“Normal is not something to aspire to, it is something to escape from.”

“Normal is not something to aspire to, it's something to get away from.”

“Books have always been my escape - where I go to bury my nose, hone my senses, or play the emotional tourist in a world of my own choosing... Words are my best expressive tool, my favorite shield, my point of entry...When I was growing up, books took me away from my life to a solitary place that didn't feel lonely. They celebrated the outcasts, people who sat on the margins of society contemplating their interiors. . . Books were my cure for a romanticized unhappiness, for the anxiety of impending adulthood. They were all mine, private islands with secret passwords only the worthy could utter. If I could choose my favorite day, my favorite moment in some perfect dreamscape, I know exactly where I would be: stretched out in bed in the afternoon, knowing that the kids are taking a nap and I've got two more chapters left of some heartbreaking novel, the kind that messes you up for a week.”

“Being understood is not the most essential thing in life.”

“It's an interesting combination: Having a great fear of being alone, and having a desperate need for solitude and the solitary experience. That's always been a tug of war for me.”

“She touched something deep in his soul. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but the thought of hurting her made his chest ache.”

“I have to learn to find that inner core of strength that I am definitely made up of and stretch it into areas where I don't always use it.”