My Commonplace Book: September 2026

A selection of quotes and pictures to represent September’s reading: commonplace book noun a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use. ~ She was a spirited girl last night and a pensive young woman tonight. Seventeen was the age when they tried on various poses to see which one they liked best, I recalled. The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau (2026) ~ The word willing is one of the most useful words in the English language. It’s so easy for people to tell you they can’t do something, that they won’t do it. But hardly anyone will say they’re unwilling to try. Attempt it on someone, if you like. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. The Midnight Guests by Alex Hay (2026) ~ I thought that in mastering spelling I would be led to the promised land of knowing things, how to act in the human sphere. That words were everything. Holding everything together. The countless grains of sand that kept the Cumberland River itself from sinking into the…