Books for general reading always smell bad; the odor of common people hangs around them.

Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.

Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.

Some women have a weakness for shoes...I can go barefoot if necessary. I have a weakness for books.

I have always loved and avidly read the novels of Jack London, Jules Verne and Ernest Hemingway. The characters depicted in their books, who are brave and resourceful people embarking on exciting adventures, definitely shaped my inner self and nourished my love for the outdoors.

The heroes of the books I read, The Lord of the Rings and the Foundation series, always felt a duty to save the world.