Other people sound flat to my ear; their words just hang in the air. But when my mother says something, the ends curl.

I think people might think, oh, I don't want to approach the big famous author because it's embarrassing, but then they think for two seconds about it and realize, this is, like, a toilet bowl reader.

Reading takes solitude and it takes focus.

Our lives are one endless stretch of misery punctuated by processed fast foods and the occasional crisis or amusing curiosity.

You have an incredible body." He reaches out to touch my stomach. I feel no pleasure in his compliment or his touch, only impatience. This is the only feeling. I feel like the paper on which my mood chart is printed.

But my favorite band is Curbside Life, out of Chicago.

Imperfections are attractive when their owners are happy with them.