The tides didn’t have the time to change before the recommendation was general information around Phippsburg. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

He grumbles away above us before he climbs down to get his bicycle and bang his way out the door. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

They were a big help and let me use my lower limbs to provide some extra momentum, but they would only stay on for a minute or so before starting to slide off. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

He didn’t even make it to Thanksgiving before he up and drowned in the White River during a thunderstorm. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

I need you now as I have never needed you before. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

I was fast in a way I never had been before. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

The crack slips out before I can stop it, but Ms. Rochambeau doesn’t flinch. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

The people fold me in, and before I can breathe, I feel like a part of something. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

It hits me: that look I caught Mom giving me in the bathroom the night before. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

She was gone before the Man in the White Shirt could say goodbye. Eleven 2014-01-06T00:00:00Z

One of Citra’s nightly chores was to bring Scythe Faraday a glass of warm milk before bed. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

So I fished around in my pocket and brought out an Indian arrowhead that I’d found the day before and gave that to her. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

Tried to say what I hollered to Benny before I left. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z

“I didn’t want to be takin’ privileges before I was entitled to them,” he explained. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was all very confusing, but one thing was clear: I needed to learn a little more about this faraway place before I could even begin writing my letter. I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

I’d never seen a general up close before, and as I brought the rum and water I looked him over. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then she moved and stood on the short step, next to him, before the doors. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

The corsairs had come aboard in the darkness before the dawn, as the Meadowlark was anchored off the coast of the Disputed Lands. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

Why have I never seen this one before? Beast Rider 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

Still, he took his time before he said, “What does that have to do with a strange fire?” Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

He had to have two or three swallows of whiskey before he’d talk; he took out the little cloth sack when he was ready. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

In all that follows, here and in the rest of the book, the date given is to be understood as before Christ, unless it is otherwise stated. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

I figured that it was an extra dollar I didn't have before. I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

The blaze in the fire pit seemed to shrink before this storm of light, like a small dog cowering before a larger one. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

She thought about going to bed before he came out of the bathroom. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Everyone must help me to polish my boots before we arrive.” James and the Giant Peach 1961-11-01T00:00:00Z

Joy to the Heart looked puzzled, as if he had never thought about it before. When the Sea Turned to Silver 2016-10-04T00:00:00Z

Presently the king said: “I was trying to tell you something, Lance, before this happened.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

“What, like, before I agreed to all this?” Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

They watched each other in silence before Dorian spoke again. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

Then, just as suddenly, it froze in place before dropping back down and lying still. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

His lordship emerged to meet him and the two gentlemen appeared to exchange complicit glances before disappearing together into the drawing room. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

Each room we passed was larger than the one before it, and all were filled with brilliant rugs covering marble floors. Amal Unbound 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

Faces looked years older than when we had arrived ten months before. Between Shades of Gray 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

I put my sweater on when I go into school, because I don’t want Principal Trask to see my armband before I even get to first period. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

If we had food, I ate before I left, drank some tea, and that was it until I came home in the evening. Facing the Lion 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z

We were just coming back from the front line, and at a turning of the road near our billets, marvellous in the morning twilight, stood this cherry tree before us. All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had never witnessed mass chaos, but just the weekend before I had seen the precursor. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

She had never kept overnight vigil at a grave before, and she knew she was not in the best condition for it. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

I picked up the backpack, but before I could hand it off, I looked at the license plate CD case and stuffed it into the bag. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

A woman knelt before him with a bowl of millet beer. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

That soft green, like the color of grass just before it gets hard in the heat? Sunny 2018-04-10T00:00:00Z

Yesterday was Father’s birthday, Father and Mother’s nineteenth wedding anniversary, a day without the cleaning lady...and the sun was shining as it’s never shone before in 1944. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

Thumping a walking stick on the ground, he retraced their route of the day before back into the forest. The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018-09-25T00:00:00Z

That’s what we were talking about but I was really thinking about what Mtisha had said the day before, that I was scared of math. Slam! 1996-11-01T00:00:00Z

We’ll get to him shortly, but before we turn to the question of how we got here, it might be worth taking a few minutes to consider just where exactly "here" is. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z

She motions with her chin at Michael and Rachel, who are walking toward the parking lot, saying good-bye before he goes to Disney the way his mom promised him if he got all As. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

“I began to hear something truly remarkable, and it is called music. I’ll give you some before I go.” The Giver 1993-04-01T00:00:00Z

We stare at each other for a minute too long before I blink away and notice the other people around her. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

And before he can reply, I step into the stampede of kids that fills the hallway. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

“Now come on and open this door before I force it open like I did that junk-filled cabin.” Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

The Daughters and Otis arrived at noon, lugging in all manner of potluck dishes, as if we hadn’t eaten ourselves sick the night before. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

It had showered the day before, and as Frightful and I passed an old stump, I noticed that it had collected the rain. My Side of the Mountain 1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

It may seem odd that a book about Indian life before contact should devote space to the period after contact, but there are reasons for it. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

We’re coming upon the final alley, the last place we could run before the bridge. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

Frightful was in the air before Leon Longbridge could say another word about female peregrine falcons. Frightful's Mountain 2001-05-21T00:00:00Z

And he knew about how Joey had run away before. Winger 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

Maybe he could take a little rest, catnap like Mom did after dinner, before she started her hours of baking. I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 2011-04-01T00:00:00Z

I arrive the period before lunch and park in my usual spot. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

“I know you grew up seeing me and Gran make potions and such all your lives, but there are things in this world that you’ve never experienced before.” Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

My exhaled breath formed clouds in the air that disappeared before I could catch them in my hands. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate 2009-05-12T00:00:00Z

“Firewood or no firewood, the important thing is to find a way to make peace before things explode,” Miss Adebayo said. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

Her round, unblinking eyes made me feel as if I had just become visible, as if I had never been seen before. Milkweed 2003-09-09T00:00:00Z

“Come on, those warriors just said they were going to the east wing first. We can still get to the stable before they do and get out of here. Follow me!” Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

He turns back and gives me a look, and I know what he’s going to say before he says it. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

I asked her once if she was scared the hare was going to eat the whole garden clean before that trap of hers caught him. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

I lay in the grass for some time, my heart clamoring in my chest and my limbs weak as water, before I could compose myself enough to continue on to the playhouse. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z

“It’s okay,” he said, before Ron could get the words out. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

People neither of them has seen before join the fun as easily as those who have grown up in the building. Jazz 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

According to Florida law, dependency cases are supposed to be brought before the court every six months. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

Inside his braincase sensations were being reviewed, evaluated, before any official reaction was given. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

She stared at the painting, and a yearning she had never felt before filled her. When the Sea Turned to Silver 2016-10-04T00:00:00Z

My computer woke me up just before sundown, and I began my daily ritual. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

Just a few months before, he’d told a reporter, “Our atomic monopoly is like a cake of ice melting in the sun.” Bomb 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

The school schedule was adjusted so that boys and girls spent one hour in physical training before school. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

To rebuild the windmill, with walls twice as thick as before, and to finish it by the appointed date, together with the regular work of the farm, was a tremendous labour. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story 1945-08-17T00:00:00Z

Maybe I have time to make new words before Jason gets here. Rules 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

I try to tiptoe past the doorway before he spots me. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

It would be the best moment, before the full flush of summer, and in the valley the azaleas would be prodigal of scent, and the blood-red rhododendrons in bloom. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

“Um, no. There was one family, but they got pregnant right before the adoption went through, and they only wanted one kid, so...yeah. Ended up back in the system for a while.” Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

They put the food in their mouth at the same time, each chewing five times before swallowing. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

The Americans in the slaughterhouse had a very interesting visitor two days before Dresden was destroyed. Slaughterhouse-Five 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

At last the wind dropped a little, and the light grew broad before them. A Wizard of Earthsea 1968-11-01T00:00:00Z

I was at Dad’s side with my hand stretched out for the receiver before he even had a chance to call me to the phone. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

At all these studies Ged was apt, and within a month was bettering lads who had been a year at Roke before him. A Wizard of Earthsea 1968-11-01T00:00:00Z

Her hair was flat on one side, and she wore the same clothes I’d helped her into the day before. Hope Springs 2021-08-10T00:00:00Z

Armpit stopped in the restroom before school on Friday and splashed his face with cold water. Small Steps 2006-01-10T00:00:00Z

“Neither of us even knew what we were going to do before we went in.” Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh hush and bring your heinie,” she says with a chuckle before heading back to the Winnebago. Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

I’ve never been in a fight with one of my best friends before. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

Crumbs from the loaf of bread were before him. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

I try to hold on to the sweetness for a long time, cuz it’ll probably be a while before I get ice cream again. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

In fact, he died at Princeton, New Jersey, in 1955 before Charles Hapgood’s rubbishing of continental drift theories was even published. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z

A large white woman came and stood before us, clapping her hands like we were on display at the Bronx Zoo. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I couldn’t process one before another stepped over it. Between Shades of Gray 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

“Plus, I want to be up bright and early, before the Dewey decimal doors reopen. We have more clues to find. See you guys tomorrow. Unless we have more team business to discuss?” Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library 2013-06-25T00:00:00Z

I see the same thing so often these days I don’t even register it, but back then I hadn’t seen it before. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

As Harry’s birthday dinner would have stretched the Burrow’s kitchen to breaking point even before the arrival of Charlie, Lupin, Tonks, and Hagrid, several tables were placed end to end in the garden. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

He told them to drink one bottle before going to bed that night, then a half bottle in the morning, and then a half bottle around lunchtime. Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z

In February 1995, almost a year before the trial of Johnny and Tyrone, we went to the Juvenile Court building in downtown Chicago to find out more about the Eric Morse case. Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

In the afternoon, a little before time for the visiting hour, he went out to the asylum. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

I am up and at the kitchen counter before daylight. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z

Mother and Daddy agreed and gave Judy some money for dinner, and before I knew it, we were on our way. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

"The little kids will be home in twenty minutes or so," she said, "and we'll eat dinner around four thirty. I like to have everything settled before Richie comes home." Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

So, before they commit millions of dollars to signing an artist, record companies will spend a few thousand dollars to test his or her music first, using the same techniques as the radio stations. Blink 2005-01-11T00:00:00Z

Luke suspected Coach was worried about giving him too much before Herrera. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

“Get out! Get out before I strangle the pair of you. And if I ever hear a word of this repeated on an afternoon talk show, I’ll know where it came from.” Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z

He managed to grab it on the rebound before it hit the floor. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

Greasy Sae had intervened and sent us with our deer to the butcher, but not before it'd been badly damaged, hunks of meat taken, the hide riddled with holes. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

“I have been here—three times before. This is a place of good people.” Beast Rider 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

She screamed as the nurse ran to the bed, tightening the straps around Henrietta’s arms and legs to keep her from thrashing onto the floor as she’d done many times before. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

They were no closer to finding the Nightbeast, and there were only eleven days left before they were turned into toads. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

All right, so I'll need to get another suit before going to the rover. The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

We must enter from behind the stage curtains three at a time, stopping at each X before it’s time to hit the X in the middle of the stage. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Now he could see; the land lay before him wreathed in smoky ridges. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

My face felt hot, and the words came out of me before I could stop them. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

It wasn’t long before Rondon and Lyra arrived at the camp. Death on the River of Doubt 2017-01-03T00:00:00Z

Virtually treeless, it features frosted picture-book mountains that are interspersed with rugged, lava-strewn terrain, giving the landscape an unnatural, almost lunar appearance: American astronauts trained there before their voyages to the moon. Endgame 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

“Just before the Hema came down, luckily. I looked for you and your mother, but it was dark, I couldn’t find either of you...” Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

I thought of something I hadn’t thought of before. The London Eye Mystery 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z

I hadn’t told anybody what had gone down between us before he had died. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

“Give this to Tamika. I need to make a quick call before it’s too late.” Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z

But shortly before my mom had died, Fred had come over for dinner one night. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

About ten days before Christmas, it snowed overnight. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Grandma had worked for her a few years back, before her husband died. March Forward, Girl 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

“Get the boy’s bag, Walter. Alvin,” she said, addressing my father, “we’ve got to hit the road before that thunderstorm hits.” Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

It wasn’t long before Paul’s staff had to expand its office from a basement room to ten rooms on two floors. Votes for Women! 2018-02-13T00:00:00Z

And after Theo returns to The Hague, Vincent has another New Years chat with his parents, just as he did the year before, when he wanted to quit Goupil’s and ended up being fired. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

He had been fooled by them before when he had gone hunting with Rocky and Robert and Josiah. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

Then he clears his throat before looking back up. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

Sometimes it would start to melt during the day, but before it all disappeared, more snow would fall. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Dipping a mug full, he splashed water freely on his lip and chin before he drank. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

We were in some older time, before the war— before cars, even. Hollow City 2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

She smiled and motioned to Kill And Go, and he shouted, “Stop!” before he went over to her. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

His big brother Matt had died in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan the year before. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

“Now settle down and go to sleep before I change my mind.” Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

Perhaps it is my comet, he thought drowsily at the last, just before sleep took him. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

Aunty Ifeoma stopped speaking to Papa after he barred Papa-Nnukwu from coming to his house, and a few years passed before they finally started speaking to each other. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z

In some small prairie towns people looked at me like they never seen a colored man before. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

So I know it was before the accident with Robert that landed me in the hospital with fifty stitches. Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z

At the last second before collision, just as he got a close look at the metal and hair and slime, Thomas planted his left foot and dove to the right. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

His arms are around me before I even realize it. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

He reached for her hand and nearly slipped back down to the floor before getting upright. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

“Restrain me, Sairy,” Tiller said, “before I build a snake pit and dump a couple kids in it.” Ruby Holler 2002-02-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh, shi—” Moss uttered before he felt someone jerk him into a nearby office. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

He twitched the machete again, letting the blade bob before Nailer. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

Or maybe it was just that I had never before seen so many people congregated in our small living room. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

“Some things I took before the burning, for you to have iffen they let you stay.” Gathering Blue 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He looked at it, but like before, all his reflections repeated his motions. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

“I still don’t understand what happened either,” Mom said, glaring at Grandma before her gaze landed on me. From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z

But before moving to Avalon, Ma would take me, Ray, and Leda to church. Towers Falling 2016-07-12T00:00:00Z

His shoes glinted in the noonday light so that it was sure he had gone over them with his handkerchief just before the train arrived. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

It became his habit to creep out of bed even before his mother was awake, to slip into his clothes and to go quietly down to the barn to see Gabilan. The Red Pony 1937-01-01T00:00:00Z

These games were outdated digital dinosaurs that had become museum pieces long before I was born. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

It was all I could manage before he cut me off to address Rose, still at my side. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

He stopped and ate lunch at a place called Mom’s, catching them just before they closed for the afternoon. American Gods 2011-06-21T00:00:00Z

He raised his arm over the crowd just as he had before, when he'd snuffed out the lights of the city. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

“She spent much more time here last summer than she has before,” Lore said. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’d already turned into the aisle—one with fluffy animals and big boxed jigsaws—before I realised Ruth and Chrissie were standing together at the end of it, having some sort of tête-à-tête. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

For that matter, many of the words that were traditionally called subordinating conjunctions, like before and after, are actually prepositions. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z

He stood watching for about five seconds before he pushed into the crowd. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

Years later, Lilienthal was still shaking his head over Bobby’s recollection of his famous win over Capablanca more than a half century before. Endgame 2011-02-01T00:00:00Z

But as the days passed, my grandmother found herself obediently spreading out silk before the heating vent to cushion her knees. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

It was so dark that I wondered, as I had many times before, if this was what blindness felt like—this enveloping void. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z

Finn took a couple of rabbit punches to the kidneys before one of them grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked him upright. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z

"Tara managed to land a small role or two in New York before they left, didn't she?" she asks. You Bring the Distant Near 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“I cannot say I approve of such exhibitions,” the man in the grey suit says, taking off his gloves and dusting the chair with them before he sits. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

It takes two more tries before I hear the small “What is it?” On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

He was anxious to defend himself and almost broke his silence for the first time—but before he could get a word in, Gaily was talking again. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

As we were about to leave, an open Land Rover roared up and armed men jumped off before it came to a halt. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

It never bothered me before tonight, because I guess I’m used to it and I’ve never expected it be any other way. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

Then slowly, like the priest who sometimes visits this place, she moves one dry brown arm in a widening gesture to point out the dry brown landscape before us. Beast Rider 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

Mrs. Carpenter brought the latest Oxford Times out from under the counter and folded it back to an inside page before holding it out for Malcolm to see. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

In Calcutta, before she was married, she was working toward a college degree. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

I knew I’d seen him before, but I couldn’t think of where. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 2007-09-01T00:00:00Z

I’ve already imagined a thousand times crossing the desert, arriving at the Plaza of the Sacred Stone, the seven times I walk around it before allowing myself to touch it. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

In Fulton’s room I became fully aware of why I had never dared to set foot into that house before. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

He bounced around on his toes like a boxer before finally settling down. Ghost 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

He was as fragrant as the flowers outside his window, as slight, but he trembled with a warmth I’d never felt before, an almost imperceptible tremor that somehow transferred to me. When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z

Long ago, the monster said, before this was a town with roads and trains and cars, it was a green place. A Monster Calls 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z

He had spent just three years with the CPS—and never in a job important enough to have his own secretary—before becoming its CEO. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

The train hissed before jerking to a stop. The Journey of Little Charlie 2018-01-30T00:00:00Z

Never would they have landed if they had known what lay before them. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

You could tell all three of them had made this walk hundreds of times before. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

A metal dealer never guessed that the grinning Italian kid who often came by to sell him armfuls of copper scrap had stolen the same scrap from his lot the night before. Unbroken 2010-11-16T00:00:00Z

Then, before we headed to the checkout, she said she was hungry and got us each a smoothie, then she headed leisurely to her car. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

Zack sidled to the door before he fired his parting shot. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Don’t know the manners of good society, eh?” he says to the character of the busybody, Mrs. Mountchessington, who has insulted him before exiting the stage. Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z

Then he sat before me, making a cage of his fingers and nodding for me to begin. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was the days before cell phones—she couldn’t call her mom. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

It tunneled back through time and burst up onto this same field three years before, the first Saturday in August, when the grass was streaked with red and guns were booming and birds were falling. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

Volpe pauses for a moment before he answers, thinking the question might be in jest, but it clearly is not. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

Now halting a few paces before the Captains of the West he looked them up and down and laughed. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

Grandma had called her a girl genius, but Evan had ripped his paper in half and run upstairs, shouting "I hate you!" just before slamming his door. The Lemonade War 2007-04-23T00:00:00Z

And because my skin has never fit this badly before. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

She fulfilled her promise before the imagined time. One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

And before I know it, Gat is lying on the bed next to me. We Were Liars 2014-05-13T00:00:00Z

“He cut his hand, then. No more than four hours before he drowned.” Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

I try to remember the shot they gave me before the attack simulation began, right before the final round of Tris’s initiation. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

It was one of the men who had already been in the camp before I arrived. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

She nodded, peeling the skin off each of her potatoes before eating them. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z

There were many gestures before we left, though the two men spoke among themselves. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

Where all had looked so shabby and grey before, the wood now gleamed with rich browns, and with the smooth black-greys of bark like polished leather. The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

No one had expected the blizzard that blew in the night before we were to give our play. Bless Me, Ultima 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

This morning, Justin woke me up before he left for school. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

But that meant I still had one very long and torturous year before I stopped being Fuzzy Caterpillar Forehead Girl. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z

No one had ever been able to replicate Carrel’s work, and the cells seemed to defy a basic rule of biology: that normal cells can only divide a finite number of times before dying. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

“I got to go before I turn into what you are!” she said bitterly. Kindred 1979-06-01T00:00:00Z

The rumor is that this colonel ran an entire automobile company before the war. All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

The future lay before me in a way that only a brief time before I would have thought impossible. The Boy on the Wooden Box 2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

Someone had grabbed her momentarily—a boy she hadn’t noticed before—but when he’d let her go a second later, she’d seized the opportunity and made a run for it. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

I nod, giving the man something close to a smile before I turn and walk away. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I cover myself with anti-itch cream from Rite Aid but can manage to sleep only for an hour and a half at a time before the torment resumes. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Apparently, I've uttered the magic words, because Tiny takes a deep breath before he starts talking, as if—fancy this—he has a lot to say. Will Grayson, Will Grayson 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z

The weather affected Mr. Woodhouse, and he could only be kept tolerably comfortable by almost ceaseless attention on his daughter’s side, and by exertions which had never cost her half so much before. Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z

At least Marcus had blurred out my junk before exposing me to the world. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

There were no tracks after the rain, but I followed the trail to the pile of rocks where I had seen them before. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

Matt had always sat down with him the night before school started and given him a little pep talk. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

"Your Royal Highness," said Thornbut, drawing him aside, "our march to-day will bring us through the pass and right to your royal father's castle. We may be in battle before night." The Horse and His Boy 1954-09-06T00:00:00Z

He bit his lip, and let a lifeless worm dangle between his fingers before he dropped it on the wet earth. The Bridge Home 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

A fight was out of the question: Booth could not walk, Jones was unarmed, and Herold had never been in a battle before. Chasing Lincoln's Killer 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

In the months that followed, she returned to the temperance organizations that she had helped to organize just a few years before, but she found that many of the groups had disbanded. Votes for Women! 2018-02-13T00:00:00Z

Meeks was already repeating them to himself, staring at the blank space she had occupied mere moments before. The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

The third photo is of me, taken the same day but before I said he could take photos of me. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

They might be thrown out of school, their careers ended before they began. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

The commander who had visited me the day before is waiting in the hall for us, and when she sees me, she breaks into a smile. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

Nathan asked Spider as they stared at the vast desert before them. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

He said, “I don't mind if you give me a new name I never heard before.” Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

Grass continued for about six feet beyond the hedge before stopping abruptly at the perimeter of the forest. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

After we picked the lock to my mom’s office closet, my sister would open her gifts and mine too, but not before I left the room. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

Four more minutes before I could join my class. P.S. Be Eleven 2013-05-21T00:00:00Z

She took at least four bites before my dad finally said, “Well? Don’t keep it a secret.” The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

Cameos sit side by side, showing what she looked like before—big hazel eyes, a freckled nose and round face, a small forehead like her father's—and after the sleeping sickness. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

“Dobby, you can sleep, all right? But has either of you found out anything?” he hastened to ask, before Hermione could intervene again. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

A huge sand flea, heavy as a pebble, jumped first onto my chest and then onto my cheek, and I lurched upward, batting it away before it could bite me. Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

Shortly before the lunch break, her slack pace caught the eye of a guard. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

And because of that fear, they erected a new scaffolding of oppression on the cruel foundation laid hundreds of years before. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

Maybe Sparkle and everyone else will see me for who I am and for once I won't feel like this is some competition I'm losing before I've even begun playing. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

She flipped the page again, this time to a picture of a little girl cowering before a looming shadow. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

The sunlight disappeared, the bloodbane seizing control of her mind again, and Celaena found herself before an army of the dead. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

“Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here.” Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry’s direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

This is not the roomy stage before the Training Center but the narrow terrace in front of the president’s mansion. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

“We should at least let her show off her skills before arguing over the appropriateness of a female illusionist.” The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

My head still throbs when I move it, but not as bad as before. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

The three of us sat out on the porch as the stars were beginning to twinkle up in the Carolina sky and ate blackberry cobbler before supper. Wish 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

It was several days before Auri took me to Belows, a maze of intersecting tunnels. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

She’d never had a thing to hide before, so she didn’t have a hiding place. Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

Things were not as they had seemed only seconds before. Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z

The young man, he remembered, Carl junior, had driven into his yard that morning in a sky blue Bel-Air, scattering chickens before him. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

I thought again about Jermaine and what had gone down between me and him before he passed. The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

Then father and son would quietly read the paper and sip their coffee together before Bobby would rise, pat his Pop on the shoulder, and head off to ride the commuter train into Manhattan. Eleven 2014-01-06T00:00:00Z

A kid in a hairnet, carrying a bag of garbage, trudged past, nodding in my direction before disappearing down the maze of walkways. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

His appearance scared Stevens, that first delivery months before. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

But the day before she planned to take them all over to Millsburg Plaza for new clothes, his dad came home from Washington early. Bridge to Terabithia 1997-10-21T00:00:00Z

But if black South Africans could go back in time and kill one person, Cecil Rhodes would come up before Hitler. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

He had often felt its austere approach before; when it came, it burst in without subtlety, evidently unable to wait. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z

“My apologies,” Alex says, back to his goofball self, before dashing off. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

“That’s fair, I guess. I don’t blame you. If it’s any consolation, I punched him before I came to get you.” Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z

The question caught me by surprise; I had been waiting for a fiat, and now a choice lay before me. Black Boy 1945-01-01T00:00:00Z

Always, though, there was this truth: that she came from the sea, flung in by that fearsome December storm years before. Son 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

“I’m not asking you to side with me over her here. I’m asking you to stand tall for yourself and wake up before it’s too late.” Adrift 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

A gangly seventh grader, a foot taller than any of her competitors, Marjory Muldauer had memorized the ten categories of the Dewey decimal system before she entered preschool. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics 2016-01-05T00:00:00Z

I must have fallen asleep in the middle of talking the night before. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

Mom helped me pack the night before the big trip. Wonder 2012-02-14T00:00:00Z

The tunnel looked nothing like the one Annabeth and I had stumbled into before. The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

Even before the battle of Danno-ura, fishermen may have been reluctant to eat such a crab. Cosmos 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

Over the years she had been slowly learning more about Joe’s parents and what exactly had happened back in Sequim and before that, at the Gold and Ruby mine. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

He would have to cross to other roofs before this man or others came upon him. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

Thanks to me and Mom, you could hardly tell there had been a Nowruz party the night before. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

Drops of rain hung suspended before my eyes. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

The word code, I wrote before, comes from caudex—the pith of the tree that was used to scratch out early manuscripts. The Gene 2016-06-02T00:00:00Z

This map does not depict it accurately, because these societies were not contemporaries—the Olmec vanished centuries before the Nudzahui and Zapotec began to reach their height, for example. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

He never got a chance to see her again before she died. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

The speech was given in his capacity as Transvaal Volunteer-in-Chief to a roomful of Freedom Volunteers in 1956, a few weeks before we were all to be arrested. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

But you can’t get to London without money and that’s why he hobbles up to us that Friday, the day before Confirmation. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

“No,” he said quickly, “my decision was made long before this.” The Book of Three 1964-03-12T00:00:00Z

Mothers are not supposed to be more beautiful than their daughters, and daughters are not supposed to die before their mothers. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

I am writing the lyrics down, trying to catch each word before it's gone then reading them back, out loud to my mother. Brown Girl Dreaming 2014-08-28T00:00:00Z

“We’ve got ten minutes before we start admissions. I don’t feel like getting behind schedule, so I’m going to move this right along.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

I sleep for about five hours, then get up before dawn to take the bus to school. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

What had happened behind his back he saw reflected in the stony eyes, the white and sweating faces before him. Johnny Tremain 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

The rain eases up but it’s a full fifteen minutes before it stops completely. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

At the rover's blazing 25 kph top speed, it'll take me three and a half hours before I run the battery down. The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

Playing in the street was discouraged and often forbidden and if you did manage to slip out, “Get your butt in this house before dark,” she would warn, a rule she enforced to the bone. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

The blond woman getting out of the car—Sarah—looks toward them with an expression Molly’s never seen before. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z

Some villagers had never seen an airplane before. The Woman Warrior 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

‘It would,’ said Gimli, ‘if I had a pipe to go with it. Alas, I lost mine in Moria, or before. Is there no pipe in all your plunder?’ The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

To combat this, Hollingsworth wrote, “Take one part muriatic acid to ten parts of water; rub the feet every night with this mixture before retiring to bed.” The Devil in the White City 2003-02-11T00:00:00Z

In reality I lay many hundred miles away in an alien land, and would wake, before many seconds had passed, in the bare little hotel bedroom, comforting in its very lack of atmosphere. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

Mr Morgan expressed regret concerning my 'misfortune', assuring me all would be well in the morning, before going on to say how welcome I was in the village. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

Then the button came away and flew from her hand, clicking against the walls before it fell to the cellar floor. Coraline 2002-02-24T00:00:00Z

After leaving government service, he had decided to return to the Rand Corporation, where he’d worked before joining the Pentagon. Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

Ill • He walked down the three flights of stairs, and rang the doorbell to 1 IF twice before using the keys to get in. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z

I'm barely on my feet before the third ball hits the ground where I was lying, sending a pillar of fire up behind me. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

And Mrs. Richmond having to go into the hospital”— it seemed to Gilly that there was a long, thoughtful pause before the caseworker went on—“for her nerves.” The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z

But before she could make up her mind to touch it, Eevie’s hand shot out and plucked it for herself. Orphan Island 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

It was not long before a clamour was heard in the streets leading up from the outer circles, and there was much cheering and crying of the names of Faramir and Mithrandir. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

‘Pshaw! You come before me like a gnat. And I ignore you.’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

For the system to succeed—that is, for it to achieve the political goals described in chapter 1—black people must be labeled criminals before they are formally subject to control. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z

And then he said that I needed to leave Ocean the hell alone before I took away every good thing he had in his life. A Very Large Expanse of Sea 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

Just before we get to the bar, I see Possibly Gay Jane hovering by a tall table. Will Grayson, Will Grayson 2010-04-06T00:00:00Z

He was playing it so straight I hesitated for only a second before I told him about Mr. Bernoffski and the weird flash of the girl with the razor. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

Only I wouldn't stay North that long; they'd need me before that . Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

Milkman stood before his mirror and glanced, in the low light of the wall lamp, at his reflection. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

“She’s still breathing, but it’s getting shallower and her pulse is weaker than it was before. I don’t know what to do.” Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Two days before the race, the police informed him that someone was trying to kidnap him. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Puppet strings. Never heard it described like that before.” Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

I can almost hear the suspenseful music playing, just like in a MacGyver episode right before something explodes. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

If a complete unified theory was discovered, it would only be a matter of time before it was digested and simplified in the same way and taught in schools, at least in outline. A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I wiped it off on my shirtsleeve, thanked Joe and Espy, and darted out before they had a chance to ask me any questions. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

Doctor Copeland turned off the lights in his house and sat in the dark before the stove. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

She barely says hello before asking, “When are you coming back home, Betty?” Betty Before X 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

All the younger children were able-bodied seamen who, presumably, ate hardtack and bunked before the mast. Cheaper by the Dozen 1948-01-01T00:00:00Z

Here’s the order of events on the day of the funeral: One: Visitation at the funeral home for an hour before the funeral service. Each Little Bird That Sings 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

He’d been through the room thoroughly only hours before, but he’d forgotten the compartment at the side of the sewing machine, where all the patterns and bobbins were kept. The Subtle Knife 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

A quarter way around the Fist he chased the wolf before he lost him again. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

“I have found the perfect food—don’t know why I didn’t think of it before! It’s safe and it doesn’t taste bad either,” she says excitedly to Ma. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

They were almost in despair before at last they came to a little muddiness and a tiny trickle of water through softer and better grass. The Horse and His Boy 1954-09-06T00:00:00Z

Every can and bottle from there to Charlotte was claimed and redeemed, five cents that neither of them had before. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

This means that even if there were events before the big bang, one could not use them to determine what would happen afterward, because predictability would break down at the big bang. A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

She shifted the goblets into order, squeezing in belladonna just before the goblet containing a lethal dose of oleander. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

"Yo, you think I don't know that? I was on this team before you!" Patina 2017-08-29T00:00:00Z

So, we stopped seeing each other, just before my class got to the end of the story. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

“Good idea,” murmured the mice, who had never before thought of such a thing. Ralph S. Mouse 1992-08-01T00:00:00Z

She steps forward before I can react and slaps me so hard I see stars. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

He took the package of money from where it lay on the mantel and put it in the inside pocket of his coat where it had been before. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

“The thunder’s enough to turn the grass sour, but not much hope of it breaking before the evening, I’d say.” Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

The words came out before Harry had quite got his tongue around them. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

I heard his words clearer than any words I had ever heard before. Tangerine 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I find myself wanting to impress you in a way I never thought about doing before, but being with you has undermined my self-confidence. I question my motives now, about everything I do.” Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

Just a few more pages to go before you’re all filled up. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

The teachers in his new year were even worse because they only knew him in terms of his mum and not who he was before. A Monster Calls 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z

The naming game is inseparable from the discovery game; it could not exist before the voyages of discovery. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

Mama was worth a lot, and before she finished high school they had promised her to the upright son of a well-to-do farmer in the territory. Farewell to Manzanar 1973-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I have to go before they miss me." Where the Mountain Meets the Moon 2009-07-01T00:00:00Z

The house had been lively and inviting when the father was alive—yes, he had been there before to search for Cora’s mother and come up empty-handed. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

“Day before yesterday!” she repeated, aloud; and went on thinking to herself, “day before yesterday,” in a sort of an uncomprehending way. The Awakening 1899-01-01T00:00:00Z

My grandmother has never opened up to me like this before. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

A typical Raven’s test consists of forty-eight items, each one harder than the one before it, and IQ is calculated based on how many items are answered correctly. Outliers 2008-11-18T00:00:00Z

When Bouza’s opinion was publicized just before the election, he fell sharply in the polls. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

I kept thinking about what Liam had said before, when he told me about his sister. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

Then he held his hands under the water before walking back out. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

A mountain collapsed before my eyes and disappeared beneath my feet. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

I am beginning to suspect that nothing that happens is fortuitous, that it all corresponds to a fate laid down before my birth, and that Esteban Garcia is part of the design. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Rishi smiled, a sneaky little thing that darted out before he could stop it. When Dimple Met Rishi 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

“An old boyfriend. Maybe he split when your mom got pregnant. Or maybe he got killed in an accident before you were born.” Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I reached for some explanation and strange words came to mind, words I’d learned only minutes before: paranoia, mania, delusions of grandeur and persecution. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

Grandpa tilts his head to the side and pulls at his ear before making a sound that is very Korean for I’m not sure or I don’t know. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

Miss Peregrine insisted that I wash off the bog mud before sitting down to dinner, and asked Emma to run me a bath. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

But never before have I held the fate of other human beings in my hands. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

She is flustered, when she shows up after about a ten-minute wait, because, as she explains, she just works on the floor and has never interviewed anyone before. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

We were editing stories, and before we knew it, it was 11, at night! The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

The image of the burning, sinking wreath flashed before my eyes. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

But it was only a matter of time before Dauntless overtook them and grappled. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

Dill’s father stands at the front of the congregation and raises a mason jar half-filled with strychnine before taking a long swig, his eyes rolling back. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

Lyra obligingly belched, and the woman promptly brought her down on the other side, and the child’s little mouth began to work open and shut even before she found the nipple. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

“I knew in my last round that I had won before they told me,” she says. Blink 2005-01-11T00:00:00Z

But if she had ever met her grandparents before, she surely would have dreamed that! A Place to Belong 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

In the darkness just before dawn, they called us to rise. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z

“Fingerprints,” she hissed, before grabbing the knob with her own gloved hand. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“I had it four times before we ran out of it.” The City of Ember 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

He pauses before he asks, “Not even Gale?” Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

The gods were in the Midwest fighting a huge monster that had almost defeated them once before. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

Maybe I can at least get an uneventful night’s sleep before I have to deal with him in the morning. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“Get up before I smack your fat face off.” A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

Just before dawn they reached the outskirts of Savannah, but they made a wide detour to avoid the populated areas. Copper Sun 2006-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had to scrape my teeth with my tongue several times before the flavor dissipated into the familiar bittersweet oregano and garlic. When I Was Puerto Rican 1993-09-20T00:00:00Z

Hideo walks a little, then pauses before a segment of code. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“I need to warm up first, before she gets here. What about this don’t you understand?” Maybe He Just Likes You 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

The question had popped out of Tally before she could think. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

“I said practically. Everyone—especially my parents—thought I was going to be great, and now I might not make the middle school team. My basketball career is over before it started.” Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Not long before,” she admitted, and she pursed her lips. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

That boy Chris rode by our house today, just before dinner. Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer 2015-05-12T00:00:00Z

I had only ever seen a white person up close once before, when a group of people from the Netherlands came to visit our school. I Will Always Write Back 2016-05-03T00:00:00Z

“Why do I need ... ,” I began as I turned around to see Ada Taylor standing before me, a green wooden counter and a thick awkwardness between us. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

A plastic jug of water had been shoved in amongst us some hours before, but it was long since dry. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

When Bernard arrived, we consulted briefly at the counsel table before a bailiff asked us to go back to the judge's chambers. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

Moving water sounds sleepy, like a tired person going “shush,” and before you know it I’m flat-out fast asleep. The Young Man and the Sea 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

“I suppose this office has been used as a confessional before.” The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z

They walked in stiff-eyeing the bartenders and waiters who caught their message and acted as though they never had seen them before. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

We gathered cuts of springy moss to use as pillows, Emma drying the rain from them with her hands before we tucked them under our heads. Hollow City 2014-01-14T00:00:00Z

She knows something is up, but I walk past her before she asks another question. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

As soon as the cold water hit his stomach he felt the hunger sharpen, as it had before, and he stood and held his abdomen until the hunger cramps receded. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

“So you can’t say if he found anything before he left?” Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

“We have to learn everything we do. Sayan Kotor is telling me that the ravine leads to a pass. If we get there before they see us, we could escape yet.” The Subtle Knife 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

And before Will could stop her, she fell softly sideways, her hand on the hilt of the knife she had just taken from her own belt and pushed between her ribs. The Subtle Knife 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’d been limping before because of my toe, so my new hobble isn’t so noticeable. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

But the afternoon before the dance, Laura came in full of excitement. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

She waited a long time before she added, “If I am very honest with myself—and on occasion I can be, you know—when Dad fell in love with your mother, I felt left out.” Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

She chewed them up before she realized it. A Girl Named Disaster 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

Having seen horses all his life, Jody had never looked at them very closely before. The Red Pony 1937-01-01T00:00:00Z

Even in the rice puddings Tessie made, covering each little bowl with wax paper before putting it away in the fridge— even into these prophylactically secure desserts my hair found its way! Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“You’re unbelievable,” she says, shifting her fingers around on the touchpad and clicking a few times before looking over at me. Odd One Out 2018-08-09T00:00:00Z

The white people I had known marched before my mind’s eye. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

Emmett had my door open before the truck was stopped; he pulled me out of the seat, tucked me like a football into his vast chest, and ran me through the door. Twilight 2005-10-05T00:00:00Z

“We could hear them before we could see them,” Paul said. I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 2017-08-01T00:00:00Z

As I passed by the downstairs hall door, I decided to go for a run before dinner. Winger 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

A few years before, Dad had convinced her parents, Rob and Diane, that public schools were little more than Government propaganda programs, and since then they had kept her at home. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

This was before the days of the Blood of Christ, in the time of the Brew of Budweiser. A Heart in a Body in the World 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

“I had the same problem before me and Reg got together,” Kaisha added, looking up from her phone and then rolling her eyes. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

His father gave Doha a worried look before turning his attention to his patient. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

We walked at a steady pace, and just like the day before neither of us said much. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

She took another bite and finished chewing before she spoke. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

It was a terrible thing, a plague that swept everything before it. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

Moments later, it surfaced again before sinking out of sight. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

It wasn’t long before he made his mark. The Woman All Spies Fear 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

The day before that, I woke up in my own bed and watched an old woman die. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

Most people assumed that meant me, but if I died before I turned sixteen, the prophecy could just as easily apply to Nico. The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

“I had never thought about it before. They were just there. And now I can see that these”—I turn them, looking at the palms—“these are different. They’re not mine. They’re imposters.” The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

“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

Mommy had never driven before as far as I knew. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

Washing his handkerchiefs and putting food on the table before him was the most she could manage. Jazz 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

The phone doesn’t even make it through a full ring before she picks up. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

“I don’t. This is where my dad lived before John and I were born. We come on the weekends.” The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

I’d never heard the expression applied to a member of the staff before, only to inmates. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

At a late 1963 rally in Philadelphia, Mr. Muhammad, embracing me, said to that audience before us, “This is my most faithful, hard-working minister. He will follow me until he dies. ” The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

My granddaughter Alba, however, saw the true nature of the dictator long before I did. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was walking through the crypts beneath Winterfell, as he had walked a thousand times before. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

When a commission was convened in 1897 to investigate the conditions on the estates, Bechu—the Indian the planters hated—came before the judges to share his evidence. Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science 2010-11-15T00:00:00Z

Her expression is pinched today, like she’s walked into a room to discover a forgotten ham covered with maggots, which is just what happened over Thanksgiving vacation just one year before. Hurricane Child 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

That gives Scoob pause, and he wants to ask what she means, but before he can, she says, “Let’s put out this fire. It’s time to move forward.” Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

I've got only eight blocks left before they stop the truck. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I grab my dad’s ID before she can put it away. Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish 2018-08-21T00:00:00Z

For he had no words when he knelt before the throne. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

I decided I should find out what exactly was in the treasure chest before me. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

Aureliano made sure that Arcadio was in the darkroom before raising his eyes and meeting those of Pilar Ternera, whose thought was perfectly visible, as if exposed to the light of noon. One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

Jesse, on the other hand, decided to begin the process months late and see how tough it became before he made a final decision. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Now hurry up and get the comb. We need to start on this hair. Sheesh! I should have told Momma to take out these braids before you came.” Monday's Not Coming 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

The peculiar-looking man was of average height, but of an odd shape: Shadow had heard of men who were barrel-chested before, but had no image to accompany the metaphor. American Gods 2011-06-21T00:00:00Z

In his haste, the sword s descending arc missed me, but cut the brambles, so that I could rip myself away before he could take another stroke. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

There are handshakes all around, pats on the back, before the father is escorted away. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

They came off before my school uniform, before I had a snack, before I switched on the television. Ugly 2013-08-20T00:00:00Z

They were coming out on a long space of open ground along the crest before a grove of trees, the Cemetery. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

Park ran into his room, then stopped to catch his breath before he picked up the phone. Eleanor & Park 2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

It appears that the truck drove through the security gate at 13:10 hours and directly into the building before exploding. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

To-day I seemed to get nearer than ever before to the heart of his mystery. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z

The pastry covering offers muted flavor before the spiced potatoes explode in taste, tangy and hot. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

I contended with my inward dimness of vision, before which clouds yet rolled. Jane Eyre 1847-10-16T00:00:00Z

That was the money Jessie had had before the Lemonade War began. The Lemonade War 2007-04-23T00:00:00Z

Another cowboy said, “That’s a killer horse. He knows what he’s doing. It could be five hundred dollars but someone will get killed before they break that horse.” Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

In the waiting, she fell asleep herself, startling awake only when she heard the floorboards singing a song she hadn’t heard before. Pet 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

James C. Evans, an MIT engineering graduate, ran the school’s trade and mechanical studies program before accepting a position as a Civilian Aide in the War Department in 1942. Hidden Figures 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

He would have to push the nose down to keep flying speed and then, just before he hit, he would have to pull the nose back up to slow the plane as much as possible. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

I only got to three times nine is twenty-seven before she and Janet started laughing and I started yelling again. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

She must have recognized it, too, because before I could even get another word in, she was pulling off one of her yellow rubber gloves and reaching toward it. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

The difference can be appreciated by visualizing the wh-words in their deep-structure positions, before they were moved to the front of the sentence, leaving behind a gap. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z

“Never treated a Negro before. This one’s a tough one. They all got muscles like this one, Colonel?” The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

Little scavengers only had so much time to profit before the lions rolled in and took the vast share of the meat. Ship Breaker 2010-05-01T00:00:00Z

It remained from before the Ruin, a time so far past that none of the people now living, none of their parents or grandparents, had been born. Gathering Blue 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

Why didn’t I just cut off my hair before school started? The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

We found out that only a few days before, the state law had been changed, and now Indiana had a long waiting period. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

I leave the plank, close the shed, and grab my backpack before walking down to the stop; the bus comes right as I arrive, opening its doors like an invitation. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

Candice’s time ran out before she could summon the courage to read any more articles. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Where before she had been pretty, now she was lovely as well. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

“How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?” he asked. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

“But only because I was nervous. And scared. I’ve never done anything like that before. I thought I was bad at it. Or that my braces hurt you.” P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

I sort of hinted about Joe and me to Felice and she laughed before she stared at me and then frowned. Jazz 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

She doesn’t ask why, just sighs grimly, and they both hover over the implication before she says, “No. No, those pictures were taken before that. It couldn’t have been him.” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

“Mirabelle has grown so much over the past few months. I wouldn’t recognize her. So skinny before, and now look at her, she’s chubby and glowing. Oh, Lexie, look at those little cheeks.” Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

“I wonder that I have not shown you this before.” A Single Shard 2001-04-23T00:00:00Z

“But I feel really bad about it. I know there are only a few days left before we have to hand in our project and make our presentation. What should I get started on, boss?” Liar, Liar 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I remember that Abuelo used to give me those gummy candies that look like orange slices, and I would suck all the sugar off before eating them,” I said. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

In a cold, closed voice I’ve never heard before, he says, “I am sorry. I am too busy. I was wrong. It is too distracting to have someone here so much.” I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

His white cheeks were flushed, and he rubbed at his nose before he spoke. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

“You noticed before I did that it’s time to change her diaper.” Lucky Broken Girl 2017-04-11T00:00:00Z

He’d ridden a million times before, but not a horse this big, not a horse this strong and fast and fierce, and never at night. Bone Gap 2015-03-03T00:00:00Z

I have no idea what they’re talking about and I can only fake so many laughs before I go crazy. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

In a moment the demon’s second hand was free, but before he could do more, Tehlu flung himself into the pit and landed with such force that the iron rang with it. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Not that she felt alone with Bitter and Aloe—it was just quieter in their house, with the three of them when they had been three, before she chose Pet and separated herself. Pet 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

“You need someone else to kiss you is all,” I say, before realizing how that sounds. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

When she was younger, before she went to middle school and her arms seemed to grow longer in the night, she knew the easy latitude and longitude of her world. Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

While they waited for the rice porridge to cook, Taisin told them what had happened the night before. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

Determined that he should stir from this deathly posture, this fatal repose, I filled the spoon again, and held it before him as a command. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z

The first thing I see out of my niqabbed face is Sausun’s eyes, wet, before she lowers her mesh eye screen on top of them. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

"Syrio says we have time for one last lesson before we take ship this evening," she said. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

A hunter said, “Everyone was in a hurry to get out before another blizzard sets in.” Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

Folks had been taking pieces of that old place since the Clarkes left the territory the spring before. Worth 1998-06-01T00:00:00Z

Nathan searched Uncle Jet’s shadow for the Ash Being before leaving the hogan. Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

But however blistered her hands became, Tally felt stronger than ever before. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

“I can’t believe your face is going to be the last thing I see before I die.” Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Rushes the season, sometimes, arrives before the last of the snow melts. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

If the good weather did not change I would cover many leagues before dark. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

He points to the gray-and-pink tweed cap Nan bought me last Christmas in England, right before she was diagnosed with cancer. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

Brother Jack, the men who had come along in the car, and two others whom I hadn't seen before were waiting. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Really? You never told me that before,” said Helen. Typical American 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

I wonder if he spoke to Auntie Idris about me, too, before I was awake and listening. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

As soon as he was ready, before he could second-guess himself, he led his horse into the river. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

I decided I’d look for Martha on the sidelines before each event, because I knew that if I had her in my line of sight, I wouldn’t mess up. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

Doxology was climbing the last rise before the hollow of the home ranch and the big feet stumbled over stones in the roadway. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

As the two commiserated about Franklin’s radioactive temper, Wilkins opened up to Watson to a degree he never before had. The Gene 2016-06-02T00:00:00Z

She is waiting in a flowered shawl by the fountain for her lover, her Spanish lover, the lover before Jorge, and her hair is twisted with high combs. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Just before we silflay,” said Bigwig, “can I tell you, Holly, that I don’t believe anyone else could have brought himself and three other rabbits safely back out of a place like that?” Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had, of course, seen plenty of bare limbs before, belonging to the American and European ladies who took his tours. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z

Dad said that if they tried to go on their own, he would save everyone a lot of time and embarrassment by calling the police and having them arrested before they even left the driveway. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

At some point not long before his death, he told his former assistant Mary Kubicek that it was fine to release Henrietta’s name if anyone asked, since it had been so many years. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

Everyone dismounted, patting his massive flanks and thanking him before gathering around Cymbeline. Dactyl Hill Squad 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

“I already told you before, he can’t play. He’s too slow.” The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

One government study estimated that before 1925 guardians had pilfered at least $8 million directly from the restricted accounts of their Osage wards. Killers of the Flower Moon 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

Maybe this will become the pattern of my life: every story ends before it has a chance to begin. Love, Hate & Other Filters 2018-01-16T00:00:00Z

I could feel my stomach twisting and turning, and my hands and arms were shaking like they’d never shaken before. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

“And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody, OR ELSE!” The Battle of the Labyrinth 2008-05-06T00:00:00Z

“That’s my gift from Mars. A battle can be won before it’s ever fought by choosing the right ground.” The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

This time, I remember to take off my belt before I walk through the metal detector at the airport, so I avoid the humiliation of a second strip search from Officer Nut-grabber. Winger 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

The answer popped out before I could stop myself. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

But on this particular night, there was another light I’d never seen before. Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

Once she had wandered half naked to the tram depot before we were able to bring her inside again. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z

And before I could even think what she was talking about, I said, “It isn’t true, Mama, it isn’t true.” In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I dial her number quickly, before I have time to change my mind. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Well, what happened, Mancuso? How come he’s not standing here before me?” A Confederacy of Dunces 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

The three young scholars stood before her, wriggling with pride. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling 2011-01-25T00:00:00Z

Apparently, she's long wanted to climb a metal ladder before she goes to sleep. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

I have enclosed an application form for you to complete and return to me before the deadline marked on it. Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography 1986-01-01T00:00:00Z

They drove for a while before saying any more. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

“Well, maybe if you could—” Even before it was out of her mouth, she felt the pressure on her wrists disappear. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

He had heard all about her, and he had seen fifth graders in the library last year, noses stuck in their dictionaries, frantically trying to finish their vocabulary sheets before English class. Frindle 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Go now,” I said, “before he is old enough to recognize me.” The Woman Warrior 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

Each blow was more powerful and furious than the one before. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

It takes all of an hour before June texts him. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

But before he made it through two complete rotations, Laura Friendly burst into the room wearing a reflective jogging suit that made her look like a small astronaut. Millionaires for the Month 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z

Ten days before the vote, Mr. de Klerk and I held our single television debate. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

She had never used her knowledge of magic as a weapon before, and she knew there were proscriptions against it. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

Here, my pursuit proved harder, for he moved faster than before, turning this way and that, almost as if he knew I might be on his heels. Crispin: The Cross of Lead 2002-06-01T00:00:00Z

There were stacks of paper to dampen before printing, and printed proofs to examine. The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

I wasn’t sure how long I could stand this before I just died from it. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

This continued for several months before her father’s congregation once again took matters into their own hands. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

“We need to find this spy before we plan our next operation. Blowing up the Princess Andromeda won’t stop Kronos forever.” The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

It wasn’t until the day before we were going to go that the renter asked the obvious question. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2005-04-01T00:00:00Z

Dad and I exchange a confused glance before I jog up the steps and into my room. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Now she saw a third figure whom she had not noticed before, striding along the driveway toward the trap. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

She’d been to masked balls before, but there was still something unnerving about not being able to see the faces of those around her. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

A few hours before I leave for work on Monday afternoon, my mom asks me to fill a prescription for her, because she’s scared the pharmacy will be closed when she gets off work. Dumplin' 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

My father sizes up the murder in my eyes in a split second and hits the power locks before I can leap out the passenger door. Linked 2021-07-20T00:00:00Z

She kissed his head before handing him over. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I look like I’ve always looked, like I did before the fall of last year. It’s Kind of a Funny Story 2006-04-02T00:00:00Z

Then he remembered: hadn’t she left suddenly on another errand, not long before the evening? The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

“I wish I had known before I went to see Branwell today.” Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

We had hardly left the house before I saw the weather ahead of us. Life Is So Good 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

“At the end of the summer, maybe, I can meet you somewhere before school,” I say. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

“I will cherish these for the rest of my life. Or return them to you tomorrow,” she said before putting them in her tote bag. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

"Hold!" he commanded, his voice as faint and rasping as the sound I had heard moments before—the sound of the trunk being forced open. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z

The spruce trees began coming into the neighborhood the week before Christmas. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

Eye, remembering Mr. Thirsty’s Beer Hall, shot Knife before he could throw anything. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

Back in their room, the two began unpacking and, before long, found themselves settled in and ready for bed. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

He reached out his left hand swiftly, and found the switch and pressed it before he could stop himself. I'm the King of the Castle 1970-09-03T00:00:00Z

I held out the small sack I’d spent most of my money on two days ago, before all my troubles had started. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

After these three, I can see that there's an empty stretch of pavement before the next wave of runners. The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I’ve only been to one of these before, two years ago. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z

We all built it together, as a family, a few years back, before my older brother, Brady, left home. Dry 2018-10-02T00:00:00Z

After a hurried dinner and a swift face-washing there was just enough time to change into the only nice dress I have before the carriage came. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

I wait until the room is empty and the door is shut before looking at him again. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z

This was their sign, but it still took quite a while before something happened. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

There’s an odd sort of twitch at the corner of her mouth before she turns and walks to the front of the classroom. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

Then he was less than ten feet away from her, and before she could think she pulled out the iron dagger and hurled it squarely into his throat. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

Then, just before Shavuot, the celebration of receiving the Torah, her sideways life flipped completely when Håkon, the last dragon in Kievan Rus’, appeared in her village and saved her life. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

Five minutes before the ceremony, I vomited in the women’s bathroom. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

If they found out I was leaving, they would surely try to marry me off before I could escape, so they could get the cows that man would give them for me. Lost Boy, Lost Girl 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

Alec was already on his feet and heading for the door before anyone else could even process the turn of events. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

The fat man, as if thrown back on the defensive by the impact of his brother’s fury, retreated before him, bolding the sword in front with shaking hand. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

So he tried a method that had often worked for him before. The City of Ember 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

It would be three hours yet before he would learn why she had sent for him because this part of it, this first part of it, Quentin already knew. Absalom, Absalom! 1936-01-01T00:00:00Z

A few seconds pass before Hideo lets out a sigh and starts trudging over to his brother’s end of the park. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

I noticed a few white hairs that I’d never seen before. Kira-Kira 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

I opened a dresser drawer to the shirts I'd washed and folded for him a couple days before. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

After the widow lost her baby, evidence of the fraud was brought before a county judge, only to be ignored. Killers of the Flower Moon 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

Just like Mommy did years before me, I began my own process of running, emotionally disconnecting myself from her, as if by doing so I could keep her suffering from touching me. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

But that was before the invention of crack. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

“Mom, Aven just came over for a couple of hours to play video games. Her mom will be picking her up before dinner.” Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

My mother used to scrub the cuffs with a sponge before throwing them in the wash. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

“Don’t know, Cap. She was gone before I could tell.” The Reader 2016-01-12T00:00:00Z

Might we not be asphyxiated before the Nautilus could surface? All the Light We Cannot See 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z

"Cold," said Renly in a small puzzled voice, a heart-beat before the steel of his gorget parted like cheesecloth beneath the shadow of a blade that was not there. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

Strange scenes swam before me, first in light, then darkness, then light again. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had to get home before Albert did. The Marvels 2015-09-15T00:00:00Z

“I’m good. I’m pretty sure I saw my life flash before my eyes when we were falling.” They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

She uncovered the food and took a peek before grimacing, as though the sight of the meat nauseated her. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

Besides, before we left México I had promised him I would handle everything here. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

Connor slipped away from Luke’s grip and was on top of him before he could move. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

Quit Using Cell Phones was dead before it started. 100 Sideways Miles 2014-09-02T00:00:00Z

I didn’t get much out before it all hardened. Okay for Now 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

Half Time’s head came up, and he dropped out of the pocket an instant before Exhibit’s broad rump bulled into it. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Seven had tried to congratulate her in person, but Poppy had run off before she got a chance to and, when she’d sent her a message on the way home, Poppy hadn’t written back. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

How immense a figure she was on the stage before him; what a shadow she threw on the wall with her slender body! Fahrenheit 451 1953-01-01T00:00:00Z

Jon could not speak for what they might have been before they reached the Wall, but he did not doubt that most had pasts as black as their cloaks. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

We stare at each other, and she blinks, looking away to check the hall for nurses before looking down at the tile floor. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

The RambtonS had slain four of the queen's men before the others overwhelmed them. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

Some grapes have spilled out from those red-eyed guys sampling before buying. The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

And then I said the same thing as before. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z

She is even paler than before, looking at the floor. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

Dressed in a faded green suit, he felt awkward standing before the microphone and bathed in bright lights. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

They’d piled a mat of dead hemlock boughs over the snow and they sat wrapped in their blankets watching the fire and drinking the last of the cocoa scavenged weeks before. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

“Get out of my house, before I cut out your heart.” Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

It hurt like this until shortly before 10 P.M., when a rather fat, hirsute guy of Lebanese descent burst into Colin's room without knocking. An Abundance of Katherines 2006-09-21T00:00:00Z

Then I found Madge in her room, sitting at her dressing table, brushing out her wavy blond hair before a mirror. Catching Fire 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z

The quiet cry came before she could hold it back. The Golden Compass 1995-07-01T00:00:00Z

It was still a few hours before dawn, and beyond the small amber pools of light provided by the streetlamps, all else was dark. City of the Plague God 2021-01-12T00:00:00Z

“Now, let’s go build up your strength for these hikes. And before you know it, we’ll have you back in ballet school.” The Sea in Winter 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

It was two weeks before they took the cast off. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

But I feel also an excitement that I have never before known. Beast Rider 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z

I saw a pain in Dad’s eyes that I had never seen before. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

But she says, “I’ll bring you that just before you go, okay?” I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

Never before had he seen her lose control like this; she looked quite demented. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

Just before dawn I would get up and write down my hatsu-yume, first dream of the new year. Kira-Kira 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

But the main thing to know is this: The whole time, from before any of those extinctions, from life’s origins until this minute, jellyfish have been there, pulsing their way across the oceans and back. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

She—not my father, who sits opposite her—says the Grace before Meals. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was a few moments before he answered. The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

They are aware that a change of overlordship means simply that they will be doing the same work as before for new masters who treat them in the same manner as the old ones. 1984 1949-06-08T00:00:00Z

Wang Lung had not thought to complain for he had not seen this coin before, and he did not know for how many pence it could be changed. The Good Earth 1931-03-02T00:00:00Z

The doctor put his cup down gently before he let his anger rise. The Pearl 1947-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I’ll have it all done before we meet on Tuesday,” I tell him confidently. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

They knelt before an alcove at the back of the room and contemplated a shelf on which small bowls of uncooked rice had been neatly arranged. Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel 1994-09-12T00:00:00Z

Three months before I was born, in the aftermath of one of our elaborate Sunday dinners, my grandmother Desdemona Stephanides ordered my brother to get her silkworm box. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

“New Hampshire,” I say, before I remember that I’m not supposed to tell anyone my destination. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

I feel as though he’s looking right at me, and I get the oddest sensation—I feel as though n he’s looked at me like that before; I feel as though he’s really seen me. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

We sat in silence for a minute before I switched gears, the uncomfortable subject making it easier to ask what I really wanted to. The Marrow Thieves 2017-05-10T00:00:00Z

On the afternoon she visited, she stood outside the door of their flat for a while before she pressed the bell, suddenly and wildly hoping that they had gone out. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

Those that had felt the lowering pressure of the storm, before Frightful and Drum had felt them, had flown west to get around it. Frightful's Mountain 2001-05-21T00:00:00Z

Mom ordered pizza for dinner, to avoid having a big mess to clean up before we left. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

The Abbot paced up and down before turning to the assembly. Redwall 1986-10-23T00:00:00Z

She sniffed them and blew on them before she matched the plants with the stones, putting a sprig of blue-gray mountain sage with the blue stone. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

Milkman laughed too, and they watched a while more before leaving the used cars and the pure white peacock. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was unsettling to hear them argue; she had never before realized the depth of their disagreement. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

It had been my mom who’d insisted I hook up with Fang when she’d called from the airport the night before. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

On either side was sand that could suck down half the car before we could even get out. Everything Sad Is Untrue 2020-08-25T00:00:00Z

We walked up to my front door, and my parents flung it open before we rang the doorbell. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Ranofer tried twice before he found his voice and discovered how to make it work. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

“Good luck,” he says under his voice before falling in behind us. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

But before she can turn away, I reach out for her arm. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

Every shop is full of things I've never seen before, and every restaurant is filled with foods I’ve never heard of. Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

But it was so chilling that someone—maybe Dad, probably Benjamin—dialed 911, which no member of my family had ever done before. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

Conversations from the night before began to jostle in his head uncomfortably. American Gods 2011-06-21T00:00:00Z

Mr. Calloway had escaped a provisional farm in upstate New York long before Magdalys was born, and she tried to be as nice to him as she could. Dactyl Hill Squad 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

Mr. Barris looks at him curiously for a moment before he speaks. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Ira stood defiant before him, uttering no denial, fingers plucking at the fringe of her sari. Nectar in a Sieve 1954-01-01T00:00:00Z

But before the padre had got to the end of it, he broke down altogether and sobbed out, “Oh, please your ladyship. 1 beg your pardon, but I have forgotten to keep my tilings.” The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

And I didn’t notice before how funny Mr. Jimmy was. Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z

If anything, he was even friendlier today than he’d been before. From Twinkle, with Love 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Not when most children on Randall died before their first steps. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

He flicks the cloth out of the way irritably before coming toward us and sitting beside me at the table in the Gathering Place. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

From now on - around ad iooo - you could write down a tune and someone else could sing it back to you, never having seen it or heard it before. The Story of Music 2012-12-25T00:00:00Z

“But unlike you, I’m almost finished at Hunter. Maybe if you would stop hanging around with Sapo, you could finish up before the baby arrives. We’re going to need real money, real jobs.” Bodega Dreams 2000-03-14T00:00:00Z

Long before sunset, Nhamo was too exhausted to row, so she brought the oar inside and stretched out with Aunt Chipo’s scarf over her head. A Girl Named Disaster 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

But Sana beats me to it, and Mazen gives her a brief, annoyed look before gently lifting the seal. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

With a shiver Fadi recalled the moment, nearly six months before, when his father had revealed his plan. Shooting Kabul 2010-06-22T00:00:00Z

I remember thinking that if I wrote slowly enough, the bell might ring before I could finish. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

“We’ve got to get these birds to their new home before they die, too.” Frightful's Mountain 2001-05-21T00:00:00Z

Link warned me that with the beginning of April, segregationists would feel compelled to speed up their efforts, in order to get us out of Central before we could complete a full school year. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Asta darted ahead a little way, becoming a hawk and getting to the tree just before he did. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

He said he can’t remember the two fastest runners ever before both being seventh graders. Crash 1996-03-19T00:00:00Z

Blinded by the glare of the headlights and confused by the incessant groaning of the horns the apparition stood swaying for a moment before he perceived the man in the duster. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z

These moth ideas were difficult to fix in my head, and the flames devoured them before I could focus on any one long enough to see it clearly. The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z

She could work all day at the railroad site, then race David and Shay home on hoverboards, her backpack full of more scrap metal than she could have lifted a month before. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

Even before dark, young soldiers with pasty white faces were throwing up everywhere and passing out drunkenly on the ground. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

He stopped and saluted before he knew what he was doing. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

Henry says in a low, warm voice Alex has never heard from him before, pointing at the insignia on her headscarf. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

“All! What, all five out at once? Very odd! And you only the second. The younger ones out before the elder ones are married! Your younger sisters must be very young?” Pride and Prejudice 1813-01-28T00:00:00Z

Harry strode confidently out from the wings, looking so handsome I could hardly believe he was the same boy who’d been staring up at his ceiling, wracked with grief, only an hour before. Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z

She smiled and then got up, saying she had to go say hi to someone before lunch was over. Paper Towns 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z

And he was out of the door before Meggie could protest. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

“Sorry about her,” Darius whispers behind me before we walk down the stairs. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

Board of Education, although the institution was showing signs of weakness years before. The New Jim Crow 2010-01-05T00:00:00Z

And 44 percent of the time, the two pilots have never flown together before, so they’re not comfortable with each other. Outliers 2008-11-18T00:00:00Z

Mom takes Sheryl up to the house and speaks to Auntie Gemma at the door before coming back to the car. The House That Lou Built 2018-06-12T00:00:00Z

Something made her hesitate before she wrapped her hand around it. Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

With insults and threats they led her in to Colonel Garcia, whom she could recognize blindfolded by his habitual cruelty, even before he opened his mouth. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I walked...to the store before coming here. I wanted to get you some gummy bears.” Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

In a resemblance relation, a statement makes a claim that overlaps in content with the one that came before it. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z

I wondered about the people who had been inside, how they had felt just before the accident, before the smashing glass and crunched metal and leaping flames. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z

They only made it about three miles before it got too dark to continue. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

I took the chair directly before him, wondering what this speech was all about. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

Since saber is all about speed and explosive energy, feeling slow and lethargic before every competition was distressing. Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

Just like her namesake, Omakayas now stared long at the silky patch of bog before she gathered herself and jumped. The Birchbark House 1999-07-21T00:00:00Z

“Yeah. Mr. Daniels said you are supposed to read it before I leave.” Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

One day, perhaps, I too will cross the Bridge of Forgetting like so many other stories before me.” Aru Shah and the End of Time 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

Maurice was busy when, just before four, I walked in with the news that the Pauling model was far off base. Double Helix 1968-02-27T00:00:00Z

My mates at work lent me money and stole fish for my dinner, so that I got re-registered before I starved; but I had heard the lesson. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

“That ostrich you have in your display window,” Rick said; he toyed with a ceramic ashtray before him on the desk. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 1968-01-02T00:00:00Z

If IOI security caught me before I made it out of the building, carrying a stolen flash drive filled with highly incriminating company data, I was dead. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

He poked his head in—a strange thing that everyone does at the hospital for some reason—before entering. All American Boys 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

Because Lyra now realized, if she hadn’t done so before, that all the fear in her nature was drawn to Mrs. Coulter as a compass needle is drawn to the Pole. The Golden Compass 1995-07-01T00:00:00Z

I remained near the door, standing, my hands folded before me. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

They landed with a heavy thump and Alec punched away, landing a couple of shots before two other men were on him, jerking him off the guy’s body. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

“Father,” she said, feeling her way uncertainly with the word she had never used before, “they won’t hurt you now.” Gathering Blue 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I could feel the welts rising even before I straightened up. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

Mia smiles at me and gives me a quick hug before she runs off to join her teammates, who are standing in a huddle on the corner. Watch Us Rise 2019-02-12T00:00:00Z

‘Tell us what you see there before us!’ The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

I had for some reason gone up to M. Dupont's room and was about to knock, but before doing so, as is my custom, I paused for a second to listen at the door. The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

He wanted to see her too, to make sure his daughter really was doing better than before. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

His eyes shut before I can say a word. Paradise on Fire 2021-09-14T00:00:00Z

They must have been terrified when I didn’t come before curfew. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

He reached out toward her shoulder, but pulled back before making contact. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z

The ad that Calder and Petra read before school that morning in the Chicago Tribune said: You have come to agree with me. Chasing Vermeer 2004-06-01T00:00:00Z

“With the exception of some rather irritating posturing in bars, I don’t know if I’ve ever had anyone actually leap to my defense before.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

A week before one of her regular December visits, Alisha called to say that she'd be bringing along a guest, someone named Bonnie. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z

Her style, it swept before her like conviction. Tradition 2018-05-01T00:00:00Z

He looked no different from before; there were no shadows under his eyes, no funereal air about him. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

Trolls who had been taught a few simple sentences by the goblins proceeded to destroy the hall as before. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Head thrust forward the way an animal might before it strikes. Homesick 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

After they were dressed, Claudia whispered to Jamie, “Let’s stash our book bags and instrument cases before we man our stations.” From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

But I really want to go up to the cemetery to give Grandpa his present before dinner. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

The car finally stops before a white gate. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed. The House on Mango Street 1984-01-01T00:00:00Z

Padva notes and mentions in a whisper to the Burgess sisters even before the more impressive feats of agility begin. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

“You need to be sure of your facts before you come traipsing into someone’s house, accusing them of something like hiding Jews. Why would I hide Jews? I hate Jews!” The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I saw her sit on the side of the bed for a while before getting up, drawing in deep breaths through thin, pursed lips. The Poisonwood Bible 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z

His mother, who was always so bigger-than-life, now seemed to shrink before Moss. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Looking back after twenty years, I sometimes wonder if the events of that summer didn’t happen in some other dimension, a place where your life exists before you’ve lived it, and where it goes afterward. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

I looked at her, I guess kind of startled, and she went in to her desk before I could say a thing. The Wednesday Wars 2007-05-21T00:00:00Z

One day the group began walking in the late afternoon, with hopes of reaching a water hole before settling down for the night. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

For a moment I stood before a shop window staring at my own reflection in the glass, trying to recover from the ride against the woman. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

The Green Grace kissed Dany’s fingers before she took her leave. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

But Matt sprang up to rescue the book before it was entirely ruined. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

My eyes are closed so I hear him before I see him. If I Stay 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I have a lot of secrets,” Celia says, glancing at him over her shoulder before turning back to the wall. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Auntie Lindo and the others cried over this double tragedy, of losing my mother three months before, and now again. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had simply not believed in it before. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

Leaving the Ystrad behind, the companions climbed slopes steeper and rockier than any they had traveled before. The Book of Three 1964-03-12T00:00:00Z

“You think much about why you were going to fight before you came in?” Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Thus, before any protest could be made, Archie had shot his hand out and pulled a marble from the box. The Chocolate War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Thanks, Mother, you are always so kind.” and away went Amy to lay her plan before her sisters. Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z

I understood what Grover was going to do a split second before it happened. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

On January 23, less than a week before the wedding, she wrote about her concerns. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

When we were all inside, a deputy led us upstairs to the courtroom and searched everyone before we could go in. Mississippi Trial, 1955 2002-05-27T00:00:00Z

“You have been there before? With your father, perhaps?” The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

When she arrived in Chungking, she learned her husband had died two weeks before. The Joy Luck Club 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

If there was a mother and her children on the block, she would buy the whole lot, cutting a deal with the auctioneers before the family ever went up for bidding. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

It would be years, too, before I understood that she had always kept my best interests in mind, even if I wouldn’t have agreed with her decisions at the time. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

He explained the enzyme-block theory and went on to describe my physical condition before and after surgery. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

I never thought about the consequences or the effect that suicide would have on anyone else before. The Freedom Writers Diary 1999-10-12T00:00:00Z

I start munching on my snack of cut-up apples before we even get to the portables, and I’m eating them so fast, I start to choke. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

The gate was up, and I sat on one of the squared timbers and watched the smooth apron of water before the river tumbled into the falls. The Sun Also Rises 1926-10-22T00:00:00Z

Ms. Maldonado put her lips close to George’s ear and whispered, “My door is always open,” before she slipped away. George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z

“It will be in a museum someday once she dies. She’s sick so it won’t be long before I cash in.” Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

At the asylum he sought Antonapoulos first in the sick ward where he had been confined before. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

Even before the front door was opened, he heard the faint roar of voices. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

We’d never be able to get far enough away before using it The monsters would kill us first or disarm the explosives, or both. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

They did not ask what happened to me but instead asked me to join them in thanking God once more before they sent me to take a long, long nap. March Forward, Girl 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

I pick up my tray before the conversation can go any further, and tell them I’ll see them later. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

Her face must have been beautiful before today. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

He feels his own smile grow wider, and Henry turns away and toward the bottle of champagne clutched in his fist, from which he takes a hearty swig before disappearing into the crowd. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

A year seems long again now, not because so many stretch before me, but so few. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

He had noticed this alley before, when coming along the river towards the university—a quick glance, an almost automatic registering of possibility—and he’d seen that it was open at the other end. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

“Put it all on Seabiscuit’s nose, please,” he told the bewildered wagerer before trotting off again. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

In that foggy time between sleeping and being awake, before I even open my eyes, I already remember that I am class president. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

Even now, twenty years later, I can see him wrapping his girlfriend’s pantyhose around his neck before heading out on ambush. The Things They Carried 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

Her father had made this trunk for her mother almost a century before, a bride-gift when they were wed. Son 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

Lindsey was in the heat ahead of mine, but we still had maybe five heats before that. The Miseducation of Cameron Post 2012-02-07T00:00:00Z

He was only able to get it up a few inches before letting go—the weight was too much. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

Sam, not used to being waited on, looked with some surprise at the tall man who bowed, holding a basin of water before him. The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

Many of the single mothers pause at the 2,000-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border before making their final push into el Norte. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

We had a half day of school today, the day before Thanksgiving, so Twig and I spent the afternoon comparing notes on Operation Egg. The Science of Breakable Things 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

He saw them pat Nathan down before handcuffing him and shoving him into their car. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

“Was she before? Maybe. She was in a bad situation.” Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

Father Cham looked into Pong's eyes a long moment before nodding again. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

Then, almost before I was ready for it to happen, he was there. Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

About twenty minutes before curtain, Wayne gathers the cast and crew in a small room across a corridor from backstage. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

I say, “We’re learning a lot about this state of ours. Fd never seen much of Indiana before I started, but now I know it really well.” All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

A hot wind blows into my face, forcing tears from my eyes before I can stop them, until I can hardly see where I am going. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

Some shivered a bit before tumbling down, not having been sent with enough force. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

Sometimes Bill and Mr. Weasley brought home news before it even reached the paper. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

“And when was the last time you ate before that?” The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Even Fayge had managed to get onto the proper food line before them, with the help of one of the women from her village. The Devil's Arithmetic 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

“So,” Daddy went on, “we decided we’d keep what we did apart from what you finished before you left. We didn’t put any of your labels on our cans.” Miracles on Maple Hill 1956-08-01T00:00:00Z

I knew that even before we reached the front door. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

Then he stares at me long enough for me to wonder what he’s thinking before sending me back to my seat. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

An instinct toward his future glory had led him, some months before, to the small Lutheran college of St. Olaf in southern Minnesota. The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z

Three weeks later, in October 1958, my grandparents moved out of Hurlbut, one year before they would have paid off the mortgage. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

Smith knew Seabiscuit was improving rapidly, but when he sent him out for workouts before the track dockers, he gave him only easy gallops that veiled his speed. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

Many times he came flying back to sit on the bed and to hold the open lesson book just before Momma suddenly filled the doorway. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You pervert,” was the last thing my sister said before she left the room, still carrying the bowl of potato chips. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

More generally, it’s essential to keep an open mind about how to diagram a sentence rather than assuming that everything you need to know about grammar was figured out before you were born. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z

The careless, Braveheart type, rebelling in a desperate attempt to defy their diagnosis before it all comes to an end. Five Feet Apart 2018-11-20T00:00:00Z

The whole week before the event, Don Walter and the cooks and waiters are excitedly planning the menu and ordering fresh lilies and roses for the table in the formal dining room upstairs. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had seen Mom only sporadically since then, and she’d never met John nor been to the old country farmhouse we’d bought the year before. The Glass Castle 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z

He got through the A’s before looking up and noticing my incredulous stare. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z

Right before we jump down from the car, I see Tobias turn his head in my periphery, and I glance back at him. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z

“I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That’s metamorphosis. Not death. She’s being kept.” The Lightning Thief 2005-07-01T00:00:00Z

Malia’s been living and working in New York, finishing out her gap year before college. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

Putting weird things in her rucksack, hiding Edgar Allan Toad before a race, or giving dirty looks to Seven and Poppy. Witchlings 2022-04-05T00:00:00Z

The woman spoke again before he could ask aloud. A Long Walk to Water 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’m expecting lace doilies, like the ones my grandmother used to crochet before she had to leave her home behind and come to this country. Before We Were Free 2002-08-13T00:00:00Z

They wouldn’t let me forage with them before. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

He sat at the high table as a dish of onion soup cooled before him, hardly tasted, staring at the flame of the nearest candle with those hooded eyes, ignoring the talk around him. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

I knocked three times before I heard a gentle stirring in her room. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Tall men with lean faces sat before the largest tent, wearing black cloaks and headdresses, stitching tarps together with huge needles. Habibi 1997-10-01T00:00:00Z

He shot at it and wounded it mortally, but it succeeded in reaching its home and its mistress before it died. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You get out a here before I kill you,” I hear, like it’s in a tin can. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

I had to get out of that building before everything caved in. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

I’m going to wake up early and catch Papa in the morning before he leaves for the hospital. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

As we neared, Frankie narrowed his eyes and said something to the man, before striding forward to meet us. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

"I told you we'd be done before five. Dinner's on you, brother." The Sky at Our Feet 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

He had never been this deep into the forest before. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets 1998-07-02T00:00:00Z

“I’m going to try to get JP to come out to the dance before they send us home,” I said. Winger 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

Later, before I left, I watched Violet and her father petition FeedTech for free repairs. Feed 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Usually when Lynn got home from school, we would go to the market, where we studied the treats for a long time before picking out what we wanted: often a powdered-sugar doughnut. Kira-Kira 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

Other European groups may also have arrived before Columbus, but they, too, had no well-substantiated impact on the people they visited. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

The word was fulfilled one morning, before she was awake. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

There’s my grandmother’s death, before I really knew what death meant. Every Day 2012-08-28T00:00:00Z

But the juniors coming up behind us were so good that it was just a matter of time before they pushed us out. Courage to Soar 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

But before you could say doodly-squat, my arms had circled her and she had flung her arms around my neck, and I could feel her wet cheek against mine. Cold Sassy Tree 1984-11-02T00:00:00Z

I hadn’t gone far before I realized that I had undertaken a tough job. Where the Red Fern Grows 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Oh, thank God,” she whispered before she lay back down and closed her eyes again. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

Sometimes I listen outside closed doors, a thing I never would have done in the time before. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z

Women would sit in the windows, their arms folded before them resting on pillows used exclusively for street watching. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

I went on through the late street quiet, hoping that a cab would pass before I had gone all the way. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

"Sure, Brother," Tarp said, limping before me into one of the dark rooms and snapping on a light. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I mean, before you did that—what was your favorite thing to do?” Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

He might give the impetus to the falling building, but surely it had to be toppling on its own account before it fell? The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

She sat back against a tree, held her hands up before her, and admired them. The Midwife's Apprentice 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I suddenly noticed all kinds of things about my looks—things that had never much bothered me before. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

That would have been before my mother banned the song. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

My father came in a few minutes later, looking worse than he had the day before. The Chosen 1967-04-28T00:00:00Z

They saw the Griever before they’d even made it to the door leading from Section Eight to Section One. The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

She suspected that it hadn’t been cleaned once since Henry moved in, and maybe not before that. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Yes, well, hopefully you’ll read something of quality before I see you again.” Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

One of Abuela’s cousins, who still lives in their old house, had found them at the back of a closet where Abuela had hidden them before she left. Merci Suárez Changes Gears 2018-09-11T00:00:00Z

Where only a few moments before, there had been a colorful crowd of Navajo children, each one different from the other, now we all looked just the same. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had turned them all over before I realized that Branwell had laughed. Silent To The Bone 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He took out each bite-sized ravioli, held it in his mouth, chewed slowly and lovingly sitting in the cockpit, then swallowed it, hesitating a moment before taking another bite. The Voyage Of The Frog 1989-01-01T00:00:00Z

He’d been talking about “changing the world” long before his speech to the TB tribe in Boston. Mountains Beyond Mountains 2013-04-13T00:00:00Z

Having a quiet hour before we leave for Berne, I’ll try to tell you what has happened, for some of it is very important, as you will see. Little Women 1868-01-01T00:00:00Z

According to his worn, continuously revised spreadsheet, he and Eric had two weeks left to find work and get their first paychecks before this new life in Chicago crashed like some cheap computer. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I tucked my passport back into my borrowed messenger bag and snapped the clasp shut before following Dad. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

He pulled out a second Archimedes sphere - the one he’d spent a whole thirty seconds modifying before they entered the stadium. Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

It was like a miracle; but before our very eyes, and almost in the drawing of a breath, the whole body crumble into dust and passed from our sight. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z

“We have to work before anything else,” he said. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

Spanned by several steel bridges, the racecourse made a slight curve at Union Point, just before the finish line at the Fruitvale Avenue Bridge. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

Chickens are alive before you eat them, right? Free Lunch 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

Three days before I turned seventeen, Mother drove me to Utah to find an apartment. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

I watched to see if he’d get out of the alley before it did. The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

They had saved me before, guiding my movements on a dozen bucking horses, telling me when to cling to the saddle and when to pitch myself clear of pounding hooves. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

“But listen: We all know you could have left your girlfriend in the Village, killed your parents, and gone back to bed before your twinkie even knew you were gone.” Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z

Your book has a way of telling me what I’m feeling before I even feel it, and I’ve reread it dozens of times. The Fault in Our Stars 2012-01-10T00:00:00Z

It was the beam of a car’s headlights as it got into position on the north side of the bridge, the side the runaways had left only moments before. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

“It would be a shame to have it stolen before you could sell it,” the doctor said, and he saw Kino’s eyes flick involuntarily to the floor near the side post of the brush house. The Pearl 1947-01-01T00:00:00Z

Since we all doing some sharing, before we all bounce for the weekend, I want to show you something. Harbor Me 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

This occurred despite the formation, a month before, of the Patriotic Front, an alliance of the ANC, the PAC, and the Azanian People’s Organization around a declaration of common goals. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Grace let go of the banister, catching herself before she fell down the last step, and peeked in the bag. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

He likes that so many students have occupied it before him. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Drink the coffee, and hev one hour of comfort before this day is over.” Across Five Aprils 1964-01-01T00:00:00Z

In Spanish the teacher hands back our in-class essays from the day before. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

"Ali, I think you crossing the line," Noodles said, as if he was trying to say I better chill before he does something. When I Was the Greatest 2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

Back before Axel was born, Byrd green-scaped the whole property from the turn up the driveway to the big red barn. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

Now Jaime’s brother stood before him, staring at him with the guilty, pleading look he had used so many times to enlist his affection. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

She’s worn out and gasping for a cup of tea so would he drop his grand airs, boil the water for the tea and fry some bread before his two small sons starve to death. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

And the more you hang out with him, the more he seems like the same old guy from before, right? Thirteen Reasons Why 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z

You have to be super sure before you make a move final. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

The water was very deep and often we had to let out two hundred feet of line before we touched bottom. Boy: Tales of a Childhood 1984-01-01T00:00:00Z

We went straight to the juniors' department on the second floor of Broadway Department Store, where she scanned the racks to see what was there before sliding clothes along them one after another. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

Spoons of stew touch lips before bottoms hit the seats. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

Women grumbled in Chinese as they picked through vegetables and melons that he’d never seen before. Small Steps 2006-01-10T00:00:00Z

He awoke each morning depressed, knowing even before he opened his eyes that something was wrong, something had gone askew in his life. The Chocolate War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

The prison guards watched her more closely because they thought that the wrinkles resulted from her taking off her skin at night and then putting it back on in a hurry, before sunrise. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

I was somebody before I went under the surgeons knife. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

On a whim, she decided to slip off to Lambert a few weeks before the dedication. The Parker Inheritance 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. The Hunger Games 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z

Andy, or maybe Sandy, was at university in Detroit, and Mia had had a big fight with her parents right before leaving about spending the night at his place. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

We’d climb into our landing boats before they were lowered into the water. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Well, the drinking started before . . .” “So your husband’s affair was not the trigger?” The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

‘I - I don’t know what happened. You’ve got a few minutes, tops, before your zombies disappear.’ Blood of Olympus 2014-10-07T00:00:00Z

I had to talk mean and threaten him with a club before we could get him close enough for Mama to hook the singletree over the loop of rope I’d tied around the bull’s horns. Old Yeller 1956-01-01T00:00:00Z

She cleared her throat before coming out from behind her locker door. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Dad set Aaron into Layla’s arms before he ran back to shut the door. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“Why don’t you try to take a nap, dear. Only another hour or so and then we’ll be at the farm, and you and Granddad have some work to do before supper.” Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

A beat passed before Dill realized the girl was talking to him. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

And was the Black Tortoise the stitch that needed to be pulled first before it could all unravel? When the Sea Turned to Silver 2016-10-04T00:00:00Z

God, I said, you did not check with me before sending these two. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

A few minutes later, he found a series of correspondence spliced together into one file that almost made his heart stop.The icy chills from before turned into a cold sweat. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

So they set out eastward from Astowell into the Open Sea, on the first day of the Fallows, before sunrise. A Wizard of Earthsea 1968-11-01T00:00:00Z

I wonder if I’m imagining it; I try to remember if I said or did anything to upset her before I left for school. Orphan Train 2013-04-02T00:00:00Z

"I've got to speak to you about something before you go." The Great Gatsby 1925-04-10T00:00:00Z

“Don’t get it wet for two weeks. Make sure you keep the cream on it. You’ve done this before.” Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel 2011-09-15T00:00:00Z

That night I was able to fall asleep but woke before dawn, mind looping from Mom to Otto to those two little bonobos in the crate. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal had never before been used as a prison. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

That was history; this campaign was taking place before my own eyes. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Deliberate and thoughtful, he had an ability to study each situation before choosing a course of action. Killers of the Flower Moon 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

I am not sure it is Locke I am sick over, so much as the world the way it was before the coronation began. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Quite often, however, when a gleaning had been difficult, he would fall asleep before she came into his room at the appointed time with the milk. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

He regaled us with stories of his trips to Johannesburg, a place none of us had ever been before. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

But Porter was not waiting to kill somebody, meaning anybody, before morning. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

I knew he was pressing F5 at each computer before writing scores down.” Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

Maybe twenty seconds or so before the seizure I slip into this thing called an aura. Burning Blue 2012-10-25T00:00:00Z

Now she and Mama both had positions with one of the richest families in Pittsburgh, and before they knew it, they would be able to afford to move into their own little place. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

“That’s what I think,” I answered, swishing suds in and out of the umpteenth mason jar that would probably collect another year’s worth of dust before there’d be any fruit fit for canning. Moon Over Manifest 2010-10-12T00:00:00Z

“I have never before, in all the numerous works for which I have been broadly responsible, trusted as much to the discretion of an assistant or co-operator,” Olmsted wrote. The Devil in the White City 2003-02-11T00:00:00Z

“I have to cook my fish before it spoils!” Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

“I was lucky. Perhaps you should give my head a good rub before our next game, Captain. Some of that luck might rub off on your fingers.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

They seemed like a good thing to think about before you went to sleep. Crenshaw 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

The night before my sister’s wedding in Rwanda, we attended a big party to celebrate the giving away of the bride. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

He was proud of Nelson for proving himself a macho before he was even a grown man. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I probably could’ve swatted it off before she could puncture my windpipe. Black Swan Green 2006-04-10T00:00:00Z

“Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Father,” I said before leaving. The Woman Warrior 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

Even before he took off his jacket, he’d count his money. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

A woman in a blue wrapper with a bag tucked under her armpit bought the whole basketful of snails just before Father Amadi came to pick me up. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z

“Darkening your brows and lashes. You know, the way girls do before a party.” Six of Crows 2015-09-29T00:00:00Z

He pulled off his kippah before they crested the hill and stuck it in his pocket again. Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

She said, “The witch gave me a name. I had no need of one before. She called me Kirjava. But listen, listen to us now...” The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

The tipple loomed before me like a giant black spider. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

She was sitting up snoring before I finished rolling half of her head. Gone Crazy in Alabama 2015-04-21T00:00:00Z

He got between me and the door before I even had my hand out to turn the knob. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z

But that conclusion presents a paradox: such diseases could never have existed before then! Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

Her head is resting on her hand and she's watching me with a look I don't know if I've ever seen on her before. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

Beast: “You’re not going to scream. You didn’t scream before. You liked it. You’re jealous that I took out your friend and not you. I think I know what you want.” Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

Written sometime before their empire fell, I guess. Feed 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He picked up the rock I had taken before and handed it to me. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

The giant kissed his right forefinger and touched it to Lyra’s head before handing her back, very delicately, to Malcolm. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

Mr. Jacobs was now alongside him, watching him for a few seconds before he gasped. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

I looked up and saw a familiar guy and before he got covered with smoke he looked at me and I saw he had big square shoulders and nothing where his face should have been. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

I don’t even remember what was so funny; I only remember thinking I’d suffocate before I stopped laughing. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

“But before we go—let me show you my most recent ink.” Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

And there were strangers nobody had ever seen or heard of before. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

She hauled me out of the Big House before Dionysus could remember that he wanted to kill me. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

Her placid, gentle face wore a rather disappointed look, because the dogs usually spied her long before she got to the house and would rush to greet her. The Incredible Journey 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

He flourished meats and bread baked the day before, dusted a table, invited himself to sit, and ate until he had to go find a soda fountain, where he ordered a bicarbonate. The Martian Chronicles 1950-01-01T00:00:00Z

A block before the cemetery, the car broke down and Felicia’s coffin had to be carried the rest of the way by eight pallbearers in white. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

Maybe if he’s nice to me, if he apologizes, if he promises to go back to how things were before ... maybe then I’ll give him one last small chance. The Queen of Water 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

There was a human before her, casually spouting sacred secrets. Artemis Fowl 2001-04-26T00:00:00Z

Breathing thick marine air that carried the scent of a minus tide, I marveled at the fecundity of the Seattle spring, appreciating its damp, mossy charms as never before. Into Thin Air 1996-08-01T00:00:00Z

“W. F.” warned everyone to prepare carefully before venturing out of doors and suggested that “Vinegar of the Four Thieves” be used liberally. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 2003-06-23T00:00:00Z

But he hadn’t walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn’t moving his lips. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 1997-06-26T00:00:00Z

“Will you read some more of Lassie? I want to know how it ends before we leave.” The Old Willis Place 2004-09-20T00:00:00Z

I began to resign myself to my misfortune and to ask no longer that she be resurrected but simply that I would arrive in time to see her one last time before they buried her. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Stop following me! And you can stop twirling your wrists like that. I’m not picking you up. Go on! Go on before you get stepped on.” A Thousand Splendid Suns 2007-05-22T00:00:00Z

I let Sandra go ahead of me and wait for a bit before I head to the cafeteria. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

He was still angry over Pimlico starter Jim Milton’s use of tongs on War Admiral the year before, and he was sticking to his vow never to run a horse at the track again. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

She could see the village of Kangik long before she got to it. Julie of the Wolves 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

"I daresay this is one of the best views in the whole palace," the Beauty Minister declares before leading us back inside. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

As I stared at the three of them huddling together, I had the impression that all of this had happened before, and that everyone’s part was well rehearsed. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

With the city ever-expanding, it would only be a matter of time before the marshland at its outskirts was filled in and built upon. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

He wondered at its many shades, the many shapes of black that came before his eyes. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

Before Thomas could answer, the faint memory of last night, before he fell asleep, came to him, Teresas words inside his mind. The Maze Runner 2009-10-21T00:00:00Z

I left a note in Betsy’s desk every morning before school started. Absolutely Almost 2014-06-01T00:00:00Z

His long experience of defeat and his knowledge of the people allowed the Candidate to realize before anyone else that this time he was going to win. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Why does a dog go round and round in a circle before it lies on its bed? My Life with the Chimpanzees 1988-03-01T00:00:00Z

It was a map of a country I had never before seen. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had never thought of that before, but he’s right—we don’t know what’s happened out there since they put us in here, or how many generations have lived and died since they did. Allegiant 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z

They’d make a slave of me that day, stripping cloak and tunic off me, throwing around me the dirty rags you see before you now. The Odyssey 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

I almost reject the call, too confused about the suddenness of this moment, but I answer before the call goes away, before Rufus goes away. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

In particular, we used to have these talks, the two of us, usually up in my room at the top of the Black Barn just before going to bed. Never Let Me Go 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

She runs up the stairs before I can say anything in response. The Benefits of Being an Octopus 2018-09-04T00:00:00Z

"Close your mouth," Falconer said, "before your soul flies out." The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z

“Well, I must get it over. Eternity is before me: I had better tell her.—Go to my dressing-case, open it, and take out a letter you will see there.” Jane Eyre 1847-10-16T00:00:00Z

“If they was black they could slip in some signifying along with the laughing and dancing and then skip right to the fighting before the drinking even started.” Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

“We have to wait for fifteen minutes after your last drink before we test it,” I said, having downloaded instructions for the Breathalyzer off the Internet. Looking for Alaska 2005-03-03T00:00:00Z

He was studying her closely now, as closely as he had studied his papers before. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z

I had that feeling now, like Neil was going to walk out the door before June could unscramble the answer in her heart. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

In our training the next day, I charge at the Youn dummies even before Met Bong’s cue. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I called Liz again before I went to school, but this time no one answered. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

He probed the murk before them with his walking stick. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

It became a curse when it was all that I saw around me and before me. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

He had to be dragged around in a tacky old wagon she had got for Christmas three years before. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

Celia rests her head in her hands for a moment before she speaks. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

“Depending on the complexity of the driving task, it may take fifteen seconds or more after you’ve pushed ‘send’ before you’re fully back in an unimpaired state.” A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

The four men sat before food that was now cold. The Martian Chronicles 1950-01-01T00:00:00Z

She aces it, a perfect serve at about ninety miles an hour that kisses the court just inside the line before I can move. Speak 1999-10-01T00:00:00Z

“I bailed her just before I went to school, and when I got home she was down.” The Young Man and the Sea 2004-02-01T00:00:00Z

I saw the moist steam before I saw the water. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z

I said to Paul, “Ask the photographer how long he can stall before he has to turn these in.” Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

It felt like a long while before Faith reached over and threaded her fingers through mine. Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet 2007-04-30T00:00:00Z

Well, that was something I had never heard before. Ghost 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

The plane hasn't even taken off before I flag down the flight attendant, ask for something to drink. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

In early February, just a week before the dance, I sat with Dr. Legs again. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

I felt shy about it, like I needed to prepare before I performed for him—if I ever would perform for him. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

He had never seen a white person so clearly before. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

“So am I. Forget it. No one’s ever become a Runner in their first month, much less their first week. Got a lot of provin’ to do before we’ll recommend you to the Keeper.” The Maze Runner 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z

Luke had seen him only from a distance before. Among the Hidden 1998-03-01T00:00:00Z

“Those bearers were slaves before I came. 1 made them free. Yet that palanquin is no lighter.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

“I want to go back in time to before the war,” I say. Without Refuge 2018-04-01T00:00:00Z

When they woke they found that the light of day was broad upon the lawn before the pavilion, and the fountain rose and fell glittering in the sun. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

Indeed, the master narrative led to such surprising conclusions about Native American societies before the arrival of Europeans that it stirred up an intellectual firestorm. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

He went back to Central Park West, then walked south to the school, arriving there just before lunchtime. The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z

Stars flashed before her eyes, swarming in her vision. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

To estimate native numbers before Columbus, one thus had to multiply census figures from those times by a factor of twenty or more. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

The old man recalled that she had been in his store not long before, and along with some other improbable information she had disclosed that her name was April. The Egypt Game 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had to get out of there as fast as possible, before he vomited all over Brother Leon’s desk. The Chocolate War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

And eight years before that, her mother-in-law, Barbara Bush, had pointed out the view to Hillary. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

But I had done many things recently that I had never done before, and never dreamed I would do. The Shakespeare Stealer 1998-05-01T00:00:00Z

The soldier’s loudness annoyed him; this was a man who had abandoned his ogbunigwe and run off long before the vandals were close. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

All three of us were dead asleep before the bus was even out of the parking lot. We Were Here 2009-10-05T00:00:00Z

He attempted the ballad again and made it through only the first fine before his throat betrayed him. The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Not enough time. You’d have to cut trees; it would be dark before you were in action.” The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

They play, and the music drums through the church, and an atmosphere I’ve never felt before spills through the entire crowd. I Am the Messenger 2002-01-10T00:00:00Z

And before he stepped inside, he looked up and down the street four or five times to be sure he wasn’t being followed. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

I’ve never even heard of this one before—leading me to believe it has to be a prototype or even an illegal, user-created item. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

But the other two, Chet Douglass and Bobby Zane, were vocal enough, complaining shrilly about school regulations, the danger of stomach cramps, physical disabilities they had never mentioned before. A Separate Peace 1959-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Come along,” I said, “before I call you a stinking name or two.” Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

Van Helsing is coming to my study a little before the others. Dracula 1897-05-26T00:00:00Z

That she’ll tell me she stopped loving me even before the day she left. Hurricane Child 2018-03-27T00:00:00Z

“I am like my mama in that I like to be told stories. But before you start telling it, can Winn-Dixie come in and listen, too? He gets lonely without me.” Because of Winn-Dixie 2000-03-01T00:00:00Z

As the headsman looked at her, his pale colorless eyes seemed to strip the clothes away from her, and then the skin, leaving her soul naked before him. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

By 10:00 A.M., six and a half hours before the race, a vast, agitated throng was already banging up against the fences. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

I ask before I can stop my mouth that has a direct line to my heart. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

She pushed the door, and a dark, packed-earth landing stretched before them. Anya and the Dragon 2019-09-24T00:00:00Z

His longsword was before him, the point thrust in the earth, his gloved hands clasped around the hilt. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

Turn around and walk back to the car before Aurelia leaves. Sunny 2018-04-10T00:00:00Z

“Like Junior before he passed—Brianna, put some more greens on your plate!” On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

Olanna thought about Chief Okonji and wondered if he too was said to have bleated like a goat before he died. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

Lark and I stopped to see him this morning before church. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

Denna and I came at it from two different, unapproachable angles before we finally found a way in. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

Only as he approached could he decipher that it was a painting, and only once he was before it, what it depicted. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

He looked up and the mist before his eyes cleared a little. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

We stop before a grand set of doors carved with Belle-roses. The Belles 2018-02-06T00:00:00Z

He made a full pass before he realized that there were some names missing. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

When she turned her head and saw me she hollered out in a razor-sharp voice I’d never heard before. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

In any playoff contest there were always several issues that had to be negotiated before the game. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

First there was Luke Castellan, her first crush, who had seen her only as a little sister; then he’d turned evil and decided he liked her—right before he died. The Mark of Athena 2012-10-02T00:00:00Z

He hadn’t asked it as eloquently as others had, but I’d gotten versions of this question plenty of times before, and this wouldn’t be the last. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

Gilly took one of the pillows off the couch and used it to wipe every trace of dust off the piano bench before sitting down on it. The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z

The gangly white kid with rural roots was affable and intelligent, and it wasn’t long before he was voted vice president of the Corps. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

The words flew out of my mouth before I could weigh them. Chains 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z

But, like I said before, Muhammad is not too intuitive, so he accepts my excuse that I’m practicing for some school play and not experiencing serious pangs of love. Saints and Misfits 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z

“I'm half Asian, a girl, and I believe in aliens. Pretty much every lifetime before mine would have sucked for me.” Starfish 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

If he’d asked me the day before, I would have told him he was on his own. The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

Trotter was at the door, opening it before they reached the porch. The Great Gilly Hopkins 1978-03-28T00:00:00Z

Ecology was a sober, industrious science here long ago, decades before the rest of us discovered the term. The Lives of a Cell 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I had never been so close to a white person before. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

The strokes before mattered, even though you couldn’t feel it. X: A Novel 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

A slow trickle of dark blood made its way down his thumb, where it gathered and swelled for a moment before dripping onto the floor. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

I may never have used a gun before but I’m sure I can manage to pull the trigger.” Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

Guiteau was sure that it was just a matter of time before he received his reward. Ambushed! 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

He had never before travelled in broad daylight either. The BFG 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

“You and that barbershop! Jermaine wasn’t nothing like that before. He was good!” The Stars Beneath Our Feet 2017-09-19T00:00:00Z

I had never been surrounded by my family before. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

She performed at Armstrong before an integrated audience. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights 2004-05-25T00:00:00Z

I have nothing to say to her, not after the way she treated me day before yesterday. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

It must have rained the night before, too. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

I flung myself against the door and slipped in before it slammed shut. Ophelia 2006-10-31T00:00:00Z

He had known about the bad heart even before Bob and Jane were born. Cheaper by the Dozen 1948-01-01T00:00:00Z

It wasn’t long before Nugent overheard his gyptian companions using a phrase to describe the phenomena, a phrase that was unknown to him. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

She turned to him as they made their way to the dressing room, stopping right beside a couple of people stretching their hamstrings, who paused to give them thumbs-up signs before resuming their stretches. When Dimple Met Rishi 2017-05-30T00:00:00Z

Hale toiled day and night for a pittance; he rode through storms—hail, lightning, sand—and survived stampedes, guiding the cattle into smaller and smaller circles before they could trample him. Killers of the Flower Moon 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

The last town before Mont-Saint-Michel is barely a town at all. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

I’m still pretty unsteady so I have to take a cloudy breath or two before I do anything. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

I whispered the dreadful name before I could censor myself. Summer of the Mariposas 2012-10-20T00:00:00Z

“You look rather pretty today,” was all he said before the doors opened and they walked forward. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

He walked away without another word, as slow and deliberate as he’d been before. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

“We’ll return and finish our prayers later, before they bury him,” said Mama. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

The opening, the tunnel’s end, at last it was before them. The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

The dress has the smell of old dead grandmother and I worry she might rise from the grave and curse me before the whole family and all assembled. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

He continued on, though, following Rameel into seven more huts before they returned to their tent and settled in for the night. Where Things Come Back 2011-05-03T00:00:00Z

Magic, so powerful in the world before and after Greece, is almost nonexistent. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

It measures our second level of attitude, our racial attitude on an unconscious level—the immediate, automatic associations that tumble out before we’ve even had time to think. Blink 2005-01-11T00:00:00Z

“I wanted to talk before you hurried away,” the witch soothed. Fablehaven 2006-07-30T00:00:00Z

Harry rolled up the letter and slipped it inside his robes, wondering whether he felt more or less worried than before. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire 2000-07-08T00:00:00Z

He told me I had a good imagination and said he had displayed my report at Open House the night before. Breaking Through 2001-08-27T00:00:00Z

Bits didn’t even wait for the chili to cool down before they stuffed a spoonful in their mouth. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

And he raised himself as he had done before and lightly saluted Mary Poppins on both cheeks. Mary Poppins 1962-10-27T00:00:00Z

I sat like that for ten minutes before I heard it. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

“Mrs. Dean, you shouldn’t let that boy play with guns,” she had announced the year before. Bad Boy 2001-05-08T00:00:00Z

My only regret was that I did not have the opportunity to contact Winnie before I went into hospital. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Everyone stared at her when she walked into the room right before the bell rang, but Grace was prepared for that. Far from the Tree 2017-10-03T00:00:00Z

Ice fell away from his hand, which rose up to tremble in the air for a moment, afflicted and blue, before coming to rest on my arm. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 2011-06-07T00:00:00Z

They heard the deep growls of shadowcats behind them before they had gone half a mile, and later the wild snarling of the beasts fighting over the corpses they had left behind. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

“I have some friends before me gone,” he sang quietly, but the sound seemed so lonely and lost that he stopped before the chorus. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

He reaches the first step before Byrd says, “The plan is we spend more time together.” A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

We sat before the glowing television, careful to not make a noise. P.S. Be Eleven 2013-05-21T00:00:00Z

“Why, the Swedish lady tried it before my eyes.” Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z

And he already knows what he’s going to say before Dad even asks the question Scoob knows is coming. Clean Getaway 2020-01-07T00:00:00Z

The day before Jones learned from Union soldiers that Lincoln had been assassinated, and they had information that the assassins had traveled this way. Chasing Lincoln's Killer 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

Probably for mentioning that we had money we hadn’t mentioned before. The Season of Styx Malone 2018-10-16T00:00:00Z

I stood rooted to the spot, paralyzed, in thrall to the action before my eyes. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

But he had not heard it described that way before. Messenger 2004-04-26T00:00:00Z

Then one morning he dropped a white envelope on the seat beside her just before he got off the bus. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

However, if Brunelleschi had mastered the geometry of perspective as early as 1413 it becomes a little difficult to explain why there are no surviving paintings which embody these principles before 1425. The Invention of Science 2015-09-17T00:00:00Z

At thirty-five he had just been unwillingly evicted from the Youth League, and before graduating into the Youth League he had managed to stay on in the Spies for a year beyond the statutory age. 1984 1949-06-08T00:00:00Z

For the hungry and worn, who had far to go before life failed, it had an evil look. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

“Well, I mean, Brady and Patrick were out in the parking lot of the Coachlight Inn smoking pot with him night before last.” The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

I never saw it before in Brick, no matter what Tariq said about how they used to be friends. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

Nobody knew who wrote it, but Bob said he heard it before, and he heard that it was some kid’s suicide note. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 1999-02-01T00:00:00Z

I had to say two Glory Be’s to myself before I could speak aloud. In the Time of the Butterflies 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I thought of the youthful almost hysterical excitement and conceit with which I had gone into this marriage, imagining I would bring happiness to Maxim, who had known much greater happiness before. Rebecca 1938-08-01T00:00:00Z

But this time one spark fell on one small hair of dry bark—almost a thread of bark—and seemed to glow a bit brighter before it died. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

He knew by the little interval before she answered that she had tensed. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

But this night everything was wet through before we could get the tent up. The Left Hand of Darkness 1969-03-01T00:00:00Z

“It is done,” Kaisa said, and the servant bowed to them before he left. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was bad enough being an aviation cadet because it was obvious now that the war would not be over before he had finished his training. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

“The annual light bulb harvest. We had to go quite far up the road before we had enough. Even so, it took two Christmases.” Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 1970-06-01T00:00:00Z

Over and over again he wrote each paragraph, each sentence, to explain navigation to the man before the mast. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

I held the shoe up, before Joan's enlarged, pebbly eyes, tilted it, and watched her take in the stream of blood that cascaded onto the beige rug. The Bell Jar 1963-01-14T00:00:00Z

In the moment before the explosion, before the white light becomes too blinding to discern precisely what is happening, they dissolve into the air. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Previously on the expedition she’d been a slow, uncertain climber, but today, with the summit in her crosshairs, she was energized as never before. Into Thin Air 1996-08-01T00:00:00Z

I had to kill seven skin jobs before I could even make it out of the elevator car and into the hallway. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

“When have you ever seen her before dark?” The Sound and the Fury 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

Incredibly, Woolf’s timing was so good that he rode for more than a decade before he was beaten in a photo finish of a stakes race. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

I have never seen such bravery before; and I hope never to see it again. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves 2009-10-13T00:00:00Z

But though I knew that Julian frequently invited Henry for lunches à deux, I had never before received an invitation to dine alone with him, and I was both flattered and vaguely worried. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

I’d never seen the chariot before, but it looked like a pretty sweet ride. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

It would take weeks before I would agree to go near him. Americanized 2018-02-08T00:00:00Z

“I remember a real dividing line between what it was like before she died and what it was like after. They were just my parents and I didn’t worry about anything.” The Line Tender 2019-04-16T00:00:00Z

It was two days later before the skies cleared and Nat could check their position and set his course once more for Sumatra. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

She had never in her life been popular before. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

“I don’t know. I’ve never been in an English house before.” The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

One thing led to another and before you knew it my big, hairy banana was whistlin’ Dixie when it struck gold in them thar hills. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

I let her walk into the park before I start to follow again. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

The night before, he hadn’t come home until 8:30, and went right down to his computer in the basement, at the desk strewn with computer discs, and started working again. A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age 2014-09-23T00:00:00Z

Well, let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy! The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

Let’s examine the ranges of these factors, before considering their specific consequences for Polynesian societies. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 1997-03-01T00:00:00Z

But her gender proved to be a disadvantage, and Froelick had to work as a secretary for more than a year before Warner Brothers promoted her to writer. Spooked! 2018-08-07T00:00:00Z

Even so, Odysseus had to swim for two days and nights before he reached land and could find a safe landing place. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

“He has no shadow,” Chandresh says to himself before he pours a glass of brandy. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

The door swung open with no announcement just before the bell. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

“Our town was just fine before you came,” she told him. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

No one told me what to do if I missed lighting the Sabbath candles before sunset. What the Night Sings 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

He blew and blew and blew until Mother said the roof would fly off before suppertime. Miracles on Maple Hill 1956-08-01T00:00:00Z

I asked them before I went to bed. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

Heinck had lived in America for several years, working in various American factories before returning to Germany. Nazi Saboteurs 2019-12-03T00:00:00Z

He went from man to man, sniffing, before settling on the biggest, a faceless thing who clutched black iron in one hand. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

I kiss her forehead and both her cheeks and then her forehead again, and before I’m done, Helena’s tears are drying and a smile is starting to sneak around her split lip. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Winterfell’s great main gates were closedand barred, and so choked with ice and snow that the portcullis would need to be chipped free before it could be raised. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

“Auspicious for you, perhaps. Less so for those who must die before the sun goes down.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

He had no idea how he’d had the energy to interrogate Andrew only a minute before. The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage 2017-10-19T00:00:00Z

In my new Remake Room in Special Defense, my prep team slaps me into my Mockingjay suit, arranges my hair, and applies minimal makeup before my coffee’s even cooled. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Jenkins had been walking with me and talking with me only hours before. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

She got a frill scholarship to the University of Maryland to run and did really well her freshman year, winning her first race a few days before she died. The Boy in the Black Suit 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

“But anything else? Was there anything else about her that you remember, from after the trade, not before?” Messenger 2004-04-26T00:00:00Z

The canoe when I had finished was not so beautiful as it had been before, but I could now lift one end of it and drag it through the waves. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

Sister Mukumbu had no idea how hard it was for me to watch my baby sister stand alone before all of those people. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

But then, he had more help than he’s ever had before: no fewer than two assistants; Mr. van D. and I performed our job well. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

But she’d seen friends do terrible things before, and it had become safer for her to believe the worst. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

‘There was something in this tree that I have never seen before,’ he said. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

The drawbridge reached the ground and Piggy was speeding across before it touched. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

A beatific smile crosses her face, but before she can take another step, two guards are on her. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

It is so strange to see two people you have known separately join together, though I have watched it happen before. Insurgent 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z

Anya began, with the question that had been eating her up since the night before: WHY ARE YOU HERE? Anya and the Nightingale 2020-11-10T00:00:00Z

Cowslip showed no more concern at Fiver’s tense manner than he had at anything that had gone before. Watership Down: A Novel 1972-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ben did remember the scurrilous version of the Hail Mary Mary Anne had written the year before that Lillian had overheard. The Great Santini 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

The next pirogue was heading upstream, much more slowly, and I watched it go a ways before deciding whether to call out. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

He was afraid, he realized then, because as he sat there, gripping the six-fingered sword for confidence, he was suddenly back to what he had been before Vizzini had found him. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

Alex had bruised his knee in the last fall and he knew that it was only a matter of time before they cornered him and finished him off. Stormbreaker 2000-09-04T00:00:00Z

A woman I’d never seen before came in from the living room. Auggie & Me 2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

It seemed to him that he had passed through the doorway: yet he stood outside on the pavement where he had stood before. A Wizard of Earthsea 1968-11-01T00:00:00Z

Palms held out, in the beggar’s gesture, he received the bread and meat and put it down before him on his knapsack—lowly table!— then he fell to, devouring it. The Odyssey 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

These coins were instantly converted to credits, which I used to pay the teleportation fare back to Ludus, often just before the final school bell rang. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

Curiously enough, she had never seen a newt before. Matilda 1988-10-01T00:00:00Z

Thank goodness she had learned not to wet the bed before the weather turned cold. Fever 1793 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He yearned for his old life—New York and Camp Half-Blood— but something told him it might be a while before he returned home. The Son of Neptune 2011-10-04T00:00:00Z

I was pretty sure nobody on earth had ever admired me before. Wish 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

Her mother lay in bed, awake; she was pleading with Gabriel, who had been out drinking the night before, and who was not really sober now, to mend his ways and come to the Lord. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

"I've heard it before. I just don't have it memorized exactly." Holes 1998-08-20T00:00:00Z

They had been there long before the Japanese invaded. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two 2005-01-01T00:00:00Z

It traveled in blood, and the bleeding victim did not touch very many other people before dying, and so the virus did not have many chances to jump to a new host. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

George had dropped out of the attic for some food, the lone slave Martin helped before the girl arrived. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

Now that there were other demons actually helping to save the trapped demons, we did not seem to have as much trouble as before. Dragonwings 1975-01-01T00:00:00Z

They had tried to come into the United States once before but had been turned back. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

There were no people in this place and the BFG stopped for the first time since they had set out from his cave many hours before. The BFG 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

The three of us stand there, our mouths open wide, strong white teeth inside, and my grandmother has to nod, has to say, They're lucky before sending us on our way. Brown Girl Dreaming 2014-08-28T00:00:00Z

I barely let the water run over my body before I came out of the shower, so that I would not delay. Purple Hibiscus 2003-10-01T00:00:00Z

My hack manages to access some of his more public information and even a few of his messages—but everything else is still secured behind a wall of shields that I’ve never seen before. Warcross 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

The following morning, before he left for school, he told his mother that a scythe had invited him to become his apprentice and that he’d be dropping out of school to accept the position. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

The Dutch military held out for barely three weeks before surrendering to Hitler. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

I try to climb to my feet, but before I can, a boot lodges itself in my side, digging into the soft spot just below my ribs. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

He mentions that one stranger had a broken leg and that he had done the neighborly thing by splinting it before sending the men on their way. Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever 2012-08-01T00:00:00Z

I swear right now before God or whatever. The Knife of Never Letting Go 2008-05-05T00:00:00Z

Long before the invention of the World Wide Web, cognitive scientists modeled human memory as a network of nodes. The Sense of Style 2014-09-04T00:00:00Z

A few moments before the trial, a guard came to his cell and left a paper. Native Son 1940-03-01T00:00:00Z

“Yeah, he got in a good shot before he ran away.” Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

But even before the words are out, I see one of his eyebrows go up, and I know that this isn’t the answer he was looking for. The Thing About Jellyfish 2015-09-22T00:00:00Z

I hear my dad’s voice: You have to let people get to know you before you decide they don’t like you. Ask the Passengers 2012-10-23T00:00:00Z

The last battle, before this story opens, and indeed the only one that had ever been fought within the borders of the Shire, was beyond living memory: the Battle of Greenfields, S.R. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

And he let the thought sit there, in the man Jack’s head for a moment, before he opened the gate with a flourish. The Graveyard Book 2008-09-30T00:00:00Z

As Boobie tried to find the natural rhythm of the year before, Mike edged closer and closer to a dream he had quietly harbored for much of his life. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

I know, but he never favored it before. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

It paused for a full minute before ducking into its hole. Stargirl 2000-08-08T00:00:00Z

“Did he say anything to you before he left?” Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

After Dad’s gone off, Becky gets up before Ma, and I fix her a bowl of Cheerios, put her sneakers on so she won’t stub her toes, and brush the snarls from her hair. Shiloh 1991-01-01T00:00:00Z

An early milkman saw what he thought to be black figures coming out of a barn immediately before it burst into flames. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

It would take the watchman more than an hour before he passed that way again. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

I started thinking maybe I should find out what I could about my mother, before T. Ray or the police came for us. The Secret Life of Bees 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

Henry gamely piles his plate with some of each and eyeballs it as if waiting for it to reveal its secrets to him, and Alex realizes Henry has never eaten barbecue with his hands before. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

He gets up like he’s making to leave, but I grab his arm before I think twice—grab him and immediately let go. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

The guardhouse has landed on a dirt road, and it stretches out before us like a never-ending carpet. Dragons in a Bag 2018-10-23T00:00:00Z

After finishing high school, Marian was free to tour more widely than before. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights 2004-05-25T00:00:00Z

A few minutes before post time, Pollard finally rose. Seabiscuit: An American Legend 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Put these on and draw them tight. They’ll help conceal you. If we run into trouble, stay close and don’t worry. I’ll die before I let harm come to any of you.” The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

Long beats passed before he spoke again, his voice only a whisper. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

You always used to think that was funny, how everyone in our town stuck their lawn chairs out way before parade day and how they didn’t strap them down or lock them up, either. P.S. I Miss You 2017-09-26T00:00:00Z

Seizing him by the hair, 8-Deer forced the teenager to grovel before him. 1491 2005-10-10T00:00:00Z

Rawiya held Moss for a few seconds, and then Bits was there, their eyes alight in pride and respect, and Moss hugged them, hard and sincere, before leading them all away. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

We fill out paperwork and go through security before we’re led to this small gray room. On the Come Up 2019-02-05T00:00:00Z

And thus, shortly before noon on May 29, 1953, did Hillary and Tenzing become the first men to stand atop Mount Everest. Into Thin Air 1996-08-01T00:00:00Z

It seemed a long while before I made it to the corner. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

This was long before metal detectors and security checks, and I was carrying my pistol in a holster inside my jacket and the two hundred rounds wrapped around my waist inside my trousers. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

She was awake and dressed, pacing the narrow corridor between the beds, before the four-thirty bell. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z

Dread was round him, and enemies before him in the pass, and his master was in a fey mood running heedlessly to meet them. The Two Towers 1954-11-11T00:00:00Z

She would have told him before he went forward that the space was too small. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

Quickly, before she lost her nerve, she shoved the door open and reached for the light switch on the wall. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

I’ve never done this before and get lost in the exercise, concentrating on finding the model by drawing what is not her. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

I stomp up the concrete steps, and before I know it, my hand is knocking on the chipped, wooden door. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

“We won’t reach it before night,” Minli said, “but I think there’s a cave up ahead. Let’s stay there for the night and tomorrow we’ll try to reach the village or whatever it is.” Where the Mountain Meets the Moon 2009-07-01T00:00:00Z

I stayed behind to help the club, but they were so quick and efficient that the net was down and the ball carts stowed before I’d stepped off the bleachers. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

But it was such a long time before the singing part came. The Bluest Eye 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

A shot bird, instead of falling onto the soccer field, made it to the picnic area before it came down. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

I managed to break several panes before my hand got stuck in the glass. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

She crouched by the trash can, but before she could place her card, James nudged her. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

A few days before, Henry’s mother had stopped in to see me, after she’d been down the hall to see her own son in the morgue. The Secret History 1992-10-16T00:00:00Z

To make my waking life American-normal, I turn on the lights before anything untoward makes an appearance. The Woman Warrior 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

Two days before this uprising was to take place, the plot was revealed. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ivy asked loudly, before using her free hand to pull her sister behind a half wall by the beds. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

I made the mistake of eating one once at a carnival right before going on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda 2015-03-25T00:00:00Z

He put it in his gear at the hooch before we went on the sweep. Fallen Angels 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

Somehow it seemed worse to mess up, to ruin everything months, rather than years before they could escape. We'll Fly Away 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

‘It has been called that before,’ he said, ‘but not by you.’ The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

“So, what were you going to say before Mrs. Spektor banished us from the classroom?” The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

Another hour, and most of the valley was in shadow, and Will was wondering whether they would find any shelter before night fell; but then Lyra gave a cry of relief and joy. The Amber Spyglass 2000-10-10T00:00:00Z

I quickly informed her that I was fine and she could see that I was fit, though a bit thinner than before. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

He had to swallow before he could speak. A Monster Calls 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z

Emma held her breath for so long that her head swam and dots appeared before her eyes. The Strangers 2019-04-02T00:00:00Z

That would allow the coaches to get a final and accurate readout on their time under racing conditions before the confrontation with Cal. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics 2014-05-27T00:00:00Z

He hit send and threw his phone down on his bed before throwing himself down next to it. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

“Kaisha found the hashtag on the trending page of Twitter. It was only a few minutes later before she figured out you were here.” Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

Now, she and Doc had to get up earlier and cook, then clean up the kitchen before going off to work. Root Magic 2021-01-05T00:00:00Z

That’s the last thing I remember before the car swerved around the corner. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 2012-02-21T00:00:00Z

“Well, it’s this way, sir. Joe would have told me to jump in a lake before 1 opened my mouth.” The Milagro Beanfield War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

I press my cheek to hers and breathe deeply before I get up to go. What the Night Sings 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

And the year before, when his girlfriend dumped him, he was just pure evil to live with for a while. Miracle's Boys 2000-04-23T00:00:00Z

A riser set up at one end before a butterfly light. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

But a few times he took me by surprise before I could get away. My Brother Sam is Dead 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Brush your teeth before bed,” he was saying. Zeitoun 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z

And then, before he could chicken out, he asked the one that haunted him. Pax 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

The can of mixed vegetables is our last one before Pop Pop gets his check. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

Rogers had chopped a certain amount of firewood before he had been killed. And Then There Were None 1939-11-06T00:00:00Z

It had become our ritual, and for several weeks, before we grew more comfortable with one another, it was the only time he spoke to me directly. Interpreter of Maladies 1999-05-22T00:00:00Z

In fact, other than my schoolteachers reading out of our textbooks, no one had ever read to me before. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

“You’ll have more time to pray before you hit the bottom,” she said impatiently. Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

The moon’s surface didn’t surprise us, because people had studied the moon very carefully long before Project Apollo came along. Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

I am praying to the Lord and the devil on the side that Mister Johnny doesn’t come home before then. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

It is Ashima’s first job in America, the first since before she was married. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

What must it have been like before there were anaesthetics? A Farewell To Arms 1929-09-02T00:00:00Z

Then the dancers danced the future—a machine-future—in clothes I had never seen before. The Woman Warrior 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

That was before Doc sent me a personal bill for five dollars for “sutures and labor.” October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

She soon began to live her life just exactly as she had lived it before. Mary Poppins 1962-10-27T00:00:00Z

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

"The thing I don't understand", I said, "is how Bruno and I are still able to talk and think just as we did before." The Witches 1983-10-27T00:00:00Z

I tucked it under my shawl before heading downstairs to return it. Amal Unbound 2018-05-08T00:00:00Z

He studies his cupped hands before letting it go. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

“It’s really not a good time,” I said, backing away before she could drag me into her apartment by force. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

"Come on! To hell with this guy, let's get that paddie before they send him some help . . ." "No, wait," I yelled. Invisible Man 1952-01-01T00:00:00Z

He brought down three Masks before they rallied to attack him. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994-04-01T00:00:00Z

Just then a bullet pinged through a pane in the living-room window, skipped across the top of his chair where his head had been not a moment before, and lodged in the far wall. October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

Sarai couldn't remember exactly when she had passed away, but it was certainly before her own first bleeding, because her reaction to discovering the old woman’s death had been so foolish. Strange the Dreamer 2017-03-28T00:00:00Z

I hiss before he gets a chance, which seems to annoy him a little, since he considers hissing his own personal sound of contempt. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Saturday there was a big drama, the likes of which have never been seen here before. The Diary of a Young Girl 1997-02-03T00:00:00Z

But I kept thinking of seeing them together the day before, and besides, Mrs. Winterbottom looked too terrific to have been held captive. Walk Two Moons 1994-06-30T00:00:00Z

I sashayed back toward my room, but stopped before the hallway to give Dad one final look. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z

I wait a full minute or so before climbing to my feet and going to the back of the yard. Dread Nation 2018-04-03T00:00:00Z

It might seem odd that I was taking law exams a few days before the verdict. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

“That kid is something else! Came here selling candy one day before I cut his hair.” Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

If the men did not take me away that afternoon, I would get an even worse punishment than I had before. Three Little Words: A Memoir 2007-12-27T00:00:00Z

“After your little stunt in my office, I knew it was only a matter of time before Feivel showed himself,” Mr. Katz said. The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

Pong started to thank him before deciding that he didn’t owe those slimeballs thanks for anything. A Wish in the Dark 2020-03-24T00:00:00Z

I had eight hours before I had to be at school. Ready Player One: A Novel 2011-08-16T00:00:00Z

But he, although he loved her again, loved her not so wholly as before, and never again so wholly as he had loved her. The Good Earth 1931-03-02T00:00:00Z

I felt myself in motion, still directed toward the total possession of my body, but by some other route which I could not before then have imagined. Between the World and Me 2015-07-14T00:00:00Z

She liked him right away because he replaced the girl who’d lived there before, a four-year-old who was always trying to convince Hazel to come to her tea parties, where no talking was allowed. Breadcrumbs 2011-09-27T00:00:00Z

All I had to do was get Bunnicula to the salad and let him get his fill before the family came in to eat. Bunnicula 1979-03-01T00:00:00Z

I had never before heard that Blood was an acronym. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

The man melted away, and all at once an alley opened up before them. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

Hilly is an exceptional liar, except for the moment right before she speaks. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

He cleared his throat before he began, whispering the words into the night. Inkheart 2003-09-23T00:00:00Z

Long ago, you see, before the forest became dangerous, the Witch was just a little thing. The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

Maybe Cari could afford to shred things before the day was even started, but he needed the luck. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

I feel like I should be thanking him, but before I can say anything else, Sandy’s already gone. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

Large numbers of malignant tumors are discovered clinically in children under the age of five, but it is an even grimmer fact that significant numbers of such growths are present at or before birth. Silent Spring 1962-09-27T00:00:00Z

I never told him of my life before, never sketched for him the world that had invaded and obliterated the one he and I had shared. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

Percy was pretty sure he’d never seen the guy before, but his eyes and his smile reminded Percy of someone.... The House of Hades 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z

“Egg-laying animals like turtles and gators existed way before chickens. Therefore, eggs came first.” Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence 2022-03-22T00:00:00Z

She was of the Faith, like her father and grandfather and his father before him. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

Despite his limited experience with the circus, Bailey is amazed that he has never seen this tent before. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

I paused before saying, “Your father and I were nursed by the same woman.” The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

Then he saunters right across it before I can grab him. A Mango-Shaped Space 2003-04-16T00:00:00Z

“And it won’t be fun. It might be a while before I see you again.” Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

“If you go to Prince Dain despite my warning, if he gets his heir on you, tell no one before you tell me. Swear it on your mother’s grave.” The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Daddy Bailey had a girl friend, who had begun corre-sponding with me some months before, and she was to meet me at the train. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

“I am going on a raid tomorrow morning, so I might not see you before you leave.” A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

I am awake inside my head before I open my eyes. Blended 2018-10-30T00:00:00Z

They fell into ranks in the civilian clothes they had brought into the Army with them three days before. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

“Ever since my run-in with that cop, I’ve been on high alert. Noticing stuff I would’ve glossed over or tried to ignore before.” Dear Martin 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

The song was over before I realized it, and I clapped enthusiastically to make up for my inattention. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

He flipped the sweatshirt hood up over his head and glanced both ways before jogging across the street. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

“I’ll trust the three of you to settle that debt before you leave.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

He made us leave four hours early and drove us the hour and a half to Chicago way before Thaya Jaan’s flight was due to arrive. Amina's Voice 2017-03-14T00:00:00Z

It then exits the house slightly thicker and fatter than before, leaving no trace of itself or its victim behind. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z

And before he could answer, Marcus reached for Skitter, grabbed the board, and yanked it. Look Both Ways 2019-10-08T00:00:00Z

Once we arrived we waited in the back of the school’s assembly hall and watched the acts that went onstage before us, different groups took their turns performing, flamenco dancers, Greek dancers, traditional Zulu musicians. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

But towards the end of summer, just before they fly back to the North Atlantic, where they pass the winter bobbing on stormy waves, they host a series of get-togethers. A Walk in the Woods 1997-11-01T00:00:00Z

And unlike McCunn, he didn’t go into the bush assuming someone would automatically appear to save his bacon before he came to grief. Into the Wild 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

Theo could die before him; he could die very soon, from the look of him. Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

And before anyone could stop me, I jumped back into the trunk. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

Seventeen days I sailed in the open water before I saw your country’s shore, a shadow upon the sea rim. The Odyssey 1961-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Hey, Mom,” I said quietly before going to wash my face at the outside work sink, “please don’t tell Dad about the gun accident.” Dead End in Norvelt 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

But he felt strongly that he had tried out once before and shouldn’t have to try out again. Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference 2009-04-21T00:00:00Z

It must have been nearly eleven o'clock in the morning before they finally got going again. The Horse and His Boy 1954-09-06T00:00:00Z

“Like I said before, what we did was just harmless fun.” The City Beautiful 2021-10-05T00:00:00Z

Richard didn’t seem to notice, but Mama did, judging from the way her eyes widened for a moment before she looked down at the silver she was polishing. Ophie's Ghosts 2021-05-18T00:00:00Z

He strained to look over his shoulder and saw only the dimly illuminated desk, there as before, as though remembered from a dream. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

But Franklin he stopped and turned back to put that thing steady before it could fall. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle 2018-01-23T00:00:00Z

It was gray and dark and they were hotfooting it out of Constantinople just as fast as they could because Fezzik had just demolished their champion before most of the crowd was even seated. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

Ms. Ofrah arranged for me to do an interview with one of the national news programs today—exactly a week before I testify before the grand jury next Monday. The Hate U Give 2017-02-28T00:00:00Z

He drew a deep breath and held it before releasing it. The Serpent King 2016-03-08T00:00:00Z

He wanted to wait a few days before replying to her but he found himself that night in his study writing her a long e-mail about the death of his mother. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

Mr. Fletcher abhorred slavery as an affront before God. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

He was standing out in the grassy place before the cottage while he thought these things. The Horse and His Boy 1954-09-06T00:00:00Z

I looked back down toward the broken lute in my hands, but before my gaze wandered too far he caught my chin again, tilting my face up. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

We just do what we did the year before, but with a new teacher. Out of My Mind 2010-03-09T00:00:00Z

He made sure she was safely back in her mother’s view before he began his story. Song of Solomon 1977-01-01T00:00:00Z

I stumble, shocked, suddenly down on one knee, barely catching myself before I go sprawling. The Cruel Prince 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

But something tugs on me — the position of his lips, the extra effort he takes to swallow—and I know before Castor tells me. Mockingjay 2010-08-24T00:00:00Z

Martha said, “I remember talking to my oldest uncle; my sister and I were visiting with him before he died. We said, ‘Who did this to Grandpa Vaughan?’ Killers of the Flower Moon 2017-04-18T00:00:00Z

Somebody started the lie that the monkey garden had been there before anything. The House on Mango Street 1984-01-01T00:00:00Z

“When your ancestors traveled from the Third World, they had to overcome four obstacles before the trials of the Fourth World.” Healer of the Water Monster 2021-05-11T00:00:00Z

I turn to him and have to clear my throat before speaking. Fish in a Tree 2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

My mom drops me off on Saturday mornings before she goes to work. Everything Sad Is Untrue 2020-08-25T00:00:00Z

Anyway, yesterday and the day before they needed someone else to do all these challenging tasks while they found another drudge to replace her. Code Name Verity 2012-05-15T00:00:00Z

But before I could get up the nerve, she was inside the building and the moment was gone. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

In 1916, before the United States entered the war, American packers exported 70 million tons of canned beef, 262 million tons of fresh beef, and more than 500 million tons of bacon. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 2018-01-02T00:00:00Z

Kind of surprising, isn’t it? 4TH JUROR: Yes. 3RD JUROR: Listen, that business before, you know, where that guy was baiting me. Twelve Angry Men 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

She popped in another disc before picking up her crochet needle again. The First Rule of Punk 2017-08-22T00:00:00Z

“I saw a Berg dropping in at the last second before I swung down,” Mark said, bringing his mind fully to the present and the task at hand. The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin) 2012-08-14T00:00:00Z

Halfway through the last period, I slip out of the building before Russ or anyone else can find me. Boy21 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

He took another futile swing before he answered. Jacob Have I Loved 1980-01-01T00:00:00Z

They had run again, just before the Usurper's brother set sail with his new-built fleet. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

As wonderful as that little brown house had been before, it had never seemed as wonderful as now. Miracles on Maple Hill 1956-08-01T00:00:00Z

All the figures were suddenly so big, far too big for a small fat boy, who was clumsy even before his transformation! The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

He got detention twice that month before he bought a pack of nicotine gum and chewed it instead of smoking because his dad said if he got detention again, no bike. Please Ignore Vera Dietz 2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

The way he avoided looking at me reminded me of Jesse at the end—the odd hesitation before each smile, the sudden silences that rose between us. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

A jolt of surprise, before I remembered my name tag. I Can Make This Promise 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

She leaned her head back against the wall and raised her eyes to the ceiling before correcting herself. The 57 Bus 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

Then, before I can protest, one of Thomas’s gloved hands brushes my chin as he leans in to kiss me on the lips. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

When the rain started back up that afternoon, it was even harder than the night before. Endangered 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

She’d never been this excited for the zoo before, not even when she was little. George 2015-08-25T00:00:00Z

It was a moment before his eyes, blinded by the feeble lantern-flame, could make any form of the darkness. The Red Pony 1937-01-01T00:00:00Z

The singing surrounds me before I can come up from my thoughts. How It Went Down 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

He was a stray, like her, his parents sold off before he could walk. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

I dragged him off before she noticed me and we disappeared into the crowd. The London Eye Mystery 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z

He stopped at last before a gigantic, colored poster that represented a wicked woman, half undressed, leaning in a doorway, apparently quarreling with a blond man who stared wretchedly into the street. Go Tell It on the Mountain 1953-05-18T00:00:00Z

Beginning in January 1942, some of the young women who’d never flown before but who were training as navigators took their first flights. A Thousand Sisters 2019-01-22T00:00:00Z

The iron gates opened, and she glimpsed the wicked name of the mine before it split in two and swung wide. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

Bertha bustled around the kitchen, and before long the house was filled with all kinds of good smells and the countertops were covered with bowls of black-eyed peas and turnip greens. Wish 2016-08-30T00:00:00Z

“They all died before I was born, except for my mother’s mother,” said Koffi. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

The waitress put his coffee down before him and gave each child a tall glass of milk. Homecoming 1981-01-01T00:00:00Z

Or before my very eyes, it slips between my fingers because my fingers cannot grow webs fast enough. The Woman Warrior 1976-01-01T00:00:00Z

Some tall kid I’ve never seen before with a cool haircut and clothes ten times too big for him. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

Grits, eggs, biscuits, and butter, bacon, collard greens, ham hocks, all the food I couldn’t eat before, I ate. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

My face burns, and I turn away, but not before seeing the chilling map of silvery scars across his back. An Ember in the Ashes 2015-04-28T00:00:00Z

“You were telling me about what happened to Master Ash before I rudely interrupted,” I prompted gently as I could. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

“Sorry. I’ve just never met a real author before. I never thought I would.” Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

Then there was a sigh, a rustle, a snap of one incautious twig, and the clearing of the giant lime tree was as empty as it had been before the days of man. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was more than a week later before Nat got around to what he had wanted to tell Elizabeth’s mother—about returning the dowry. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

Then the tears came, spilling out before I could catch them, stinging my face on their way down. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

He makes sure to be asleep by the time his father comes home from drinking, and to be out of the house before his father awakes. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything 2005-04-12T00:00:00Z

The error of my thinking yawned before me. Me Talk Pretty One Day 2000-05-02T00:00:00Z

“I’ve seen it before. People can take only so much fear, and then they go into a kind of, uh, sleep. Hold him up. I’ve got to get fluids into him.” The House of the Scorpion 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

He seized the envelope, and holding it before him like a bomb, sprinted out of the hall, while the Slytherin table exploded with laughter at the sight of him. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban 1999-07-08T00:00:00Z

Sister Mukumbu had no idea how hard it was for me to watch my baby sister stand alone before all of those people. One Crazy Summer 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Welcome back,” one of the guys said before darting into the building. Anger Is a Gift 2018-05-22T00:00:00Z

So before the five frock coats had clambered out of the dory, Lizzie’s grandfather knew of their coming. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

I waited another minute before standing again, and this time, when I did, Maribel was staring right at me. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

She took a hard drag from her cigarette, the cherry flaring, and lit the end of a new one off the old before stubbing it out. We Are the Ants 2016-01-19T00:00:00Z

They managed to put an hour’s slow walk between themselves and what remained of their attackers before Con insisted they stop to tend Shae’s wound. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

“You knew exactly who she was before any of this started and you never thought to tell me?” The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Who knows what he will notice before me? Inside Out and Back Again 2011-03-22T00:00:00Z

In spite of the fact that our volunteers were carefully screened before they were selected to defy, the police managed to penetrate not only our local branches but some of the batches of defiers. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

“She will dance with the boar, Magnificence, and slice him when he passes near her. He will be awash in blood before he falls, you shall see.” A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

On the road, the children kept a faster pace than before. Finding Junie Kim 2021-05-04T00:00:00Z

She felt a faint prickling on the back of her neck, as if she had been to that place before. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Ow!” she yelped in the few seconds before the anesthetic kicked in. Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

The beach stretched away before them in a gentle curve till perspective drew it into one with the forest; for the day was not advanced enough to be obscured by the shifting veils of mirage. Lord of the Flies 1954-09-17T00:00:00Z

And even then he waited for another thousand tocks before he allowed himself a deep breath and, at last, sleep. Wringer 1997-08-16T00:00:00Z

Koffi stared at him a second longer, before tightening her grip on her shoulder bag. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

Mr. Poe opened his mouth to speak, but had to cough a few times before he began. The Bad Beginning 1999-08-25T00:00:00Z

“Did he get there first—before the King’s messengers?” Carry On, Mr. Bowditch 1955-01-01T00:00:00Z

I'd never been scared for a god before, but I didn’t see how my dad could face this Titan and win. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

I had to pack these brand-new ice skates my mother had practically just sent me a couple of days before. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

No one has ever asked me this so directly before. The Running Dream 2011-01-11T00:00:00Z

Recovery without the aid of healing nanites was a slow, miserable process that seemed to get worse before it got better. Scythe 2016-11-22T00:00:00Z

Surely he did not have to wake up before dawn to fetch water. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

My companion and I dropped the boy to the ground as quickly as we could, and before I could thank him he disappeared into the crowd of prisoners huddling together for warmth as they slept. Prisoner B-3087 2013-03-01T00:00:00Z

I have them here at my feet, bound with colored ribbons, divided according to events and not in chronological order, just as she arranged them before she left. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Noah’s application to CSA had been sitting on the kitchen counter radiating genius since the week before Mom died. I'll Give You the Sun 2014-09-16T00:00:00Z

He did not wait for her to sit down before opening the account book and paging through to a section marked with a ribbon. Huntress 2011-04-05T00:00:00Z

He kept it directly before him as he picked through bushes and vines and trees, the thick rotting floor of the forest crunching beneath his feet, reminding him of where we all go. An Abundance of Katherines 2006-09-21T00:00:00Z

When Harry woke the following day it was several seconds before he remembered what had happened. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

And suddenly, Turner had a thought that had never occurred to him before: he wondered if his father really believed a single thing he was saying. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy 2004-05-24T00:00:00Z

He remembered suddenly a conversation with a Southerner a long time ago, before the war, a Baptist minister. The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War 1974-01-01T00:00:00Z

The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man’s attention. The Alchemist 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z

I feel savage, and say: “I’m going to count up to three. If it doesn’t stop before then I’ll let something fly.” All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel 1929-01-01T00:00:00Z

I’ll only get to use it all just before we land anyway. The Last Cuentista 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

Zipping over the rapids at twenty or thirty miles per hour, I hear an involuntary bark of fright leap from my throat before I realize that I'm in no danger and regain my composure. Into the Wild 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

They didn’t notice that I had come the day before with no child. Krik? Krak! 2015-12-15T00:00:00Z

But before he could arrive, the hunchback spoke, his voice strange and high. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

And he had thought of them as a sea of simple brutes, clapping, swaying simple brutes, all of them accepting and pliant before the pastor in his designer suit. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

Philadelphia that day was a completely changed place from the week before. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 2003-06-23T00:00:00Z

The fog, sometimes thin, sometimes dense, floated before them, around them, over them, like some living thing. The Fighting Ground 1984-04-01T00:00:00Z

“I’m more of a baker,” she says, taking over the spatula as if she’s never held one before. A Place at the Table 2020-08-11T00:00:00Z

“What if we melted rocket candy before loading it into the casement?” October Sky 1999-04-01T00:00:00Z

One day he was sent across the street, to Lipowa Street 4, to the enamelware factory where he sometimes had repaired tools and equipment before the war. The Boy on the Wooden Box 2013-08-27T00:00:00Z

But before either of us had a chance to answer, a Volkswagen roared in the distance and all the people walking on the road ran into the nearby bushes. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier 2007-02-13T00:00:00Z

As the days went on, she became less anxious about Mr. Marsden’s state of mind, much preferring his coolness to the rosebud smiles and little pats she had endured before her illness. Lyddie 1991-02-01T00:00:00Z

Tree-ear was to set up the stall so that Min would stand with his back to the sea and his wares before him. A Single Shard 2001-04-23T00:00:00Z

It would only be a matter of time, I thought, before Dad started using the money to prepare for the End of Days. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

“You were going to hang with just me and Samantha last night before Arthur was going to come around.” What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

Then I asked Amil to play chess with me before we went to bed. The Night Diary 2018-03-06T00:00:00Z

The other hand he held out before him. The Road 2006-09-28T00:00:00Z

‘You tried to give us the slip once before and failed, Frodo,’ he said. The Return of the King 1955-10-20T00:00:00Z

She had never been in the rosebush before, never even really close to it, and now, the nearer she got, the more nervous she became. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH 1970-06-01T00:00:00Z

“That is precisely what we must find out,” said Mr. Benedict, “before it is too late.” The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

I wake up before him, and the blanket is cocooned over us like a tent. All The Bright Places 2015-01-06T00:00:00Z

He had done this many times before, ever since she was a baby in Atlanta, but very little since Gerald had come to live with them. Forged by Fire 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

But before I could say anything, Coach Mustilli added, “I know a star when I see one, Ibti, and you have the makings of a great saber fencer.” Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

On April 19, barely a week before the election, Chief Buthelezi accepted the offer of a consti-tutional role for the Zulu monarchy and agreed to participate. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

The gypsy wrapped him in the frightful climate of his look before he turned into a puddle of pestilential and smoking pitch over which the echo of his reply still floated: “Melquíades is dead.” One Hundred Years of Solitude 1967-05-30T00:00:00Z

He remarked that this type of virus had never been seen before in the United States, and it was right outside Washington. The Hot Zone 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

I want to get out of here and get back to work, but two long, hot hours pass before Hilly finally bangs her gavel. The Help 2009-02-10T00:00:00Z

He enjoyed the scene of fear and apprehension before the skinny dame yanked her shade down. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

It's three before I say anything, but then I have to start. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

She had dreamed the night before that she was walking down the hard-packed dirt path that led from the Wood to the hawthorn tree where her mother was buried. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

He swung the door open before the old green truck had come to a stop and stumbled out of the seat grinning, holding a bottle of Garden Deluxe Tokay in each hand. Ceremony: 1977-03-01T00:00:00Z

He didn’t want to think too much about blame, though, because it would remind him of Master and Olanna during those weeks before Baby’s birth, weeks he preferred to forget. Half of a Yellow Sun 2006-09-12T00:00:00Z

Mr. Lemoncello handed out thirty-three full college scholarships before switching off the giant swirling flashlight. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics 2016-01-05T00:00:00Z

“I knew the handwriting in the journal looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen it before.” How to Disappear Completely 2020-04-28T00:00:00Z

There’s another pound, and Mama jumps a tiny bit before unlocking the door. Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero 2020-08-18T00:00:00Z

They think he’s wearing a mask because they’ve never seen someone with his color skin before. The Inquisitor's Tale 2016-09-27T00:00:00Z

“Listen,” she said, “I want to tell you something. Something you have to know before...” The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

In the middle of July, shortly before a scheduled meeting of the National Executive Committee, Joe Slovo came to me privately with a proposition. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

The larger ones sometimes sat until he was quite close, then bounded and jerked two or three steps before freezing again. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

Just yards away, the edge of the Greater Jungle unfurled before them. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

Her voice was as lovely as before, enough to set a heart aching. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

But before he could ask for elucidation, Poirot had made another dive on to the floor. Murder on the Orient Express 1934-01-01T00:00:00Z

Barack was more at home in Nairobi than I was, having been there once before. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

Perhaps he had never even called her anything before. Americanah 2013-05-14T00:00:00Z

We rode in silence for about fifteen minutes before the young woman’s husband suddenly stood and did something I’d seen many others do before him: He kissed Baba’s hand. The Kite Runner 2003-05-01T00:00:00Z

Sky-blue wings splashed with yellow and white dots flapped slowly before the insect took off to flutter elsewhere. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

I stand behind my door, two hours before the appointed time, because I am a horse and do not tire. The Adoration of Jenna Fox 2008-04-29T00:00:00Z

Up into my bedroom, where, after locking the door, I pulled off my shirt before the mirror to see . . . that my mother was right. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

My eyes were blue before, but a dull, grayish blue—the eyeliner makes them piercing. Divergent 2011-04-25T00:00:00Z

She made me put it on before I went out, because my hair was still pretty wet. The Catcher in the Rye 1951-07-16T00:00:00Z

The other children were too busy sniffling and biting their fingernails to notice, and if he hurried, he might even copy the answers down before the pencil woman looked up again. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

He fell ill just before the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and almost missed that major moment. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation 2000-10-17T00:00:00Z

“She left the night before her sixteenth birthday.” Uglies 2005-02-08T00:00:00Z

Sleep doesn’t come quick, and it takes a long time before I slip into that place of broken memories. Like Vanessa 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

He then made a beeline for his car, driving away just moments before Lenore Cole pulled up to the curb. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

Their eyes met in the darkness for only a moment before a decision was made. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

It skidded a quarter of a mile before it could come to a stop. A Long Way from Chicago 1998-09-01T00:00:00Z

“Why should I get hurt? I couldn’t be any worse off than I was before. Even Algernon is still smart, isn’t he? As long as he’s up there I’m in good shape.” Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

“I looked him up online. I was curious about him. I read that he pleaded ‘not guilty’ before the trial.” From the Desk of Zoe Washington 2020-01-14T00:00:00Z

She smiled as she said: "She will probably end up back at the salon. But I have some ideas for where she'd go before she gets there. You need to sign me out of here." Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

I’m like a man who’s been half-asleep all his life, trying to find out what he was like before he woke up. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

Quite an achievement when you consider that these animals had survived in Bryce Canyon for tens of millions of years before the Park Service took an interest in them. A Walk in the Woods 1997-11-01T00:00:00Z

Emilika still slept in my room, though during the week she often stayed late at the photography shop, developing the film, sometimes breezing in only just before curfew. The Light in Hidden Places 2020-03-03T00:00:00Z

Saturday morning, I wake up before my mom and dad. King and the Dragonflies 2020-02-04T00:00:00Z

“Finding is better than mending; ending is better . . .” “There was a thing, as I’ve said before, called Christianity.” Brave New World 1932-01-01T00:00:00Z

The kid was out the door with the toothpick before the Owner had even realized what happened. A Tangle of Knots 2013-02-05T00:00:00Z

She stopped herself before she searched for Sam’s face among the drunkards. The Underground Railroad: A Novel 2016-08-02T00:00:00Z

I hadn’t noticed this before because in the interview room there wasn’t much for him to move around. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

I was still feeling surprised that I hadn’t seen them before when Celeste, the last to be called, stood up. The Stranger 1989-03-13T00:00:00Z

Even before Mrs. Richardson touched it, though, she knew this was not the case. Little Fires Everywhere 2017-09-12T00:00:00Z

She reached over and squeezed his arm for a quick moment before they went back to reading, going through a couple more pamphlets each, the late-afternoon light coming through the tall windows. Pet 2019-09-10T00:00:00Z

“I need to get out of this place before it strangles me,” says one of Volpe’s students, a girl ranked fifth academically in the senior class. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

She watched one of Diko’s yellow eyes flick in her direction before he suddenly lunged, jaws snapping at Bi Mutunga’s sandaled feet. Beasts of Prey 2021-09-28T00:00:00Z

This defense seemed to me to belong to an earlier time, before World War II, when higher education could ensure positions of social power and prominence. Hunger of Memory 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ned rode one down, cutting at phantoms in red cloaks who gave way before him. A Game of Thrones 1997-08-04T00:00:00Z

No one will know anything about what happened before, so it should be easy for you to find friends. Time Bomb 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z

It was the same as before, except ‘Cousin Sewall’ was not there. Johnny Tremain 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

My dad shouted into the apartment, “What did you do, Mayor?” before I heard the door click shut. The Book of Unknown Americans 2014-06-03T00:00:00Z

Just as before they swarmed around his legs, some of them almost six inches long, but no matter how he tried they were too fast. Hatchet 1987-01-01T00:00:00Z

“This was in the mailbox,” she said, setting it on the sideboard before heading back out. It All Comes Down to This 2017-07-11T00:00:00Z

And they would be more beautiful than the moon, and all Thebes would stand in wonder before them. The Golden Goblet 1961-04-24T00:00:00Z

When they came to a stop, Ash saw that the path ended on the edge of a cliff, and before them was a ravine. Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

It was just before dawn, with no one astir but a few silent Helpers mopping floors, sweeping walkways, or scaling ladders to scrub mildew from ceilings. The Mysterious Benedict Society 2008-04-01T00:00:00Z

The coach must have sensed my nervousness because before he put his hands on my back leg he announced, “I’m going to just adjust your leg here a little bit.” Proud 2018-07-24T00:00:00Z

Three messages had slid out of the pneumatic tube while Winston was working; but they were simple matters, and he had disposed of them before the Two Minutes Hate interrupted him. 1984 1949-06-08T00:00:00Z

“I don’t want to get caught, like I nearly was before,” he said, tapping the map. Full of Beans 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

He was halfway to second before McNab jolted himself into action. Maniac Magee 1990-01-01T00:00:00Z

It took two more years before the two sides signed a truce. Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z

Instead of helping, I was forced to watch the panorama of catastrophe unroll before my eyes. Salt to the Sea 2016-02-02T00:00:00Z

It was beyond what she would have imagined even before she was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. Just Mercy 2014-10-21T00:00:00Z

The burn makes his smile and his legs spread a little wider, and his phone is in his hand before he registers sliding it out of his pocket. Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

“She just…” was all Miles got out before she yanked me from his arms. Made You Up 2015-05-19T00:00:00Z

Remembering this, I remember also my mother, years before. The Handmaid's Tale 1985-01-01T00:00:00Z

Ashima has always loved these hours before a party, the carpets vacuumed, the coffee table wiped with Pledge, her dimmed, blurry reflection visible in the wood just as the old television commercial used to promise. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

I left a few minutes early, so Sohrab could try on his cleats before we headed to the field. Darius the Great Is Not Okay 2018-08-28T00:00:00Z

I watch, from a distance, and it takes some time before I realize something else is happening besides the cleanup. Counting by 7s 2013-08-29T00:00:00Z

TeLinde set out to minimize what he called “unjustifiable hysterectomies” by documenting what wasn’t cervical cancer and by urging surgeons to verify smear results with biopsies before operating. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

No matter how he wrinkled his forehead and poked at it, he couldn't see any different than he'd done before. A Clash of Kings 1998-11-16T00:00:00Z

Half an hour, at least—we've gotten into position just before curfew—and we've been killing time by barking reminders and observations to each other. Girl in the Blue Coat 2016-04-05T00:00:00Z

“Celia, dearest,” he calls into the adjoining room before returning to his chair. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Slowly, very slowly, he sat up, and as he did so he felt more alive and more aware of his own living body than ever before. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007-07-21T00:00:00Z

I had found baby birds before, of course. Z for Zachariah 1976-07-29T00:00:00Z

We reached the entrance to the hidden glade and headed for the hill where I’d been interrogated before. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

Hana sits up in bed and yawns really big before answering. A Good Kind of Trouble 2019-03-12T00:00:00Z

My fingers, which a second before had been taste buds savouring the food a little ahead of my mouth, became dirty under his gaze. Life of Pi 2001-09-01T00:00:00Z

As she got close to the checkpoint, she saw the guard closing the gate early, long before the curfew. Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam 2018-04-10T00:00:00Z

He brushed his upper lip with his finger again before he began, slowly, to speak. The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

He applied for extensions on grants, often took months to answer letters, and at one point continued to pay a dead employee’s salary for three months before anyone noticed. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010-02-02T00:00:00Z

I remained as still as the ancient mountains themselves, afraid that if I shifted even a little, the sight before me would disappear. The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z

This is what these "trivial errors" as you call them really signify and if you do not heed them, it will not be long before your father commits an error of major proportions.' The Remains of the Day 1989-05-01T00:00:00Z

It would involve, I supposed, “my man,” who, before leaving me, would love me. The Bluest Eye 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

When Garfield awoke on Sunday morning, he was calm and positive, just as he had been the day before, even joking with people around him. Ambushed! 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

Most people can divide tones into only about six different categories before they begin to make mistakes and start lumping different tones in the same category. The Tipping Point 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

He blushed, but before he could say anything, conch horns blew. The Last Olympian 2009-05-05T00:00:00Z

“Don’t you want to talk to her before she leaves? She’s probably nervous, and it may be a while before you can see her again.” The Red Umbrella 2010-04-25T00:00:00Z

He went and wiped down and pulled on a clean undershirt and pants before walking the rest of the way down the hall to the living room to tell Naomi. Out of Darkness 2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

Ayanna fidgeted, and then, before I could say anything, hugged me tight. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky 2019-10-15T00:00:00Z

At school, Axel wishes he’d gotten a little more sleep the night before. A Bird Will Soar 2021-10-19T00:00:00Z

He saw Alice looking out, and there was something in her face that he had never seen before. East of Eden 1952-09-01T00:00:00Z

A mix of conquered nations bound together, each of them had the hollow, raging face she’d seen so many times before. Throne of Glass 2012-08-07T00:00:00Z

And that was the way of life before the six-fingered sword. The Princess Bride 1973-11-01T00:00:00Z

"With only three and a half years before Ares 4's scheduled launch, is there enough time to make and test modifications to the MDV?" The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

He waited until Dr. Begbie had opened the front passenger side door, and he set me down on the seat before replying. The Darkest Minds 2012-12-18T00:00:00Z

He went immediately to the ward where he had visited Antonapoulos before. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter 1940-07-29T00:00:00Z

“See what they do is ...” That was only days before she died. The God of Small Things 1997-01-01T00:00:00Z

Each morning, before heading off to work, he drives over to his mother’s apartment. Enrique's Journey 2006-02-21T00:00:00Z

“I’m going to dry off and go to sleep. Wake me up before Monday, okay?” The Dead and the Gone 2008-05-04T00:00:00Z

I have never heard about any of this before. The Fourteenth Goldfish 2014-08-26T00:00:00Z

I’d never been in a fight before, had never learned how to fight, but I had this instinct that told me to get in close. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood 2016-11-15T00:00:00Z

“Fine, but you have to be back before it’s dark.” I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

Just before he steps outside, he throws me a dirty look. Water for Elephants 2006-05-26T00:00:00Z

She hemmed and hawed awhile longer before finally coming out with it. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother 1995-01-01T00:00:00Z

Stupid mistake —it’s usually the last thing 1 do before I shut down my computer, no matter what I’ve been looking at. The Girl on the Train 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

I catch her before she zips up her suitcase. We Are Okay 2017-02-14T00:00:00Z

I saw the men long before they saw the house on the headland, far off on the dunes to the south. Island of the Blue Dolphins 1960-01-01T00:00:00Z

I knocked on his office door a few days before Thanksgiving. Educated 2018-02-20T00:00:00Z

I had been focusing on the horrid few seconds when the bullets took her life, but she had lived six years before that. How Dare the Sun Rise 2017-05-16T00:00:00Z

Just before dark, they began skimming across the water, their short, winglike fins taking them on flights of twenty or thirty feet, sometimes more. The Cay 1969-01-01T00:00:00Z

Didn’t he think he was smart, though, going out on a secret adventure before anybody was up? Miracles on Maple Hill 1956-08-01T00:00:00Z

“Absolutely,” she shook her head slightly, telling me, No. “You left before you could finish your last one. I was terribly disappointed that I missed the end. Distraught, in fact.” The Name of the Wind 2007-03-27T00:00:00Z

On Tuesday, December 17, when we had one more day to go before vacation, five of us entered the cafeteria. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

Mr. Lucas shook his head at the ordeal, took in a big breath, and exhaled before trying again. Gone Crazy in Alabama 2015-04-21T00:00:00Z

We stood side to side before the full-length mirror, making faces. Middlesex: A Novel 2002-06-05T00:00:00Z

This was back when I was a sophomore in high school, before she’d taken her job at the bank. Becoming 2018-11-13T00:00:00Z

It was like a high-pitched scream, but it came from deep inside of him, and before John or I knew what had happened, the Pigman dropped to the floor. The Pigman 1968-10-12T00:00:00Z

“I left. And it wasn’t easy. And I am sorry. But my dear Sisters, there is something I must tell you before I leave again.” The Girl Who Drank the Moon 2016-08-09T00:00:00Z

I got halfway to the nurse’s office before I turned and walked out of the building. The Lions of Little Rock 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z

A second before, Papa had been standing on the dock above them. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1943-01-01T00:00:00Z

Old Sutic, who had been dozing against a wall nearby, stood as if to intervene, but before he could say a word, the Handsome One took action. The Ugly One 2013-06-11T00:00:00Z

I was scared before, but as I watch the guards pull apart the wall of Red Cross members in front of us, I’m powerless to move. Internment 2019-03-07T00:00:00Z

I spit it out because it’s what I’m feeling in this moment and was feeling the many moments, minutes, and hours before. They Both Die at the End 2017-09-05T00:00:00Z

Be sure you've formed the plural correctly before you add the apostrophe to the end. Woe Is I 1996-01-01T00:00:00Z

“Come inside before night falls. Your mother’s spirit will be safe with your father watching over her.” Ash 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z

And up ahead, a huge white-and-yellow glow spread out before us—the lights of New York. The Titan's Curse 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z

The court was then adjourned until the following day, when I would have a chance to address the court in what is known as the plea in mitigation before the magistrate gave his sentence. Long Walk to Freedom 1994-01-01T00:00:00Z

There's just no way that could have happened before liftoff. The Martian 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z

He really started shooting the questions at me so to stop him I said, “Sir, could I please have the sandwich and the rest of the red pop before I answer any more questions?” Bud, Not Buddy 1999-09-02T00:00:00Z

He might have looked comical, but he did not; the effect was frightening, and Harry could not blame Ogden for backing away several more paces before he spoke. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

My dread of getting crushed by a falling serac, however, was at least as great as before. Into Thin Air 1996-08-01T00:00:00Z

She asks him to visit the following weekend, the Saturday before his birthday. The Namesake 2003-09-01T00:00:00Z

His mate would be marching sturdily beside him, also with a price on her head—her hair shaven off before she took to the woods, and known as a weyve. The Once and Future King 1958-01-01T00:00:00Z

The lioness came upon it on her way back to her lair and she mouthed it and tore it before disappearing into the woods. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 1942-01-01T00:00:00Z

They went along many paths and climbed many stairs, until they came to the high places and saw before them amid a wide lawn a fountain shimmering. The Fellowship of the Ring 1954-07-29T00:00:00Z

The gear will just weigh us down, and we at least need to try to find them before eking out a life inside caves and eating lake vines. The Last Cuentista 2021-10-12T00:00:00Z

They would save every drop of the spilled honey and put it away, and they would have plenty of honey again, long before winter came. Little House in the Big Woods 1932-01-01T00:00:00Z

Now the faintest stirring of a breeze rustled the display of sedge that stood before the fireplace. Atonement 2001-09-20T00:00:00Z

Lou went to Mass every Sunday, served as an altar boy, and attended BVM’s grammar school before moving on to Father Judge High School, which had three thousand students. Drama High 2013-09-26T00:00:00Z

She felt herself slipping before she was even sure of the direction in which they were moving. The Egypt Game 1967-01-01T00:00:00Z

I was a loner, like they were, but I had never before felt loneliness quite like this. Confessions of a Murder Suspect 2012-09-24T00:00:00Z

There’s a horrifyingly long pause before she gets up and goes to sit in her desk chair. Odd One Out 2018-08-09T00:00:00Z

“There he is,” Aarfy orated funereally, pointing down dramatically at a hay wagon and two horses standing before the bam of a gray stone farmhouse. Catch-22 1961-11-10T00:00:00Z

“But I swear before all present, on my word as a freeman of the colony, that the girl is no witch.” The Witch of Blackbird Pond 1958-12-01T00:00:00Z

When I asked Osh, later that day, he said what he’d always said before: “This is your home. You don’t need another one.” Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

It wasn't unusual—our house always came alive with protest paraphernalia in the weeks before a demonstration, but I had never really paid attention to it before. The Rock and the River 2009-01-06T00:00:00Z

Bailey notes his place in the middle of an article that is comparing the interplay of light and shadow in a particular tent to Indonesian puppet theater before putting the book down. The Night Circus 2011-09-13T00:00:00Z

Beatrice scored three goals before she noticed him sprawled in the bleachers. Hoot 2002-01-01T00:00:00Z

On September 1, 1923, just before noon, the city was hit by what is known as the Great Kanto quake–an event more than ten times more powerful than Kobe’s earthquake. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2003-05-06T00:00:00Z

He would go very early, even before they did, he would go at dawn. I'm the King of the Castle 1970-09-03T00:00:00Z

It all seemed so familiar, like a mummer show that he had seen before. A Dance with Dragons 2011-07-12T00:00:00Z

With his hands shoved in his hoodie pocket and eyes still on the floor, he muttered, “I forgot I have to do something,” before turning away and getting swallowed by the crowd. Book Scavenger 2015-06-02T00:00:00Z

Despite the cloudless sky, the old trees ahead cast deep, dark, cool shadows, and it was a few seconds before Harry’s eyes discerned the building half-hidden amongst the tangle of trunks. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2005-07-16T00:00:00Z

I never heard a child wanting an onion before. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir 1996-09-05T00:00:00Z

Henry looks like his entire life might be flashing before his eyes, and he says, an octave too high, “Right, well, I’ll just—nip to the loo!” Red, White & Royal Blue 2019-05-14T00:00:00Z

According to the wife of the shooter—who was riding in the passenger seat—there was a brief dispute over loud music before shots were fired from one vehicle into the other. Dear Martin 2017-10-17T00:00:00Z

She went to church every morning of the week and she said grace before every meal, and somebody who did that would never tell lies. The Witches 1983-10-27T00:00:00Z

He’s got a look on his face I’ve never seen before. Pride 2018-09-18T00:00:00Z

After making the monthly payment on his loan, paying his few employees, and sending off the tax money to the government, there was no more to live on than before. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

Once again, the war years shaped and hardened his convictions on this score, though the basic attitudes on which they rested were in place long before he assumed command of the Continental Army. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation 2000-10-17T00:00:00Z

Fie handed me cigarettes and matches from his pockets before entering a small cubicle with a curtain for a door. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z

I told jokes I had never told before. The View From Saturday 1996-09-01T00:00:00Z

And she was different from any woman I’d ever met before. Flowers for Algernon 1959-05-01T00:00:00Z

But I got even more bummed when Mom told me that Isabel had asked her if she would be able to drop Via off at the other birthday party before going to my party. Auggie & Me 2015-07-20T00:00:00Z

So we didn’t confirm that she would be coming over, but I assumed the plan was on for 7:00 p.m., which was what we had arranged the week before. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z

I understood it better now than I had before. The Autobiography of Malcolm X 1965-01-01T00:00:00Z

It must have helped something in her dream for she laughed then, a light happy laugh that he had never heard before, but which seemed to belong to her. Jazz 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

They saw Riccio vanish into Ida Spavento's house, but not before he had turned around once more to give them a triumphant smile. The Thief Lord 2002-09-01T00:00:00Z

I reach instinctively for the knife at my belt before I see who my attacker is. Legend 2011-11-29T00:00:00Z

There was hardly time to talk over the first letter from Enscombe before “Mr. Elton and his bride” was in every body’s mouth, and Frank Churchill was forgotten. Emma 1815-12-23T00:00:00Z

The phone rings four, five, six times before Pilar answers sleepily. Dreaming in Cuban 1992-01-01T00:00:00Z

And that is all I remember before going to the hospital. Everything Sad Is Untrue 2020-08-25T00:00:00Z

Really sucks since we knew each other before Hudson transferred to our school at the beginning of junior year. What If It's Us 2018-10-09T00:00:00Z

“It is just a matter of time,” Shin told me, before North Korea decides to destroy the camps. Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West 2013-03-26T00:00:00Z

It felt like one, even before we went inside. Beyond the Bright Sea 2017-05-02T00:00:00Z

“Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences.” The Giver 1993-04-01T00:00:00Z

The weak flame cut a circle of light in the shadows, but before they could take a single step the match went out. The House of the Spirits: A Novel 1982-01-01T00:00:00Z

Now he was dead before his fortieth birthday, a tape recording of one of his last sermons serving as his own funeral oration. The Best of Enemies 1996-04-01T00:00:00Z

His eyes darted to Stephanie before he looked down at his plate. Here to Stay 2018-09-08T00:00:00Z

But some of the other girls roll their skirts up even shorter as soon as they arrive at school and let them down again before they go home. Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World 2013-10-08T00:00:00Z