keeper of words: favorite quotes

I love the peculiar mind-locking sensation of hearing or reading a line or phrase in a song or a story that completely captures you. There's a visceral reaction when you comprehend and are struck by a perfectly written or spoken phrase. It catches you off guard with its wittiness or makes your heart skip a beat with its ferocity or poetic accuracy. My favorite books have those pockets of power over me. I've never been much of a highlighter, physically marking up or taking notes in my actual books, but I absolutely am an internal keeper of words. Special lines stay with me for months, sometimes years.

When I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, I went to work the next day and created a collage of all of my favorites quotes from that book to hang around my cubicle wall. I wanted to be completely surrounded by those thoughts, words, feelings. The beauty of that novel struck me dumb, and it was all about the words.

My husband and I were listening to The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch on audiobook (for the second time) on our drive home this weekend, and we were practically giddy with the crude, brilliant writing. We kept skipping back to hear pieces of it again and again. The wit, the stunning wit. It tumbles around in your mind until you're dizzy with it.

I can't get Locke Lamora out of my head, so I thought today's post would be dedicated to sharing some of my favorite book quotes. There are so many to choose from, but I hope some of the ones featured here catch your mind in that extravagant way and inspire you to read and breathe them all in. Especially if there are any books in this list you haven't yet read! Go forth and remedy that at once.

Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Leisel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.

The Book Thief

"You were the one who taught me," he said. "I never looked at you without seeing the sweetness of the way the world goes together, or without sorrow for its spoiling. I became a hero to serve you, and all that is like you."

The Last Unicorn

It seemed she was in a cathedral—if, that is, the earth itself were to dream a cathedral into being over thousands of years of water weeping through stone.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I'm going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Sometimes I think my papa is an accordion. 

When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.

The Book Thief

"He must have known I'd want to leave you."

"No, he must have known you would always want to come back."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

It gave her a creeping sense of impending aloneness, like she was some orphaned animal raised by do-gooders, soon to be released into the wild. 

She didn't want to be released into the wild. She wanted to be held dear.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Rose doesn’t like the flat country, but I always did – flat country seems to give the sky such a chance.

I Capture the Castle

If he had a bloody gash across his throat and a physiker was trying to sew it up, Lamora would steal the needle and thread and die laughing! He steals too much!

The Lies of Locke Lamora

I am what I am. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, for you have been kind to me. But I am a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer.

The Last Unicorn

the best of sirius black

I decided it was about time for me to dedicate a post to one of my first loves, Harry Potter. 

Allow me to geek out a little bit with you. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite of the Potter books, I think mostly because I love Sirius Black. I get this weird and wonderful nostalgic feeling every time I look at that original book cover (although really, all of the original book art has that effect on me). 

Sometimes a character touches my soul in a way that's truly lasting, and Sirius Black is absolutely one of the most poignant examples of that. I remember quite vividly meeting him for the first time. 

And by "meet" I mean read, because of course I am a book enthusiast, and the books always win. Especially in the case of Harry Potter. I happen to think that Gary Oldman played a fine Sirius Black, but the real Sirius is so much more than that. He is much deeper and more tragic and complex, and his character in the books gets way more (well-deserved) airtime than the scant movie-version-Sirius. 

(Somewhat obvious disclaimer: SPOILERS ABOUND).

My husband and I were re-watching Goblet of Fire last night, and aside from the ridiculousness of super-angry Dumbledore in that film (which I won't even try to get into here), the most upsetting part of that movie is the great lack of Sirius Black. The movies barely skim the surface of his short epic life, and for those of you who have only watched the movies and haven't read the books (aka people I'm judging harshly), here are my top 5 reasons for loving Sirius Black. 

1. He Escaped from Azkaban

In other words, he is legit. 

I just love a good plot twist. Sirius is a blatantly terrible, malnourished, matted criminal for most of Prisoner of Azkaban and it takes a good amount of blood, sweat and tears for us and Harry to realize that he's actually his long-imprisoned and wrongly-accused godfather. 

Not only did he escape from the darkest wizarding prison of all time, but he did so by secretly being a dog as an Animagus. He was so impassioned by the sight of Peter Pettigrew in the newspaper and the thought of him being near Harry that he gained the strength and resolution to slip by the Dementors and swim all the way to Hogwarts. He is one dedicated hound. 

(Side note: he owns a flying motorcycle, he escaped Azkaban as Padfoot, and he escaped imprisonment again by riding a condemned hippogriff named Buckbeak. Gotta give him props for style.)

2. He Keeps His Promises

He is the epitome of a loyal friend. Avenging the death of his best friend James was the driving force that led him to escape from Azkaban. Once he gets to Harry, he immediately claims his right as Harry's godfather, the way James would have wanted it. He invests himself in Harry's life, befriending his friends and teaching him more about his family than he ever would have known otherwise. He is incredibly protective, a man of great conviction and a man of his word.

Even though he couldn't invite Harry to live with him the way he had originally intended (due to a cowardly rat and a wizard world price on his head), he still maintained constant contact and was always intent on being with Harry whenever he could. 

His friendship is the real deal. 

I love Prisoner of Azkaban for many reasons, but these first scenes with Sirius are at the top of my list. There's a lot of what-the-crappery that goes on in that chapter, and a lot of twists and turns. That quote is one of my favorites, and it always gives me chills. 

His loyalty to those he loved always came before himself -- even to death.

3. He is Broken

One of the most resonating aspects of Sirius's character is that he is just as broken as Harry is. He is flawed, but he is also incredibly strong. He becomes a mixture of father and brother to Harry, which occasionally causes him to lose sight of Harry and instead see James - the friend he can't quite let go of, the one he will forever miss. Rip my heart out.

Some might say that Sirius was perhaps too broken and reckless to be a true father figure to Harry...that maybe he was unable to carry that burden of responsibility. In truth he never really had the chance to grow up -- much of his life was stolen by war, grief and Azkaban. He never had a family of his own. His happiest and strongest memories were of boyhood with James. Maybe there was still a lot of immaturity there. He was too ready to risk himself, and less thoughtful of those he could hurt by putting himself in danger.

But because of their blurred relational line, Sirius is much more honest and open with Harry than any of the other adults, much to their frustration. As an outsider I always trusted Sirius more because he never lied to Harry or tried to hide things from him "for his own good". He may have been a little too eager to replace James in his life, but he also knew, or at least believed, that Harry could handle more than anyone else gave him credit for.

4. He is Brave

This title could also be he is reckless, but the bottom line is that he is a man of action. It makes me want to both cheer and cry that he's the type of person who can't sit still while other people are out there doing things. The risk, the danger, the passion, the living. That is Sirius.

Even from the beginning he broke the mold set forth by his ancestors -- the Ancient House of Black, notoriously noble and wicked, was absolutely ashamed by his goodness. He was the first decent Black in centuries, sorted into Gryffindor at age 11 and committed to shaking loose from his family's legacy. As we know from other dark wizards, breaking free from the Slytherin family tradition isn't an easy task.

He was brave and rebellious enough to risk capture in order to be closer to Harry on several occasions. Even before they met, he would sneak to the Gryffindor Quidditch matches to watch Harry fly. When Harry started having dreams related to Voldemort, and Sirius believed him to be in danger, he moved closer to Hogwarts to be nearer to him.
This wasn't just any ordinary danger, either -- if he would have been caught he would have been given over to the Dementors. As Dumbledore said, a Dementor's Kiss is "a fate worse than death."
He was quite literally risking his soul.


5. His Story is Tragic

As much as I hate the ending to Sirius's story, as much as I despise his life being snatched away (in a curtain, no less), his tragic end is part of the reason why I hold him so dear in my heart.
His reckless desire to act and protect was what ultimately killed him -- and I can't even blame him for it. I can blame Kreacher, and Harry a little bit, but that won't help any of us.

UGH, Order of the Phoenix. That whole book made me want to quit reading altogether to be honest, but I think I've come to the point (15 years later) where I can begrudgingly accept and understand.

His death is a part of the devastating intricacies of Harry's life. It's part of what both propels and comforts Harry in the moments before facing his own death, as he confronts Voldemort for the last time. Sirius was another casualty of war -- and it was a war he believed in.

He is my favorite character. He always has been and always will be.
Long live Moony, Padfoot and Prongs.

The End.

real style talk

This is currently the background on my desktop at work.
I remember seeing this last year and just thinking, yes. 
Honestly, style is hard to explain. Is there a true definition? I'm not sure. There's fashion, sure. Trends, seasons, the ever-changing currents of the industry. But a person's style is...personal.

I once had a conversation with a dear friend who was asking me what was so important about makeup and clothes and hairstyles, and why it had to define a woman so much.
She was feeling pressure from people to look a certain way or shop for certain things - to fix her hair and dress more feminine.
It was kind of a soul-searching moment for me, because I love that kind of thing. I enjoy getting my nails done, I love shopping and picking out clothes. I get excited about outfits that just work in my mind, that I really love wearing.

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I hadn't begun blogging yet at the time of our conversation, which occurred somewhere around late high school. But I had always enjoyed those girlish activities of getting ready each morning and wearing perfume and wanting to feel pretty each day.
I'm not sure I answered her well, or if I really edified her in that moment. While I can't remember exactly what I said or what "wisdom" I tried to offer, it was probably something along the lines of "I'll take you shopping! I'll show you how fun it is!!!"

This conversation has been something I've thought about often.
I don't think style should be something that's expected or designed to be a certain way, it's just how you express yourself. It's being yourself on purpose. 
I have my own personal thoughts on what that should mean (including a degree of modesty, etc.), but really it's just about being comfortable and free in the way you look. I think the reason why so many women care so much about the way they look is because of the way it makes them feel.
For me, it's a culmination of my creativity. It's an exciting outlet for me. I can attest that many a time people have disagreed heartily with things I choose to wear, certain combinations or prints or what have you. Usually I just go ahead and wear it anyway. Maybe I'll regret it later, but in that moment, it's my work of art and I'll show the world at my own risk.

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It has been exciting for me to see my friend find what things she enjoys over time, things that are personal and creative. Things she never knew she could love. Her hair, her clothes. They're not the end all but they do affect you. Material things and things of beauty do not a life make, but they are a part of living, and can mean so many things. Confidence, expression, creativity, delight, comfort, community.
Finding joy in something as small as a beautiful scarf. For me, these things are wrapped into the moments of friendship that come from chatting at the nail salon, knowing someone's favorite color, treating a friend to their favorite kind of jewelry. Having the smell of my junior high perfume bring swift memories to my mind.
Shopping together at a favorite store, picking out things you love and being excited about a necklace you thought was gone but was still there waiting for you. Being with my mom on long shopping days where we just browse and browse and snack and browse -- finding a prom dress for $40. Feeling like a princess.

These things are important the way a special dessert is important -- the way coffee, birthdays, a favorite book, a pretty painting, a road trip, an inside joke, are all important.
It's intentional, and it's worth it. Caring about the way you look in terms of being healthy and choosing life, choosing to be yourself on purpose. 

my love for ever after

Confession: I am a romantic. 

It's debatable when this became true, although I'm fairly certain it officially began in a theater in Phoenix, Arizona in 1998.
I was nine years old. I have an inkling there were signs of my Jane-Austen-loving soul long before then, but this movie-going experience is the first one I can think of that has hefty significance.

Ever After was, and is, the perfect movie.

I've often dreamed out-loud to my husband about how I would absolutely die of happiness if I could plan an Ever After themed trip, where we would travel to France and visit all of the filming locations of this delightful movie. There are many reasons why I love it so, but on this blessed Friday I have chosen to highlight a few to let you all in on why it is so very dear to my heart.

1. It Makes Me Cry

One of my very favorite scenes.

...of happiness. 
Don't get me wrong, I cry ugly sad tears in this movie as well. But for the perfect movie, tears are a must.

2. Books

Oh, the love of books! 
Most of it stems from the treasured influence of Danielle's father, who was a great teacher and loved to share his insights on science and philosophy with his young daughter. When he died, the last book he brought home to her, Utopia, became quite arguably her most prized possession. In fact, her application of its principals is one of the initial reasons she catches the attention of Prince Henry. He realizes this strength in her and later takes her to an astonishing library, hoping to woo her. She is, of course, completely woo'd. Because books! 
When he asks her to pick one, she says with wonder, I could no sooner choose a star in the heavens!
Her passion stuns him, because he is just a rich lost boy looking for his place in this world. Danielle is able to guide him with her sharp tongue and wise words, all of which she owes to her father and his gift of books. 

3. The Soundtrack

Try listening to "Utopia" or "The Homecoming" or even just the main "Ever After" theme without wanting to bawl your eyes out, travel the world, renew your hope in humanity or just fly away on your newfound wings.
This soundtrack is a piece of art, and is one of the biggest reasons why this movie gets me every time.
George Fenton, you angel, you. 

4. It Looks Like Rain

The fact that Leonardo da Vinci is in this movie at all is fantastic, but it's even better that he plays such a delightfully important character. 
His creative spirit inspires Prince Henry, and his solid advice and sweet (albeit sarcastic at times) personality play a big role in the central love story. 
The above sequence, in which he spouts "It looks like rain!" may be one of my favorite moments in cinematic history. 

5. The Gypsy Kiss

After their trip to the wooing library, Danielle is forced to save the prince's life from gypsies. They turn out to be good-hearted gypsies, thank the heavens, but it starts out pretty rough. 
Talk about a quirky side story that we all love. 
The best part? She saves him by picking him up when the gypsy leader announces that he will let her leave with "anything she can carry". So cheeky.
The gypsies erupt in laughter, and they go on as friends. In the heart of the gypsy camp near a warm cozy fire, Danielle and Prince Henry share wine, secrets, and eventually their magical first kiss.
It was the kiss to measure all other kisses by. 
Well, at least... according to my 9-year-old self, it was.
(Let's be honest, according to my 24-year old self, too.)

6. Justice

I still get the goosebumps of justice when Marguerite finally gets that punch in the face she's been begging for the entire film. 
Even though the result of this altercation leads to some of the ugly sad crying I mentioned earlier, (namely when Marguerite oozes pure evil and burns Danielle's beloved copy of Utopia), I still agree with the other not-so-evil step sister, Jacqueline: 

I shall never forget the way Marguerite's feet went up over her head like that. 

7. Glitter

For a girl of the 90's, this was the ultimate kicker. Cinderella with rhinestones. 
I don't know about you, but I bought an abhorrent amount of roll-on glitter sticks and tubes of glitter lotions and body sprays as an adolescent. This movie may be to blame.
If I could steal and perfectly replicate any look for Halloween (or just any ol' Friday night), it would be this one.

What are your favorite Ever After moments? What would you add to this list?
I would so love to know.

Happy Friday friends.