--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She kept a stack of books near the tub so…" description: "\"“She kept a stack of books near the tub so she could read in the bath, even though the edges of the pages turned moldy. She read on trains and on buses..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png" --- # She kept a stack of books near the tub so she could read… ![“She kept a stack of books near the tub so she could read in the bath, even though the edges of the pages turned moldy. She read on trains and on buses, which often made her late as she was forever missing her stop.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png) > ““She kept a stack of books near the tub so she could read in the bath, even though the edges of the pages turned moldy. She read on trains and on buses, which often made her late as she was forever missing her stop.”” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She values reading so much she sacrifices comfort and punctuality, showing a deep love for stories despite practical drawbacks. **In simple terms:** She reads everywhere, even in inconvenient places. Key Takeaway Prioritize what you love, even if messy. Themes reading passion sacrifice obsession Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal literary When to use this quote - commuting - travel - personal time - relaxation Key Concepts literature habit formation escape Questions to Reflect On - How does reading enrich your life? - What limits does this habit impose? A Different Perspective May neglect responsibilities or health due to obsession. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Reading habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-habits/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm so glad I have my own copy. I can read them again and again. I can read them again and again on trains,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/i-m-so-glad-i-have-my-own-copy-i-can-read-them-again-and-again-i-can/) [Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/) > [I usually get up around 6 A.M. It takes me a while to get going. In our household, I am the first one up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-bayless/i-usually-get-up-around-6-a-m-it-takes-me-a-while-to-get-going-in-our/) [Rick Bayless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-bayless/) > [I never need to find time to read. When people say to me, ‘Oh, yeah, I love reading. I would love to read, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-need-to-find-time-to-read-when-people-say-to-me-oh-yeah-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate it when people tell me the end of the story because my mother always read the last page of a novel first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-hate-it-when-people-tell-me-the-end-of-the-story-because-my-mother/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [When I look back on my reading habits when I was really young, I was really drawn to stories about strong girls who in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/when-i-look-back-on-my-reading-habits-when-i-was-really-young-i-was/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [“My eyes hunger to read more books then time allows me to devour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazz-feylynn/my-eyes-hunger-to-read-more-books-then-time-allows-me-to-devour/) [Jazz Feylynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazz-feylynn/) > [“A man who does not read miss great wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/a-man-who-does-not-read-miss-great-wisdom/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“The act of reading is a skill that can be cultivated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-act-of-reading-is-a-skill-that-can-be-cultivated/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Books are the quietest and most constant of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-william-eliot/books-are-the-quietest-and-most-constant-of-friends/) [Charles William Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-william-eliot/) > [“They write for people who read with the surface of their minds, people with reading habits that make the smallest demands on them, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/they-write-for-people-who-read-with-the-surface-of-their-minds-people/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [“Life is too short to waste your time with bad books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/life-is-too-short-to-waste-your-time-with-bad-books/) Michael Krüger > [“Reading is like skiing. When done well, when done by an expert, both reading and skiing are graceful, harmonious, activities. When done by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/reading-is-like-skiing-when-done-well-when-done-by-an-expert-both/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) > [“I am a passionate reader. New interested books keep adding on my reading list. My wildest dream is to complete reading all the books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-am-a-passionate-reader-new-interested-books-keep-adding-on-my/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Look at Mann's reading habits, his explicit comments on Nietzsche, and his copy of Birth of Tragedy, and it starts to seem doubtful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/look-at-mann-s-reading-habits-his-explicit-comments-on-nietzsche-and/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Love of books is the best of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-kennedy/love-of-books-is-the-best-of-all/) [Jackie Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-kennedy/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She kept a stack of books near the tub so she could read in the bath, even though the edges of the pages turned moldy. She read on trains and on buses, which often made her late as she was forever missing her stop.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Hoffman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-so-she-could-read-in-the-bath/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-so-she-could-read-in-the-bath/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/alice-hoffman-427_books_she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-s_588604.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She kept a stack of books near the tub so she could read in the bath, even though the edges of the pages…” — Alice Hoffman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Hoffman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“She kept a stack of books...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-so-she-could-read-in-the-bath/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-kept-a-stack-of-books-near-the-tub-so-she-could-read-in-the-bath/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```