Quotable Wednesdays 2: Paying Tribute

I'm starting a new tradition on this blog of mine...I have been reading lots of books lately, even more than usual. And in my literary (and pop culture) travels, I have stumbled across many, many fun bits of humor, brilliance, encouragement, and inspiration. Every week, pop by here on Wednesday for Quotable Wednesdays, where I share some of these delightful musings. 

Today, I pay tribute to the incomparable Nora Ephron, who passed away yesterday at the age of 71. Nora Ephron was an author, director and screen-writer, and was the creative genius behind such movies as When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and my all-time favorite You've Got Mail. She dedicated her life to telling stories - both fictional and deeply personal - and was masterful at creating strong female characters who were at times both normal and extraordinary. She was a beautiful and remarkable voice; one certainly silenced far too soon.

"To state the obvious, romantic comedies have to be funny and they have to be romantic. But one of the most important things, for me anyway, is that they be about two strong people finding their way to love."
                    -Nora Ephron

"Here are some questions I am constantly noodling over: Do you splurge or do you hoard? Do you live every day as if it's your last, or do you save your money on the chance you'll live 20 more years? Is life too short, or is it going to be too long? Do you work as hard as you can, or do you slow down to smell the roses? And where do carbohydrates fit into all this? Are we really all going to spend our last years avoiding bread, especially now that bread in America is so unbelievably delicious? And what about chocolate?" 
                    -Nora Ephron

"Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder medicates itself. Reading is escape, and the opposite of escape; it's a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it's a way of making contact with someone else's imagination after a day that's all too real. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss." 
                    -Nora Ephron