The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a breezy, big-hearted treat, especially if you've ever wondered about the inner workings of America's national treasures--neighborhood bookstores.

What's the point of having a book club if you don't get to eat brownies and drink wine?

In the wintertime I like macaroni and cheese.

An ellipsis is a giant ocean of possibilities.

I find that short stories are almost like palate cleansers, or brain cleansers.

You can quit smoking, and never have to have a cigarette again to survive. But with food, it is a daily challenge.

I love doing readings. I could really give a crap about reviews. It's kind of about the readers.

I remember being banned from other houses as a younger child during the winter holiday season; I was the only one who didn't believe in Santa Claus, and I was ruining everyone's Christmas.

I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to, even, but it could still feel big.

In 1998, I started a blog, something I could control very easily and update at my own whim.

I'm not that much of a researcher. I'm good at channeling characters, and I'm good at structure.

Current / is the cure for both a stopped heart / and one that beats too much. / And if it must be shocked twice, / the surgeons call it a reluctant heart.

Oh well, " McWatt sang, "what the hell.

Money makes the world go round, but love makes the universe go in every direction.

Feelings too must be renovated: old ones removed in many cases, or at least thoroughly modified, and new ones installed or at least heightened into a new prominence.

My goal is to destroy Christianity.

I love him whose soul is lavish, who wanteth no thanks and doth not give back: for he always bestoweth, and desireth not to keep for himself.

The purpose of America is to unleash the full talent and genius of every individual.

Even those to whom Providence has allotted greater strength of understanding can expect only to improve a single science.

In the valley of sorrow, spread your wings.

One of the beauties of the Buddhadharma is there are so many approaches, and not everything is right for everybody.