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1 “It’s sort of interesting when you think about it,” said Jane, glancing at the photo once before she flicked it off with her thumb. BIG LITTLE LIES Liane Moriarty her
2 Beloved watched the work her thumbs were doing and must have loved what she saw because she leaned over and kissed the tenderness under Sethe’s chin. Beloved Toni Morrison her
3 She’s sitting on the floor with a terrified little girl… looks too old to still be sucking her thumb, but she’s sucking it for all she’s worth… This momma’s not fat at all. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe her
4 She put her thumb against one of the locks and slid it. Atonement Ian McEwan her
5 Maryanne could see the way the starched white crown of her habit bit into her forehead, pressing against her brows, and later would see when Sister pushed it back with her thumbs how the edge of it had turned her dark skin red. At Weddings and Wakes Alice McDermott her
6 Megan stands miserably next to me, sucking her thumb. Astonishing Splashes of Colour Clare Morrall her
7 Incidentally, her thumb was gouging painfully into the back of his hand. Arrowsmith Sinclair Lewis her
8 She was watching me with her big gray upturned eyes and sucking on the bent knuckle of her thumb, which she now released with a slurping sound and said, “I thought she was going to quit making decisions that fouled up his career.” Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner her
9 She jerked her thumb at the back door, beyond which lay the coal store and wash-house. An Ice-Cream War William Boyd her
10 He had but to comment favourably on the kittenish qualities of Babs Osborne for her to curl up as best she could on the plush seat beside him, her thumb in her mouth. An Awfully Big Adventure Beryl Bainbridge her
11 Then Stella, perceptive of his tone if not altogether sure of his argument, abandoned her thumb-sucking. An Awfully Big Adventure Beryl Bainbridge her
12 Before going to bed he’d see her at her bathroom mirror drawing the crest of her cheekbones back between her index fingers while simultaneously drawing the skin at her jawline back and upward with her thumbs, firmly tugging the loose flesh until she had eradicated even the natural creases of her face, until she was staring at a face that looked like the polished kernel of a face. American Pastoral Philip Roth her
13 She hooks her thumb over his seat belt and burrows in close. AMERICA AMERICA Ethan Canin her
14 Marty must have been about a yard or two away from the target, ready to hurl himself into the boat, when the woman, collecting her wits, her boyfriend paralyzed by apparent indecision, noticed the sopping dummy, picked it up with her thumb and forefinger, a slightly disgusted expression on her face, and flipped it overboard just in the nick of time. ALWAYS BY MY SIDE Jim Nantz with Eli Spielman her
15 Keys as long as Marie-Laure’s forearm and keys shorter than her thumb. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doerr her
16 She kisses him on both cheeks, then touches his bruises with her thumbs. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doerr her
17 I bit my tongue, and did not say that if she would keep her thumbs out of the butter she’d stand less chance of it. Alias Grace Margaret Atwood her
18 With a quick slide of her thumb she brings the electro-stun end to life: The tip of it crackles like static, and a blue elemental spark dances between two prongs. AFTERMATH: EMPIRE'S END Chuck Wendig her
19 She pulls her thumb away from the inside of her index finger—the sap leaking from the punctured skin of the dark orange fruit is brown and sticky and nearly glues her thumb to her finger. AFTERMATH: EMPIRE'S END Chuck Wendig her
20 She chewed her thumb nail as she thought about this. A WOLF AT THE TABLE Augusten Burroughs her
21 She brought her thumb to her mouth and bit the nail. A WOLF AT THE TABLE Augusten Burroughs her
22 She nodded and chewed at her thumbnail. A WOLF AT THE TABLE Augusten Burroughs her
23 She held her thumb sideways: Yes or no? A WANTED MAN Lee Child her
24 Hers was cool, and her thumbnail dug into my palm. A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley her
25 And the exact, clunky weight of those shears instantly came to her mind, along with the too-thick handle loop that pressed uncomfortably against the bone at the base of her thumb, and the initial balkiness as the heavy teeth began chewing into the fabric. A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD Anne Tyler her
26 Elise had got hold of a glass of white wine; she was pinching the stem daintily between her thumb and index finger with all her other fingers splayed out, and her makeup had worn thin and her black eye was re-emerging. A SPOOL OF BLUE THREAD Anne Tyler her
27 She digs into an orange with her thumbs and peels back the thick cratered crust, carefully picks off the white veins. A PIECE OF THE WORLD Christina Baker Kline her
28 Wax dripping on her thumb. A PIECE OF THE WORLD Christina Baker Kline her
29 Nina used her thumb to wipe the tears away from one side of her daughter’s face as Sofia used the back of her hand to wipe them away from the other. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles her
30 Holding the glasses between her thumb and fingers, she waved them before Justin’s averted face. A Flag for Sunrise Robert Stone her
31 Then she would fly as Aegon the Conqueror had flown, up and up, until Meereen was so small that she could blot it out with her thumb. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin her
32 Asha picked at the pink wax with her thumbnail. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin her
33 She liked how he grinned when she brushed her thumbs across his nipples. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin her
34 It was five feet long, slender and supple, thick as her thumb, with leather wrapped around the shaft a foot from the top. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin her
35 She was running the ball of her thumb across the most worn of them, trying to decide which king it showed, when she heard the door opening softly behind her. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin her
36 The memory of another night flared in his mind—a point made with bodies pressed together, an argument punctuated with a kiss—but now she simply pressed her thumb to his forehead and drew a short line above his brows. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab her
37 Lila drew a knife, and nicked her thumb, tracing over the mark in blood. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab her
38 She sniffed one that looked like it held oil before tipping the mouth of the bottle against the pad of her thumb. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab her
39 Leila picked at a hangnail, a tiny bead of blood pooling on her thumb. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Elif Shafak her
40 She shows him the emerald, big as her thumbnail. Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel her
41 And then she put her thumb in her mouth for a gag and she cried silently. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck her
42 She imagined pressing her thumbs into Hemerling’s windpipe until it cracked. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen her
43 Annabelle had spread her small legs on each side of Ann’s bulbous belly, laid her wet head across Ann’s big chest, and was sucking her thumb, shivering. Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout her
44 Annabelle had spread her small legs on each side of Ann’s bulbous belly, laid her wet head across Ann’s big chest, and was sucking her thumb, shivering. Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout her
45 During her bedridden years Desdemona had fluid in her lungs; lumbago; bursitis; a spell of eclampsia that manifested itself a half-century later than etiologically normal and then just as mysteriously vanished, to Desdemona’s regret; a severe case of shingles that made her ribs and back the color and texture of ripe strawberries and stung like a cattle prod; nineteen colds; a week of purely figurative “walking” pneumonia; ulcers; psychosomatic cataracts which clouded her vision on the anniversaries of her husband’s death and which she basically just cried away; and Dupuytren’s contracture, where inflamed fascia in her hand curled her thumb and three fingers painfully into her palm, leaving her middle finger raised in an obscene gesture. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides her
46 She shook it and flicked the button with her thumb until at last a small flame shot out. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides her
47 During her bedridden years Desdemona had fluid in her lungs; lumbago; bursitis; a spell of eclampsia that manifested itself a half-century later than etiologically normal and then just as mysteriously vanished, to Desdemona’s regret; a severe case of shingles that made her ribs and back the color and texture of ripe strawberries and stung like a cattle prod; nineteen colds; a week of purely figurative “walking” pneumonia; ulcers; psychosomatic cataracts which clouded her vision on the anniversaries of her husband’s death and which she basically just cried away; and Dupuytren’s contracture, where inflamed fascia in her hand curled her thumb and three fingers painfully into her palm, leaving her middle finger raised in an obscene gesture. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides her
48 She shook it and flicked the button with her thumb until at last a small flame shot out. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides her
49 She ran the back of her fingers slowly down his cheek, her thumb traveling lightly over his lower lip. March Geraldine Brooks her
50 Her water glass has left two-thirds of a ring on the table, and she works at completing the circle with her thumbnail. Housekeeping Marilynne Robinson her
51 And she'd put her hands upon my head and stroke my cheeks with her thumbs, brooding over my face. Fingersmith Sarah Waters her
52 I lean back in my chair, and watch as she runs her thumb along the edge of china, admires the weave of the napkin she spreads on her knee. Fingersmith Sarah Waters her
53 She tests again with her thumb, keeps her hand another second at my jaw, and then draws back. Fingersmith Sarah Waters her
54 She put the tip of her thumb to the edge of the pocket in her skirt and pulled it back. Fingersmith Sarah Waters her
55 I took it back to Nurse Bacon, and she opened up her pocket with the tip of her thumb, like before. Fingersmith Sarah Waters her
56 She was smoothing her thumb upon mine. Fingersmith Sarah Waters her
57 She sucked air through her teeth and bit on the knuckle of her thumb. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini her
58 Laila watched her put her thumb into its mouth, just over the lower jaw, push it in, and, in one downward stroke, remove the gills and the entrails. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini her
59 In Mariam's lap, she sucked her thumb cheerlessly and watched Rasheed in a sullen, pensive way. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini her
60 For it was he who drove the babies around, sometimes brought them to meetings, Sunshine in a pouch that strapped on his back, Bunny sucking her thumb [15] and hanging on his trouser leg. The Shipping News E. Annie Proulx her
61 She pants, this – her thumb? – thrust whole into my anus is capricious . . . her tongue, travelling round and round my ear . . . compulsive. Umbrella Will Self her
62 Her fingers stroke the powder-burnt backs of his, her thumb slides over the mound of his . . . — Stanley will never become accustomed to the seemingly casual acceptance of their liaison – not only by the likes of Willis, Bertie and the curse-spot-woman, but also by those in her family home. Umbrella Will Self her
63 The DPO hooks her thumbs in her broad leather belt. Umbrella Will Self her
64 Adeline’s palm is passionately hot, and beneath the brittle pad of her thumb Audrey detects a strong and rapid pulse. Umbrella Will Self her
65 I’m Athena Dukakis, she says as they shake – and Busner searches quickly through many silver bands including one on her thumb! Umbrella Will Self her
66 She put her thumb into her mouth. The Son Philipp Meyer her
67 Laurel turned the page, using her thumb to flatten the plastic corner of the yellowing protective sheet. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
68 Afterwards, Laurel sat on the window ledge in her bedroom, chewing her thumbnail and watching the three men outside by the gate. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
69 She waited, biting her thumbnail, ruing (not for the first time) her brother’s contrary refusal to get a mobile, as a distant telephone on a cluttered Cambridge desk, rang and rang and rang. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
70 She threaded the end of the open circle back through the next link and then used her thumbnail ever so carefully to close it. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
71 It was the sort used to hold photographs, she realized, rubbing her thumb over the fine swirling pattern engraved on its pretty front. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
72 Vivien bent over, gripped it between her thumb and finger, and pulled as hard as she could. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
73 She bit her thumbnail as the words went around and around inside her head: “I worry there is much she will possess that others may seek to take.” THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
74 Laurel frowned, running her thumb over the flaw. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton her
75 She’d looked down at her younger sister, Isabelle, who still sucked her thumb at four and had no idea what was going on. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristin Hannah her
76 She chewed on her thumbnail, unable to be still, and then she heard footsteps. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristin Hannah her
77 “Just a teeny one,” she said, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. THE LAST MAN Vince Flynn her
78 She came straight to Margaret and shook her hand, an unusual gesture for her and a painful one for Margaret, who had, the day before, dislocated her thumb while she was stacking firewood. The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford Jean Stafford her
79 The baby would find her thumb, and suck, and stare, and stare and suck, and finally consent to be put down, and sleep again. Praxis Fay Weldon her
80 When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she reached behind her, grabbed a handful of pink gingham, hooked her thumb underneath the underpants’ elastic, and yanked. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner her
81 She stood on her tiptoes to brush the ball of her thumb over Jo’s left brow. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner her
82 She had taken off the pumps she wore to work, the ones that left a red line across her instep, and was rubbing one foot with her thumb, sighing as she sat at the kitchen table, with a notebook and a nubbly plastic box of recipes, written in her large, looping handwriting on index cards, in front of her. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner her
83 The woman took Bethie by the elbow and led her back down the hall, back into the elevator, back to the lobby, where her sister was sitting on the love seat, holding Saul Bellow’s Herzog, with her thumb marking her place. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner her
84 Jo was chewing on her thumbnail, the way she did when she was thinking. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner her
85 Anya moved behind him and began pressing her thumbs deep into the soft tissue behind his neck. MARRIED LOVERS Jackie Collins her
86 Eve hooked her thumbs in her belt loops. DELUSION IN DEATH J D Robb her
87 She bit her thumb. Bear and His Daughter: Stories Robert Stone her
88 She made the circle with her thumb and forefinger and held it to her forehead. AGENDA 21 Glenn Beck with Harriet Parke her
89 She used to do a trick where it looked like she would be pulling off her thumb, when in fact she was not. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Dave Eggers her
90 She would cut herself while slicing vegetables, cut the living shit out of her finger, usually her thumb, and it would bleed everywhere, on the tomatoes, the cutting board, in the sink, while we watched at her waist, awed, scared she would die. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Dave Eggers her
91 Signora Carmelina Spinnato bounced over to his desk and looked gravely at his profile, and then bounced around front and set up a frame with her thumbs and forefingers and looked through it at his full face. A Bell for Adano John Hersey her
92 and then with his knees pinning down the outstretched arms, simply grabbing the throat and pressing the balls of his thumbs down on the windpipe, and when the tongue came out and eyes rolled up walloping the head two three times on the floor like it was a coconut he wanted to crack open. Billy Bathgate E. L. Doctorow his
93 Irving came over to him with a cigarette lighter, which he got going with one press of his thumb just a moment before he held it to the tip. Billy Bathgate E. L. Doctorow his
94 How do you think I did it, hanging him by his thumbs, like this? Billy Bathgate E. L. Doctorow his
95 he said pointing his thumb to the table. Billy Bathgate E. L. Doctorow his
96 Berman lit a cigarette and cupped it in his palm with his thumb and forefinger. Billy Bathgate E. L. Doctorow his
97 Berman and sat back and stuck his thumbs in his vest pockets and a big broad smile came over his face. Billy Bathgate E. L. Doctorow his
98 On Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of Lent, our entire class would walk next door to the church, where the priest would dip his thumb in ashes and mark the sign of the cross on our foreheads while intoning the ancient line, “Remember, man, thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.” BIG RUSS AND ME Tim Russert his
99 He stopped, and ran his thumb across his armrest as if he were doing some sort of quality-control test. BIG LITTLE LIES Liane Moriarty his
100 He sat on her lap and sucked his thumb when he got tired. BIG LITTLE LIES Liane Moriarty his
101 The nephew came back from peeping inside the house, and after touching his lips for silence, pointed his thumb to say that what they were looking for was round back. Beloved Toni Morrison his
102 Turned his thumb backwards. Beloved Toni Morrison his
103 With his child passed out on the couch, after arrests and drunk tanks and hospitalizations, Lynch, the undertaker and poet and essayist, looked at his dear addicted son with sad but lucid resignation, and he wrote: “I want to remember him the way he was, that bright and beaming boy with the blue eyes and the freckles in the photos, holding the walleye on his grandfather’s dock, or dressed in his first suit for his sister’s grade-school graduation, or sucking his thumb while drawing at the kitchen counter, or playing his first guitar, or posing with the brothers from down the block on his first day of school.” BEAUTIFUL BOY David Sheff his
104 He put his forefinger near his thumb to show how small it was. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe his
105 With his thumb he indicated the booth behind him. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe his
106 Then Korolyov extended one toward Magdalena and she reached up, and he slipped the card down past her fingers and placed it upon her palm and pressed it into her hand with his fingertips, anchoring them with his thumb on the back of her hand, and poured gouts and gouts and gouts of himself into her eyes ::::::for far too long!:::::: before turning away. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe his
107 Then he shut his eyes and lowered his head and massaged his temples with one hand… his thumb pressing one temple and his middle and ring fingers the other. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe his
108 It doesn’t matter if he’s asleep, daydreaming, playing tennis, off on a cruise, or, for that matter, doing what he usually does, trying to find a way to wrap at least one finger and his thumb around his erect phallus without pressing upon any of his herpes blisters. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe his
109 He did a quick air sculpture, putting his forefingers and the tips of his thumbs under his nose and swooping them way out as far as his ears. BACK TO BLOOD Tom Wolfe his
110 She married Richmond, the stone mason, who was my Methodist Sunday-school teacher in the earliest days, and he had one distinction which I envied him: at some time or other he had hit his thumb with his hammer and the result was a thumb-nail which remained permanently twisted and distorted and curved and pointed, like a parrot’s beak. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, VOL. 1 Mark Twain his
111 He would make a fist and, with his thumb around his fingers, color his closed finger with lipstick for a mouth, make two “eyes” with black chalk, and create his so-called little friend named Johnny, or, as Señor Wences pronounced the name, “Yonnie.” AUDITION Barbara Walters his
112 I remember his putting his thumb on my lips and his fingers on my vocal cords during our first interview. AUDITION Barbara Walters his
113 Yadin spoke proudly of his creation, but as he talked, he used his thumb to rhythmically click the mechanism of a ballpoint pen. ATHENA DOCTRINE John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio his
114 No, he kept his fingers out, his palm open, and she draped her own thin hand between his thumb and forefinger, as if they needed only the gentlest touch to hold them fast. At Weddings and Wakes Alice McDermott his
115 In another of his poems, ‘The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb’, a boy named Conrad is warned not to suck his thumbs because it will attract the attention of a ghoulish figure known as the great tall tailor who always comes To little boys that suck their thumbs. AT HOME Bill Bryson his
116 They go so fast; That both his thumbs are off at last. AT HOME Bill Bryson his
117 He held the wings together with his thumbs so Kate could look at it more closely, and when he brought his hands to her face he could feel her warm breath on his wrists. ASK AGAIN, YES Mary Beth Keane his
118 He’d pulled off his mittens and rubbed at the scratches with his thumb, but there they were, glaringly obvious in the polished mirror finish of the wood. ASK AGAIN, YES Mary Beth Keane his
119 “I think I broke a tooth,” Kate said, and with one hand in her hair Peter put his thumb against her bottom lip as a signal to open up. ASK AGAIN, YES Mary Beth Keane his
120 Ryerson Rainsmith, in a summer suit the color of cold coffee and curdled cream, stood looking round in a self-satisfied manner with his thumbs tucked into his yellow waistcoat, drumming his fingers on his ample stomach. AS CHIMNEY SWEEPERS COME TO DUST Alan Bradley his
121 Henshaw makes monkey faces, pulling at the sides of his mouth with his little fingers while using his thumbs to flap his ears forward. Arthur & George Julian Barnes his
122 George pretends to put his thumbs in his ears. Arthur & George Julian Barnes his
123 The sergeant had pointed this out to Edalji’s father, who had commenced wiping the blade with his thumb. Arthur & George Julian Barnes his
124 Pickerbaugh had a way of pressing his thumb into the back of your hand which was extraordinarily cordial and painful. Arrowsmith Sinclair Lewis his
125 Often she asked Martin to explain his work, but when he was glowing, making diagrams with his thumb-nail on the tablecloth, she would interrupt him with a gracious "Darling do you mind just a second Plinder, isn't there any more of the sherry?" Arrowsmith Sinclair Lewis his
126 I responded slowly, for I guessed who it was: his thumb gave him away. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner his
127 Absently he filled his pipe, interrupted his hands to lean and follow with one finger a line on the map, straightened again, tamping the tobacco into the bowl with his thumb. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner his
128 Wetting his thumb, Pricey turned another page. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner his
129 But Ollie lay back against his father with his thumb in his mouth and had no ideas. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner his
130 He had put the muzzle of a .30-.30 saddle gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger with his thumb. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner his
131 Grandfather answered only with his eyebrows, holding them up in a welcoming sort of way, testing the knife’s edge against his thumb. Angle of Repose Wallace Stegner his
132 With his feet braced apart, and his thumbs tucked in his waistband, the officer waited for the taxi driver to roll down his window. ANGELS AT THE TABLE Debbie Macomber his
133 He returned to the yard afterwards and washed the tomato seeds that clung to his fingernails and blackened his thumbs. An Orchestra of Minorities Chigozie Obioma his
134 You will see that you will not only gain her respect, but, I tell you”—Jamike licked his thumb with his tongue until a gasp of erhen erupted—“I swear to almighty God, Ndali will love you die!” An Orchestra of Minorities Chigozie Obioma his
135 Bilderbeck jerked his thumb in the direction of the officers’ quarters. An Ice-Cream War William Boyd his
136 The man might be something of a bounder, dispatching young Geoffrey every afternoon to that bookie in the Nelson Arms, not to mention the way he tapped his cigarettes on his thumbnail, but he was, after all, a favourite of Rose Lipman; Leastways, he was a distant connection of Councillor Harris, and he had made an enormous success as Cousin Syd in that comedy series on the Light Programme, quite apart from his role in Charley’s Aunt on Saturday Night Theatre. An Awfully Big Adventure Beryl Bainbridge his
137 He stood there in his camel-hair coat, tapping a cigarette on his thumbnail. An Awfully Big Adventure Beryl Bainbridge his
138 I’ll show you why Julian Garmony is running round the Inns of Court with his thumb up his arse! Amsterdam Ian McEwan his
139 Every so often Herr Siedler runs his thumb and finger along the crease in his pin-striped trousers, sharpening it. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doerr his
140 Every night the moment returns to him: when he clasped that pear-shaped diamond between his thumb and forefinger, made huge by the lens of his loupe, and believed he held the one-hundred-and-thirty-three-carat Sea of Flames. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doerr his
141 He had finally managed to put FP under his thumb. ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera his
142 With his thumb he shoves the button that kills the engine and then just sits there for a few minutes. All That Man Is David Szalay his
143 But before that happens—he extends his thumb, opening up a comm channel to make a call to Underboss Rynscar of the Black Sun. AFTERMATH: EMPIRE'S END Chuck Wendig his
144 Ahead, the shuttle squares out in front of him, and his thumb finds the top of the flight stick. AFTERMATH: EMPIRE'S END Chuck Wendig his
145 He pressed the button again, with his thumb this time, banging it a bit as if to make a stronger point. After This Alice McDermott his
146 This morning, woken by the wind, he had put his thumb to each fingertip, counting decades. After This Alice McDermott his
147 For the second time today, he touched his thumb to his fingertips. After This Alice McDermott his
148 With his thumbs hooked over the lid, the boy carried the box up the beach, behind his father and brother and sister, feeling the drag of sand but feeling, too, that with a small effort he could overtake them. After This Alice McDermott his
149 Then Michael told a joke about a workman in a church who hammered his thumb and cursed. After This Alice McDermott his
150 He'd hunker down at a side table with a pair of locals, his thumb to his jaw, his fingers splayed across his cheek and then rise, laughing, slapping backs. After This Alice McDermott his
151 He'd bend down first for an openmouthed kiss and then, with his thumb slipped behind her belt, walk her to the stairs. After This Alice McDermott his
152 “Except I hear this afternoon maybe you’re under his thumb. Advise and Consent Allen Drury his
153 Also, he quickly bit his thumbnail, something my mother did and I also did when I was nervous. A WOLF AT THE TABLE Augusten Burroughs his
154 She used the first ramp, west toward Denver and Salt Lake City, and he walked under the bridge and set up on the eastbound ramp, one foot on the shoulder and one in the traffic lane, and he stuck out his thumb and smiled and tried to look friendly. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
155 He got half an inch of it loose and gripped that makeshift tab between the pad of his thumb and his forefinger. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
156 He turned back and put one foot in the traffic lane again and stuck out his thumb. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
157 He traced his thumbnail over pale blue ink, in an irregular pattern, stop and go, leaping backward from one time stamp to another, then pausing at an eleven-line entry. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
158 He jabbed his thumb to the left. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
159 Reacher jabbed his finger in Alan King’s direction and his thumb in Don McQueen’s, and then he opened his hand and raised it uncertainly, questioningly, like a universal semaphore: Why them too? A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
160 He held his thumb up. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
161 He clamped the Colt in his right hand, between the flat of his thumb and his palm. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
162 Reacher moved his thumb and switched to triples. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
163 He put one foot on the shoulder and one in the traffic lane, and he stuck out his thumb, and he smiled and tried to look friendly. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
164 All he did was stick out his thumb. A WANTED MAN Lee Child his
165 He’s got everyone on this place under his thumb.” A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley his
166 But this other stuff—” Ty glanced at me, rubbed the corners of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger, then slowed down and pulled to the side of the road. A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley his
167 He pushed his thumb down on the latch and opened the door in a smoothly aggressive way, as if, I thought meanly, he was practiced at taking advantage of small openings. A Thousand Acres Jane Smiley his
168 He touched Claire’s cheek, then ran his thumb across her lips. A SUMMER AFFAIR Elin Hilderbrand his
169 Edward took a glass, then reached out, grabbed Siobhan’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, and kissed her flush on the mouth. A SUMMER AFFAIR Elin Hilderbrand his
170 He touched her face, ran his thumbs over her cheekbones, then over her lips. A SUMMER AFFAIR Elin Hilderbrand his
171 Squinting, he holds out his thumb. A PIECE OF THE WORLD Christina Baker Kline his
172 They had carved their initials, RUF (Revolutionary United Front), on his body with a hot bayonet and chopped off all his fingers with the exception of his thumbs. A LONG WAY GONE Ishmael Beah his
173 Fashioned in the shape of an egret with the long silver blades representing the bird’s beak and the small golden screw at the pivot representing its eye, the scissors were so delicate he could barely fit his thumb and finger through the rings. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles his
174 But on the very first stroke of this hammer what the Count squarely hit was the back of his thumb. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles his
175 He ran his thumb over the surface of the insignia. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles his
176 Without turning, he pointed with his thumb back in the direction of the Alexander Gardens. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles his
177 Holding it up with a wistful smile, he ran his thumb over the insignia of the two crossed keys that was embossed on the glass. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles his
178 The Count took a kopek from the ticket pocket of his vest and laid it on his thumbnail so that they could determine by toss who would get to choose the tie-breaking category. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW Amor Towles his
179 Pablo chewed his thumbnail. A Flag for Sunrise Robert Stone his
180 She closed his hand over her, his thumb in the cleft of her buttocks, his fingers playing over the down and labia. A Flag for Sunrise Robert Stone his
181 Lord Godric took a pinch between his thumb and forefinger and sprinkled his own trencher. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
182 The day he took his leave of her, as she was bidding him farewell, he had brushed the balls of his thumbs lightly across them, back and forth. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
183 Tyrion drove the dagger’s point into the ball of his thumb, watched the blood bead up, sucked it away. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
184 He brushed his thumbs across them in a way that was remarkably obscene and smiled a wicked smile. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
185 The brown ink came away in flakes when Jon brushed it with his thumb. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
186 Daario brushed his thumbs across his sword hilts and smiled dangerously. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
187 The nails on all four fingers were black now, though not yet on his thumb. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
188 It still hurts, Halfmaester, thank you very much, thought Tyrion, as he pricked the ball of his thumb. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS George R R Martin his
189 “You don’t look well,” he whispered, his thumb tracing her jaw. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
190 Kell burst into Rhy’s rooms, taking up the prince’s gold pin from the table and jabbing it into his thumb, harder than necessary. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
191 Alucard took the weapon and briskly pierced his thumb, then pressed the cut to the corner of the paper. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
192 A single lantern hung from the ceiling, and Kell snapped his fingers, pale fire dancing above his thumb as he reached up to light the wick. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
193 He pulled her close, brushing his thumb against her cheek, and she knew he was looking at her eye, the spiral of fractured glass. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
194 Alucard licked his thumb and turned a page. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
195 When Holland didn’t move, the man sighed and flicked his own fingers, producing a small coin-sized flame that danced above his thumb. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
196 He slipped it onto his thumb. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
197 He ran his thumb over the brittle shell. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
198 IV Holland was sitting on his cot, studying the band of silver on his thumb, when he heard Lila storming up the stairs, heard the splash of something heavy breaking water, the tread of too many feet. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
199 Kell pressed his thumb to the pin’s tip, drawing blood. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
200 “Every vessel can be emptied,” said Holland, twisting the silver binding ring around his thumb. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
201 His fingers felt bare without his rings, but the only absence that mattered was the silver feather he’d worn wrapped around his thumb. A CONJURING OF LIGHT V E Schwab his
202 He rubbed the new frost off the keyhole with his thumb, the same way Reacher had. 61 HOURS Lee Child his
203 Plato moved his thumb and tripped the release and the part-used magazine fell out and plinked against the concrete. 61 HOURS Lee Child his
204 All he did was stick out his thumb. 61 HOURS Lee Child his
205 There were two-door cars and four-door cars, convertibles and dump trucks, police cars and ambulances, taxis and buses, fire trucks and cement mixers, delivery trucks and station wagons, Fords and Chryslers, Pontiacs and Studebakers, Buicks and Nash Ramblers, each one different from the others, no two even remotely alike, and whenever Ferguson began to push one of them across the floor, he would bend down and look inside at the empty driver’s seat, and because every car needed a driver in order to move, he would imagine he was the person sitting behind the wheel, a tiny person, a man so tiny he was no bigger than the top joint of his thumb. 4 3 2 1 Paul Auster his
206 Since Ferguson always sat between his parents, he would tap his mother on the arm whenever his father drifted off like that, and once he had her attention, he would point to his father by jerking back his thumb, as if to say, Look, he’s at it again, and depending on his mother’s mood, she would either nod her head and smile or shake her head and frown, sometimes emitting a brief, muffled laugh and sometimes exhaling a wordless mmmm. 4 3 2 1 Paul Auster his
207 Laurel, Stan’s nonsensical gift for igniting his thumb and puffing on nonexistent but functioning pipes, their out-of-control laughing jags, their penchant for breaking into spontaneous dance routines (both so light on their feet), their unanimity of purpose when confronting their adversaries, all bickering and discord forgotten as they pulled together to destroy a man’s house or wreck a man’s car, but also the variations on who they were and how their identities sometimes overlapped and even merged, as when Ollie rubbed Stan’s foot thinking it was his own foot and sighed with pleasure and relief, or the ingenious ways in which they sometimes duplicated themselves, as when big Stanley and big Oliver babysat their toddler sons, little Stan and little Ollie, who were miniature replicas of their fathers, since Laurel and Hardy played both sets of roles, or when Stan was married to a female Ollie and Ollie to a female Stan, or when they met their long-lost twin brothers, close friends whose names were of course Laurel and Hardy, or, best of all, when a blood transfusion went wrong at the end of a film and Stan wound up with Ollie’s mustache and voice and the smooth-faced Hardy collapsed into a Laurel crying fit. 4 3 2 1 Paul Auster his
208 It belonged to someone else, and as he gazed down at the stitched-up, smoothed-over spots that had once been his thumb and index finger, he felt sick and turned his head away. 4 3 2 1 Paul Auster his
209 The snot-clogged little boy who had breathed through his mouth and sucked his thumb was now a six-foot-two-inch adolescent, a muscular, quick-footed hulk of more than two hundred pounds who looked like a full-grown man on the field and played with an intelligence that was nothing less than bewildering to Ferguson, for Bobby George was a blockhead at all pursuits that were not baseball or football or laughing at dirty jokes, and the only reason why he wasn’t flunking half his classes was because his parents had hired a tutor from Montclair State to help keep his average from dropping below a C, which was the academic minimum required to participate in interscholastic sports. 4 3 2 1 Paul Auster his
210 She glanced at her brother, who was sucking his thumb, unaware that he was at a critical crossroads – about to choose the course of his destiny. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Elif Shafak his
211 This fellow here,” he jerks his thumb, rudely, at Brandon—who is back at court, of course he is back—“this fellow here, a few years ago, he charged at the king in the lists, and nearly killed him. Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel his
212 He swears to uphold his heirs and lawful successors, and he thinks of the bastard child Richmond, and Mary the talking shrimp, and the Duke of Norfolk showing off his thumbnail to the company. Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel his
213 Sometimes—in a kind of fellowship of the imagination—he imagines resting his hand upon her shoulder and following with his thumb the scooped hollow between her collarbone and her throat; imagines with his forefinger tracking the line of her breast as it swells above her bodice, as a child follows a line of print. Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel his
214 He held her hand for a minute, stroking over her palm with his thumb. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves Karen Joy Fowler his
215 When we came up on Bunker Six, Azar lifted his thumb and peeled away from me and began circling to the south. The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien his
216 He took her cheek in his bare hand, and with his thumb wiped melted snow from beneath her eye. The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey his
217 Often he would scoop some of the soil in his hand and run his thumb over it, marveling at its richness, and sometimes he would pull a radish, rub it clean on his pants, and bite into it with a satisfying crunch, then toss the greens into the trees. The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey his
218 Her fingers were slender and lovely, and he rubbed his thumbs along them. The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey his
219 Jack reached into the fish and slid his thumbnail along the spine to break free the line of kidney like a slender blood clot, and he rinsed the blood into the creek water, until his hands ached in the cold. The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey his
220 Right there in the middle of the road he took the cigarette out of my mouth and put it in his, then struck a match on his thumbnail and lit the two of them together, exactly like Humphrey Bogart. The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver his
221 He flicks his thumb and forefinger, motioning for the station wagon to pass. The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver his
222 He drove the blade again and again into the ground and smelled it again, wiped it on his trouser leg, and felt the edge with his thumb. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck his
223 Tom's own hands came up, and his thumbs hooked over his belt. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck his
224 Uncle John dug with his thumbs into the watch pocket of his blue jeans and scooped out a folded dirty bill. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck his
225 He tested it with his thumb and then shied it at a blackbird sitting on a fence wire. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck his
226 He gathered some little rocks from the ground and shot them like marbles, with his thumb. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck his
227 Tom pointed at her with his thumb. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck his
228 He blocked the perforations in the phone’s mouthpiece with his thumb and returned to the kitchen, where Jonah was standing on a chair with a package of Oreos. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen his
229 Gary could feel the buzzing of his mother’s voice against his thumb. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen his
230 Chuck hooked his thumbs over the steering wheel, resting his hands on his lap. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen his
231 In her bedroom, on his knees, he planted his thumbs on her hipbones and pressed his mouth to her thighs and then to her whatever; she felt returned to a childhood world of Grimm and C. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen his
232 With the ridged yellow nail of his thumb, Alfred pushed the polarity switch to Forward and handed the drill back to Gary, and for the first time since his arrival, their eyes met. The Corrections Jonathan Franzen his
233 The fabrics were rich woolens and cashmeres, the cuts jazzy and loose, so that he no longer looked like a racetrack tout, with his chewed cigar end and his thumbs in his waistcoat. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Michael Chabon his
234 Love and his friends to pick them up; the elbow in his ribs, the roar and ashy smell of the Cadillac’s heater, the sharp shaft of December air blowing in through the car window on the way down; the burn of a shot of rye he accepted from John Pye’s flask; the lingering mark of Bacon’s teeth and the imprint of his thumbs on Sammy’s hips. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Michael Chabon his
235 And he jabbed his thumb at the bigger of the houses which had two stories and perhaps ten windows. Parrot and Olivier in America Peter Carey his
236 He occasionally wet his thumb in brandy and smudged at what he drew. Parrot and Olivier in America Peter Carey his
237 He’d draw eyes on each of his index-finger knuckles and tuck his thumbs inside his fists. Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood his
238 Then he continues on, across the moat, past the sentry boxes where the CorpSeCorps armed guards once stood and the glassed-in cubicles where they’d monitored the surveillance equipment, then past the rampart watchtower with the steel door – standing forever open, now – where he’d once have been ordered to present his thumbprint and the iris of his eye. Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood his
239 The worst for me was the painful aikido grip where you placed your thumb between victim’s pointer finger and middle finger, grabbed his thumb, and twisted his hand up under his armpit. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing Ted Conover his
240 Doctors thought it had, but then they noticed blood pulsing from a wound where his index finger had contracted and cut deep into his thumb—a sign that his heart was still pumping. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing Ted Conover his
241 He pulled his bunk away from the wall and tipped up a box he kept on the floor; soon, wriggling between his thumb and pinky was a small cockroach. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing Ted Conover his
242 He bites his thumb where the nail is missing. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
243 I run my fingers over his thumb, fascinated by the missing nail, which Lefty has always told me a monkey bit off at the zoo. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
244 He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum … After the first roll of her eyes the Object resettled her gaze on mine, and then what she was feeling showed only there, in the green depths her eyes revealed. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
245 Often my father would rub my shirt between his thumb and fingers and ask, “Is this preppy?” Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
246 For the first few minutes I concentrated on the circular light, but finally, drawing in my chin, I looked down to see that Luce was holding the crocus between his thumb and forefinger. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
247 He bites his thumb where the nail is missing. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
248 I run my fingers over his thumb, fascinated by the missing nail, which Lefty has always told me a monkey bit off at the zoo. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
249 He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum … After the first roll of her eyes the Object resettled her gaze on mine, and then what she was feeling showed only there, in the green depths her eyes revealed. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
250 Often my father would rub my shirt between his thumb and fingers and ask, “Is this preppy?” Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
251 For the first few minutes I concentrated on the circular light, but finally, drawing in my chin, I looked down to see that Luce was holding the crocus between his thumb and forefinger. Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides his
252 He managed to snatch a handful of my hair, his thumb, as he did so, jabbing into my left eye. March Geraldine Brooks his
253 He sucked his lip and looked only at his thumbs, or at the ceiling, and his voice was barely audible. Housekeeping Marilynne Robinson his
254 He took up his knife, that he always kept by him, and tested the edge with his thumb. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
255 At last he slowly put his thumb to the latch, and came in. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
256 He raises his thumb and smudged forefinger to the bridge of his nose, and pinches. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
257 He fingers the soft flesh beneath my jaw, puts his thumbs to my cheeks, draws down my eye-lids. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
258 He walks a minute about the room, leaning rigidly to gaze into my uncle's book-presses—now his hands are behind his back; his thumb still twitches, however. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
259 He takes her hand, his fingers moving about hers: they seem large, also— his thumb extends almost to the bone of her wrist. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
260 He catches my eye, draws back his thumb. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
261 He presses with his thumb at the skin of his wrist and palm, and then it falls faster. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
262 He steps to the fire, wets his thumb and finger upon his tongue, puts out the candle; then he sits in a huddle in the arm-chair and makes a blanket of his coat. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
263 His face is still kind, he still smiles; but he takes my wrist and moves his thumb across it, and tries, again, to hand me into the coach. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
264 Then he puts his hand to his mouth and bites at the skin of his thumb, and frowns. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
265 He puts his hand to his mouth and begins to bite, again, at the skin of his thumb; and he watches me, carefully, cautiously, from the side of his eye. Fingersmith Sarah Waters his
266 He had bounced her in his arms, run his thumb over her flaky eyebrows, and hummed a lullaby. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini his
267 He unhooked his thumbs from the belt loops and made himself more upright, taking on a self-conscious air of menace. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini his
268 He squeezed the inner corners of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini his
269 And then she was crying, and when he went to wipe her cheek with the pad of his thumb she swiped his hand away. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini his
270 There was a scrap of metal this big-" Here, he spread his thumb and index finger apart to show her, at least doubling, in Mariam's estimation, the actual size of it. A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseini his
271 The harbormaster pulled up a loose-leaf notebook, riffled the pages with his thumb, then handed the book to Quoyle. The Shipping News E. Annie Proulx his
272 Waited, biting his thumbnail. The Shipping News E. Annie Proulx his
273 He slipped the boy's knapsack straps loose and set the pack on the floor behind him and he put his thumbnail under the aluminum clip on the top of the can and opened it. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
274 He felt with his thumb in the painted wood of the mantle the pinholes from tacks that had held stockings forty years ago. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
275 He took the lighter from his pocket and struck the wheel with his thumb. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
276 He held the stem between his thumb and forefinger and let it drop. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
277 He twisted the cap off the gascan and he made a small paper spill from one of the seedpackets and poured gas into the bottle and put his thumb over the mouth and shook it. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
278 They had only two cups and he drank his coffee from the bowl he'd eaten from, his thumbs hooked over the rim. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
279 He chipped at it with the nail of his thumb. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
280 The man wiped the dust from the caps of the jars and pushed on the lids with his thumb. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
281 He tried to push the lids up off the jars with his thumbs but they were on too tight. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
282 Then he set about pulling the small black threads from his skin, pressing down with the flat of his thumb. The Road Cormac McCarthy his
283 Walking home, Charlie would hold out his hand and rub his thumb against his fingers, saying, “Feel that air,” while holding my hand with his other. WISDOM OF OUR FATHERS Tim Russert his
284 He reaches for one of little dodecahedrons and presses it hard between his fingers, so hard that when he parts them it sticks to his forefinger and he sees the portcullis impressed in the pad of his thumb. Umbrella Will Self his
285 All this is, Busner thinks, still inadequate to the task of expressing the quality of her resipiscence – a return to good health of a miraculous nature. – I – I daresay Miss, ah, Death, that at least initially – upon your admission that is . . . he desires to chafe the backs of her hands, hold them palm-down and strum with his thumbs vein, bone and tendon . . . your details were taken down correctly, but that was a long time ago, you’ve been here at Friern Hospital . . . Umbrella Will Self his
286 Honest, her duplicitous husband replied, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb over the fretwork of bone and tendon and artery . . . Umbrella Will Self his
287 Father set down the picnic basket and tucked his thumbs into the waistband of his trousers, gazing left and right before declaring the position “just right.” THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton his
288 He drew on his cigarette and exhaled, running his thumb along the outline of her hair, over her shoulder, around the curve of her breast— “Jimmy?” THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton his
289 He stuck the pad of his thumb in his chin dimple and frowned, still staring at the page. THE SECRET KEEPER Kate Morton his
290 They’d bleached the nicotine stains from the first and second fingers of his right hand and taught him to smoke like a Frenchman, using his thumb and forefinger. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristin Hannah his
291 Ari whimpered in his sleep and greedily sucked his thumb. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristin Hannah his
292 “Maman,” he mumbled around his thumb, which he was furiously sucking. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristin Hannah his
293 Bir, an illiterate man, had put his thumb impression on the lease deed. The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee his
294 The plot belonged to him, the lessee, now; the deed on which Bir had put the imprint of his thumb was a sale deed, not a deed of lease. The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee his
295 He has to do his old trick of twisting his thumb to its most extreme possible to prevent himself from adding, ‘Not you or your type.’ The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee his
296 He pokes a sharp knife at one corner of the sickle and with a quick, sharp dig-and-twist movement loosens a little bit of skin, enough so that the pinch formed of his thumb and forefinger has a purchase on the flap. The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee his
297 Nash shook his hand and then pointed at Rapp with his thumb. THE LAST MAN Vince Flynn his
298 He pointed at the station chief, snapped his fingers, and then hooked his thumb toward the door. THE LAST MAN Vince Flynn his
299 “We’re shooters,” Rapp said, waving his thumb back and forth between Hurley and himself. THE LAST MAN Vince Flynn his
300 “This is nice stuff,” said Jack, taking the paper and feeling the top sheet with his thumb. The Feud Thomas Berger his
301 As soon as the door closed behind them, Junior swung around and put his thumb to his nose and blew a raspberry at the station. The Feud Thomas Berger his
302 When he reached the highway he went above the intersection a block or two and began to show his thumb to the cars that passed. The Feud Thomas Berger his
303 He gave Jim a nasty, secret smile and took his gum out of his mouth and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford Jean Stafford his
304 He ran his thumb along the edge of the photo. THE BRIDGE Karen Kingsbury his
305 He ran his thumbs along the sides of her hands. THE BRIDGE Karen Kingsbury his
306 He loosened the flap with his thumb and willed his hands to be still. THE BRIDGE Karen Kingsbury his
307 He ran his thumbs along her hands, his eyes locked on hers. THE BRIDGE Karen Kingsbury his
308 He ran his thumb along her cheekbone, lost in her eyes. THE BRIDGE Karen Kingsbury his
309 I asked how much money had been allocated by Baghdad, and he held his thumb and finger up in a zero. The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq George Packer his
310 Luke, agitated, was flicking his thumbnail against his teeth. St. Urbain's Horseman Mordecai Richler his
311 We were pushing our tongues into each other’s mouths as far as we could and I could just feel the edge of his thumb and fingers on my panties. St. Urbain's Horseman Mordecai Richler his
312 “Exactly the way he stood there with his thumbs in his pistol belt. St. Urbain's Horseman Mordecai Richler his
313 Sidney, her youngest, still sucked his thumb. St. Urbain's Horseman Mordecai Richler his
314 Not tying his arm, not coating his thumb with hot mustard. St. Urbain's Horseman Mordecai Richler his
315 Simpson spread his palms and touched the tips of his thumbs together as if to frame the monogram. MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE Jennifer Chiaverini his
316 He glimpsed the tattoo he had given himself as a child, his initials etched upon the back of his left hand between his thumb and forefinger, his defiant, indelible rebuttal to all those who would deny his right to bear the proud name of Booth. MRS. GRANT AND MADAME JULE Jennifer Chiaverini his
317 Harold was frowning, picking at the skin around his thumbnail. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner his
318 Finally, he brushed her cheek with his thumb. MRS. EVERYTHING Jennifer Weiner his
319 “Get in,” he ordered, jerking his thumb. MARRIED LOVERS Jackie Collins his
320 He carried his black alpaca coat hanging from his thumb down over the back of his shoulder. Losing Battles Eudora Welty his
321 As they passed Banner School, he faced the window-packed schoolhouse, laid his thumb to his nose, and played on all his fingers at the imprisoned children. Losing Battles Eudora Welty his
322 He could remember that each of his thumbs had been slowly, almost gently, twisted inward to the palms until the bone above the first knuckle was screwed tight into the joint and at last the ball of the bone was sprung from the socket with a loud popping sound. House Made of Dawn N. Scott Momaday his
323 There was a black metate by the door, the coarse, igneous grain of the shallow bowl forever bleached with meal, and in the ashes of the fire were several ears and cobs of corn, each no bigger than his thumb, charred and brittle, but whole and hard as wood. House Made of Dawn N. Scott Momaday his
324 Ferrason: I assure you, sir … The Marshal lifted his thumb and for five seconds the wind surged and caterwauled in the park. Gossip from the Forest Thomas Keneally his
325 He took a wing collar from his suitcase and rubbed it with his thumb, speaking dreamily. Gossip from the Forest Thomas Keneally his
326 The acid from its pores stung his thumb. Gossip from the Forest Thomas Keneally his
327 He turned over on his side to face her and he was filled with an aching love for the thing they had destroyed and tears were coming down her face and he wiped them away with his thumbs. FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE Taffy Brodesser-Akner his
328 Morelli had his hands under my shirt and supposedly was installing the wire, but his thumb kept tracing a line across the tip of my breast. FEARLESS FOURTEEN Janet Evanovich his
329 He tapped his chest with his thumb. DELUSION IN DEATH J D Robb his
330 He cut a reed from the New Year narcissus and blew tunes between his thumbs. China Men Maxine Hong Kingston his
331 He held out a piece of sugar; he cupped a grassblade between his thumbs and whistled. China Men Maxine Hong Kingston his
332 He hooked his thumbs on his belt under his jacket. CHASING DARKNESS Robert Crais his
333 They gained on him easily, and when they were almost upon him, he stopped running and threw up his arm, pointing with his thumb toward Ebbensville. And Then We Heard the Thunder John Killens his
334 A shard of glass was lodged in the skin at the base of his thumb, and as we watched he deftly plucked it out, looked at it, and dropped it on the floor where he ground it under his heel. An Unfinished Season Ward Just his
335 Now he moved his foot over the scar in the parquet where he had ground the shard of glass that had torn his thumb; and I thought I saw a smile. An Unfinished Season Ward Just his
336 He extracted his Havana from its silver tube and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, testing density. An Unfinished Season Ward Just his
337 He rubbed the grass between his thumb and forefinger. AGENDA 21 Glenn Beck with Harriet Parke his
338 He kept rubbing the leaf between his thumb and his finger. AGENDA 21 Glenn Beck with Harriet Parke his
339 He rubbed his thumb over it, then handed it back, and I put it deep into the mat. AGENDA 21 Glenn Beck with Harriet Parke his
340 Percy executed the man after extracting a confession by hanging him from his thumbs. A VOYAGE LONG AND STRANGE Tony Horwitz his
341 “No,” said Tagliavia, the prosperous-looking Maresciallo of Finance, hooking his thumbs in his waistcoat, “you did not forget to do it because you did not know you were supposed to do it. A Bell for Adano John Hersey his
342 Gargano the Two-Hands made two circles with his thumbs and forefingers and put the circles up to his eyes and peered through them at the picture. A Bell for Adano John Hersey his
343 Gargano stepped forward and said: “What the Mister Mayor wishes to say is that the eyes”—Gargano made those circles with his thumbs and forefingers and put them up to his own eyes—”the eyes of the portrait are honest.” A Bell for Adano John Hersey his
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