Book Gems

Even in the lightest books or the books I’m not as fond of, I often find little nuggets of writing that speak to me, for their beauty, for their humor, for their profound truth. These gems don’t always find their way into my reviews but they are often part of what formed my opinion of the book. One of the joys of reading from my Nook is that those nuggets are always out there for me to go back and read. I though you might enjoy them as well.

Here are a few from Katherine Center’s Everyone Is Beautiful (which I apparently forgot to review when I read it so that review is upcoming):

“I knew exactly how your body could wander off like a toddler at the supermarket, leaving you racing through the aisles and shouting, “Where are you? This isn’t funny!”

Fortunately, Center’s character found her body again. Mine was abducted; haven’t seen it in years!

“…I was coming more and more to believe that women’s desire was different from men’s. Women’s desire seemed to come from their feelings – a physical ache in the heart that ravaged the body.”

“Because the truth was, there was a dark underbelly of terror to motherhood. You loved your children with such an overwhelming fierceness that you were absolutely vulnerable at every moment of every day…The threats to your child were infinite. And the thing was, if any of your children’s lives were ruined, even a little bit, yours would be, too.”

I believe every mom understands the truth of this.

And this one, just for fun:

“Amanda, who held herself to the most excruciating standards of beauty of any friend I’d ever had, was married to a truffle pig”

Book Gems

This week I'd like to share a couple of quotes from Elizabeth Strout's My Name Is Lucy Barton. The book is not long and the writing is spare, every phrase and sentence needs to be meaningful. These were two of my favorites:

"It interests me how we find ways to feel superior to another person, another group of people. It happens everywhere, and all the time. Whatever we call it, I think it's the lowest part of who we are, this need to find someone else to put down."

I find this doesn't just apply to our daily lives but really seems to be something I'm seeing a lot of in this presidential campaign season. As she so often is, Strout is spot on with this one. Right alongside that idea of a political connection comes this:

"It has been my experience throughout life that the people who have been given the most by our government - education, food, rent subsidies - are the ones who are most apt to find fault with the whole idea of government."

Hmm, reminds me of some of my customers, who, strangely, feel we need to discuss politics sometimes when they call.

This is, I think, my favorite gem from the book:

"I have sometimes been sad that Tennessee Williams wrote that line for Blanche DuBois, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." Many of us have been saved many times by the kindness of strangers, but after a while it sounds trite, like a bumper sticker. And that's what makes me sad, that a beautiful and true line comes to be used so often that it takes on the superficial sound of a bumper sticker." 

Shouldn't we always be able to count on the kindness of strangers, shouldn't that be a good thing? It's something of a way of life here, yet I know there are those that mock the kindness of people in the  Midwest.

What book gems have you come across lately?

Book Gems

For the first few years after I started blogging, I took notes for reviews like crazy when I was reading. Somewhere along the way, I decided that was pulling me away from just getting swept up in books. Now I mark a few passages that especially speak to me but, otherwise, take very few notes.

Except when I'm reading on my Nook, when it's easy to drag my finger along the page and tape "Highlight." Just the other day I realized that Nooks keep all of the notes ever taken on any books read on it. So many little writing gems that I never shared in my reviews. So, periodically, I'll share some of them and I'd love to have you share the things you've found that particularly stand out in books you've read.

First up, from Where'd You Go, Bernadette:

"Chihuly are the pigeons of Seattle. They're everywhere, and even if they don't get in your way, you can't help but build up a kind of antipathy toward them."

I found this so funny because here in Omaha we're very proud of the Chihuly pieces we have. Imagine comparing something so beautiful to a pigeon!

And:

"Maybe that's what religion is, hurling yourself off a cliff and trusting that something bigger will take care of you and carry you to the right place."

To which I say, Amen. I couldn't get through life without believing this.

Do you own a Nook and were you aware that it retained all of your notes and highlights? If not, I highly recommend checking it out!