Quotes from Celeste Ng

Can fiction teach us? Absolutely. Fiction has the power to illustrate place, era, and atmosphere in vivid detail. But it is not Anthropology for Dummies.

As a historically voracious reader - pre-baby, I averaged a book every week or two, and when I was a kid, I'd routinely read a book a day - I never understood how some people could not read. When I heard people say they didn't have time to read, in my head, I simultaneously pitied and ridiculed them: there was always time to read.

Before my son was even born, he already had two shelves of books.

What you look for as a reader is somebody who is going to take you and say, 'C'mon. Come into the story. I'm going to show you what there is to see.' The guide who is going to tell you, 'Pay attention over there,' or, 'Do you remember that other thing? Now watch!'

Even if Pearl S. Buck hadn't spent most of her life in China, she'd have every right to write about it.

I lose pens a lot, so I don't use fancy ones.

My husband really treats my writing like it's a job - and he reminds me of that when I have those low moments where I think I should just quit and become a waitress.

Now that I have a child of my own, I'm in awe of - and deeply grateful for - the time my parents spent in taking me to bookstores.

Growing up, I loved looking at the photos in my mother's old Betty Crocker cookbook: the chocolate cakes, the cookie house, even the cheese balls and fondues.

Buying new books supports the writer by providing both a royalty and an audience; a writer whose book sells well has a better chance of selling another.

Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.

We have to figure out why we see the world in different ways and then how are we going to adjust so that we can at least still understand each other.

When reading fiction, we cannot automatically assume that what we read is fact.

I moved to Shaker Heights from Pittsburgh, PA, just before I turned 10.

I play music on my phone to fall asleep when I'm on the road and as an alarm clock to wake me up, so I need it nearby - but there are never outlets by the bed in hotels!

I'm very much a people pleaser, and the first book had such a devoted and loving following.

I think I'm good at metaphors and descriptions. Plot doesn't come naturally to me, so I work really hard at it.

I really wanted to be a poet - until I realized that I really didn't have what it took to be a poet.

I'm ashamed to admit that I very seldom read poetry, even though many of my friends are poets.

For me, any story I tackle begins with the human relationships and not the plot.

Of course, as a kid, I had no idea what was practical: I wanted to be a paleontologist, then an astronaut.

My mother is deeply pragmatic by nature. Perhaps you had to be, as an immigrant. You made do.

Reading feeds writing: it presents you with new ideas to engage with.

Debut novels are difficult because nobody knows you... they just don't find a huge audience, because that's how the market works.