The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

One Sentence Summary:

A young boy goes on a journey and realizes that he can follow any path he chooses. 

review:

A very philosophical read, one of few books I re-read with some regularity. When I first read it I recommended it to everyone because I thought it changed my life... really it just made it easier for me to justify my life and the choices I had made. That said every time I read it I take something else out of it and reflect on my life for a while. A well written parable, it basically tells you to follow your dreams and overcome anything in your way, let nothing prevent you from living the life you want to live the way you want to live it. I think everyone should read it at least once. 

10/10

10/10

memorable quotes:
"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."
If you enjoyed this read:

Life of Pie - Yann Martel
The Death of Ivan Ilych -  Leo Tolstoy
Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood

Songs of Willow Frost - Jamie Ford

one sentence summary:
tracing on two converging time lines the life of a 12 year old boy and his mother from before the had her baby we find a story of strength and sorrow.

review:
I really really really enjoyed this story, that said the writing was a bit scattered from time to time and I feel that a stronger editor could have refined the novel to near perfection. I loved the historical aspects of it, I felt fully submersed in 1920's Seattle and leaving the novel behind took a while every time I had to put the book down. The story was mostly heart breaking but in a beautiful and forgivable way. I recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for something good to read.

8/10

The Poet Prince - Kathleen McGowan

one sentence summary:
the third book in a series that follows the bloodline of Jesus to today's world with a paranormal twist.

review:
Not as good as the first book in the trilogy but better than the second. The story was a bit slow and in my opinion the best part is the historical flashes. I enjoyed the whole story, but found the parts from the perspective of the female lead to be a bit dry and frustrating because there was romantic turmoil and her character did not handle it the way her character (from the prior books) would have. I found it very frustrating how much the character changes without any actual character development.

8/10

Skylight Confessions - Alice Hoffman

one sentence summary
Follow one family as it shatters and tries to pull itself together.

review:
I really enjoyed this story, I can tell the imagery from it is going to stick with me for a long time. The characters were very well developed, they all had wonderful flaws and were very relatable. Hoffman must have spent longer researching mental illness and drug addiction than she did writing the book because from my perspective it was really well written. I highly recommend anyone interested in drug addictions or anyone who wants to understand how to develop characters without glaring descriptions.

9/10

The Time In Between - David Bergen

one sentence summary:
a Vietnam War Veteran returns to Vietnam, his children follow to find him after he stops contacting them.

review:
this was in my to read pile for a very long time, so long that I had no recollection of why I bought it in the first place. I dutifully took it with me to the cabin and read it uninterrupted. It is a remarkably well written book, the language and syntax are better than most of what I have read, I understand why it won the Giller Prize. That said the story feels a bit disjointed and unbalanced to me. I wish that more time had been spent on the earlier years of the veteran's children's lives as I found that to be the most interesting aspect of the novel. It is written to make you think and above all feel. If you enjoy reading well written stories no matter the subject matter I recommend this to you.

8/10

Bleak House - Charles Dickens

one sentence summary:
Possibly the best look at Victorian England a modern reader can take.

review:
like all of Dickens work (god, I am starting to feel like a parrot with this string of reviews on the classics), the characters are all brilliantly developed, the plot is clever and the prose and language alone make it worth reading. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a wonderful novel with beautiful language unlike anything that is written now a days.

7/10

David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

one sentence summary:
follow David Copperfield as he lives out the dream of every impoverished writer.

review:
Dickens was one of the greatest writers in the English language, this novel is no exception (in fact he said it was his favourite). The characters are all brilliant and the prose, as always are gripping. The plot is well designed and the setting is perfectly flawed. Copperfield is the every-man of those who think of themselves as artists. I recommend this to anyone who wants to read a poignant story of a man raising himself up by the bootstraps and making something of his life.

6/10

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

one sentence summary:
there is a revolution going on in France.

review:
Again Dickens hits it out of the park with his descriptive ability. This is a beautiful work about the flaws of man and the hideousness of humanity. Every thing is connected but as you are reading it you do not necessarily see that it is even possible for the characters to be connected, but in the end they are.  The writing is beautiful and unforgettable. So much description that often it is called "wordy", that, however, is the beauty of Dickens, each of the plethora of words has a purpose. I recommend this for people who call themselves readers.

8/10

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë

One sentence summary:
Another story where a poor girl finds herself in love with a wealthy man.

review:
This is often called one of the most beautiful love stories ever written, I agree. The writing is superb and the characters are both (there are only two that matter) unforgettable. It is the story of finding the bravery to follow your heart. There is a lesson in it for everyone and I think almost every one should read it (or see one of the movies if books aren't your thing).

7/10

Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

one sentence summary:
A self involved man meets a self involved women...

review:
All of the characters in this novel are assholes, every single one of them, all terrible people. The writing is beautiful, the characters are well written but everyone is a total ass. This may be done ironically, or as a statement on society in general, however that does not make the characters into good people. The writing is brilliant though so is worth reading even though you will possibly hate everything about reading it. I recommend this to anyone who is on a "must read all the classics" kick.

6/10

Emma - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
A young woman feels that she knows best about not only her love life but her friends as well, she does not.

review:
The funniest read of the Summer of Jane Austen, Emma was remarkably similar to me, trying to make everything perfect for everyone without even knowing what would make me happy. The wit in the writing is brilliantly entertaining, and, as always the characters and plot development are top shelve. I recommend this to any awkward teenage girl who has no friends and is wondering why.

6/10

Persuasion - Jane Austen

one sentence summary:
Sometimes the only way to fix your life is to be completely honest with everyone in it.

review:
Ok, I love to hate Jane Austen, I think that all her heroines are terrible, weak and generally irritating as hell. However, at the same time I am hating on her and her characters I am loving everything about them. The writing is beautiful and all of the characters are wonderfully flawed. I went through a summer (probably 2004) when I read a whole lot of Jane Austen all at once. This story was one of the easier to see the message in and to take that very prim and proper message and give it a real world spin. The moral of the story is that sometimes the best thing to do is eat that humble pie, enjoy it (or at least pretend to) and smile. Also the writing is really good, amazing in fact, using language that we would think of as antiquated but I really enjoyed.

6/10

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

one sentence summary:
there once were two architects, they both were misunderstood, in the most pretentious ways possible.

review:
This is really well written but I totally hated it. I liked the writing style, I loved the prose, but I HATED all of the characters and the plot too. It was just so pretentious, it is one of those books which all the yuppies read or pretend to have read because they think it gives them some sort of "greater-than-thou-ness". I understand why "misunderstood" teenagers  would love it, but never ever ever let them read it as they will use it as justification for being total shits for as long as they possibly can. That said the writing itself is beautiful.

4/10

Coraline - Neil Gaiman

one sentence summary:
a little girl finds an alternate world that is exactly like her own, but is completely different.

review:
A really well written story with a strong, independent female protagonist aimed at kids old enough to know the difference between reality and make believe. I can guarantee I will be reading this to my niece and grandniece given the opportunity. Gaiman does a fantastic job of describing the world through the eyes of a child. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially young girls who feel misunderstood by the world.

8/10

Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

One sentence Summary:
The age old tale, spoiled plantation daughter falls in love, but oops there is a war :(

review:
This is a classic for a reason, it is well written with one of the most evolving protagonists I have ever read. At the beginning you hate Scarlet, she is a horrid girl but she evolves into a slightly less horrid girl who is head over heals in love, and from that into a strong (most of the time) woman. It is a long read, I recommend breaking it up with something trashy so that you don't get sick and tired of Scarlet's antics and shelve the book without finishing it.

8/10

Stranger in a Strange Land

one sentence summary:
A human raised by martians returned to earth as a young adult.

review:
This novel embodies the ultimate culture shock. Written in the early 1960's this is a fascinating look at what was thought to be possible. A classic of the SciFi cannon for a good reason, it is brilliantly written and the characters embodies every big question science fiction authors strive to answer. What is the future of humanity like, what happens to human morals, where do we go from here, etc. I recommend this to anyone who has any interest in SciFi, Philosophy or Sociology.

8.5/10

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

one sentence summary
the book that all hipsters have read, or rather, claim to have read.

review
The only good part of this book is the feeling of accomplishment achieved by finishing the book so that I could look pretentious people in the eye and say "oh, really, that's what you thought?" in a really condescending tone. The writing is superfluous, the characters are all weakly developed and have no real base, and the plot is just poorly executed. But, in a 1950's America this became an instant classic, embracing capitalism and showing every other philosophy of life to be inferior. In conclusion, please do not read this book, use the time for better things... like learning to knit or planting a garden or reading harlequin romances (I kid you not, a better use of your time).

3/10

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

one sentence summary:
We follow the saga of two families destined to be entwined for ever.

review:
This is a beautifully written story of family, love, belief and disillusionment. The characters are all brilliant, and the way in which they all parallel and conflict with each other is really well thought out and written. The prose are beautiful and the writing will stay with you long after you have finished reading it. This is a novel that the most pretentious person you know will have read / pretend to have read, because it is a classic and everyone should read it. That said it isn't an easy read, it is really good, and the language is easy to understand, it is just a brick of a book. The plot moves along at a can't put it down, what happens next gallop. I recommend everyone read it.

8/10

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

one sentence summary:
a very interesting look at American culture, told through a road trip.

review:
It seems that the most insightful novels about Americana rely on the road trip setting to get their stories across to the reader, this is no exception. Gaiman looks at American culture through a distorted kaleidoscope and the results are amazing. Well worth reading this is a witty read, moving from discerning broad concepts of reality to moments of hilarity with out missing a beat. It is a fast paced, edge of your seat story that will keep you turning pages and then leave you empty when you turn the last page. I highly recommend it to anyone who isn't easily offended by atheist views.
8/10

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

one sentence summary;
there was a lot of death during WWII

review:
This is a beautifully written, terribly depressing story. This is geared to young adults, but I would say adults might get more out of it. A fascinating look at WWII told by an ingenious narrator showing us a side of the war we don't often see. I highly recommend this book to everyone, keeping in mind that it is not a quick read.

8/10