“Why am I choosing to feel upset right now?” and “How can I make more effective use of my present moments?” are the internal queries of a person moving away from erroneous zones toward self-reliance and happiness.
“It is always astonishing how love can strike. No context is love-proof, no convention or commitment impervious. Even a lifestyle which is perfectly insulated, where the personality is controlled, all the days ordered and all actions in sequence, can to its own dismay find that an unexpected spark has landed; it begins to smolder until it is finally unquenchable. The force of Eros always brings disturbance; in the concealed terrain of the human heart Eros remains a light sleeper.”
― The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity
― The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity
“You know who does a lot of good deeds and doesn't have kids and totally understands what's important in life? George Clooney. Unlike me, he doesn't give a fuck what you think about the fact that he's not "selfless" enough to father a kid. He's not writing a book defending his position. He's having sex with a cocktail waitress and then saving Darfur. Both are noble positions.”
― I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids
― I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids
“Despite a 50 percent divorce rate for first marriages and 65 percent the second time around; despite the staggering frequency of affairs; despite the fact that monogamy is a ship sinking faster than anyone can bail it out, we continue to cling to the wreckage with absolute faith in its structural soundness.”
― Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence
― Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence
“The pain feels like a hole swallowing her up, a source of intense fear and yet, at the same time, a strange, quiet peace.”
― The Vegetarian
― The Vegetarian
“I had no idea that marriage was only supposed to be between two people who wanted to get between the sheets and make more people. What ever happened to marrying for love— or to get on your partner’s health insurance policy, or for presents? No one was going to buy two people in their thirties a four-slice toaster if we just continued to live in sin.”
― I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids
― I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids
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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