“There aren’t very many people in this world who really know how to look. Usually one glance is enough to register that the grass is green and the sky is blue and so on. They can tell you if the sun is shining or if it looks like rain, but that’s about all. It’s such a pity, for there is texture to everything we see, and everything we do and hear. That’s what I want today’s lesson to be about. I want you to start noticing things. Once you get used to it you’ll never be able to stop. It’s the best game in the world.”
― The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
― The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
“After my parents left us with Nan and Pop, it took weeks for me to stop feeling jumpy, to get used to living with two people who actually seemed to love each other.”
― An Ember in the Ashes
― An Ember in the Ashes
“What do you see before you? What else could you? I am a child who has everything. But honestly, I would trade places with just about anyone. For good or ill, I'll never know freedom, never be allowed to take a chance and experience accomplishment. Never really know my own worth, or worthlessness. You know, never being allowed to fall down steals any gratification or confidence from standing up.”
― Esrahaddon
― Esrahaddon
“For the first time, I understood that I was afraid of Mother for the guilt she made me bear, and that I could never have an honest conversation with her. The woman I wanted for a friend would always be right; I would always be wrong. I have never understood why, for Mother was genuinely kind to others and could be kind to me when I did exactly as she wished.”
― A Girl from Yamhill
― A Girl from Yamhill
“Forgive her, if you can," I say. "Remember that fate is never what we think it will be. Your mother-my mother-we can never understand their torments. Their hurts. We may suffer the consequences of their mistakes and their sins, but we should not carry them on our hearts. We don't deserve that.”
― A Reaper at the Gates
― A Reaper at the Gates
Em’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Em’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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