💜 she first had me at the t.s. eliot quote on exploring and returning, & then her author's note before the book began gave me inspired goosebumps. & then the parable of the land of trees. & then the story itself. it is good. 💜

"explain it to me," i said.
"i could. but do you need to understand it to love it? you think it's beautiful — that's enough," he said, and closed the book. "proof that you don't hate all poetry."

things i liked:
?literary references. (makes me want to read more steinbeck & bradbury.)
? australia.
?exploration of loss, renewing strained friendships, & finding love in the midst of life dreams & failures– somehow without being too sappy.

"that's not a magic i have, love. you're in this story. you must get out on your own if you are to get out at all."
⭐️
seen here with a small self*portrait sketch. you can see the final painting on my instagram (halthegal2) ???☕️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
i don't want to talk about it, because i can't bear for you to go in with unfair expectations, but it's great.
💖💖💖💖💖

"here's what i think: the only reason i'm not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way."
?✨???⭐️?
#wonder #rjpalacio #abouttimeireadthisbook #currentread #sundayshelfie #currentlyreading #newbook #inspiringread #bookstagram #rainydayread #booksforyoungreaders #youngreaders #choosekind

"who are these readers?"
"the readers of the book."
"what book?"
"the book we are in."
"are we in a book?"
~ exchange between arthur & merlyn in t.h. white's "the book of merlyn."
?✨?

"you may call me ivan," he said finally, surprising her.
"because of that story?"
"because your ivan is not a hero."
??✨
finally reading this spring's #uppercasebox pick- #meaganspooner 's "hunted." i love a fairy tale retelling as much as the next gal, & looking forward to getting sucked into the forest with this one!!
??✨

happy 20th publishing anniversary to harry potter!! ⚡️🇬🇧📚june 26, 1997 in the UK!📚🇬🇧 ⚡️
countless millions are grateful for the magic, the empathy, the adventure, & the reminder that good Shall always triumph over evil! 💕⚡️📚
#happyanniversary #harrypotterandthesorcerersstone #harrypotterandthephilosophersstone #harryday #hermioneforpresident #hermioneismyspiritanimal #whenindoubtgotothelibrary #hogwarts #gryffindor #bookone

"deeds that men deemed impossible have been accomplished, none the less." ~perseus

"...although someone —probably sayid—had written 'satre: hell is other people' in pen inside one of the caravans, and someone else had scratched out 'other people' and substituted 'flutes.'"

"...we saw a sign that said SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE. i will never forget it: it had six points to always say to your wife or husband, and the first one was YOU LOOK GREAT. the second one was CAN I HELP? the third one, LET'S EAT OUT. the fourth one was I WAS WRONG. and the fifth one was I AM SORRY. but the last and most important one was I LOVE YOU... so we followed it, and we did have a successful marriage."
~ Leroy, 85, remembers his late wife

"to carry them within us —that is our task. we carry them all inside us, all our dead and shattered loves. only they make us whole. if we begin to forget or cast aside those we've lost, then... then we are no longer present either."

"why not take a chance & bet on happiness?"