rita's book journal

“Portugal. That was where I’d heard the word saudade before. It wasn’t easily translatable. A kind of longing, a nostalgia, a sense of incompleteness, not just romantic but existential, rooted in the very fabric of our people. It had suited Arden. Portuguese was the tongue of melancholic dreamers, of lonely poets.”
― Laura Steven, Our Infinite Fates

“The cruelest fate the gods and stars had ever written: the person I loved most in the world was the person who would ultimately destroy me.”
― Laura Steven, Our Infinite Fates

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfishness. Be kind anyway. All the good you do today will be forgotten by others tomorrow. Do good anyway.”
― Fredrik Backman, Beartown

“Every day isn’t a fairy tale. We’ve worked hard for our relationship. To build it. To maintain it. I’ve become so many versions of myself and so has he, but we’ve found a way to fall in love with one another over and over again. Every time.”
― B.K. Borison, First-Time Caller