Louisa May Alcott, on books:

...and best of all, the wilderness of books,

in which she could wander, where she liked,

made the library a region of bliss to her.

- Louisa May Alcott.

Shannon Hale, on books and reading:

The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting.
She opened to the first page and started to read, pronouncing the words in a reverent whisper.

- Shannon Hale.

Louisa May Alcott, on books and reading:

I shall keep my book on the table here,

and read a little every morning as soon as I wake,

for I know it will do me good,

and help me through the day.

– Louisa May Alcott.

Jean Craighead George, on books:

Be you writer or reader, it is very pleasant to run away in a book.

- Jean Craighead George.

Brené Brown, on art and creativity:

If we want to make meaning, we need to make art.
Cook, write, draw, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing – it doesn't matter.
As long as we're creating, we're cultivating meaning.

- Brené Brown.

Betsy Byars, on writing:

Writing is like anything – baseball playing, piano playing, sewing, hammering nails.

The more you work on it, the better you get.

But it seems to take a longer time to get better at writing than hammering nails.

- Betsy Byars.

Katherine Paterson, on reading:

Reading has made such a profound difference to my life.
I'm sure I became a writer because of the power of literature in my own life.

- Katherine Paterson.

Julia Alvarez, on books:

A book does not discriminate against any reader.

All are welcome at the table of literature.

– Julia Alvarez.

Ann Patchett, on writing:

It was all in my head and now all I had to do was figure out a way to get it down on paper.

- Ann Patchett.

Anne Rice, on writing:

If you want to be a writer, write.

Write and write and write.

If you stop, start again.

Save everything that you write.

If you feel blocked, write through it until you feel your creative juices flowing again.

Write.

Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less.

- Anne Rice.

Iris Murdoch, on reading and writing:

Reading and writing and the preservation of language and its forms

and the kind of eloquence and the kind of beauty which the language is capable of

is terribly important to the human beings because this is connected to thought.

 – Iris Murdoch.

Things book lovers do ...

Shannon Hale, on writing:

Writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.

- Shannon Hale.

Iris Murdoch, on literature:

The most essential and fundamental aspect of culture is the study of literature,

since this is an education in how to picture and understand human situations.

– Iris Murdoch.

Rebecca Stead, on pajamas:

Pajamas are good for the soul.

- Rebecca Stead.

I can't imagine a world without art:

Earth without art is just "eh".

- Author unknown.

Toni Morrison, on life & art:

Your life is already artful-waiting, just waiting, for you to make it art.

- Toni Morrison.

Just one more chapter ... and another ... and another ...

Everybody should believe in something.

I believe I'll read another chapter.

Jackie Kennedy, on books and reading:

Love of books is the best of all.

– Jackie Kennedy.

Coffee and a book ... my perfect day!

Coffee and a book ... my perfect day!