If You Want To Write

If You Build A Better Mousetrap, Nature Will Build A Better Mouse.

Back Then, Before It Became Clear That Democracy Was Best Served By A Drunken Electorate, The Bars In New York City Were Required To Close On Election Day.

Asking Me Why I Did Or Didn't Do Anything Is Generally Pointless. How Do I Know? And Asking Me What I'll Do In The Future Is Even Less Rewarding.

This Church Was Open And Seemingly Unattended, And It Was A Throwback In Another Way As Well. The Candles In The Little Side Altars Were Real Ones, Actual Wax Candles That Burned With An Open Flame. Lots Of Churches Have Switched Over To Electrified Altars. You Drop Your Quarter In The Slot And A Flame-shaped Bulb Goes On And Stays On For Your Quarter's Worth Of Time. It's Like A Parking Meter, And If You Stay Too Long They Tow Away Your Soul.

Donald Westlake's Parker Novels Are Among The Small Number Of Books I Read Over And Over. Forget All That Crap You've Been Telling Yourself About War And Peace And Proust-these Are The Books You'll Want On That Desert Island.