What people read revealed so much about them that she considered our card catalog a treasure house of privileged secrets; each card contained the map of an individual’s soul.

Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.

The adults don't know what's happening on the kids' universe and the kids don't know what's happening on the adults' universe

Ironically, now that my children are older and gone quite a bit, I find it harder to work when they're not around. Too much free time!

Remember what I've told you. Remember me.

Always keep mint on your windowsill in August, to ensure that buzzing flies will stay outside, where they belong. Don't think the summer is over, even when roses droop and turn brown and the stars shift position in the sky. Never presume August is a safe or reliable time of the year.

I know who you are in your heart,' Andres said. 'That's all that matters.' And that was it. That was the moment. Now I knew how I would feel if I ever lost him. That was how you knew love. My mother had told me that. All you had to do was imagine your life without the other person, and if the thought alone made you shiver, then you knew.