“Never sleep with someone whose troubles are worse than your own.”
― A Walk on the Wild Side
― A Walk on the Wild Side
“What’s writing really about? It’s about trying to take fuller possession of the reality of your life.”
―
―
“When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself: 'If you have love, even plain water is sweet.”
― Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
― Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
“I long ago became convinced that the most reliable source for arcane and obscure and seemingly unobtainable information does not lie with the government or law enforcement agencies. Apparently neither the CIA nor the military intelligence apparatus inside the Pentagon had even a slight inkling of the Soviet Union's impending collapse, right up to the moment the Kremlin's leaders were trying to cut deals for their memoirs with New York publishers. Or, if a person really wishes a lesson in the subjective nature of official information, he can always call the IRS and ask for help with his tax forms, then call back a half hour later and ask the same questions to a different representative. So where do you go to find a researcher who is intelligent, imaginative, skilled in the use of computers, devoted to discovering the truth, and knowledgeable about science, technology, history, and literature, and who usually works for dirt and gets credit for nothing? After lunch I drove to the city library on Main and asked the reference librarian to find what she could on Junior Crudup.”
― Last Car to Elysian Fields
― Last Car to Elysian Fields
“But the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.”
― On Suicide
― On Suicide
Simon’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Simon’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Simon
Lists liked by Simon






















