Art

From Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita to Raven Leilani's Luster, the texts in this collection investigate themes related to the power and promise of many types of art — from the written word to visual arts such as painting and cinema.

Knife

by Salman Rushdie

Publication year 2024

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Perseverance, Love, Self Discovery, Community, Globalization, Art, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Indian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychology, Psychology, Biography

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Know My Name: A Memoir

by Chanel Miller

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Gender Identity, Art

Tags Crime & Law, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Biography

Published in 2019, Chanel Miller’s Know My Name: A Memoir is her first book. A harrowing account of surviving rape and reclaiming identity, Miller’s memoir documents her 2015 rape at Stanford University and its aftermath. A New York Times bestselling author, Miller provides a raw yet hopeful examination of sexual assault. Through the intersections of gender, race, and class, Miller, who is Chinese American, explores society’s treatment of survivors. Ultimately, Miller offers a hopeful journey... Read Know My Name: A Memoir Summary

Landscape with Invisible Hand

by M. T. Anderson

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Equality, Love, Truth & Lies, Social Class, Economics, Art

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Satirical Literature, Relationships, Agriculture, Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Social Class, Finance, Food, Health, US History, Politics & Government, Poverty, Religion & Spirituality, Social Justice

Landscape with Invisible Hand is a satirical dystopian science fiction novel by M. T. Anderson, written for a young adult audience. A diverse author, Anderson writes both fiction and nonfiction for people of all ages. In 2023, Landscape with Invisible Hand was adapted for film, reflecting the novel’s popularity and relevance. The book depicts a future world in which an alien species, the vuvv, have sold their technology to humans, causing the collapse of the... Read Landscape with Invisible Hand Summary

Leather & Lark

by Brynne Weaver

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Death, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Art, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Leonardo Da Vinci

by Walter Isaacson

Publication year 2017

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Art

Tags Arts & Culture, Biography, European History

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson is a 2017 biography that examines the life, mind, and legacy of one of history’s most celebrated polymaths. Isaacson—an acclaimed biographer and former editor of Time magazine—brings a blend of journalistic storytelling and scholarly research to his portrayal of Leonardo. Known for his best-selling works on figures like Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin, Isaacson turns his attention here to the archetype of Renaissance genius, emphasizing the human... Read Leonardo Da Vinci Summary

Letters to a Young Poet

by Rainer Maria Rilke

Publication year 1929

Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Literature, Beauty, Language

Tags Inspirational, Arts & Culture, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Letters to a Young Poet is a collection of 10 letters written by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke to Franz Xaver Kappus, from February 1903 to December 1908. In an introduction to the book, Kappus describes how he came to begin his correspondence with Rilke. At the time, Kappus was a 19-year-old student at an Austrian military school. Though Kappus was set to become a military officer, he held aspirations of instead becoming a... Read Letters to a Young Poet Summary

Liars

by Sarah Manguso

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Midlife, Self Discovery, Art, Literature

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism

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Lolita

by Vladimir Nabokov

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Good & Evil, Art

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Satirical Literature, Realism, Russian Literature, World History, Romance

Lolita, a novel by Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov, was published in 1955 in Paris. American publishing companies refused to publish the novel due to its scandalous plot, but the book was considered a classic almost instantly. In 1967, the novel was finally published in America and, since then, Lolita has appeared on several lists of the greatest English-language and American novels of all time. The novel blends genres, offering readers elements of romance, erotica, and... Read Lolita Summary

Lorne

by Susan Morrison

Publication year 2025

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Teamwork, Community, Politics & Government, Art, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags US History, Arts & Culture

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Lost Horizon

by James Hilton

Publication year 1933

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Race, Politics & Government, War, Art, Literature

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Travel Literature

Lost Horizon by James Hilton is a utopian novel that introduces the fictional setting of Shangri-La, which would feature in several later utopian works of fiction by other writers. Originally published in 1933, the book was adapted for the screen in 1937 and 1973, as well as for television in 1997. The novel won the Hawthornden Prize, a cash prize awarded for imaginative fiction, and it became an international bestseller under Pocket Books, sometimes credited... Read Lost Horizon Summary

Loving Frank

by Nancy Horan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fame, Beauty, Art, Self Discovery, Marriage, Family, Daughters & Sons, Femininity, Love, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Arts & Culture

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MaddAddam

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Art, Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, Family, Hope, Environment, Future

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Margaret Atwood’s novel MaddAddam, published in 2013, completes her post-apocalyptic MaddAddam trilogy that begins with Oryx and Crake (2003) and continues with The Year of the Flood (2009). The trilogy takes place in the aftermath of a destroyed technological dystopia, a world in which corporations have totalitarian control. Atwood, an award-winning Canadian author, has been a prolific writer of poetry, short stories, novels, and many other forms since the early 1960s. She is known for... Read MaddAddam Summary