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The Alchemist

The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho)

This is a story about a journey that conveys the message that if you really want something, the universe will help you to achieve it. The encouragement of following your dreams is very much in your face – there’s superficial philosophy that triggers some thoughts, but not deep ones, so I haven’t gained much from this book. Even though the story wasn’t intellectually challenging or inspiring, it was easy to read and very well-written. Overall, it was okay; however, I expected much more from this… Read More »The Alchemist (by Paulo Coelho)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (by Milan Kundera)

This is a toughie. While I definitely loved the poetic title and the style of alternating fiction with non-fiction, I found the plot challenging to follow. It’s not a typical plotline, it’s non-chronological and non-linear. You need to be fully immersed in the book to understand its structure, otherwise you easily get lost. At some point, I even felt overwhelmed and almost guilty that I was not dedicating to it the right amount of effort. There’s lots of deep philosophy in it that triggered many… Read More »The Unbearable Lightness of Being (by Milan Kundera)

The Queen’s Gambit (by Walter Tevis)

I made a mistake. I made a beginner’s mistake. I watched the Netflix series first and a few days later I read the book. I will never do this again. I’ll always read the book first and watch the screen adaption after. The reason is that I couldn’t develop any imagination while I was reading, because I already knew the details of the whole story and how this was going to end. I missed a lot the making up in my mind of the visual… Read More »The Queen’s Gambit (by Walter Tevis)

Into the Wild (by Jon Krakauer)

A few years ago, I watched the film that was the adaptation of this book. The film was inspiring and emotional – I expected the same from the book. Perhaps, I even expected more given that a book is always richer than a film in details. WARNING – THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE FILM so if you want to watch it, which I’d highly recommend, stop reading here and come back once you’ve watched the film :-). However, the book was only a bit… Read More »Into the Wild (by Jon Krakauer)

Say Good Night to Insomnia

Say Good Night to Insomnia (by Gregg D. Jacobs)

I love to sleep. If I sleep, I can cope with (almost) everything, while if I don’t sleep well enough or for long enough, I can’t function properly. My brain slows down and hurts (I know that technically the brain can’t hurt but you know what I mean). Until about 5 years ago, I had never had any kind of insomnia issues, it was quite the opposite; I was able to sleep very well and for very long. I could even manage to sleep until… Read More »Say Good Night to Insomnia (by Gregg D. Jacobs)

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (by Mark Manson)

The main message delivered by the author of this book, who is a popular blogger, is that we don’t have to be positive at all times and that what we should instead do is choose what deserves our attention. How many times have I been told in difficult situations: “Think positive!”, especially from people who have never been in that situation before and have zero idea what I might be feeling at that moment. Ironically, wanting to be positive implies that you’re not happy. It’s… Read More »The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (by Mark Manson)

Love Letters of the Great War (edited by Mandy Kirkby)

With this book, I took a glimpse at some private correspondence that was exchanged during the WW1. Lots of different strong emotions were given voice by these letters, so sometimes I felt like I was intruding on the privacy of those who wrote and received them. My favourite one was written by the primary school teacher Marin to his wife Marguerite. A few months after Marin had joined the army in 1914, Marguerite gave birth to their first child, a daughter. His letter is just… Read More »Love Letters of the Great War (edited by Mandy Kirkby)

The Universe in a Single Atom (by the Dalai Lama)

I don’t belong to Buddhism, but I have the highest admiration for its maximum authority, Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama XIV and, specifically, for his intelligence and openness towards others, including those who think differently from him. I always love listening to what he has to say, and I truly think his life enriches our world. This book is a confirmation of the consideration I have of him. The Dalai Lama’s genuine interest in science is well known and these pages are an opportunity to… Read More »The Universe in a Single Atom (by the Dalai Lama)

quiet

Quiet (by Susan Cain)

This book is about the power of introverts, a super interesting and important topic. The author, Susan Cain, is the world’s best-known expert on this personality type. Her TED talk has had over 32 million views so far. Culturally, our most important institutions – the schools and the workplaces – encourage us to work in teams and to even join “team building” activities. At school we’re spurred to have our say in class; and in our CVs we feel we must confirm that we’re able… Read More »Quiet (by Susan Cain)

Birdsong (by Sebastian Faulks)

Sebastian Faulks is a British best-selling novelist here in the UK and this is the first book, written by him, that I read. It’s a powerful story of love and war. The part about love was very sensual and intense. The part about war showed the horrors in detail and in a realistic manner, so much so that I could identify with the human despair. The writing style was so descriptive that I felt like I was watching a film. It triggered many strong emotions… Read More »Birdsong (by Sebastian Faulks)