“It hurts to live after someone has died. It just does. It can hurt to walk down a hallway or open the fridge. It hurts to put on a pair of socks, to brush your teeth. Food tastes like nothing. Colors go flat. Music hurts, and so do memories. You look at something you’d otherwise find beautiful—a purple sky at sunset or a playground full of kids—and it only somehow deepens the loss. Grief is so lonely this way.”
― Becoming
― Becoming
“I think that’s why it’s important that we express ourselves: you never know who might be listening and who needs to hear you.”
― ¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons
― ¡Hola Papi!: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons
“There is a grief worse than death. It is the grief of a life half-lived. Not because you don’t know what could have been—but because you do. You realize too late that it was there for the taking—right there in your hands—and you let it slip away. Because you let something—or someone—keep you apart.”
― The Keeper of Happy Endings
― The Keeper of Happy Endings
“Humans mourn time, because it’s the only currency that really matters in a life so short.”
― The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King
― The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King
Erika’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Erika’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
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