I have given up on reality and am now simply searching for a good fantasy.

That the author is speaking only to us, that he is writing only for us, that no one on Earth has the same relationship to that author as we do. I have the same fantasy every time I read a book I love, no matter who wrote it, no matter when it was written. That the author has written his book only for me.

An author writes only half the book. The rest is written by readers.

Well, you know what they say, the reader is the final contributor. Cheers for doing the heavy lifting.

...but one can't be irredeemable who shows reverence for books.

a Christmas tree .. the perfect gift for a guy... the plant is already dead (monologue Dec 10 2003).