"You don't put your life into your books, you find it there"
– Alan Bennett, "The Uncommon Reader"

Alan Bennett

"Nice people don't necessarily fall in love with nice people." – Jonathan Franzen, "Freedom"

Jonathan Franzen

"In the end, it is my belief, words are the only things that can construct a world that makes sense." – Kate Atkinson, "Behind the Scenes at the Museum"

Kate Atkinson

"Everything was broken, meaning everything could somehow be fixed." – Noelle Howey, "Dress Codes"

Noelle Howey

"It is possible to know the great truths without feeling the truth of them." – Marilynne Robinson, "Home"

Marilynne Robinson

"The beginning is the word and the end is silence. And in between are all the stories." – Kate Atkinson, "Human Croquet"

Kate Atkinson

"I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions." – Augusten Burroughs, "Magical Thinking"

Augusten Burroughs

"Biology gives you a brain. Life turns it into a mind." – Jeffrey Eugenides, "Middlesex"

Jeffrey Eugenides

"In the immemorial style of young men under pressure, they decided to lie down for a while and waste time." – Michael Chabon, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay"

Michael Chabon

"There is a beauty in the world, though it's harsher than we expect it to be." – Michael Cunningham, "The Hours"

Michael Cunningham

"She wanted a book to take her places she couldn't get to herself." – Jeffrey Eugenides, "The Marriage Plot"

Tamim Ansary