Trees there were, old as trees can be, huge and grasping with hearts black as sin. Strange trees that some said walked in the night.

The names are the first things to go, after the breath has gone, and the beating of the heart. We keep our memories longer than our names.

Growing up, I took so many cues from books. They taught me most of what I knew about what people did, about how to behave. They were my teachers and my advisers.

I'm somebody who considers happiness a journey, not a destination.

For the record, I don't expect you to believe any of this. Not really. I'm a liar by trade, after all; albeit, I like to think, an honest liar.

The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity.

I miss you', he admitted. 'I'm here', she said. 'That's when I miss you most. When you're here. When you aren't here, when you're just a ghost of the past or a dream from another life, it's easier then.