Few books today are forgivable.
You have to be kind of clued into them, they are a world of their own, and most people find them disappointing because the best short stories are not constructed like novels.
It is utterly astonishing how ordinary a book can be and still be thought the product of omniscience.
I had no idea how long books were supposed to be.
I don't believe in being ashamed about not having read things.
My novels are about the European reality, not about chases. You want chases, get somebody else's books.
I was anticipating that some readers might misread [the book] ROOM itself as a hymn to homeschooling.
I'm the only kid in the world who doesn't want an eighth Harry Potter book.
My parents were definitely on the incentive side of parenting. Like, they told me that my father had learned to read when he was three. So, of course, I thought I had to, too.
My sense of what a book should be has changed so radically. I like to think for the better.
I am always surprised people are surprised that people haven't read things.
I still carry the residue of the pressure I felt as a child to read and appreciate the right books. Growing up, I never allowed myself to read beach reading. I was always plowing through Ford Madox Ford's 'Good Solider' or something I wasn't equipped to understand.
