So much of what you take for granted is the bedrock of happiness.

You can get rid of the column. It's a little like staying at a hotel; you get used to the shape of the room, and then you're gone. With a novel you move into town and stay for a long time. That's both comforting and terrifying.

I think that we really fool ourselves about our ability to be safe and secure nowadays.

Those of us who read because we love it more than anything, who feel about bookstores the way some people feel about jewelers.

I was doing the family grocery shopping accompanied by two children, an event I hope to see included in the Olympics in the near future.

Fashions in bigotry come and go. The right thing lasts.

You realize that especially when you're writing a book like this, looking back on your life, that there's just such a depth of understanding you acquire over time with the help of the people who love you that that's when you can really get down to what you really think and believe.