Probably I, like a lot of people, became a writer in imitation of or in homage to the books I enjoyed. When you're so captivated by something, you think, could I do that? Hmm, let me try

I feel like a lot of life is distasteful and embarrassing. And you just push through it. You fix what you can, and you let time pass.

... nothing broke my heart like the slow death of a shared joke that had once seemed genuinely funny.

I wanted my life to start - but in those rare moments when it seemed like something might actually change, panic shot through me.

I'm able to separate fiction and reality. I guess it remains to be seen if other people are.

At that time in my life, no conclusion was a bad conclusion. Something ended, and you stopped wishing and worrying. You could consider your mistakes, and you might be embarrassed by them, but the box was sealed, the door was shut, you were no longer immersed in the confusing middle.

If you’re a parent in 2013, you have to get your hands on this book. Wise, engrossing, and so real that I fear Senior has been spying inside my house, All Joy is a must-read for those of us whose lives have been enriched and derailed by having kids.