It was so quiet, a reservation kind of quiet, where you can hear somebody drinking whiskey on the rocks three miles away.

My father was always depressed. When he was home and sober, he was mostly in his room.

I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don't write to protect them. It's far too late for that. I write to give them weapons-in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.

If you're good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, then it can't be wrong.

When a glass sits on a table here, people don't wonder if it's half filled or half empty. They just hope it's good beer.

Drinking would shut down my seeing and my hearing and my feeling," she used to say. "Why would I want to be in the world if I couldn't touch the world with all of my senses intact?

[F]rank knew he was guilty of arrogance and misanthropy, but he compensated by being kind to strangers and tipping really well at restaurants.