--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This next to never happens, but if I had…" description: "\"This next to never happens, but if I had time to sit on a beach and read, I wouldn't read a cozy. But I've read cozies. That's how I got interested in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd0/michael-connelly-1004_beach_this-next-to-never-happens-but-if-i-had_1046987.jpg" --- # This next to never happens, but if I had time to sit on a… ![“This next to never happens, but if I had time to sit on a beach and read, I wouldn't read a cozy. But I've read cozies. That's how I got interested in crime fiction: because my mother was a soft-boiled reader.” quote by Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd0/michael-connelly-1004_beach_this-next-to-never-happens-but-if-i-had_1046987.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd0/michael-connelly-1004_beach_this-next-to-never-happens-but-if-i-had_1046987.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd0/michael-connelly-1004_beach_this-next-to-never-happens-but-if-i-had_1046987.jpg) > “This next to never happens, but if I had time to sit on a beach and read, I wouldn't read a cozy. But I've read cozies. That's how I got interested in crime fiction: because my mother was a soft-boiled reader.” [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker recounts how reading cozy novels with his mother sparked an interest in crime fiction, despite never reading cozies himself. **In simple terms:** Mother’s reading habits inspired his crime fiction interest. Key Takeaway Explore diverse genres to discover new passions. Themes inspiration genre crossover family influence Mood nostalgic curious Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - personal growth - creative writing - genre studies Key Concepts literary development reading habits Questions to Reflect On - How can early reading exposure shape literary tastes? - What barriers exist when switching genres? A Different Perspective Genre stereotypes may discourage cross‑genre exploration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Beach Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach-read-2/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cozy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cozy/) [Crime fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-fiction/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Read Cozies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-cozies-2482076/) [Read Cozy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-cozy-2482075/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Many people, I've noticed by informally polling friends, are prone to distinguishing a beach read by genre. 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In fact, the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/the-beach-read-has-become-such-a-ubiquitous-concept-in-contemporary/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [It wasn't a decision to become a writer. I wanted to become a writer of crime fiction. I was very specific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/it-wasn-t-a-decision-to-become-a-writer-i-wanted-to-become-a-writer/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [When I was a teenager, I was a voracious reader of crime fiction, but only contemporary books. I was not interested in reading 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-a-voracious-reader-of-crime-fiction-but-2/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I not only read Raymond Chandler but read all the crime fiction classics. I was hooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/i-not-only-read-raymond-chandler-but-read-all-the-crime-fiction/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [When I was a teenager, I was a voracious reader of crime fiction, but only contemporary books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-a-voracious-reader-of-crime-fiction-but/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [ The built-in form is a window frame. You can use this genre \[crime fiction\] to go where you want to go, and explore what… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/the-built-in-form-is-a-window-frame-you-can-use-this-genre-crime/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) ## More by Michael Connelly > [It's about being fair. It's about Black Lives Matter. Yes, they matter. 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It was here that textile worker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/at-the-bottom-of-the-hill-after-boston-college-the-route-passes-st/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“He said no. He said, in very fine English, ‘I buy, I don’t sell.’ Then he escorted me out. But I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/he-said-no-he-said-in-very-fine-english-i-buy-i-don-t-sell-then-he/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“Living in L.A. sometimes felt like you were riding shotgun with the devil to the apocalypse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/living-in-l-a-sometimes-felt-like-you-were-riding-shotgun-with-the/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“The paying jobs were few and she was often taken advantage of by the leeches who were part of the entertainment industry. But she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/the-paying-jobs-were-few-and-she-was-often-taken-advantage-of-by-the/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [“Lean in, invade that foot and a half that is all theirs, their own space. Lean back when you get what you want. 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"The holiest sound on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/carolina-beach-music-dupree-said-coming-up-on-the-porch-the-holiest/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [I like trekking and staying in tents, meeting new people and eating good food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripti-dimri/i-like-trekking-and-staying-in-tents-meeting-new-people-and-eating/) [Tripti Dimri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripti-dimri/) > [The biggest part of painting perhaps is faith, and waiting receptively, content to go any way, not planning or forcing. The fear, though, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/the-biggest-part-of-painting-perhaps-is-faith-and-waiting-receptively/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [If I'm on holiday, I'm active on the beach, I play tennis, I run, I swim a lot. 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