to-read
(171)
currently-reading (20)
read (401)
favorites (34)
family-drama (32)
angst (22)
mystery-thriller (20)
light-reads (19)
currently-reading (20)
read (401)
favorites (34)
family-drama (32)
angst (22)
mystery-thriller (20)
light-reads (19)
political
(18)
adventure (16)
new-ideas (16)
romance (15)
intrigue (14)
whimsy-favourites (14)
fantasy (11)
history (11)
adventure (16)
new-ideas (16)
romance (15)
intrigue (14)
whimsy-favourites (14)
fantasy (11)
history (11)
Only occasionally did I notice the chain on the finch’s ankle, or think what a cruel life for a little living creature—fluttering briefly, forced
“I left Beijing because I wanted to be alone and to forge my own path, but I know now that no path is solitary, we all tread across other people's beginnings and ends.”
―
―
“I paint as the mood takes me- it is an emotional release. But in this society moods and images can incriminate you. Writing is much safer for me. I can hide myself behind a maze of words and the details of people's lives.”
―
―
“The drama is this. We came as infants “trailing clouds of glory,” arriving from the farthest reaches of the universe, bringing with us appetites well preserved from our mammal inheritance, spontaneities wonderfully preserved from our 150,000 years of tree life, angers well preserved from our 5,000 years of tribal life—in short, with our 360-degree radiance—and we offered this gift to our parents. They didn’t want it. They wanted a nice girl or a nice boy. That’s the first act of the drama. It doesn’t mean our parents were wicked; they needed us for something. My mother, as a second generation immigrant, needed my brother and me to help the family look more classy. We do the same thing to our children; it’s a part of life on this planet. Our parents rejected who we were before we could talk, so the pain of the rejection is probably stored in some pre-verbal place.”
― A Little Book on the Human Shadow: A Poetic Journey into the Dark Side of the Human Personality, Shadow Work, and the Importance of Confronting Our Hidden Self
― A Little Book on the Human Shadow: A Poetic Journey into the Dark Side of the Human Personality, Shadow Work, and the Importance of Confronting Our Hidden Self
“Our possessing of our world is a temporary matter: we stamp our ownership upon our surroundings, give familiar names to the land about us, erect statues of ourselves, but all of this is swept away, so quickly, so easily. We think the world is ours for ever, but we are little more than squatters.”
― The Careful Use of Compliments
― The Careful Use of Compliments
“I feel I have walked onto a stage. The people around me are absorbed in their parts, putting on this great show, but nothing seems real. Every object looks like a prop. Since I have no part I am reduced to the role of a spectator, but there is nowhere to sit, so I have to mingle with the actors on stage. It is a terrible feeling.”
―
―
Diya’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Diya’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Diya
Lists liked by Diya












































