Arthur Less is a nearly 50-year-old gay man and former partner of a Pulitzer prize-winning writer who travels the world to forget a past lover and avoid having to go to his wedding. Such is the story of Andrew Sean Greer’s 2018 Pulitzer prize-winning novel Less. A middle-aged writer who had (barely) attained his 15…
The Pilgrimage (O Diario Un Mago), which is Paulo Coelho‘s first official novel published in 1987, describes his personal journey along the El Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James. In 1986, after failing his spiritual initiation as a Master of the Order of Regnus Agnus Mundi (RAM), Coelho loses confidence in himself and starts…
When Rosecrans Baldwin was offered an advertising job in Paris by a friend, he jumped at the chance and boarded the next flight to France. Nevermind that he knew next to nothing about advertising, and nevermind that he hardly spoke French. It’s Paris!! That’s probably how many Francophiles would react if offered to live and…
So despite my earlier rant about being in a reading rut and contemplating whether or not to give up on the two books I’ve been reading, I pushed on and eventually finished Richard Morais’ The Hundred Foot Journey. Though not exactly a great piece of literature, The Hundred Foot Journey, it is, at least, not the worst…
The Comfort of Strangers (1981) is a short novel by Ian McEwan about a couple on vacation in an unnamed city which fits the description of Venice, Italy. Mary and Colin are neither married, nor living together, but have known each other for some time, and are in a loving but strained relationship. During their vacation,…
First of all, let me start by saying that this is my 100th book review and 200th post in general (what?! I have an extra 100 posts on here that aren’t about books?!?)! I never thought I’d make it this far. To celebrate, (coincidentally) here’s a review of a book about happiness. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping…
I’ve been thinking about making this list for a while now, but I didn’t think I could actually pick 100 books. Well, I was right, I couldn’t make 100, but I was close. While assessing all the books I’ve read, I was glad to know that I’ve actually read more than 100 books. Unfortunately, I…
Just a short post on this and that… I have an upcoming trip to Japan, and I find it so strange that none of the popular bookstores I’ve been to around my city sells Japan guide books. I can’t find any Japan tour books by Lonely Planet, Fodor’s, Frommer’s or any of the popular (or…
Sometime in the early 2000s, American pastry chef, and writer, David Lebovitz, decided to leave his life in San Francisco behind, to live in the city many of us (me, at least) dream of – Paris. In his light, and funny book, The Sweet Life in Paris, David shares his misunderstandings and (mis)adventures as an American trying to…
Just returned from an interesting short trip to Macau, one of the Special Administrative Regions of China. It’s unique mix of Chinese and European traditions make Macau a city like no other. A peninsula of Mainland China, colonized by the Portuguese in the 15oo’s, Macau is a city which definitely has character. With the city’s cobblestone-paved, narrow…
The Misanthropologist 