Quotes from Susan Wiggs

Already, Seattle is taking hold of her. She still holds Sedona in the dry tan of her skin and in her hair, but the fine mist of the Northwest is making its way to places she didn't know were parched.

She reflects on the girl she had been in this place, and the things she had to do in order to survive. For a long time, she'd had to live her child- hood backward, forced to step up and take charge of things that were thrust into her hands.

That if you never get your hopes up," she said, taking a sip of hot chocolate, "you'll never be disappointed." "Ouch

Everybody's in love when they're eighteen. And everybody gets dumped.

Don't let the things you have to do take over the things you love to do.

Insults sting but a little when they stem from a man's ignorance.

The best way to keep from stumbling over the past was to move forward

Nobody can fix another person. But everybody tries.

You're right. I have no heart because I lost it to you.

the best ideas are big ideas that come straight from your gut, not your head. Ideas that give you big feelings.

Natalie reminded herself to savor the deep, rich wine and the glorious colors of the gathering sunset. She had a good life. A good job. A good friend.

A book, too, can be a star . . . a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe. —Madeleine L'Engle

You can't rewind life or undo things.

During the post-breakdown period, she read books the way an addict swallowed pills. She devoured stories one after the other, trying not to let reality intrude too deeply.

What is home? Maybe it's not a place, but a moment in time. When I was safe. Secure. Cared for. Home. It's more than a point on a map. It's a sensation. A feeling of comfort—feet

Ever since she was small, she'd found delight and comfort in books. For her, a story was so much more than words on a page. Opening a book was like opening a door to another world, and once she stepped across the threshold, she was transported. When she was reading a story, she lived inside a different skin.

On Sunday, something washed up on shore.

Dreams changed a person, and there was a little danger in that, because having a powerful dream made you vulnerable to failure and disappointment.

In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are. —Max De Pree

Kyle Bohner

The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails.

There can be no fooling ourselves into thinking this is something other than what it is—the willful ejection of Molly from our nest. It's too late for second thoughts, anyway. She has to be moved into her dorm in time for freshman orientation. It's been marked on the kitchen calendar for weeks—the expiration date on her childhood.

Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

Unlike men, books were easy. They filled you with all the emotions in the world—joy, dread, fear, hurt, gratification—and then they came to an end. People were different. Unpredictable. Impossible to manage.