“Science isn’t an exercise in cold-blooded rationality. Scientists are—and have always been—emotional, creative, intuitive, whole human beings, asking questions about a world that was never made to be catalogued and systematized.”
― Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
― Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
“Ask yourself, Eugenides: why that orange tree? Why that tamarisk bush? She had promised you your heart’s desire while a child of hers was alone in the world and unhappy. See, Eugenides,” Moira said, holding out a finger from each of her hands and interlinking them. “Only two threads brought together, two threads that touched,” she reassured him. “Nothing more than that. And everything else left up to you.”
― Return of the Thief
― Return of the Thief
“Just because you can explain it doesn't mean it's not still a miracle.”
― Small Gods
― Small Gods
“No one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away, until the clock wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone’s life is only the core of their actual existence.”
― Reaper Man
― Reaper Man
“Humans! They lived in a world where the grass continued to be green and the sun rose every day and flowers regularly turned into fruit, and what impressed them? Weeping statues. And wine made out of water! A mere quantum-mechanistic tunnel effect, that'd happen anyway if you were prepared to wait zillions of years. As if the turning of sunlight into wine, by means of vines and grapes and time and enzymes, wasn't a thousand times more impressive and happened all the time...”
― Small Gods
― Small Gods
Basil’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Basil’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Polls voted on by Basil
Lists liked by Basil
























