It made me wonder how many times we forgive just because we don't want to lose someone, even if they don't deserve our forgiveness.

The loneliness you feel with another person, the wrong person, is the loneliest of all.

Maybe we ought to look at a guy's response to our microwave from now on." Aunt Annie said. Really." Mom said. "The narcissist looks at his reflection in it. The OCD guy thinks you don't keep it clean enough.The antisocial--" Puts his fist through it because it reminds him of his father." Annie said. She'd read all of mom's books, too. And the paranoid one would be jealous of the amount of time you spend cooking." Mom said Were you using that microwave again? Is something going on between the two of you? I caught you looking right at its clock." Annie said.

Beaches, music, and car rides—they could all bring on a sudden bout of deep, dreamy thoughts.

Becoming a YA author was actually a very lucky accident. When I wrote the Queen of Everything, I thought it was a book for adults.

Being needed was a handy trick. It could fill you up so full you never even noticed all the places that were empty.

We're as good at talking ourselves out of fear as into it, aren't we? Maybe better.