Battle Of The Bookstores Quotes

I am the product of every book I’ve ever read and every experience I’ve had, each heartbreak and failure, every moment of sadness and joy.

Falling in love is something that happens to you, sometimes even against your will—like being struck by lightning or catching the flu. But staying in love? That’s a choice.

I once expected to spend seven years walking around the world on foot. I walked from Mexico to Panama where the road ended before an almost uninhabited swamp called the Choco Colombiano. Even today there is no road. Perhaps it is time for me to resume my wanderings where I left off as a tropical tramp in the slums of Panama. Perhaps like Ambrose Bierce who disappeared in the desert of Sonora I may also disappear. But after being in all mankind it is hard to come to terms with oblivion - not to see hundreds of millions of Chinese with college diplomas come aboard the locomotive of history - not to know if someone has solved the riddle of the universe that baffled Einstein in his futile efforts to make space, time, gravitation and electromagnetism fall into place in a unified field theory - never to experience democracy replacing plutocracy in the military-industrial complex that rules America - never to witness the day foreseen by Tennyson 'when the war-drums no longer and the battle-flags are furled, in the parliament of man, the federation of the world.' I may disappear leaving behind me no worldly possessions - just a few old socks and love letters, and my windows overlooking Notre-Dame for all of you to enjoy, and my little rag and bone shop of the heart whose motto is 'Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise.' I may disappear leaving no forwarding address, but for all you know I may still be walking among you on my vagabond journey around the world." [Shakespeare & Company, archived statement]

Maybe he's right. Maybe all stories are love stories at their core. The search for belonging, the ache of grief, our fumbling attempt to find purpose and connection in this big, confusing world.

Exactly! No matter how long it’s been, books are waiting with open pages, ready to whisk you away on an adventure or comfort you after a rough day. People may come and go from your life, but books? Books are forever.

It’s not about the happy ending—it’s about believing that you’re worthy of one.

Reading wasn’t just an escape; it was a lifeline.

For better or worse, my library has always grown faster than my social circle.

Growing up, countless well-meaning adults urged me to get my “nose out of that book” and go outside to “experience real life.” But from what I’ve seen, reality is vastly overrated.

Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. —Nora Ephron

The point isn't the sex, or the fantasy of the perfect partner, or even falling in love. It's about being willing to be vulnerable, to dig deep, to confront your shadows, embrace your own story, and become a stronger, braver version of yourself. It's not about the happy ending—it's about believing that you're worthy of one.

these ups and downs are part of your journey—it’s growth, not failure. Every time your heart was broken, it healed even stronger.

Please trust this: I will do whatever it takes to give you every single thing you have ever wanted.

Books are too important to be casualties in our war, Josie.” His words

Because it’s not just about the sex, it’s about the connection. Elaine, the woman who started the store, she used to say that the fantasy is less about the woman getting seven orgasms and more about the man wanting to give them to her. Caring about her experience. Apparently, this is so rare that women had to invent an entire genre to get that.

I read almost everything. Almost all genres. I read before I sleep. I read when I wake up. I read when I take a break at the bookstore. I read on Sunday afternoons. I read on Friday nights. I listen to audio books. My life is filled with words. I understand people who are addicted to books. I have found that many people use books to escape life. To battle one problem, one challenge or another. Books keep the tears at bay. They also bring on the laughs, the wonder, the education.

she did. Another story that blessed me tremendously was about a Jewish man who accidentally knocked over a stack of books in a Barnes and Noble bookstore. While picking up the books and trying to restack them, he ended up with Battlefield of the Mind. He opened it up expecting to find something he could make fun of and ended up purchasing the book. He hid it from his wife because he did not want her to catch him reading a book by a Christian author. He became interested in the principles he read and bought a Bible that he also hid from his wife. Eventually he discovered that his wife was also secretly reading a Bible she had hidden. They both received Jesus as their Savior and were instrumental in leading other family members to salvation through Jesus as well.

There’s something intimate about recommending a book to someone, so to have someone choose a book for me, a book that’s exactly what I need after a challenging day? A true gift.

Hope may be dangerous, but just like a fire, it can also be warm and comforting.

What was once a battle between independents and chains evolved into a war between in-person bookstores (Barnes & Noble included) and Amazon. Suburbanites, many of whom had no other bookstores nearby, rallied to save “my Barnes & Noble” as passionately as activists had once protested to keep them out.

Christian bookstores aren’t much better than our popular culture. Recently, I went to the section for single adults and found about twenty different titles. Seventeen of them dealt with finding your future mate. My favorite title was If Men Are Like Buses, How Can I Catch One? Again, the message is: You need to catch the bus and be in a relationship.

You know I've got you right?" I know he doesn't just mean physically. He means in every way possible. And I believe him.

Someone once told me that the effort is what makes it worth it. Like mining for jewels. If they were out in the open they wouldn't be so precious." He's repeating my words about my favourite books but he's saying them about me. It makes me feel for the first time ever that my protective shell isn't a character flaw. Maybe I'm not too difficult to get to know ... maybe I've just been waiting for someone who is willing to put in the work.

Of all the books I've ever read and all the fantasies I've ever had, none of them hold a candle to the reality of being with you. You are what I've been waiting for.

Don't cry BookShopGirl," he whispers, so quiet I almost don't catch it, "Don't cry.

We hurry down the sidewalk hand in hand, grinning like kids on their way to the Scholastic book fair.

A few years ago, I was invited to join a friend’s book club; I was so excited for my first meeting, I created a color-coded, annotated list of discussion points about the book—only to find out that no one else had read it, and the purpose of the gathering was to drink wine and chat.

Someone once told me that the effort is what makes it worth it—like mining for jewels. If they were out in the open, they wouldn’t be so precious.” He’s repeating my words about my favorite books, but he’s saying them about me. It makes me feel, for the first time ever, that my protective shell isn’t a character flaw; maybe I’m not too difficult to get to know. Maybe I’ve just been waiting for someone who’s willing to put in the work.

So you’ll learn. It’ll be challenging, sure, but you can do it. If you don’t have the confidence in yourself yet, you can borrow some of mine.

How can I possibly sabotage you by sweeping?” I ask. “You’ll figure something out,” he mutters.

It doesn’t help that she’s hardly talked to RJ once they—we—decided on our/their plans to meet. Since I, Ryan, knew Josie would be nervous and focused on her panel the first afternoon, I, RJ, suggested meeting for a late dinner. I thought about suggesting the Map Room, but that’s such a special memory for me, Ryan, that I don’t want to share it with me, RJ. God, I can’t wait for the truth to be out.

The two men I’ve been torn between are one and the same. RJ is Ryan and he’s standing in front of me, staring at me like his heart is cracking in pieces. That ache in my chest? It’s the pain of realizing what I’ve missed out on all these weeks. I could’ve had him—all of him—if I’d been brave enough to meet him the first time he asked.

It’s a strangely painful experience, being jealous of yourself.

Of all the books I’ve ever read and all the fantasies I’ve ever had, none of them hold a candle to the reality of being with you. You are what I’ve been waiting for.” He presses his lips to my jaw. “Please trust this: I will do whatever it takes to give you every single thing you have ever wanted.