Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Resignation
Of Mice and Men
by John Steinbeck
Two migrant workers in Depression-era California, struggling against forces of fate.
Two migrant field workers in California on their plantation during the Great Depression—George Milton, an intelligent but uneducated man, and Lennie Small, a bulky, strong man but mentally disabled ... (Wikipedia)
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
An orphan's rise from poverty to wealth, and the lessons he learns along the way.
The book includes three "Stages" of Pip's Expectations. On Christmas Eve, around 1812, , Pip, an orphan about seven years old, is visiting the graves of his parents and siblings in the village ... (Wikipedia)
Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
A dystopian society where books are outlawed, and a fireman's search for freedom and truth.
Fahrenheit 451 is set in an unspecified city (likely in the American Midwest ) in the year 2049 (according to Ray Bradbury's Coda), though it is written as if set in a distant future. ,[note 1], The ... (Wikipedia)
Cry, the Beloved Country
by Alan Paton
A journey of faith in a divided land, seeking justice and reconciliation.
In the remote village of Ndotsheni, in the Natal province of eastern South Africa , the Reverend Stephen Kumalo receives a letter from a fellow minister summoning him to Johannesburg . He is needed ... (Wikipedia)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by Milan Kundera
A story of love and loss in a politically turbulent Czechoslovakia.
In The Unbearable Lightness of Being , Milan Kundera tells the story of a young woman in love with a man torn between his love for her and his incorrigible womanizing and one of his mistresses and ... (Goodreads)
Angela's Ashes
by Frank McCourt
A memoir of poverty and hardship in 1930s Ireland, and a family's struggle to survive.
Imbued on every page with Frank McCourt's astounding humor and compassion. This is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic. "When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to ... (Goodreads)
Adulthood Is a Myth
by Sarah Andersen
Collection of humorous comic strips about the realities of being an adult.
The hilarious debut, Sarah's Scribbles, collection from Sarah Andersen, winner of three consecutive, Goodreads Choice Awards, for Graphic Novels and Comics These casually drawn, perfectly on-point ... (Barnes & Noble)
Suite Française
by Irène Némirovsky
A story of love and loss set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied France.
The first two stories of a masterwork once thought lost, written by a pre-WWII bestselling author who was deported to Auschwitz and died before her work could be completed. By the early l940s, when ... (Goodreads)
The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro
A butler reflects on his past, grappling with the lost opportunities of a life devoted to service.
The novel tells, in first-person narration , the story of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (who is recently deceased, and whom Stevens ... (Wikipedia)
Less
by Andrew Sean Greer
A man's journey of self-discovery and coming to terms with his life choices.
PROBLEM: You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years now engaged to someone else. You can’t say yes–it would all be ... (Goodreads)
A Visit from the Goon Squad
by Jennifer Egan
A mosaic of characters, lives, and relationships as they intertwine and evolve over time.
Jennifer Egan’s spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. ... (Goodreads)
The Sun Also Rises
by Ernest Hemingway
A group of expatriates in 1920s Europe, struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of WWI.
On the surface, the novel is a love story between the protagonist Jake Barnes—a man whose war wound has made him unable to have sex—and the promiscuous divorcée usually identified as Lady Brett ... (Wikipedia)
Bleak House
by Charles Dickens
A social commentary on the English legal system, exploring themes of inequality, injustice and corruption.
Bleak House opens in the twilight of foggy London, where fog grips the city most densely in the Court of Chancery. The obscure case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, in which an inheritance is gradually ... (Goodreads)
Stoner
by John Williams
An academic's life of quiet desperation, finding solace in literature.
William Stoner is born on a small farm in 1891. After high school, the county agent advises he go to agriculture school. Stoner enrolls in the University of Missouri , where all agriculture students ... (Wikipedia)
El coronel no tiene quien le escriba / No One Writes to the Colonel
by Gabriel García Márquez
A poor colonel's struggles to support his family amidst political and social turmoil.
The novel, written between 1956 and 1957 while living in Paris in the Hotel des Trois Colleges , and first published in 1961, , is the story of an impoverished, retired colonel , a veteran of the ... (Wikipedia)
The Death of Ivan Ilych
by Leo Tolstoy
A man's journey of self-reflection in the face of death, confronting mortality and the meaning of life.
Ivan Ilyich lives a carefree life that is "most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible". Like everyone he knows, he spends his life climbing the social ladder. Enduring marriage to a ... (Wikipedia)
Go the F**k to Sleep
by Adam Mansbach
Hilarious bedtime story for parents of children who don't want to go to sleep.
A laugh-out-loud, adults-only bedtime story for parents familiar with the age-old struggle of putting their kids to bed,“Hell no, you can’t go to the bathroom. You know where you can go? The f**k to ... (Goodreads)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
A young boy experiences a day of unfortunate events, learning to accept his feelings and move on.
Alexander narrates the story of having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day. From the moment Alexander woke up, he noticed the bubble gum that was in his mouth when he fell asleep had now ... (Wikipedia)
Eugene Onegin
by Alexander Pushkin
A poetic novel of unrequited love and tragic consequences, set in early 19th century Russia.
In the 1820s, Eugene Onegin is a bored St. Petersburg dandy , whose life consists of balls, concerts, parties, and nothing more. Upon the death of a wealthy uncle, he inherits a substantial fortune ... (Wikipedia)
The Gospel According to Jesus Christ
by José Saramago
A retelling of the life of Jesus Christ, delving into his motivations and emotions.
This is a skeptic' s journey into the meaning of God and of human existence. At once an ironic rendering of the life of Christ and a beautiful novel, Saramago' s tale has sparked intense discussion ... (Goodreads)
The House of Mirth
by Edith Wharton
A young woman's struggle to navigate New York high society, in pursuit of financial security and true love.
Lily Bart, a beautiful but impoverished socialite, is on her way to a house party at Bellomont, the country home of her best friend, Judy Trenor. Her pressing task is to find a husband with the ... (Wikipedia)
The Good Soldier Švejk
by Jaroslav Hašek
A Czech soldier's satirical adventures during WWI, highlighting the absurdity of war.
The story begins in Prague with news of the assassination in Sarajevo that precipitates World War I . Švejk displays such enthusiasm about faithfully serving the Austrian Emperor in battle that no ... (Wikipedia)
The Descendants
by Kaui Hart Hemmings
A man's journey to come to terms with his family's past, and the future of his home.
Matthew King was once considered one of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors were financially and culturally progressive—one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a ... (Wikipedia)
Waiting for Godot
by Samuel Beckett
Two men wait for a mysterious figure who never arrives, reflecting on their lives and existence.
Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, have met near a leafless tree. Estragon spent the previous night lying in a ditch and receiving a beating from some unnamed assailants. The two men discuss a variety ... (Wikipedia)
Housekeeping
by Marilynne Robinson
A story of two sisters navigating their lives in a small town, and the matriarchal figure that unites them.
Ruthie narrates the story of how she and her younger sister Lucille are raised by a succession of relatives in the fictional town of Fingerbone, Idaho (some details are similar to Robinson's ... (Wikipedia)
Père Goriot
by Honoré de Balzac
A tale of ambition, greed, and human relationships in 19th century Paris.
The novel opens with an extended description of the Maison Vauquer, a boarding house in Paris' rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève covered with vines, owned by the widow Madame Vauquer. The residents include ... (Wikipedia)
Jude the Obscure
by Thomas Hardy
A tale of struggle and sorrow for a poor, uneducated man amid the rigid conventions of Victorian England.
The novel tells the story of Jude Fawley, who lives in a village in southern England (part of Hardy's fictional county of Wessex ), who yearns to be a scholar at "Christminster", a city modelled on ... (Wikipedia)
The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein
An uplifting story of a race car driver and the bond between humans and animals.
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by ... (Goodreads)
A Child Called "It"
by Dave Pelzer
True story of a child's unbearable suffering at the hands of an abusive parent.
Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE], ACE #1, This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of ... (Goodreads)
Interview with the Vampire
by Anne Rice
A vampire's musings on his existence, struggles with morality and his own immortality.
A vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac tells his 200-year-long life story to a reporter referred to simply as " the boy ". In 1791, Louis is a young indigo plantation owner living in Louisiana . ... (Wikipedia)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
A single day in a Soviet prison camp, detailing the hardships and struggle of the inmates.
Ivan Denisovich Shukhov has been sentenced to a camp in the Soviet gulag system. He was accused of becoming a spy after being captured briefly by the Germans as a prisoner of war during World War II ... (Wikipedia)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A reclusive Hollywood star reveals her secrets to a young journalist.
Monique Grant is a 35 year old struggling writer living in New York City. Dealing with her professional career going nowhere and her husband leaving her, Monique is at an all time low. Having worked ... (Wikipedia)
Bartleby the Scrivener
by Herman Melville
A story of a mysterious scrivener whose refusal to comply with workplace demands leads to tragedy.
The narrator is an unnamed Manhattan lawyer, aged around his late 50s, with a business in legal documents. He already employs two scriveners , Nippers and Turkey, to copy legal documents by hand, but ... (Wikipedia)
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande
An exploration of the human experience of mortality and the importance of end-of-life care.
In, Being Mortal, author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern ... (Goodreads)
The Summer Garden
by Paullina Simons
A love story of two people caught in the whirlwind of war and its consequences.
Four years have gone by since World War II has ended; and Tatiana and Alexander are married and living a life together with their son, Anthony. Yet, they are strangers to each other. Having been ... (Wikipedia)
The Heart's Invisible Furies
by John Boyne
A man's life journey spanning seven decades and three continents, searching for love and acceptance.
Cyril Avery is not a real Avery or at least that’s what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he? Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast ... (Goodreads)
The Nanny Diaries
by Emma McLaughlin
A young woman's struggle to balance her professional and personal obligations as a nanny.
Wanted: One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless–bordering on masochistic. Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived ... (Goodreads)
The Hours
by Michael Cunningham
Interwoven stories of three women and the impact of Virginia Woolf's novel, Mrs. Dalloway.
Note: This Summary does not contain the whole book, nor end at the ending. The stream-of-consciousness style being so prominent in this work, a summary of the plot based on physical action does not ... (Wikipedia)
Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton
Tale of doomed romance set against a harsh New England winter.
The novel is a framed narrative . The framing story concerns an unnamed male narrator spending a winter in Starkfield while in the area on business. He spots a limping, quiet man around the village, ... (Wikipedia)
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
by Jeff Hobbs
A poignant biography of a man's rise and fall, caught in the crossfire of economic and social inequality.
An instant, New York Times, bestseller, named a best book of the year by, The New York Times Book Review, Amazon, and, Entertainment Weekly, among others, this celebrated account of a young ... (Barnes & Noble)
Burial Rites
by Hannah Kent
A woman awaits her execution in 19th-century Iceland, reliving her story of hardship, loss and faith.
Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put ... (Wikipedia)
The Winter of Our Discontent
by John Steinbeck
A journey of self-reflection and moral reckoning as a man struggles to regain his lost integrity.
The story concerns mainly Ethan Allen Hawley, a former member of Long Island 's aristocratic class. Ethan's late father lost the family fortune, and thus Ethan works as a grocery store clerk. His ... (Wikipedia)
This is Where I Leave You
by Jonathan Tropper
A family comes together during a week of sitting shiva, rediscovering the joys of being a family.
A riotously funny, emotionally raw New York Times bestselling novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not. The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks ... (Goodreads)
Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel García Márquez
An epic love story spanning decades, exploring the power of true love.
The main characters of the novel are Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza. Florentino and Fermina fall in love in their youth. A secret relationship blossoms between the two with the help of Fermina's ... (Wikipedia)
Love, Rosie
by Cecelia Ahern
A young couple's journey of love, navigating the struggles of life and all its surprises.
Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family ... (Goodreads)
When Breath Becomes Air
by Paul Kalanithi
A doctor's poignant memoir about life, mortality and purpose in the face of terminal illness.
For readers of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Anne Lamott, a profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis who attempts to answer ... (Goodreads)
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea
by Sebastian Junger
A harrowing account of a fishing boat's journey into the heart of an epic storm.
"Takes readers into the maelstrom and shows nature's splendid and dangerous havoc at its utmost". October 1991. It was "the perfect storm"–a tempest that may happen only once in a century--a ... (Goodreads)
Rabbit, Run
by John Updike
A man's attempt to escape the pressures of adult life and find freedom.
Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, formerly a high school basketball star, is now 26, and has a job selling a kitchen gadget named MagiPeeler. He is married to Janice, who was a salesgirl at the store where he ... (Wikipedia)
Factotum
by Charles Bukowski
A portrait of a struggling writer, seeking solace in alcohol and women.
Set in the 1940s, the plot follows Henry Chinaski , Bukowski's perpetually unemployed, alcoholic alter ego , who has been rejected from the World War II draft and makes his way from one menial job to ... (Wikipedia)
Love That Dog
by Sharon Creech
A young boy's reluctant journey to discover his love of poetry, and his own writing talent.
"I guess it does look like a poem when you see it typed up like that." Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Ms. Stretchberry, ... (Goodreads)
Junky
by William S. Burroughs
A gritty, autobiographical account of a man's descent into the underworld of addiction.
Before his 1959 breakthrough, Naked Lunch , an unknown William S. Burroughs wrote Junky , his first novel. It is a candid eye-witness account of times and places that are now long gone, an ... (Goodreads)
What Alice Forgot
by Liane Moriarty
A woman wakes up with amnesia and must reconstruct her life, rediscovering truths hidden in her past.
FROM THE #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF, THE HUSBAND'S SECRET, AND, BIG LITTLE LIES,. A “cheerfully engaging”(,Kirkus Reviews,) novel for anyone who’s ever asked herself, “How did I get ... (Barnes & Noble)
Hard Times
by Charles Dickens
A grim tale of a Victorian industrial city, highlighting its struggles of poverty, injustice and strife.
"My satire is against those who see figures and averages, and nothing else," proclaimed Charles Dickens in explaining the theme of this classic novel. Published in 1854, the story concerns one Thomas ... (Goodreads)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
by Richard Flanagan
A man's journey to reconcile his past and make sense of his actions during the Japanese occupation of Burma.
Dorrigo Evans has found fame and public recognition as a war veteran in old age, but inwardly he is plagued by his own shortcomings and considers his numerous accolades to be a “failure of perception ... (Wikipedia)
Dear Life
by Alice Munro
A collection of stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary moments of change and transformation.
Suffused with Munro's clarity of vision and her unparalleled gift for storytelling, these tales about departures and beginnings, accidents and dangers, and outgoings and homecomings both imagined and ... (Goodreads)
Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
by Atul Gawande
Exploration of the human costs and consequences of medical care, highlighting our imperfections and vulnerabilities.
In gripping accounts of true cases, surgeon Atul Gawande explores the power and the limits of medicine, offering an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge. Complications lays bare a science not in ... (Goodreads)
Ball Four
by Jim Bouton
A candid account of the life of a professional baseball player, exposing the realities of the sport.
Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton. When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players ... (Goodreads)
Beach Music
by Pat Conroy
A man's struggle to confront his past and find peace with his present.
An American expatriate in Rome unearths his family legacy in this sweeping novel by the acclaimed author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini A Southerner living abroad, Jack McCall is ... (Goodreads)
Interpreter of Maladies
by Jhumpa Lahiri
Collection of stories exploring the struggles of Indian-American immigrants in the US.
A married couple, Shukumar and Shoba, live as strangers in their house until an electrical outage brings them together when all of sudden "they [are] able to talk to each other again" in the four ... (Wikipedia)
Swamp Thing, Vol. 1: Saga of the Swamp Thing
by Alan Moore
A creature of the swamp embarks on a quest for the truth about his existence.
Before WATCHMEN, Alan Moore made his debut in the U.S. comic book industry with the revitalization of the horror comic book THE SWAMP THING. His deconstruction of the classic monster stretched the ... (Goodreads)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
by Jean-Dominique Bauby
A paralyzed man's memoir, transcribed through blinking his left eye.
On December 8, 1995, Bauby, the editor-in-chief of French, Elle, magazine, suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma . He awoke 20 days later, mentally aware of his surroundings, but physically ... (Wikipedia)
The Known World
by Edward P. Jones
A story of a former slave turned landowner navigating the complex social dynamics of Antebellum America.
One of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, The Known World is a daring and ambitious work by Pulitzer Prize winner Edward P. Jones. The Known World tells the story of Henry Townsend, a black ... (Goodreads)
A Brief History of Seven Killings
by Marlon James
A fictionalized account of the attempted assassination of Bob Marley, exploring the history of Jamaica.
On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert, gunmen stormed his house, machine guns blazing. The attack nearly ... (Goodreads)
Still Alice
by Lisa Genova
A woman's struggle to hold on to her identity in the face of a devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience ... (Goodreads)
The Light We Lost
by Jill Santopolo
A love story spanning years of secrets, heartache, and moments of hope.
He was the first person to inspire her, to move her, to truly understand her. Was he meant to be the last? Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must ... (Goodreads)
Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher
A teenage girl's posthumous account of her life and the events that lead to her death.
High school student Clay Jensen receives a mysterious package in the mail with seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate who recently died by suicide. The tapes had also been sent to ... (Wikipedia)
Hedda Gabler
by Henrik Ibsen
A woman's struggle against societal expectations and a search for freedom.
Hedda, the daughter of an aristocratic and enigmatic general, has just returned to her villa in Kristiania (now Oslo) from her honeymoon. Her husband is George Tesman, a young, aspiring, and reliable ... (Wikipedia)
Nicholas and Alexandra
by Robert K. Massie
An epic saga about the last Tsar of Russia and the fall of the Romanov dynasty.
The story of the love that ended an empire. In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story ... (Goodreads)
South of the Border, West of the Sun
by Haruki Murakami
A married man's reflections on a once-in-a-lifetime love affair, and his struggle to reconcile the past with the present.
Alternate cover edition, here,. Growing up in the suburbs of post-war Japan, it seemed to Hajime that everyone but him had brothers and sisters. His sole companion was Shimamoto, also an only child. ... (Goodreads)
The Myth of Sisyphus
by Albert Camus
An essay on understanding the absurdity of life, and realizing there is meaning in even the most mundane tasks.
Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves—and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, ... (Goodreads)
Corelli's Mandolin
by Louis de Bernières
A story of love and loss during the tumultuous era of World War II.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is set in the early days of the second world war, before Benito Mussolini invaded Greece. Dr Iannis practices medicine on the island of Cephalonia, accompanied by his ... (Goodreads)
Death Without Company
by Craig Johnson
A small-town sheriff investigates the mysterious deaths of two elderly women.
Walt investigates a death by poison in this gripping novel from the, New York Times, bestselling author of, The Cold Dish, and, Dry Bones, the second in the Longmire Mystery Series, the basis for, ... (Goodreads)
The Gods of Guilt
by Michael Connelly
A lawyer's pursuit of justice in a criminal case, uncovering secrets and revealing the truth.
Mickey Haller gets the text, "Call me ASAP - 187," and the California penal code for murder immediately gets his attention. Murder cases have the highest stakes and the biggest paydays, and they ... (Goodreads)
Journey to the End of the Night
by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
A darkly comic, nihilistic journey of self-discovery, following a man into the heart of an absurd world.
Céline’s masterpiece—colloquial, polemic, hyper-realistic, boiling over with black humor Céline’s masterpiece—colloquial, polemic, hyper realistic—boils over with bitter humor and revulsion at ... (Barnes & Noble)
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
by Nora Ephron
A humorous and poignant look at the struggles of aging and being a woman in modern society.
With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are ... (Goodreads)
Leaving Paradise
by Simone Elkeles
A young girl's struggle to find her identity in a world of conflicting expectations.
Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social ... (Goodreads)
A Million Little Pieces
by James Frey
An addict's story of recovery, as he struggles to overcome his demons.
Intense, unpredictable, and instantly engaging, this is a story of drug and alcohol abuse and rehabilitation as it has never been told before. It is also the introduction of a bold and talented ... (Goodreads)
Love the One You're With
by Emily Giffin
A woman's journey of self-reflection and realization that leads to a life-changing decision.
How do you know if you've found, the one,? Can you really love the one you're with when you can't forget, the one who got away,? Emily Giffin, author of the, New York Times, bestselling novels, ... (Barnes & Noble)
Jaws
by Peter Benchley
A small beach town is terrorized by a great white shark, leading to a thrilling battle of man versus nature.
The story is set in Amity, a fictional seaside resort town on Long Island , New York. One night, a massive great white shark kills a young tourist named Chrissie Watkins while she skinny dips in the ... (Wikipedia)
Before I Fall
by Lauren Oliver
A high school student relives the same day over and over, learning to appreciate life.
The story begins on a seemingly normal day for the popular 17-year-old Samantha "Sam" Kingston. On February 12, known as " Cupid's Day ," Sam goes about her day as normal with her three best ... (Wikipedia)
The Book of Disquiet
by Fernando Pessoa
A collection of philosophical reflections on life, love and fate.
Fernando Pessoa was many writers in one. He attributed his prolific writings to a wide range of alternate selves, each of which had a distinct biography, ideology, and horoscope. When he died in ... (Goodreads)
The Zahir
by Paulo Coelho
A man's journey to understand the meaning of love and of life, in the face of loss.
The Zahir means 'the obvious' or 'conspicuous' in Arabic . The story revolves around the life of the narrator , a bestselling novelist, and in particular his search for his missing wife, Esther. He ... (Wikipedia)
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
by Patrick Ness
A story of a group of normal teens in an extraordinary world of superheroes.
Six starred reviews! A bold and irreverent YA novel that powerfully reminds us that there are many different types of remarkable,, The Rest of Just Live Here, is from novelist Patrick Ness, author of ... (Barnes & Noble)
Post Office
by Charles Bukowski
A poetic and darkly humorous narrative about a man's struggles with poverty and loneliness.
In Los Angeles, California , down-and-out barfly Henry Chinaski becomes a substitute mail carrier ; he quits for a while and lives on his winnings at the race track, then becomes a mail clerk. ... (Wikipedia)
Merrick
by Anne Rice
A vampire's quest to reclaim his humanity while struggling against his own vampiric nature.
Louis de Pointe du Lac is being haunted by the spirit of Claudia , a child who, like Louis, had been turned into a vampire by Lestat de Lioncourt but was destroyed long ago. With the help of former ... (Wikipedia)
Losing It
by Cora Carmack
A young woman learns to embrace life and take chances as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, Bliss Edwards decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible - a one-night stand. But her plan turns ... (Goodreads)
Anne Rice's The Tale of the Body Thief
by Faye Perozich
A vampire's quest to reclaim his lost humanity, explored through a visually stunning graphic novel.
Lestat is the decadent, corrupt night-dweller with a craving for human blood. Now transformed into a Dark God, he must make a journey into the heart of darkness, where he must confront his own cursed ... (Goodreads)
This Earth Of Mankind
by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
A family saga set in colonial Indonesia, exploring the effects of oppression and injustice.
This Earth of Mankind tells the story of Minke, a Javanese minor royal who studies at a Hogere Burger School (HBS) in an era when only the descendants of the European colonizers can expect to attain ... (Wikipedia)
Burning For Revenge
by John Marsden
Action-packed story of a group of teenagers fighting against an invading army in their small town.
The action doesn't let up in the most explosive Tomorrow book yet – another international bestseller from John Marsden. The journey to Stratton isn't an easy trip, especially when the enemy's ... (Goodreads)
Letter from an Unknown Woman: The Fowler Snared
by Stefan Zweig
A woman's mysterious letter reveals a tragic story of unrequited love and longing.
A rich and well-known writer (R.), returning home to Vienna from one of many holidays, finds a long letter from an unknown woman (Fräulein). As a teenager the woman had lived with her poor widowed ... (Wikipedia)
Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
A small town's citizens struggle to find meaning and find their place in a rapidly changing world.
Set in the decaying, nearly bankrupt, small town of Empire Falls, Maine, this is the story of the unassuming manager of the Empire Grill, Miles Roby, who has spent his life in the town. The town, and ... (Wikipedia)
The Museum of Innocence
by Orhan Pamuk
A story of unrequited love set in the city of Istanbul, exploring the power of nostalgia and memory.
Kemal has been engaged to a pretty girl named Sibel for two months when he meets a shop girl, Füsun, while buying a handbag for his fiancee. What follows in the next month and a half is an intense ... (Wikipedia)
The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays
by Albert Camus
Philosophical essays on the absurd human condition, questioning the value of life.
One of the most influential works of this century, this is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan, and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a ... (Goodreads)
Snow Like Ashes
by Sara Raasch
A quest to save a kingdom from destruction, led by a group of magical outcasts.
A striking fantasy tale of dark magic, dangerous politics, and discovering your true self—perfect for fans of Game of Thrones , An Ember in the Ashes and A Court of Thorns and Roses . Sixteen years ... (Barnes & Noble)
Men at Arms: The Play
by Stephen Briggs
A humorous play about a hapless army unit, facing a seemingly undefeatable enemy.
Edward d'Eath, an Assassin and son of a down-and-out noble family, becomes convinced that the restoration of the Ankh-Morpork monarchy will solve the social change in the city which he blames for his ... (Wikipedia)
After
by Anna Todd
A passionate love story between two college students, battling misconceptions of their relationship.
Tessa Young, an incoming freshman at Washington State University , arrives at college with her mother, Carol, and boyfriend Noah. The conservative Carol is horrified by Tessa's alternative-styled ... (Wikipedia)
The Hour of the Star
by Clarice Lispector
A poor Brazilian girl's life story, illustrating the struggles of the working class.
The novel starts with the narrator, Rodrigo S.M., discussing what it means to write a story. He addresses the reader directly and spends a lot of time talking about his philosophical beliefs. After ... (Wikipedia)
Before I Die
by Jenny Downham
A teenage girl's journey to live life to the fullest before succumbing to a terminal illness.
Tessa is diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia . Despite four years of chemotherapy , she has discovered that her cancer is terminal and her doctors give her a short time to live. Tessa, with ... (Wikipedia)
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography
by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
The inspiring story of India's 11th President, and his rise to the top in the face of adversity.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, the son of a little-educated boat-owner in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, had an unparalleled career as a defence scientist, culminating in the highest civilian award of ... (Goodreads)
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