The Book Club Hotel

You cling desperately to the familiar, to what you know, because even if it’s not great it seems more appealing than the unknown.

In fact, it’s hardly a gift at all. It’s a book, and my sister and I think of a book as a necessity rather than a luxury.

is that people are sympathetic at the beginning, and then they think it’s time for you to move on. They don’t realize that grief never leaves you.

The world is a scary place, and you make it seem a little less scary.

... Just because someone doesn't ask for help doesn't mean they don't want it or need it. Particularly women. Women are so used to coping that sometimes they don't even realize there's another way...

He and my mother were very supportive. They knew I needed to follow my own path.

Change can be very hard, particularly when it’s something you haven’t chosen.

Not a selfish man walking away from responsibility and never looking back. A youthful mistake, a terrible error in decision making. Remorse carried through a lifetime. “I think if someone learns from a mistake, makes a major change in their lives because of it, that’s to be applauded. Not everyone learns.

why crime fiction won awards when romance fiction was ignored and denigrated. Why violence was celebrated and stories about relationships—probably the single most important thing in our lives—dismissed as froth.

She didn’t want to make that classic mistake of ruining today because she was worrying about tomorrow.

It was like hugging a cat. Not Panther, because she is unusually cuddly, but you know what I mean; sometimes they go all stiff and rigid and you know that all they want is for you to stop so that they can get back to doing their own thing.

When you had a child

What’s cozier than curling up in a snowy inn talking about books?

I was wrong.” He paused. “The kids aren’t the best thing that ever happened to me, Anna. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me because without you there would be no kids. There would be no cozy, welcoming home. There would be no laughter and warmth. It’s you, Anna. For me, it’s always been you. You’re everything.

The people we love never really leave us, not really.

Hattie felt a rush of love and gratitude. It had been so long since anyone had fussed over her, and she enjoyed the novelty of being the cared for and not the carer.

Sometimes when handling change you didn’t need to do something dramatic or big. Sometimes you just needed to shift the emphasis.

Claudia always felt as if adulthood was something she had yet to attain. She resolved to make more effort.

Change, Anna thought, had a lot to answer for. But in the end everyone had to find a way to deal with it.

Women are so used to coping that sometimes they don’t even realize there’s another way.

She preferred to focus on the positive.

Men are like candy ~ fine as an occasional treat, but not necessary for survival.

The problem,” Gwen said, “is that people are sympathetic at the beginning, and then they think it’s time for you to move on. They don’t realize that grief never leaves you.

Everyone knows you never pay attention to thoughts that arrive in your brain at three in the morning. They are intruders to be shut out. You don’t listen to them.

had been a shock to her to discover that whatever her children felt, she felt. That their pain was her pain. Their struggles, her struggles. That long after you’d stopped being woken for night feeds, you’d be woken by anxiety for their future. Unlike

When you had a child, everyone warned you about the lack of sleep and physical tiredness that came with parenting. No one talked about the emotional exhaustion. It had been a shock to her to discover that whatever her children felt, she felt. That their pain was her pain. Their struggles, her struggles. That long after you’d stopped being woken for night feeds, you’d be woken by anxiety for their future.

She had to stop thinking and worrying about the day when they would leave home, or she’d ruin the remaining days they had at home. She didn’t want to make that classic mistake of ruining today because she was worrying about tomorrow. She needed to make the most of the time she had left before they left home.

... Just because someone doens't ask for help doesn't mean they don't want it or need it. Particularly women. Women are so used to coping that sometimes they don't even realize there's another way...

The company she worked for catered to the luxury end of the market (people with more money than sense, the owner was fond of saying) and it always surprised her that those people seemed never to have mastered the basic art of clearing up after themselves.

Noah never tried to offer suggestions or fix as so many people did. He didn’t minimize her pain.