“How do you know that you are not part of a book? That someone's not reading your story right now?”

“Do you know how many times I've read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" to this kid? That is one fucked-up story. How is that a book for babies?”

“Probably a good idea, let me know how it ends""I already know how it ends""You read the ending first?""I always read the ending before I commit to the whole book.""If you know how it ends, why read the book?""I don't read for the ending. I read for the story".”

“So go ahead. Do it—open the book. See? You see me, right? And I see you. See? I am reading your face, your eyes, your lips. I know the sufferdust on your brow. I can see you reading and I can tell, too, when you are here, when you’re absent, what you’ve read and how it affects you. There is no more hiding. I see your chords—your fractures, your cold gifts, where and when you’ve hurt people and why. It’s all right there—your stories are written right there on your face!”

“If you don't turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else's story.”

“You know how is it when you love someone? And the hard part, the bad part, the Jerry Springer Show part is that you never stop loving someone. There's always a piece of them in your heart.”