F. Scott Fitzgerald
"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life"
Before reading this book, I did not realize that classics could be enjoyable. Not only that, I didn't realize that classics could be easily understandable. The Great Gatsby was one of the first books that I read which showed me a book does not need laboriously flowery prose featuring words with fourteen syllables to be beautiful.
Fitzgerald has a way with words that is equally concise, impactful, and poetic. This book showed me that simplicity can be beautiful.
This book that showed me that even though my words can be simple, they are still beautiful.
Erin Morgenstern
"You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose."
I have been immersed in books before, but never before had I felt like I was in a book until reading this one. Morgenstern uniquely utilizes second person point of view in portions of this novel that literally invite the reader to see the circus.
As an avid book reader, this feeling of inclusion was so poignant that I cried upon the first time reading it.
I want to make others feel that deeply, beautifully emotional, too.
Becky Chambers
"All you can do, Rosemary—all any of us can do—is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play."
I have always considered science fiction to be fluff reading. This novel proved me wrong. This novel elegantly leads conversations about racism, xenophobia, and hatred with a cozy, easy to follow narrative about a ragtag inter-species team of mercenaries stuck on a long-haul space journey together.
Chambers is graceful with her choice of words, and she carefully weaves hard conversations with a lush, unique science fiction world in a way that forces readers to navigate these uncomfortable topics in an approachable, thoughtful way.
It's genius, and it is work like hers that I strive to produce.