“It’s the thing we don’t expect that usually happens.” L Frank Baum. The Emerald City of Oz. Dorothy’s comment to Billina the yellow hen after she has become lost in the woods.

“The more one knows, the luckier he is, for knowledge is the greatest gift in life.” L. Frank Baum. The Patchwork Girl of Oz. Margolotte, the wife of Dr. Pipt the Crooked Magician says this to Ojo the Unlucky shortly before she is turned into a marble statue.

“No one knows that, except the person who’s writing this story.” L. Frank Baum. Tik-Tok of Oz. The Shaggy Man, while he and Betsey Bobbin are trying to find the Nome Kingdom.

“The wise and fearless are sure to win success.” L. Frank Baum. Rinkitink in Oz. The White Pearl’s advice to Inga.

“If you don’t ask questions you will learn nothing.” L. Frank Baum. The Road to Oz. The fox soldier, speaking to Button-Bright. Quite true, though in this case the questions are mostly unanswerable.

“Every road leads somewhere, or there wouldn’t be any road.” L. Frank Baum. From The Road to Oz. The shaggy man’s philosophy, continued as “so it’s likely that if we travel long enough, we will come to some place or another in the end.” In this case he is right, and the “some place or another” is Oz, where Ozma is having a birthday party.

“Chocolate? It comes from a plant that grows on most Human-occupied planets today.” Sue Ann Bowling. Context? From Homecoming, when Cinda provides Marna with her first taste of hot chocolate.

This week was Oz, partly because I got all the Oz books for my Nook. (I still have some of my grandmother’s copies from her librarian days, some of which were scribbled in by uncles now dead of old age.) Next week it’ll be back to random, mostly science fiction and fantasy.