Amanda James > Quotes

“Don’t worry about what’s popular, Lacey. The right book will find you. Remember, you don’t choose the book, the book chooses you.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“But let’s not forget, both the author and reader work together to bring a story alive. If the words remain unread, then the story dies. Simple as that.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“at different times of day, you bring your different moods and energy levels with you. These will alter your perceptions”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Being different was good, I liked it and I wouldn't change myself for anyone. Not ever.”
― Amanda James, The Calico Cat

“Trees are the lifeblood of our planet, and together with the words penned upon the echo of old forests, new worlds are created. These worlds are only briefly inhabited by the reader, yet sometimes, the story can remain part of them forever. Over the years, those who have been lucky enough to hear the call of the bookshop, have described the experience as life-changing. The bookshop is alive still today, ready and waiting to welcome those who know where to find it. Fay Revil”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“And I’m not a crazy woman, just a hopeful one.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“To good friends, good times, and good books! Cheers!”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“She’s always believed books can change people, if only they’d open their hearts and minds to them, and she certainly believes anything could happen in The Midnight Bookshop.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Fay shrugs. ‘I will only say that you should give it a chance. What you bring to a book, meaning your particular experience of life, well, it can change everything. Two people reading the same book will have different perceptions – perhaps not hugely different, but they will have them, nonetheless.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Trees are the lifeblood of our planet, and together with the words penned upon the echo of old forests, new worlds are created. These worlds are only briefly inhabited by the reader, yet sometimes, the story can remain part of them forever.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Most people actively try to bury their differences and become like everyone else for fear of ridicule. They want to belong. They want to 'fit in'. They don't like to be singled out, have their differences scrutinised, put on microscope slides or in Petri dishes and poked by society. I on the other hand, rejoice in it. I don't want to belong if it means having to wrestle your individuality into a small space, paint it grey and make it... normal.”
― Amanda James, The Calico Cat

“Imagination can be surprising. Perhaps what’s in our head, is as real as you or I.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“if you imagine and believe something might happen, then it can become a physical reality.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“I mean, can you tell me why we don't have a section in bookshops called men's fiction?”
― Amanda James, The Calico Cat

“Folk in those stories had a lot of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding onto something. That there is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Reading a good book allows you to walk in new worlds, inhabit them for a while, but if you’re lucky, sometimes the story can stay with you forever.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“What she does understand is the necessity to believe, to keep looking up at the sky, instead of down at her feet, to look for the jewels in the mire of life.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“That’s all very nice, but in the end, the truth doesn’t help, because we all have our own version of the truth, don’t we? You have to trust in your beliefs, your imagination, and most of all, your love of a good story and how they enrich our lives. A happy life well lived is our ultimate goal, after all … and in the end, nothing else matters.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Good books are like the outpourings of the human soul. They reach into our own, settle in hearts and minds, so that we may carry the story forward with us always. Sometimes our stories are less than perfect, and at times, have tragic endings. To rewrite your story, say thank you to a book, to the characters, the wondrous tales. A few words should be spoken from the heart onto paper, slipped between the”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Good books are like the outpourings of the human soul. They reach into our own, settle in hearts and minds, so that we may carry the story forward with us always. Sometimes our stories are less than perfect, and at times, have tragic endings. To rewrite your story, say thank you to a book, to the characters, the wondrous tales. A few words should be spoken from the heart onto paper, slipped between the pages, along with the belief that to move”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“The rest of your story is waiting to be written, and you hold the pen.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“It’s the unique picture of the story that our imagination presents to each of us. It belongs only to us. The author could have done a wonderful job of describing something, setting the scene, letting us see what they see, but what we actually see is for our eyes only.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“we have to go back to where things started to go wrong for us. Try to find that moment or time and do something – write something – to hopefully change our futures for the better.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Other people's backgrounds and life stories don't really mean and awful lot to anyone but those people, do they? Not really. Of course, you can empathise and sympathise if necessary, but it's not your life, so you can't know what it was actually like for them.”
― Amanda James, The Calico Cat

“I’ve promised myself, along with all the other changes I’m going to make, that I won’t dumb myself down to fit in with my peers anymore. Won’t use restricted vocabulary and will cry in public if I need to. My grandad will be so ashamed.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Fay is certainly a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma and tied with a puzzle.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“Kye does. ‘Yes. The smells and textures of the woodland will be different too. Some of us might even feel the breeze on our face, others will focus on the flower.’ ‘That’s why reading is more personal than watching a TV drama, film or a stage play. In those two mediums, everyone sees the same thing at the same time,’ Jo says, still beaming.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“the laughter in the eyes of Bella and the giggling children and wishes she could capture this moment forever. Joyous. Times like this – plain, simple. Pure joy.”
― Amanda James, The Garden of Memories

“Let it go, little one. You have a big heart, and a beautiful soul. Let it go.”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop

“interesting and popular. Because there is a sharing of our imagination”
― Amanda James, The Midnight Bookshop