The Echo of Old Books

by Barbara Davis

We read not to escape life but to learn how to live it more deeply and richly, to experience the world through the eyes of the other.

I saw how marriage diminished her, leaving her smaller somehow, less visible and less valuable.

Restoration is a long and involved business, particularly when the damage is extensive. Progress will be slow. Expect setbacks. Exercise patience. Persist.

Books may be likened to the people who come into our lives. Some will become precious to us; others will be set aside. The key is to discern which is which. —Ashlyn Greer, The Care & Feeding of Old Books

Just noticed this is from the protagonist

I’ve heard people say that at the most terrible moments of their lives, they felt as if the ground had been yanked out from under them. I always thought it a hyperbolic turn of phrase. Now I know better.

The number of lives we are capable of living is limited only by the number of books we choose to read.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.