shoulder, his hands, and the attacker was trying to shout again, but Baruch’s hand was over his mouth. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

The first wave was trying to reach the sea and the second one was struggling toward the shore. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

She thought back to Bithynios, trying to remember how many children had been born with something wrong with them. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“We’ll write everything down like a recipe,” I said, trying to assure her. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

“We don’t need to hear every weird thought in your tiny little brain. We’re trying to work.” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

I play with the boys as much as I can now, trying to memorize the smell of their freshly sham- pooed hair. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Just go back to your father,” I said, trying not to sound too harsh. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

His eyes ran over Neil’s room, like he was trying to see what I was looking at. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Is he trying to figure out if I’m on this road by myself? King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

Can you read this selection and tell what kind of tree they’re trying to save? It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

“Anyway,” I said, and I showed her the envelope, and explained how I had found the key, and how I was trying to find the lock it opened, and how maybe black meant something. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying not to think of that. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

The inside of Bod’s head felt as if it were filled with cobwebs, and he shook it, trying to clear it. The Graveyard Book 2008-09-30T00:00:00Z

She waved him away, trying to ignore the pained expression in his eyes. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

There’s always someone trying to bring us down. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

I want to practice the exercise Brother Isoke was trying to teach me earlier, and I want to get it right this time. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

Dasch stepped out and walked in a wide circle, trying to look through the fog. Nazi Saboteurs 2019-12-03T00:00:00Z

He could easily envision the big goon trying to hop on a bison, like it was a carousel pony. Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Finn took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z

“I listened to the tapes tonight,” I said, trying not to sound sentimental. Native Speaker 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sara reminded me that I’m goofy and I love trying new things, especially in the kitchen. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

Ben ran backward trying to catch the first glimpse of the plane, watching for the sharp reflection of sunlight off a wing or cockpit window, but still he could not see it. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

It’s like trying to put out a forest fire with a water gun. Challenger Deep 2015-04-15T00:00:00Z

I’m trying not to look up, because I don’t want anyone’s eyes to meet mine, but if I don’t look up, someone might notice and wonder why I’m not looking up. A High Five for Glenn Burke 2020-02-25T00:00:00Z

My mind was racing, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

I screamed, trying to explain what Tato had tried to do. When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z

I spent the first day staring at all of them when they weren’t looking—especially Ollie Mae—trying to find myself in the arch of her eyebrows, the shape of her nose. Betty Before X 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

No teachers turning into monsters and trying to kill me with poisoned cafeteria food or exploding homework. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

She was thinking through the letter, trying to make the connections among the library, the Allens, the Washingtons, and her grandmother. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

“You said you are sure this is a true story. Is it trying to hurt anyone?” The Landry News 1999-12-01T00:00:00Z

“No. Not really. I mean, I know people thought I was trying to hurt myself, but I wasn’t.” Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

Unferth gnawed at his knuckles like an animal trying to rid itself of a wounded and unwanted limb. Beowulf: A New Telling 1968-01-01T00:00:00Z

My next class seemed to be on the other side of campus, and I was trying to figure out where I was—cross-checking room numbers against my new class schedule—when the final bell rang. A Very Large Expanse of Sea 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

She was tired and run down anyway from trying to feed and clothe seven children and their father. Cannery Row 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

"And now my William and his friends are hunted. Hunted by the king, his knights, and the queen mother. All for trying, and failing, to save a few books." The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

She had inherited a story that was strewn with corpses and clotted with enmity, and was only trying to stay alive in it. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

He brought the bird to his chest, trying to warm it from the heat of his body. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

Most recently, he served several years in prison for trying to buy jewelry at Macy’s with a stolen check, and filed several lawsuits while incarcerated. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

Doctors operated behind my ear—for nearly eight hours— trying to repair the facial nerve that had been cut by the bullet. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

“I figured,” I said, swallowing more seltzer, trying to get that taste out of my mouth. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

“Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will. “ Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

At night, when the train car cools enough for us to sleep a little, I hear Katherine crying softly, trying to hide the sound of her tears by burying her face in her knees. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

Several people standing near-by observed the white Communist trying to find a black Communist a place to sleep. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

“My... My hair!” burst out poor Jo, trying vainly to smother her emotion in the pillow. Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I am trying to make sure you don't go the same way," she said. The Witches 1983-10-27T00:00:00Z

He was in Peshawar, staying in a room at a hostel with three other men, trying to get the media and the regional officials to understand what was going on in Swat this whole time. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

“No, Hermione, I know it was an accident. You were trying to get us out of there alive, and you were incredible. I’d be dead if you hadn’t been there to help me.” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

The Army had given him a tentative diagnosis, probably the best diagnosis he would ever get, and he had been left with the unpleasant task of trying to salvage the lives of the remaining animals. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I started moving to the back of the raft to get out of everyone else’s way, trying not to rock it. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

Agent Magnus’s intense eyes find mine and I can see he’s trying to tell me something. Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

Harold was barely even trying to move by the last game. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Full of survivor’s guilt, he was surrendering himself to the random forces of the uni-verse, trying to punish himself for still being alive. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“You look different,” I say, squinting at her, trying to figure it out. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

She was dancing around, trying to see everything that happened. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

In both places, young men go through a daily struggle trying to navigate their way through deadly streets, poverty, and the twin legacies of exclusion and low expectations. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates 2010-04-27T00:00:00Z

“Stop trying to eavesdrop and go to bed, Merci. You need 9.25 hours of sleep for proper brain function, you know.” Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

If he’s trying to keep me blushing, he’s doing an excellent job. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

I breathe deeply, trying to slow my heart. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then she kind of jerked, like people do at church trying to shake themselves awake. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

She told about Cole burning the supplies, trying to escape, and being mauled. Touching Spirit Bear 2001-01-09T00:00:00Z

I nodded, trying to be both polite and noncommittal. Black Like Me 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

She didn’t tell me not to listen at the door, however, so I knew trying to make a baby was hard work that required a lot of effort and grunting. Kira-Kira 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

He brought it off, the image of contriteness, the best he could— throughout the harshly trying next several weeks. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

Gale begins stirring at my voice, trying to reach me. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

“But there are ninety years between the fire and now! What happened during those ninety years? What happened to Leo? That’s what I’m trying to figure out!” The Marvels 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

“Well,” he said, trying not to get lost in her strange, lovely eyes, “I don’t think anyone who plays like that can be just a criminal. It seems like you have a soul,” he teased. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

“No more than I’m trying to get him to move to New York. And it’s all ridiculous anyway. I might not even go.” If I Stay 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe they can’t be easily translated because they refer to a sensation that only Chinese people have, as if you were falling headfirst through Old Mr. Chou’s door, then trying to find your way back. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

It must be because the universe is trying to keep you on your diet. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

Thereafter never a week went by but she brought news of this boy or that, and she and I and Nathan spent long hours trying to assess their relative merits. Nectar in a Sieve 1954-01-01T00:00:00Z

We moved down the long side of the ridge, trying to keep our balance, hoping we wouldn’t step on a mine or pull a trip wire. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’m supposed to be on the floor, trying out. Black Brother, Black Brother 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

There was a sight in front of me, and I stared at bodies trying to move across an open field. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Genie bent over, trying to catch his breath, his chest burning. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

“The Rusties sure wanted to survive. Every ruin I’ve seen, those cars are always all over, trying to get out But they never seem to make it.” Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

It sent me tumbling through my own abyss of sorts, trying to salvage what I could of my feelings and emotions, which would be scattered to the winds as she talked. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stared at Grady, trying to process what he was saying. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

My task was made much harder by Celia, still trying to get Miles’s attention. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

“I’m okay, I’m okay!” she assured them, trying to get back to her feet, slapping the dust off her legs and butt. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

“He ... I was trying to wash him,” Granny whimpered, “here,” she continued, pointing, “and . . . that black little Devil. . .” Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was trying to figure out how to string a frozen gryphon onto his necklace. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

“We just need to keep trying, Ruthie. That’s all we can do. And you know something? You are an amazing translator!” Lucky Broken Girl 2017-04-11T00:00:00Z

She was only extemporizing but a stirring warmth flowed from her as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z

Taisin’s thoughts came through as clearly as if she had spoken them out loud: She is trying to manipulate you. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

“We pledge to do better by our citizens, and we are sorry that you were harmed while trying to exercise your First Amendment rights.” Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Matthew pulled at his Mohawk, trying to play it cool, but Emily could tell by her brother’s bouncing knee that this was new and exciting news. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

She was just trying to make friends and she didn’t know how. Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story 2016-06-28T00:00:00Z

I yelled out some expletive or other, trying to find my center of gravity, but it felt like I was on an ice rink without skates on. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I spot two boys on the sidewalk; everyone is trying to move out of their way. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

I walked until I lost the light from the fire pit, clawing at my T-shirt, trying to pull it away from my skin. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I stayed in my seat, trying to look small. Because of Mr. Terupt 2010-10-11T00:00:00Z

I’m trying to tell Char I don’t think I want to do this, but she ain’t listening. The Skin I'm In 1998-10-16T00:00:00Z

She was trying to make sense of it all. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

It must be most trying under the present pressures.' The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

I was trying to picture myself taking the first slivers off this perfect piece of wood. Ruby Holler 2002-02-01T00:00:00Z

“The whole colonial experience of trying to solve a related series of 'Indian problems’ had much to do with giving the colonists an identity indissolubly linked to America,” he wrote. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

“Percy was trying to do something good,” she promised Bob. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

“I want to be where my mother is,” I said, trying to strengthen my plea. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ron rolled his eyes and muttered to Harry and Hermione, “He’s been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons.” Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

She was trying to make a go of it alone, working in a real estate office selling lots, and it was rough. The River 1991-06-01T00:00:00Z

She felt like slapping some of them for sitting around grinning at her like a pack of chessy cats, trying to make out they looked like love. Their Eyes Were Watching God 1937-09-18T00:00:00Z

I watch it, trying to get new glimpses of it— trying to catch it off guard and have it reveal its secrets to me. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

I keep telling myself this while I’m trying to get egg yolk out of my hair, while I’m crawling around on the floor picking up spoons and upturned bowls. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

I said, trying to push away my disquiet. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

Her eyes were a paler blue than her skin, and it seemed to him that she was trying to fathom him. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

“My brother went missing trying to prevent this. I have to try.” Amari and the Night Brothers 2021-01-19T00:00:00Z

He did this, he knew; he dispensed with things, trying to be like other people — decisive, practical — only to discover he’d overdone it. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I was just trying to give you a compliment, okay?” she said. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

“You trying to tell me you blood buyers got some kind of clean conscience? Like making some petrol is different than buying our blood and rust out on the wrecks for your recycling?” Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

I ask, trying to be as delicate as I have the wherewithal to be. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

He was still trying to decide when the mute turned over the menu and began to write. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

The Sleeper lifted his arm, as if he was trying to block out the light. Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

It was like some small creature was trying to escape from his throat. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

“You boys are crazy with grief. Kitty had two sons, and I know it because we talked all the time. Why are you trying to confuse me on the day of her funeral?” Please Ignore Vera Dietz 2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

They knew that the overseer was trying to sell her, trying to sell this dozing, halfconscious young girl, who never moved from the pallet on the floor. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

She screamed and screamed; Leanne started to scream too and seized Katie’s ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

“Sneaking around and trying to figure people out isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be,” he said. Chasing Vermeer 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z

“Well,” she said, trying for a smile, “the sleeper finally awakes.” The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

Was that what Parker was trying to get them to notice? The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

They were trying to talk over the loud music blaring out from a large black speaker tucked into one of the corners. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

Shin and his classmates shrieked and cowered on the dirt road, trying to protect their heads with their arms and hands. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

He wailed in pain and flung her around, trying to shake her. The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

He stopped trying to get over me and started freaking, bringing the ball down and around his back. Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh, dear,” thought Meg, “married life is very trying, and does need infinite patience as well as love, as Mother says.” Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z

I still wasn't scared because I could look in his eyes and see he wasn't trying to fight me. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

Mama could feel when rain was coming on, when something was wrong with me or Jay, when someone was trying to fake her out at the market charging a higher price than was right. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

You think it’s easy trying to remember all that? Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

“Definitely adequate,” Henry answers, grinning, and he scoops Alex up against his chest greedily as if he’s trying to touch all of him at once. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

By the end of fifth period, I’m still so busy thinking about it that I don’t even notice Austin barreling through the doorway into the computer lab right as I’m trying to get out. How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to find your mother,” I tell her when she climbs in. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Nailer shook his head, frustrated, trying to scan the crowds. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

He questioned me closely until I admitted exactly what I was trying to do. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

“Do you ever think of the men you’ve killed in combat, darling?” she said, trying to begin a conversation. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

MOM: You campaign against your own mother who is trying to make a good life for you. Crash 1996-03-19T00:00:00Z

After trying it, the conquistadors ditched their steel breastplates and helmets wholesale and dressed like Inka infantry when they fought. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

I didn’t like the way she looked at me, as if she was trying to find something wrong. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

And being a sheepman connected to the Devine Company was like trying to raise mutton in a tank full of sharks, barracudas, and piranha fish. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

Six days later, four Sundays after the last Sunday, the Colonel and I were trying to shoot each other with paintball guns while turning 900s in a half pipe. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z

It had been chopped to pieces, but some of the branches still had golden birds in them, and they whirred around when Grover picked them up, trying to flap their wings. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

And while it's trying you better be booking it back to the street, and home. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

Sometime after three children and trying to finish college, my father joined the Marines. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

My body was thrumming with anxious unspent energy, and I could hear Chubs muttering to himself, as if trying to work through the night’s events. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

“Bad feelings, even though you would just be trying to help?” Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Her mouth was closed, but she moved her lips like there were words in there trying to get out. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

I can see him trying to figure out the puzzle so he can put me back together again and turn me into the fun girlfriend he used to know. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

She could feel her own shriek beating against her chest, trying to force itself up her throat like vomit. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

“I’m fine,” I say, trying to turn so she can’t see me. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

I let my voice drop off because Officer Khan is driving the police car we're in, and I still feel bad about lying to him and running off when he was only trying to help. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Genie asked, trying to keep the conversation going a little longer, hoping to shake the weird feeling that was creeping into his stomach. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

Samuel said, “Sit down, Lee. We’re trying to think of names.” East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

“But Response was good,” Chacko prompted, trying to speak in the same idiom. The God of Small Things 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I glanced around, trying to remember where we had parked the car. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

“My father was killed trying to save me,” he said harshly. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

The man was turning and twisting in the white men’s hands, trying desperately to free himself. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

Nathan aired out his palms, trying not to upset the blister that was forming. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

She climbs out of bed, trying not to wake her father, and crosses into the hall. All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

Maybe they’d respect each other’s privacy and not go around trying to dig things up. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

Sophie has him by the ear, trying to get him to stop. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

It was about a wealthy English duchess whose spoiled kids pretended they loved her but were really just trying to cheat her out of her money. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

I might have taken comfort in Tyler’s trying to help me, but the memory of my sister was too raw, and I didn’t trust him. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

I patted my face dry, trying to think. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

She was still staring at the foreign word, trying to picture it mentally in a language she knew. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He’s talking too fast, as if he’s the one who rammed into a car, his hand trying desperately to push down the trunk that has flown open. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

Behind him, the satyrs were shaking their heads vigorously, trying to warn me. The Sea of Monsters 2006-04-01T00:00:00Z

But it was like trying to draw the feathers of the bird. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

There are almost waves today, like the bay is trying very hard to be the ocean. Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We are Young Pioneers, successors to Communism. Our red scarves flutter on our chests,” we sang over and over, trying to get the timing right. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

“The nursery mamas will be there at dawn and they’ll help you. But in the meantime, just keep trying.” Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

Taran had been trying to follow this conversation of the enchantresses, but found himself more confused than ever. The Black Cauldron 1965-06-01T00:00:00Z

The girl on the floor exhaled, but Reyna knew that trick - trying to loosen an enemy’s hold. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

I couldn't see it in his face or hear it in his speech, yet I knew he was neither lying nor trying to shock me. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

She loped along briskly, moving in the easy, horse-like canter mice use when they are trying to cover ground. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 1970-06-01T00:00:00Z

I didn’t like it because I did not know anyone and there was no point in trying to make new friends when I moved so often. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

"Maybe he won't hurt you," he said, hoping it was true, "maybe he's just trying to scare you. Here—" He pulled his hand inside his sleeve and tried to wipe Eleanor's face. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

I ain’t trying to be disrespectful of Ma’s cooking when I say that neither. Elijah of Buxton 2007-08-06T00:00:00Z

“We could go back down the way I came up,” Diana said, trying not to look at Kaitlin s injuries as they worked. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

“What’s going to happen to you, you say? All those years, that’s what I was trying to teach you, how to never have to ask that question.” The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

“But you know he’s just trying to protect you. We can't take any chances.” Among the Hidden 1998-03-01T00:00:00Z

What Lizzie said was true: if everyone knew there were still a few wonderful things in the storerooms, people would fight each other trying to get them. The City of Ember 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

She’d kept trying to win the man’s heart, but he kept rejecting her. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

But my prayers sounded more like I was trying to pick a fight. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

You didn’t believe that you really needed all of the education that we were trying to give. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

I leaned against a wall, trying to conceal my uneasiness. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

But at black church I would sit there for what felt like an eternity, trying to figure out why time moved so slowly. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“You in here?” he asked hesitantly from the doorway, trying to adjust his eyes, the smoke from his pipe smelling nice. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

She didn’t want to patch it, and she was trying to make her stitches as invisible as possible so no one would be able to tell it had been torn in the first place. Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

He licked his lip, trying to think of what else he had done. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

“Are you trying to trick me into singing for you?” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

A few minutes later my mother came bopping down the street, trying her best to steer a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

She finally put together some semblance of a figure and raised her left hand in the air, trying to ignore how much it was trembling. Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

Xan spent well over half a day just trying to find it, and once she did, it was a full hour of hard labor just to dislodge the lattice of persistent ivy. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

I grab her hand, trying to stop the water from splashing. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

Kingshaw was standing with his hands cupped on either side of his face, trying to see through the window of the Red Room. I'm the King of the Castle 1970-09-03T00:00:00Z

“P for pray,” he said, trying to grin. Chasing Vermeer 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z

Are my biochips punishing me for trying to reveal the truth? The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

She was trying to act casual about it. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

The man, who had received two or three nice presents from her unasked, thought she was lying and was trying to tell him to shove off. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

Most of my mother’s paintings were trompe l’œils—à la Magritte, as she liked to say—in which the subject, person or thing, always seemed to be trying to escape the frame. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

The Negro was just trying to see how much we would take. The Bell Jar 1963-01-14T00:00:00Z

Pile a layer of Kotex above whatever you were trying to hide, the Island cousins once advised her, and the officers would shy from probing. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents 1991-01-04T00:00:00Z

Her face says she’s trying to figure out if she heard me right. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

“Yakov is trying—” I groaned, closing my eyes to block out the pain. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

I keep staring at her, trying to make her look at me. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

Anyway, all day I’ve been trying to think of a way of getting out of it, and now here she is, cornering me before I’ve nailed down an excuse. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

But my head was spinning, trying to analyze every word Edward had spoken today. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

I can tell he’s trying his best not to cry. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z

He was a dying man staring down on the surgeons trying to save him. An Abundance of Katherines 2006-09-21T00:00:00Z

He looked as though he were trying to speak but couldn’t. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He became serious and his face had the still and steady look of a grown man trying not to vomit ... or cry. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

The children are awake, still in their pajamas, standing dumbfounded behind their mother, watching Mina and me and obviously trying to figure out what's happening. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

I’m not trying to get canceled right as we really sync up. What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

I was at work that day, but my mother described it to me later—Dad being carried out of the house by burly paramedics, trying to joke with them as they went. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

I force a laugh, trying to stay nonchalant. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

Her legs had been covered with welts and bruises that Jordan had given her, trying, as he put it, to “make her behave.” Forged by Fire 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Twig,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment and anger from rising in my voice. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

They were always trying to get out, and I had to make sure they didn’t get loose. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I picture my brother hunched over the receiver, trying to concentrate, to push out the words that have jammed in his throat, while his father hurls an arsenal of ugly words. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

“How can you say that? I’m trying to save you!” The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

I was trying to think what to say when something crunched under the Sunbird’s wheels. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

“I’ve been trying so very hard to bring the rain so that everyone can come back. But I no longer have the endurance for the songs.” Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

Marcus’s brother was the kid who had been trying to get off the hood of the car. When You Reach Me 2009-07-14T00:00:00Z

Emily returned to her apartment later that morning, still trying to wrap her head around her big discovery. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

I’m pretty sure he's still trying to forget what happened the first time. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

I’m guessing it’s my mom trying to rinse off her fear and disappointment. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

He stood in front of the car, waiting for them to push him in, his eyes wide with astonishment, his impulses deadlocked, trying to remember something. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

Mr. Whiskers was stretched across the doorjamb, spread out as long as he could be, trying to catch every possible breath of air to cool off. Hattie Big Sky 2006-09-26T00:00:00Z

They weren’t trying to change grades or cheat. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

Driving over that field was like trying to steer a boat through a sea of dark chocolate. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z

Those pure black eyes seemed to pull at Hazel, as if trying to extract her soul. The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

I kept smiling, trying to act casual, giving simple yes or no answers and saying I was fine. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

They were simply trying to drive it away—away from her, she realized. Julie of the Wolves 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

I got the most spectacular chills, just from trying to imagine. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I took the note because I was trying to protect you,” he whispered. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

She didn't talk too fast, and her Italian was very good, “...have been trying for days to reach Mr. Getz. He told me he was on the boys’ trail. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

He looks into my eyes for a long time—like he’s trying to control my mind or something—and I eventually look down at my sneakers. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then, desperately trying to control himself, he recollected how he had worked his father’s fields. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

I can tell she’s trying to dream, unlock the storms mystery. Ninth Ward 2010-08-16T00:00:00Z

Children and sick family members stayed behind, trying to find ways to stay busy. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

“The woman looked at me and I thought she had the face of my mother,” he said, trying to recollect the experience with all the honesty he had. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

He was trying to maintain his composure, but Inej could hear panic pulsing against his words, the startled wing beat of a frightened bird. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

I put my head in my hands, trying to remember what had happened. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

“But I’m just trying to find out about this key.” Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

I roll a double and look up at Trujillo, trying to keep the glee from my face. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

It probably wouldn't do much good, but it was worth trying, if only to reduce Belet's pain. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

Ophie chewed her lip, trying to think of a way to ask her next question, the one that was closest to what she really wanted to ask about. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I think the pageant is like Christmas, and we just keep trying to celebrate it earlier and earlier until it turns into a year-round event. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

“Right. Me too,” Farmer answered to the statement of being an American, trying to understand and not judge the man. Mountains Beyond Mountains 2013-04-13T00:00:00Z

She runs her thumb along my arm, like she’s trying to coax the tears out of me. On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

I doubt she can see me, but I don’t think I’m one of the people she’s trying to see anyway. The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

They looked like they were trying to place me. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

While you fumble your way north, trying to find me, my armies will destroy your precious camps—first the Romans, then the others. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

Jonas and I sandwiched her between us, trying to warm and comfort her. Between Shades of Gray 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

“What are you trying to say to me?” The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

He was dragging his left leg and trying to hide it because he was ashamed. Twelve Angry Men 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

At first Mong said he wasn’t and seemed like he was just trying to laugh it off. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

She was devoted to her girlfriend, and it must have seemed as though I were trying to take her away. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

I could feel her steeling herself, trying to pull her pain inside. Hollow City 2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

Then, with a shock he realized he had not been thinking of trying to escape. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

Why are you always trying to scare me?Were done. The Crossover 2014-03-18T00:00:00Z

Maniac kept trying, but he still couldn’t see it, this color business. Maniac Magee 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

He wants to go check on her...wake her to let her know Dad’s trying to get ahold of them. Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

“I heard there were enemy troops. Fifteen, twenty or so. Where are they going? What are they trying to do? Something happen?” The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

Benji didn't bother trying his on and just dumped them in the cart. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z

It was trying, I mean really trying, ignoring all the questions I had no answers for. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

She was still trying to figure out her post-baby body, and a bathing suit wasn’t at the top of her list. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

“Nothing, sir,” I said, trying to look amazed, trying to fool him. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

Not even when I was in the dressing room trying on “slacks.” The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

I climb the narrow stairway back to my classroom, trying to avoid getting jostled. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z

“We had to have a gnawer. I see now he was trying to protect us.” Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

Those men only murmured sweet nonsense to me, trying in vain to flatter me. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stared at the picture, trying to conjure up the image of the man I saw with her that day, his head bent as he stooped to embrace her. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m trying to do the same thing for you now, to get you out of your room and save you. Please. Play with Armelio.” It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

She and her division chief went back and forth over the data, trying to isolate the discrepancy. Hidden Figures 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

She was working away, trying to jimmy loose the catch on a window screen. A Long Way from Chicago 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

He could barely force the words through his chattering teeth, but he stared at her as hard as he could, trying to make Pima understand. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

“Or they’re trying to teach you,” Tao suggests, pinching a hole in his threadbare tunic. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

She bowed her chin down and folded her arms across her chest, trying to look as if she was asleep. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh, no trouble, Colonel,” said Major Danby, trying nervously to cover up. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

Chefs around the country, like the ones who buy from Polyface in Virginia, are trying to teach consumers that food actually tastes better when it is fresh, in season, and grown without chemicals. The Omnivore's Dilemma 2006-04-11T00:00:00Z

The weather has taken a nosedive, and all the tulips and irises that love the spring warmth are now probably huddling together, trying to keep warm. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

The muscles in Miles’s throat worked as though he was trying to speak or swallow, but his lips pressed together so tightly they turned white. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

Anya raised her free hand, trying to figure out what had him snagged, and he grabbed her. Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

The hatch door was halfway closed and Alec leaned out and over, trying to pull the rope up, his face almost purple from yelling. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

After trying to study for a few minutes, Hanako decided to walk to the fields to see if Mama and Akira were there. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

With my hands I checked the knots and lashings incessantly, trying to read them the way a blind man would read Braille. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

I feel a second of relief, thinking maybe he understood me and knows we’re trying to get help. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

She sounded like she was trying to borrow a cup of sugar. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

Like, what is this place trying to be? Better Nate Than Ever 2013-02-05T00:00:00Z

But Ivy couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her lungs trying to get enough air while she turned off her phone. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“I’m just trying to get Mrs. Kluckowski off my mama’s back.” A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

Malcolm was holding the canoe back now, trying to resist the power of the flood, and La Belle Sauvage responded sweetly. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

“This is risky. You don’t know if the boy is right about the depths. And trying to come in with the tide at night?” Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

One Associated Press camera team pressed against the back wall, trying—and failing—to stay out of everyone's way while recording the auspicious moment. The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Pedro Cabral was trying to sail around Africa to Asia to buy spices for his native Portugal, and the ocean current took him to Brazil instead. Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science 2010-11-15T00:00:00Z

Diego was staring at me so hard, it was like he was trying to force his thoughts into my brain. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

There was a rat clumsily trying to stalk him, a fat awkward-looking rodent, but nevertheless an enemy. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

I was trying to picture herds of balonies roaming around on ranches. Fourth Grade Rats 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

All he could see was that I wasn’t trying hard enough. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

Gregor imagined the bottleneck a hundred bats would cause trying to get in the door downstairs. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

We had watched many scenes like this since his return, with Papa acting so crazy sometimes you could almost laugh at the samurai in him, trying to cow her with sheer noise and fierce display. Farewell to Manzanar 1973-01-01T00:00:00Z

Like he was trying to make sure whatever she was saying was a good deal for him, or whether in fact he could manipulate her into a better deal. A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

It was trying desperately to maneuver out of the jam, but I didn’t let go. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

I fight with my lips, trying to press them into a serious and professional frown rather than the grin that threatens to overtake them. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

As a perverse and incredibly boring experiment, I am now trying to prove that I can get by without the drugs and the drinking. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z

Then I feel his body sort of shiver, and his mouth’s moving just a little, like he’s trying to get his tongue out to lick my hand. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I work on it in my head, trying to map out the story you asked me to tell, about everything that happened this past fall and winter. When You Reach Me 2009-07-14T00:00:00Z

Dr. King pointed to the drinking fountains and said, “See these signs? They shouldn’t be here. These are the things we’re trying to change.” While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

She was tired after a trying day, that was it. The Westing Game 1979-01-01T00:00:00Z

I scan their faces, trying to get a read on the situation. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

Only a few minutes before, I’d almost gotten them stretched to death on deluxe water beds, and now they were trying to be brave for my sake, trying to make me feel better. The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

While I was trying to make sense of what she’d said, Auri finished the last of her bread and clapped her hands excitedly. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Percy and his friends advanced slowly, trying not to scare her. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

And that was in a circular patch of red volcanic chips that hurt Dell's feet, even when he wore thick-soled shoes and was just trying to take a shortcut to the always- strange-smelling stairwell. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

I am trying to remember what Finch said about lies not being lies if they feel true. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

“But I’m still stuck. I’ve been trying to crack the code all night, and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. It’s just a bunch of numbers.” The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Most of the seventh grade has already decided that he’s so different from them that they can imagine him trying to kill someone. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

I had no idea that, in those years of trying to rid myself of sadness and depression through drinking, I had created a dependency in my body and my mind. While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

I could feel her rocking back, trying to get me to lift off my feet. Patina 2017-08-29T00:00:00Z

“So in Macbeth, when he wasn’t trying to find names that sound alike, what did he want to express in words more beautiful than had ever yet been written?” The Wednesday Wars 2007-05-21T00:00:00Z

“Yep. Daniel ain’t a murderer like the rest of these folks, he’s just a man trying to play the hand that life dealt him.” Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

Gorgias’s brother Herodicus is a doctor, and the former attests that when trying to persuade a patient to submit to a course of treatment, his oratory is far more effective than his brother’s medical expertise. Words Like Loaded Pistols 2011-10-20T00:00:00Z

Dragged behind a whale trying as hard as it can to get away from the human beings that hunted it. The Young Man and the Sea 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

I asked, trying to conceal the anxiety in my voice. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

He lost his footing trying to open it and sprawled on the floor. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

There were nights trying to sleep in a freezing tent, with 30-mile-per-hour winds ripping at the sides. I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 2016-08-01T00:00:00Z

I bite my lip, as if trying to stop the words from rushing out. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

I fanned my face, trying to get a little air, feeling light-headed. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He shifted his weight slowly, trying—without exposing any piece of himself beyond the outline of his small rock—to work into a position, into a crouch from which he could spring. The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

He fumbled, and the gorget he was trying to fit around Robert's thick neck tumbled to the ground. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

Tally rose shakily to her feet, trying to keep steady on the wet surface of the board. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

What also kept many from trying to escape was knowing that even if they succeeded, many fellow prisoners would be killed in retribution. Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps 2001-03-01T00:00:00Z

“Maybe he’s going through a hard time that isn’t permanent. You’re a smart girl—very smart. Is it pretty hard trying to live up to the one—in your skin?” East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

“What the hell you want to play football for? You need more meat on those bones. What the hell you trying to play quarterback for? You’d make a better end. Maybe.” The Chocolate War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

The minute they disappear, Mami begins making phone calls, trying to find someone who can help us. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

“You guys? We need to start our search for the treasure ASAP. Mrs. Malvolio and her uncle are definitely trying to find it, too.” The Smartest Kid in the Universe 2020-12-01T00:00:00Z

Well, we’re all staring at it, trying to figure out where it come from, what it could be, when Jeanne starts shaking like dice in a cup. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

She looked at him, trying to read him. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

Miss Kenton looked away from me, and again an expres-sion crossed her face as though she were trying to puzzle out something that had quite confused her. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

Finally, Spike says, “I guess we should go to bed,” and we turn out the lights and while we’re lying in bed trying to keep our eyes open for just another minute, Spike says, “Sparrow?” Sparrow 2017-10-10T00:00:00Z

I sat quietly, trying not to listen to my mother. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

I edged closer, trying to draw her attention, but she was wholly absorbed in listening to her mother, who was explaining how cramp bark and motherwort should be administered to treat post-birth contractions. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

But now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

Three, four or five times a day there’s bound to be someone waiting outside the bathroom door, hopping impatiently from one foot to another, trying to hold it in and barely managing. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

After a while, Ess fell asleep, in the cushions on the floor, and Jinny sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to shake it, trying not to make things worse. Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

We would stand around pouting, sniffling, trying to keep back our tears, begging for our playthings. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

“At least you don’t have the smell of spices attacking you as soon as you enter,” I joke, trying to put her at ease. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

“My mother loves this book. She was always trying to get me to love her English novels.” Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

“I’m just asking you. I’m not trying to upset you. Am I upsetting you?” Franny and Zooey 1961-09-14T00:00:00Z

Tally peered through the darkness, trying to make out his expression. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

"I mean, other than fighting the big bosses, you're basically just trying not to be eaten by the environment. Mushrooms and plants and..." Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

Here he was walking around in the middle of the twentieth century trying to explain what a ghost had done. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

And so he stopped trying to tell the truth. Cannery Row 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

He gasped, trying to fill his lungs, then got to his knees and crawled toward the bridge. Gregor the Overlander 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with you," he says. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I get it out and stare at those teeny little sad white faces, trying to make out where I am in that picture. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

I guess she’s been waiting for word from me. been trying to reach u for 2 hours. sorry! The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

“I don’t know, child,” she replied, trying to cool Amari by fanning her with her hand. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Maybe it was the feathers in Georgie’s hair,” Lissa said, “and the war paint. He jumped out of the bushes screaming and yelling. I guess he was trying to frighten us.” The Old Willis Place 2004-09-20T00:00:00Z

That would have been a more trying companionship in some ways. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

Genie said, pushing back, trying not to fall. As Brave As You 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

The trick is trying to figure which attack is coming when. Black Brother, Black Brother 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

I immediately look back down at the glaring digital numbers on the bike, trying to ignore the red creeping slowly up my face. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

One day when I go downstairs to flip the circuit breaker, I catch Hunter on all fours, trying to walk like a vuvv, with his back to the floor. Landscape with Invisible Hand 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Ivy scrunched up her eyes, trying to see, but when she did, she wished she hadn’t. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I went up with him, trying to keep my body off him so he wouldn’t draw the foul. Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z

She takes another sip of water, trying to coax them down, then another. The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

So he stopped trying to twist about and looked straight forward. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I shoved my hands under my thighs and sat up, trying to picture catacombs, whatever they were. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He jogged around the gym, trying to empty himself of everything but the mat. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

I remember closing my eyes and whispering her name, almost begging, trying to make her come back. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was only trying to make his pack of pushing, shoving, grabbing relatives behave. Ralph S. Mouse 1992-08-01T00:00:00Z

“You sit on the bunk,” he said to Nels, trying to calm himself. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

A couple of hours ago I would’ve said that her face was expressionless, but I’m becoming a Natasha expert, and her face is only trying to be expressionless. The Sun Is Also a Star 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z

In the eeriest way possible, I suddenly had a glimpse of what white people must go through at a dinner table when they are trying to prove that Negroes are not subhuman. The Fire Next Time 1963-01-21T00:00:00Z

He was running along the docks, trying to keep even with me, so I dove beneath the surface. Flush 2005-09-13T00:00:00Z

“I mean ever since last year, I've just been trying to figure out how.” Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

I was walking behind him, humming, trying to imitate his walk. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

Then, afraid of being noticed, I stood behind a large man and peeked around him while trying to take measure of where Bear had been brought. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

But that’s what the guerrillas had been trying to do for decades and I saw no progress. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

I stood precariously in the middle of the room, trying to find somewhere to look and something to say, wanting desperately to leave and powerless to do so. A Separate Peace 1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

I was there trying to convince her to go wildly corporate, while packaging the trinkets for her. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

“You mean the poem you were trying to figure out at the coffee shop?” Shadowshaper 2015-06-30T00:00:00Z

Some nights I lay awake for hours trying to remember my mother’s face. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

Richard was holding his head, a hand over each ear like he was trying to block out a noise. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

For people trying to make a living covering him, Smith was thoroughly maddening. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Come on, Rowdy, I’m trying to tell you something major.” The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 2007-09-01T00:00:00Z

He shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to clear it. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

“It doesn’t hurt,” I said, trying to get my hand away from her and shove it down into my pocket where no one could see it. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m just trying to get myself used to all of this.” The Haunting of Hill House 1959-10-01T00:00:00Z

“Today we are starting our physical science unit, and we will begin with magnets'.” Mr. Neely said, trying to be chipper as usual. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“What are you trying to do? Drive me crazy?” A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

Citra came to his aid, trying some Bokator moves she had learned from Scythe Yingxing—and quickly learned that applying a martial art is much different from practice in a dojo. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

He pushed past her, of course, in a way that made me feel ashamed of her for even trying. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

At first the other cheerleaders tried to suppress her; it was like trying to calm down a puppy. Stargirl 2000-08-08T00:00:00Z

You could tell we were all trying to make a fresh start and get things back to normal. Red Kayak 2004-09-23T00:00:00Z

Luke sat in the corner, sipping water and trying to will his body up. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

"But . . ." "Are you trying to come up with a super-hot Asian guy, so you can prove me wrong? Because there aren't any. I've had my whole life to think about this." Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

I just told you I was trying to cop. Monster 1999-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I can’t get the image of him trying to hurt you out of my mind.” Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

“He lives on the third floor. We’re trying to persuade him to like us.” The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

No one at the table is trying out. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

She hopped onto her hind legs, trying with both forepaws to claw it off, and tumbled over and over. Pax 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

“There are so many problems, Miss McDaniels,” I say, trying to warm up. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

It was as though she were trying to bring feeling back into his body. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

I knew she was being brave, trying to say goodbye with grace, but it was difficult for her. The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z

He pushed harder, trying to outrun his own imagination. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

So there I was cranking out words, trying to find the first dollar word of the year, when what do I hear? Because of Mr. Terupt 2010-10-11T00:00:00Z

By way of explanation, he told her, "We were trying to get them to stick in the cracks." How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z