I like that book too!! Have you read 'The Alchemist'? I mean, i'm pretty sure you have read it since its so popular and amazing, but i'm still going to ask.
To update on my recent book reading (I've set myself a goal to read a little everyday and try get through a book every fortnight - but give or take for diversity in length)...
I did read
The Alchemist! It's been hailed as one of the best books from the 20th Century - in the top ten even! But, I didn't LOVE it. Perhaps it was because it was translated into English, or perhaps the appeal is the dry writing style. But, I can only really read that dry writing style and fable format for so long, and not quite to the length of a novel as I could a short novella or a short story. So, as much as I still recommend it because it has good lessons on moral compass, journeys to your own interior, and experiences of working for success through peace, it wasn't one that had me jumping for joy. BUT, my copy of the book had wonderfully frayed pages and I loved that. I bought this book in an English book store in Paris - it was the first book I saw when I walked in so I decided it was fate
In that same book store, I sat for an entire day with a cat on my lap and read
Bonjour Tristesse. It is thoroughly French and somewhat amusing in that same manner. I enjoyed it, but I didn't buy it because I didn't have the room in my bag. I walked passed a closing down book store the other day (talk about hello sadness/bonjour tristesse!) and I bought it for $3. So I now have a copy
I also read
Clementine Ford's Fight Like a Girl. The author's voice was far more gentle and accessible than I first expected. She spoke of her own experiences rawly and I loved and appreciated it. It was more autobiographical than I expected but I loved that nonetheless, it really set things in a new light for me. I think Clementine Ford is a brilliant writer - I always have. Her ability to put forward solid and well thought out arguments time and time again has always pleased me.
I, today, finished
Essays in love by Alain de Botton. I enjoyed the first part more than I did the end, but that's because falling in love is always the most exciting time. de Botton managed to respect the reader's intelligence but also teach the reader something new. There are few dull sentences - everything is somehow wonderfully creative but also matter of fact. It was easy to digest, but also very very thought provoking.
What's next? I've got a pile of books on the to-read pile, higher than I ever wanted. But next I will read "Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It" - a collection of stories, essays, and memoirs, written by people who changed the course of their life in search of an Eat Pray Love moment. As much as I like Elizabeth Gilbert and respect her work, I didn't love her famous memoir Eat Pray Love. But I'm thirsty for some wanderlust and dreaming at the moment, so hopefully this book can take me there!
But if you have any suggestions.. I'm thinking about how I actively searched for God during my time in Europe but failed to see God. No biggie, but I'm going to write down some of my experiences. If you have any suggestions for books you've read about spiritual quests, religious or not, please recommend them to me! I read the Alchemist after it was suggested here, so very keen to know if AN has anything more for me!