That was one of the most fundamental and sacred duties good friends and families performed for one another! They tended the flame of memory, so no one’s death meant an immediate vanishment from the world; in some sense the deceased would live on after their passing, at least as long as those who loved them lived. Such memories were an essential weapon against the chaos of life and death, a way to ensure some continuity from generation to generation, an order of endorsement and meaning.

I try not to spend too much time on partisan politics. Life's too short for that. I don't really believe that there have been many human problems solved by politics.

... and she had worn bitterness as though it were a crown.

She was fascinated with words. To her, words were things of beauty, each like a magical powder or potion that could be combined with other words to create powerful spells.

Behind every closed door might wait a thief of minds and a collector of souls.

Dogs are one of those things that make you happy and make you wonder.

Too much mystery is merely an annoyance. Too much adventure is exhausting. And a little terror goes a long way.