I just received one of the most thoughtful gifts from another writer — the charming bracelet pictured above. I never expect a gift — a signed book that I’ve endorsed is generally appreciated and always holds a special place on my shelf — but over the years I’ve received many little thank yous — chocolates (yum!), flowers (sweet!), notecards, wine, and more.
And while I have certainly appreciated each and every one, this bracelet, and accompanying note, had that added personal touch that had me showing it to everyone today. Inside is a quote from my book STOLEN:
“You make me a better me.”
Thank you Misty!
Sometimes when I’m reading, I fall in love with a turn of phrase, or the way a character expresses themselves, or a brief, vivid description. I never remember them when I’m done with the book, and I am loathed to mark up any of my books (my craft books are exceptions, but even there, I prefer sticky notes.) Usually the lines I remember best are the beginnings, and few authors write openings like JD Robb. For example, in TREACHERY IN DEATH, which I just finished, she opens with:
The old man lay dead on a scattered pile of candy bars and bubble gum.
Very vivid and sets the tone.
But I started thinking about books I’ve read and why they’ve stuck with me over the years, and I’m sure within THE STAND (Stephen King) or THE THIRD VICTIM (Lisa Gardner) or THE SEARCH (Iris Johansen) or THE MAZE (Catherine Coulter) or THE LINCOLN LAWYER (Michael Connelly) that there are sentences I wish I had marked up.
On Amazon, there’s a feature that connects highlighted quotes from Kindles and posts repeated highlights on the book’s page. So basically, if you own a Kindle and you highlight a sentence or phrase or paragraph, and if other people highlight the same thing, it will show up on the book page.
On one of my Lucy Kincaid books, KISS ME KILL ME, the most highlighted quote is:
It was a fine line between commitment and obsession, a narrow path separating sanity from lunacy. She walked it every day, an acrobat on a tightrope, fearing she’d fall straight down and there would be no safety net.
I read that now, from book two, as I’m in the middle of writing book #8, and think about how much Lucy has grown in the 15 months of “book time” that has passed.
In one of my favorite Lisa Gardner books, THE THIRD VICTIM, the most highlighted quote is:
Some things, like what really matters in life, we all learn the hard way.
Do you have a favorite quote from a book?