My ears become my conduit to the world. In the darkness I listen—to thrillers, to detective novels, to romances; to family sagas, potboilers and historical novels; to ghost stories and classic fiction and chick lit;...

By way of this unprecedented, unbridled literary promiscuity, I have made some pleasant discoveries.

Joy lurks in every mundane thing, just waiting to be found. Love is impervious to reason. And words are wonderful.

Endure.

Friendship plants itself as a small unobtrusive seed; over time, it grows thick roots that wrap around your heart. When a love affair ends, the tree is torn out quickly, the operation painful but clean....