I strive to make sense of my existence. As a fiction writer, I explore the human condition and I want my words to touch it, see it, hear it, smell it, and feel it. Socrates said, “know thyself” and I think that if we are willing to peel back the layers that humanity has heaped upon us, we may like—and love—who we are and others. It is up to us, one by one, to dig deep within our core to find our beauty. Answers are seldom floating like a flower petal upon the surface of a pond. It takes reaching our hand below the murky surface to find what is truly there.
Novels I love make me feel—and think. A Separate Peace does that for me as I lived each moment with Gene as he shared a poignant moment of his life. He experienced a friendship—a love—that was difficult for him to get his head around. I know he would have done anything to have a “do over,” and I felt for him and for Finny.
A good book is worth reading many times and that I have done. Each time I learned something new about this once-in-a-lifetime friendship. Like all relationships, they are full of joy and pain. Knowles was a master of lulling us into what seems to be a simple and innocent adventure but is truly a deep and dark journey within. It reminded me that we must always search for the truth. Finding it, however, can be elusive as we may hear the voice within but listening to it is another matter.
'A novel that made such a deep impression on me at sixteen that I can still conjure the atmosphere in my fifties: of yearning, infatuation mingled indistinguishably with envy, and remorse' Lionel Shriver
An American coming-of-age tale during a period when the entire country was losing its innocence to the second world war.
Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual.…
Elio’s passion made me love him as well as the love he and Oliver intensely shared. Young, pensive, and winsome, Elio would have gone to the end of time to continue to experience a love that is so personal—so intimate and special. What he felt, we all have felt, or one day, hope to feel. This connection to me is powerful beyond the perfect words Acimen chose throughout. This power makes the characters and their desires as real as the air we breathe and the water we drink.
Aciman deftly moves a relationship full of desire, fear, sorrow, and all the joy that comes with it and does so with brilliant, yet simple prose that comes alive. One sentence says it all and that is, “Perhaps we were friends first and lovers second. But then perhaps this is what lovers are.”
Now a Major Motion Picture from Director Luca Guadagnino, Starring Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet, and Written by James Ivory
WINNER BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY ACADEMY AWARD Nominated for Four Oscars
A New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller A Los Angeles Times Bestseller A Vulture Book Club Pick
An Instant Classic and One of the Great Love Stories of Our Time
Andre Aciman's Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents' cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared…
“Make your lives extraordinary!” said John Keating, the new English Professor at Welton Academy. Thinking about “carpe diem” sends chills throughout my body. The conflict of tradition and free thinking is evident in this novel, but they don’t necessarily cancel each other out. At least, I don’t think so although there are a few outcomes in this story that are tragic. It reminds me, however, that we need to be vigilant and create a balance just as Keating tried to express. As a teacher, Keating blended the old and beautiful art form of the masters of poetry to encourage another level of thinking—of feeling. Blinded by anything new, the traditional ways of those in power surfaced as too formidable of a force.
My takeaway—we are all teachers and all learners from the day we are born so appreciate the moment, those who fill it with us and always be open to new ways.
Todd Anderson and his friends at Welton Academy can hardly believe how different life is since their new English professor, the flamboyant John Keating, has challenged them to "make your lives extraordinary! Inspired by Keating, the boys resurrect the Dead Poets Society--a secret club where, free from the constraints and expectations of school and parents, they let their passions run wild. As Keating turns the boys on to the great words of Byron, Shelley, and Keats, they discover not only the beauty of language, but the importance of making each moment count. Can the club and the individuality it inspires…
Oh, Santiago! If only all of us could listen to the wisdom of our hearts...if we could acknowledge the obstacles and omens on our path, and learn from them. Then, as you have, we may find that our dreams would not be so elusive. Like a fable or parable, Coelho in his simplicity of storytelling inspires the reader to search for the wisdom that will lessen the burden of the complexities of life and make it a masterpiece.
The way I look at it, Santiago’s quest, dressed in magic and fantasy, is very much like our daily journey. We all aspire to something greater in our lives, but we have difficulty getting there. Instead of only envisioning the end, like Santiago we should keep an eye on the road as well. If we do, we may see the potholes or someone who may need a lift along the way. Sometimes we may need that lift... or get the nudge to take that next step. As the Chinese proverb says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
A global phenomenon, The Alchemist has been read and loved by over 62 million readers, topping bestseller lists in 74 countries worldwide. Now this magical fable is beautifully repackaged in an edition that lovers of Paulo Coelho will want to treasure forever.
Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. This is such a book - a beautiful parable about learning to listen to your heart, read the omens strewn along life's path and, above all, follow your dreams.
Santiago, a young shepherd living in the hills of Andalucia, feels that there is…
Don’t be fooled…this literary work seems like just another fantastical adventure, but it is so much more. That’s why I love this novel. This story is rich with alternative meanings that help us to go deeper within and learn about ourselves—our belief systems, our view of a world full of uncertainty, and of our spirituality from which we cannot escape. Just the fantastical adventure alone makes for a unique and extraordinary read, but Yann’s artful arrangement of words is beautiful and magical and that leads the reader to see what Pi is seeing. Growth, survival, and making sense of our existence is so uniquely human and is the essence of our expressive, storytelling nature.
After the sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan—and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.
Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi Patel, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with the tiger, Richard Parker, for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his…
Eli and Aiden are polar opposites, but despite their differences, a strong friendship blossoms. For Eli and Aiden, their unlikely bond becomes a lifeline in the midst of their tumultuous lives. But just as they begin to let their guard down, a promise made by Aiden changes everything—forever. Eli is left to pick up the pieces.
In Cutting of Harp Strings, Eli tells a tale of his younger self and artfully weaves together a story of friendship, living in the moment, and love. It's a story of self-discovery and will take you on an emotional rollercoaster of joy, heartbreak, and ultimately, utter bliss that is sure to stay with readers long after the last page is turned. With deeply feeling characters and evocative and visual plot, the story is a poignant coming-of-age poetic mosaic that will leave us reflecting on the beauty of true friendship and the power of love.
If you enjoy novels that explore the complexities of relationships and the journey of self-discovery, Cutting of Harp Strings may be your next read.
From the time I was a girl, I’ve loved stories that put a lump in my throat even as I’m laughing. As a fiction writer, that funny-sad tone is the one I go for in my own work. I gravitate toward female protagonists of all ages who break the mold—women who are intelligent and strong but who also have unconventional, quirky personalities. Women who can be hilarious, infuriating, and heartbreaking—sometimes all at once. Because they are complex and unique, these women tend to struggle with life’s challenges more than their contemporaries. That’s what makes their stories so interesting, and why I have chosen the books on this list.
When Mar’s husband divorces her, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy starting over, she’s ready for new adventures—as long as she can keep things casual. Each month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant. . . and a handsome novelist who wants more than she can give. Mar learns from each encounter. But can she open herself up to true connection?
Surrounded by quirky, endearing characters, Mar navigates her…
"A fun, entertaining novel! I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't enjoy this book as much as I did." -Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author
When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures-as long as she can keep things casual.
With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical…
