Ashley Woods
https://www.goodreads.com/ashleyjwoods
“The First [Friend] is the alter ego, the man who first reveals to you that you are not alone in the world by turning out (beyond hope) to share all your most secret delights. There is nothing to be overcome in making him your friend; he and you join like raindrops on a window. But the Second Friend is the man who disagrees with you about everything. He is not so much the alter ego as the antiself. Of course he shares your interests; otherwise he would not become your friend at all. But he has approached them all at a different angle. He has read all the right books but has got the wrong thing out of every one. It is as if he spoke your language but mispronounced it. How can he be so nearly right and yet, invariably, just not right? He is as fascinating (and infuriating) as a woman. When you set out to correct his heresies, you will find that he forsooth to correct yours! And then you go at it, hammer and tongs, far into the night, night after night, or walking through fine country that neither gives a glance to, each learning the weight of the other's punches, and often more like mutually respectful enemies than friends. Actually (though it never seems so at the time) you modify one another's thought; out of this perpetual dogfight a community of mind and a deep affection emerge.”
― Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
― Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life
“When hiring, mix Harvard Nerds with Chicago Improvisers and stir.”
― Bossypants
― Bossypants
“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.
After that I liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.”
― Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
After that I liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
I used to not like God because God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened.”
― Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
“Dying for something is easy because it is associated with glory. Living for something is the hard thing. Living for something extends beyond fashion, glory, or recognition. We live for what we believe.”
― Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
― Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
“I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze.”
― Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
― Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality
Around the World in 80 Books
— 31215 members
— last activity 15 hours, 39 min ago
Reading takes you places. Where in the world will your next book take you? If you love world literature, translated works, travel writing, or explorin ...more
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
— 42983 members
— last activity 1 hour, 36 min ago
This group is for people participating in the Popsugar reading challenge for 2026 (or any other year). The Popsugar website posted a reading challenge ...more
Ashley’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Ashley’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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Art, Classics, Ebooks, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor and Comedy, Religion, Spirituality, Travel, and Young-adult
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