"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."

The Idiot

Fyodor Dostoevsky

"The Idiot" is an outstanding novel and a precious accomplishment. The story is beautifully written and it makes you think. Prince Myshkin is the main character of this novel. He is pure, honest, naive and simple-hearted. His soul is childish and very innocent. He doesn't belong to the world of his peers. All the characters in this novel are wandering in dark and they care only for money and prominence. He doesn't see evil and he doesn't participate in it, he alone stands against the forces of darkness. There is a kind of indescribable clarity in his soul that is unattainable and original to others and it emerges different kind of feelings in them to the point that they call him an idiot. The story is a conflict between despair and hope and darkness and light. Prince believes that beauty saves the world, but unfortunately beauty is not enough to save the world. There are many notable thoughts in this story that Dostoyevsky expresses through his Idiot hero. This book is really worth reading. "It wasn't the New World that mattered, Columbus died almost without seeing it and not really knowing what he had discovered. It's life that matters, nothing but life, the process of discovering, the everlasting and perpetual process, not the discovery itself, at all."

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

I think this book deserves its fame. It's very well written and it's sprinkled with humour which makes it very appealing. All the main characters of the novel are adorable, especially the narrator 6-years old Scout Finch. The novel is showing the impact of the racism in America through the eyes of the narrator. This book is very well constructed and there are two stories that are going in parallel. The only thing I didn't like that much, was the ending. Overall, the book is pretty interesting and it is a complete page-turner

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

East of Eden was my first Steinbeck and certainly it will not be the last. This book is extraordinarily and fable, with biblical reference. The story can be considered parallel with the story of Cain and Abel which in my opinion it only adds to its brilliance. The characters of the novel are remarkable, unforgettable, very real and interesting, even the villain of the story; Cathy/Kate. She is perfectly described as a pure evil, infernal woman, which makes her my favourite fictional villain. Steinbeck's portrayal of corruption is thought-provoking. The essence of this novel is saga about good and evil. It's basically the role of choice in human life and how humans have the power to choose between good or evil. Steinbeck draws our attention to the word Timshel which is a Hebrew word that translates to "Thou Mayest", which somehow tells that humans have free will and each individual is accountable for his actions.

Coming Up for Air

George Orwell

There are always some special memories and dreams, deep in your mind that let you come up for air just by thinking about them. But when you finally find out those memories turned to ashes, there will be no air to breathe. This is the story of forty-five-year-old salesman trying to find some joy in life by revisiting his hometown but the sad part is that he can't find any trace of his past and his memories and truth turned out to be very different. This book is realistic and it's very different from his other novels like "Animal Farm" or "1984"

Die Blendung

Elias Canetti

This book is a masterpiece. Peter Kien, is a man with a huge library in his head. He loves his books more than anything in this world and he has a weird phobia of losing his books and this fear grows dramatically to the end. All the characters of this book are weird and unusual and the blindness of the characters of the book with greed and deception has something to do with the name of the book! The whole story is very sad and it has an epic ending. It's one of the best books I've ever read.

Zorba the Greek

Nikos Kazantzakis

This book is about a relationship between an educated young man (The narrator) and Zorba who is an uneducated miner. These two characters are so different, the narrator is very philosophical and well educated, on the one hand, Zorba is romantic, honest and naive. He lives in the moment. He has interesting opinions about life, love, women, god and religious. This book is mostly about how the narrator finds a new taste for life from the experiences that he had with Zorba.

The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

The old man and the sea is one of my favorites. The story literally is about an old man and the sea! but there is much more to the story and only Hemingway can make this simple story to an epic tale in which the simple fisherman is the hero. I really enjoyed reading this book.

When Nietzsche Wept

Irvin D. Yalom

This book was great, not only it had a great storyline but also it was very informative. I found it very enjoyable and from philosophical perspective it was very easy to read and yet informative.

The Three Sisters

Anton Chekhov

The play is about three sisters who live with their brother in a countryside. Throughout the play, they dream of returning to Moscow where they lived before their father died. Each of the characters in the play lives in their own dream and they live in the past or the future rather than in the present. Their happiness is far away in years and they only dream of a better tomorrow. There is no distance between reality and dreams in this play. They are trapped in a life that is nothing but hope and boredom. Reading this play may seem easy, but it's complex in its own way. "The Three Sisters" reminds me of "Waiting for Godot" of Beckett, the absurd waiting for something that never happens.

Educated

Tara Westover

I started to read this book with high expectations but unfortunately I found it mind-numbing. It is very repetitive, report-like and boring. In addition, I think the story is not lucid. Some parts make no sense and they are probably exaggerated. For instance, there is nearly more than one tremendous, fateful accident in each chapter, car crash, gashes, brain damage, Third-degree burns and surprisingly all these life-threatening injuries are cured magically with herbs and home remedies! Lots of details in this book make no sense to me. But, despite all that I do not like about this book, I actually enjoyed reading about Tara's thirst to learn and see how persistent and determined she is. I think the book is succeeded to show the role of education in one's life and how education can raise someone and open her/his eye to the new, logical world

Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett

This book is brilliant. Two men, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot, who never arrives. The endless waiting, which nothing happens. Nothing! and this is the absolute beauty of this play. Samuel Beckett talks to you in a very strange, perfect way that just leaves you speechless at the end. We're all waiting for Godot, aren't we?

Madame Bovary

Flaubert, Gustave

It is a story of a woman "Emma", wife of Monsieur Bovary; who is a mediocre doctor. She is not satisfied with her ordinary and quiet life. She makes a lot of mistakes and the story is about her mistakes. Finally, her decisions have an impact on the life of her entire family. I think the story was good but very ordinary.

As I Lay Dying

William Faulkner

I think Faulkner has a very unique writing style, which needs some time to get used to it and in my opinion "As I Lay Dying" is a good choice to start with Faulkner. The sentences were sometimes confusing and difficult to follow. It takes time for the reader to catch the story which is narrated by different characters and each chapter is told from each character's perspective. However, once I got used to the style, I couldn't put it down