Major theme of the book ["Hotels of North America"], from my point of view: what is persona, what is self, in the digital sphere, and/or what is the effect of it on self in a prolonged interaction.

I believe in choosing the hardest book imaginable. I believe in reading up on what others have to say about this difficult book, and then making up my own mind.

I judged about a zillion awards this year so Ive been reading a lot of books that just came out.

The Ice Storm, because of the movie, has had, or is to have, a vigorous life in other cultures.

People know that pain is part of our nature, that it cannot be avoided and that it should not be avoided. But capitalism in this country is focused on the idea 1) that life can and should be absolutely beautiful; 2) that beauty can be defined according to an ironclad objective standard; 3) that beauty can be held onto forever if only you do the right things perfectly enough; and 4) that it can be purchased.

Tangled in one another's arms and nine times out of ten the things you think about a person make it impossible to touch them.

I don't know exactly how long the book as we know it will exist, but I fully expect to make it to my death without having to give up on books.