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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill QUOTES

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill QUOTES

1 " Libraries were her favorite places, and when she traveled, she would start out at the local library, thus immediately identifying herself as a total nerd. They say you always remember your first time, and Nina definitely did. Walking into the Los Angeles Central Library to get her first library card, when she was eight or so, was still a memory she treasured. The entry hall of the library was as beautiful as any cathedral, and Nina had looked around and realized she would never run out of things to read, and that certainty filled her with peace and satisfaction. It didn't matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine. Being surrounded by books the the closest she'd ever gotten to feeling like the member of a gang. The books had her back, and the nonfiction, at least, was ready to fight if necessary. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

2 " Three hours later, the book finished, her cheeks a little pink because it was so sad and lovely and sad again, Nina stood up and stretched. Coming out of a book was always painful. She was surprised to see things had remained in place while she herself had been roaming other towns, other times. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

3 " Do you know the best feeling in the world?"
"Uh..." Nina shook her head, despite having some ideas.
Liz glowed. "It's reading a book, loving every second of it, then turning to the front and discovering that the writer wrote fourteen zillion others. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

4 " Coming out of a book was always painful. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

5 " Being with you is as good as being alone. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

6 " People were... exhausting. They made her anxious. Leaving her apartment every morning was the turning over of a giant hourglass, the mental energy she’d stored up overnight eroding grain by grain. She refueled during the day by grabbing moments of solitude and sometimes felt her life was a long-distance swim between islands of silence. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

7 " It also meant she thought of books as medication and sanctuary and the source of all good things. Nothing yet had proven her wrong. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

8 " Do you know the best feeling in the world?" "Uh..." Nina shook her head, despite having some ideas. Liz glowed. "It's reading a book, loving every second of it, then turning to the front and discovering that the writer wrote fourteen zillion others. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

9 " Some people take energy; some people give energy . . . Occasionally, you get lucky and find someone whose energy balances your own and brings you into neutral. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

10 " Nina had looked around and realized she would never run out of things to read, and that certainty filled her with peace and satisfaction. It didn't matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

11 " It contained Nina's favorite saying: You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

12 " Reading isn't the only thing in the world, Nina."
"It's one of the only five perfect things in the world."
"And the other four are?"
"Cats, dogs, Honeycrisp apples and coffee. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

13 " She enjoyed people—she really did—she just needed to take them in homeopathic doses; a little of the poison was the cure. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

14 " If you're not scared, you're not brave. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

15 " Being surrounded by books was the closest she'd ever gotten to feeling like the member of a gang. The books had her back, and the nonfiction, at least, was ready to fight if necessary. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

16 " Mystery readers were everywhere, voracious, highly partisan, and passionate. They were among the store’s best customers, and unfailingly polite. In private they embraced a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance and the use of arcane poisons and sneaky sleuthing, but in public they were charming and generous. Romance readers tended to be fun and have strong opinions. Nonfiction readers asked a lot of questions and were easily amused. It was the serious novel folks and poetry fans you had to watch out for. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

17 " Tomorrow would be better. At the very least, tomorrow would be different. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

18 " Nina worried she liked being alone too much; it was the only time she ever fully relaxed. People were . . . exhausting. They made her anxious. Leaving her apartment every morning was the turning over of a giant hourglass, the mental energy she’d stored up overnight eroding grain by grain. She refueled during the day by grabbing moments of solitude and sometimes felt her life was a long-distance swim between islands of silence. She enjoyed people—she really did—she just needed to take them in homeopathic doses; a little of the poison was the cure. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

19 " Oh my God, she thought, it's hard to be human sometimes, with the pressure to be civilized lying only very thinly over the brain of a nervous little mammal. Maybe other people's layer of civilization was thicker than hers; hers was like a peel-off face mask after it had been peeled. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

20 " Biology is not destiny. And love is not proportionate to shared DNA. "

― Abbi Waxman , The Bookish Life of Nina Hill