I've started on 'The Brothers Karamazov' by Fyodor Dostoevsky and its going to be one of those 'perfect escape' books for me, I can tell. It needs to be savoured and read non stop over weeks and after I won't be able to read anything else for a while. But I'm having to put it down for the moment- I don't think I'll be able to dedicate that kind of time right now, plus its borrowed from the library (yeah i know what was I thinking! I should go back to buying books) and I really don't feel like paying anther $30 in late fines, when I still have two parking tickets to pay.
But I had to make a note of these two quotes by the elder Zossima which were just too beautiful.

"If you do not attain happiness, always remember that you are on the right road and try not to leave it. Avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your deceitfulness and look into it every hour , every minute. Avoid being scornful, both to others and to yourself. What seems to you bad within you will grow purer from the very fact of your observing it in yourself. "

" Never be frightened at your own faint-heartedness in attaining love. Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in the sight of all. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on the stage. But active love is labour and fortitude and for some people, perhaps, a complete science."

*This space might be on hold too for the next little while, while I work on a different flavour of blogging*