Adam

What would you do if you had a box that not only made everything better, but had the power to destroy whatever you wanted. Would you use it or would you hide it from yourself? Great Novella and Highly recommend.

The story of an Ape who transformed himself into a man.

The Metamorphosis is a classic piece of horror by German author Franz Kafka. Well written story about how a family deals with a horror in the family.

Was Franz Kafka writing about his own life when he wrote this? A Hunger Artist is his last work and he died shortly after editing it.

This is a story of a man who lives his life in the moment through suffering. While he suffers he's given great attention. While he physically starves himself, the world feeds his ego. Until they don't, and he has forgotten how to stop suffering.

Lee Child is one of my favorite authors and I've read everything he's written. Saying that, I'm only giving this book 3 stars. The reacher series is second only to the Mitch Rapp series but this particular book seems a bit contrived and formulaic based on his other books. Maybe I've read too many of his books and just have his style down. Highly recommend for anyone not overly familiar with his writing style though.

Not his best, but good.

Excellent biography about the 10 years that Earnest spent in Key West while writing 7 of his novels.

Spiegelman's rendition of his Fathers holocaust story through a graphic novel form. The use of imagery in some mundane scenes really struck me. (Like the holocaust tattoo on his fathers arm in the first panel.) The characters are mice, which plays into the jewish narrative of needing to hide and and only going out at night. If you enjoy history AND comic art, then you'll want to read Maus.

This epic poem reads like a who's who of literary canon. Probably the most symbolic poem in literature, TS references hundreds of famous works through symbology. Eliot's poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with vignettes of contemporary British society. I love the first line.
“April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.”

I've read all of Kahlil Gibran's writing and this is by far (in my opinion) his best. Kahlil intones that there are 7 masks that we wear. Our out garment that we show the world. But the true self, the self without the masks is the madman. We are all madmen. This is a quick but deep read and well worth your time and attention.

The nameless city takes place in the desert sands of Arabia and is considered on of Lovecraft's first Cthulhu iterations.

Originally available only through online download.

An epic poem by the latin authorist Virgil. For the uninitiated, this can be a hard read but worth it.

The inspiration for this book came to Stephen when he and Tabitha were staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. The Stanley was also the inspiration for his novel The Shining. There is a small pet cemetery behind the Stanley, and yes, it's a creepy place.

A post-apocalyptic masterpiece.

A classic and must read by any standard. Walt Whitman portrays life through his perception. Often flowery and sometimes verbose, this is a classic poet.

Based on his time staying at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. King was living and teaching in Boulder, Co. and he and Tabitha decided to spend a week at the historical hotel “up the hill” from Boulder. Trail Ridge Road was closed for the season and the Stanley (at that point in time) shut down for the winter. The Kings were the last ones staying in the hotel and Stephen roamed the halls and rooms while coming up with the story for The Shining.

The Messiah's Handbook rom Illusions. The book that changed my life for the better as a teen.

An interesting but slow read. Buffalo Bill was a bit on the self-effacing side and didn't give himself enough credit. An interesting look at lore versus reality.

This is actually the first novella of five in the Licensed to Thrill saga that Diane Capri wrote about author Lee Childs' character Jack Reacher. I've read all five of them in a package download on Amazon and they total the approximate length of a full novel. Apparently, Diane and Lee were haveing a conversation and she asked Lee “Where do you think Jack is, in between the adventures in your book?”

This is her attempt to tell Reachers story between Childs books. Her books are more about the team of FBI agents looking for him than it is about Reacher himself.

If you're looking for a Lee Child type of writing, this is not it.

The Canterbury Tales are a series of ancient stories that are written as if the author were on a journey. A good look into ancient history.

The first (and one of the best) book in the Dark Tower series.

Good intermediate primer on Stoicism. From my notes:

Virtue (Is the highest and only good)
• Wisdom
• Justice
• Courage
• Moderation

Vice (Is the lowest and only evil)
• Folly
• Intemperance
• Cowardice
• Injustice

Logic
• Rhetoric
• Dialectic
Ethics
• Passion
o Delight
o Grief
o Desire
o Fear
Physic
• Active
o Reason
• Passive
o Matter
♣ That out of which anything is produced

The protagonist finds out something about his family he doesn't want to know, by attending an ancient ritual. Or does he?