I would never require anyone to read any book. That seems antithetical to why we read - which is to choose a book for our personal reasons. I always shudder when I'm told my books are on required reading lists.

My books hold between their covers every story I've ever known and still remember, or have now forgotten, or may one day read; they fill the space around me with ancient and new voices.

The most comfortable place for a tired mind is in the lap of a book.

For books I want to keep reading, it's definitely the voice. It must be a voice I've never heard before, and it must have its own particular intelligence. By 'voice,' I don't mean vernacular. It has to have its own particular history and world that it inhabits.

If a book doesn’t inspire you to read more, it was not worth read.

Generally speaking, books don't cause much harm. Except when you read them, that is. Then they cause all kinds of problems.