It is such a luxury to open a new book that's highly recommended by friends - either an inspirational yet humorously self-deprecating memoir, or a page-turning piece of fiction.

Life is its own occasion; it does not need a reason to celebrate itself.

The Law-of-Destination is straightforward and simple: It is not possible to arrive where we never take the time to go.

Rereading, we find a new book.

We didn't have a lot of live theater in Oklahoma. I didn't visit New York when I was growing up. I watched movie musicals, and I believed in an idealistic, idyllic version of Broadway.

I'm an open book. But some of the pages are stuck together.