Many of the roses had dropped their petals, leaving the stem and the rosehip, the green, grapelike fruit of the rose. Abuelita said the rosehip contained the memories of the roses and that when you drank tea made from it, you took in all
...more
“[...] You can't count on things happening tomorrow just because they happened in the past. It's faulty logic.'
'Is it?' I say. 'Because it's kind of how people plan out their lives.'
'And that's part of the trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.”
― Sunrise on the Reaping
'Is it?' I say. 'Because it's kind of how people plan out their lives.'
'And that's part of the trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.”
― Sunrise on the Reaping
“Ironsides used to complain about how hard this job was,” he grumbled. “You know the worst part about being in charge, Spin?” “No, sir.” “Perspective. When you’re young, you can assume that everyone older than you has life figured out. Once you get command yourself, you realize we’re all just the same kids wearing older bodies.”
― Starsight
― Starsight
“And telling her parents about it was completely out of the question. They were modern, to a certain extent (or at least that's what they called themselves), and you might even say they were understanding. But between being understanding and actually understanding something yawns an unbridgeable chasm - a chasm so deep that you often can't see the bottom at all.”
― Dear Mr. M
― Dear Mr. M
“In his brief time as a student, he'd fallen in love with the Boeksplein. Jesper had never been a great reader. He loved stories, but he hated sitting still, and the books assigned to him for school seemed designed to make his mind wander. At the Boeksplein, wherever his eyes strayed, there was something to occupy them; leaded windows with stained-glass borders, iron gates worked in to figures of books and ships, the central fountain with its bearded scholar, and best of all, the gargoyles- bat-winged grotesques in mortarboard caps, and stone dragons falling asleep over books. He liked to think that whoever had built this place had known not all students were suited to quite contemplation.”
― Crooked Kingdom
― Crooked Kingdom
“He was a marvelous talker, a magical talker, and I wish I were able to give a better idea what he said, but it is impossible for a mediocre intellect to render the speech of a superior one - especially after so many years - without losing a good deal in the translation. The discussion that day was about loss of self, about Plato's four divine madnesses, about madness of all sorts; he began by talking about what he called the burden of the self, and why people want to lose the self in the first place.
'Why does that obstinate little voice in our heads torment us so?' he said, looking around the table. 'Could it be because it reminds us that we are alive, of our mortality, of our individual souls - which, after all, we are too afraid to surrender but yet make us feel more miserable than any other thing? But isn't it also pain that often makes us most aware of self? It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and no thing hurts along with one's burned tongues and skinned knees, that one's aches and pains are all one's own. Even more terrible, as we grow older, to learn that no person, no matter how beloved, can ever truly understand us. Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that's why we're so anxious to lose them, don't you think?”
― The Secret History
'Why does that obstinate little voice in our heads torment us so?' he said, looking around the table. 'Could it be because it reminds us that we are alive, of our mortality, of our individual souls - which, after all, we are too afraid to surrender but yet make us feel more miserable than any other thing? But isn't it also pain that often makes us most aware of self? It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and no thing hurts along with one's burned tongues and skinned knees, that one's aches and pains are all one's own. Even more terrible, as we grow older, to learn that no person, no matter how beloved, can ever truly understand us. Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that's why we're so anxious to lose them, don't you think?”
― The Secret History
Buddy Reads
— 56 members
— last activity Sep 21, 2018 10:29PM
Goodreads is always better with friends, so I’ve created a friendly group where we can buddy read, chat books and make friends. ❤️💛💚💜 You can join in ...more
Our Shared Shelf
— 222813 members
— last activity May 18, 2026 10:32AM
OUR SHARED SHELF IS CURRENTLY DORMANT AND NOT MANAGED BY EMMA AND HER TEAM. Dear Readers, As part of my work with UN Women, I have started reading ...more
lonely hearts club
— 68 members
— last activity Mar 15, 2019 12:42PM
for the lonely bitches, typically we’d read books with dreamy guys and maybe books with tight knit friend groups as well
Literally Dead Book Club
— 16516 members
— last activity Feb 18, 2026 12:04PM
A mostly monthly book club (February-November) focused on thriller/mystery/horror hosted by BooksandLala and a rotating set of wonderful co-hosts! li ...more
Diana’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Diana’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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