The truth will set you free. Either that or it'll get you a punch in the nose.

All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. ... But with each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not.

The plain state of being human is dramatic enough for anyone; you don't need to be a heroin addict or a performance poet to experience extremity. You just have to love someone.

I'm human. That's how humans spend their time, doing shitty things.

He'd told her it was just a scratch and got cross when she hadn't offered morphine.

Hey, great idea: if you have kids, give your partner reading vouchers next Christmas. Each voucher entitles the bearer to two hours' reading time *while the kids are awake*. It might look like a cheapskate present, but parents will appreciate that it costs more in real terms than a Lamborghini.

Not for the first time in my life, and certainly not for the last, a self-righteous gloom had edged out all semblance of logic.