Books & Literature

The Dutch philosopher Erasmus said, “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.” Why do we value books and literature so highly? This thematic collection gathers books that offer unique insights into the power, energy, and appeal of, well, books!

Publication year 1968

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Nation, Appearance & Reality, Literature

Tags Arts & Culture, US History, American Literature, Vietnam War, Journalism, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Slouching Towards Bethlehem is Joan Didion’s 1968 collection of essays that document her experiences living in California from 1961 to 1967. It is her first collection of nonfiction (many of the pieces originally appeared in The Saturday Evening Post) and is hailed as a seminal document of culture and counterculture in 1960s California. Didion’s style was part of what Tom Wolfe called “New Journalism,” which emphasized the search for meaning over the reporting of facts... Read Slouching Towards Bethlehem Summary

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Religion & Spirituality, Art, Gender Identity, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Snow is a novel of postmodern literary fiction published in Turkish in 2002 and in English in 2004. Snow won the Le Prix Médicis étranger award for the best foreign novel in France. The author, Orhan Pamuk, won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature and was the youngest person ever to receive this award. Pamuk was born in Istanbul in 1952 and grew up in Nişantaşı, Turkey. He studied architecture and journalism, only to decide... Read Snow Summary

Publication year 1924

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Beauty, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Gender Identity, Food, Place, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Art, Literature

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Poverty

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Aging, Environment, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Plants, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Colonialism, Community, Art, Justice, Literature

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

Solibo Magnificent (1988) is an allegorical detective novel by Martinican author Patrick Chamoiseau. One night during Carnival in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, the master storyteller and charcoal seller, Solibo Magnificent, is telling a story under the tamarind tree when he suddenly falls dead. Police inspectors Bouaffesse and Pilon investigate the suspicious death, but their interrogations of the witnesses reveal more about the life and culture on the island than they do about the circumstances... Read Solibo Magnificent Summary

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Fate, Coming of Age, Literature, The Past, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Perseverance

Tags Philosophy, Scandinavian Literature, Magical Realism, Science & Nature, Sociology, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Sophie's World is a young adult book by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder. The book follows main character Sophie, a young girl who is fourteen years old and living with her parents in Norway. Sophie's life changes dramatically when she receives a series of strange postcards, which ask her large, existential questions about the world around her. Each day, Sophie receives a postcard, and in the evenings she receives a package from a man named Alberto... Read Sophie's World Summary

Publication year 1968

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Grief, Loneliness, Self Discovery, Justice, Literature

Tags Lyric Poem

Publication year 1927

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Masculinity, Mental Health, The Past, Self Discovery, War, Art, Beauty, Literature, Music, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Philosophy, Existentialism, German Literature, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Steppenwolf, originally published in German in 1927, then translated into English in 1929, is the eighth novel published by Swiss German novelist Hermann Hesse. The novel was commercially successful upon publication, and it remains a popular novel to the present day. However, Hesse remarked that whereas his intention was to find humor in life and resist despair, Steppenwolf has often been misunderstood as a glorification of suffering. Much of Hesse’s body of work addresses spiritual... Read Steppenwolf Summary

Publication year 2022

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology, Literature, Education, Mental Health

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health, Science & Nature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Leadership, Psychology, Mental Illness

Publication year 1965

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Literature, Education

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, US History, World History, Classic Fiction

Stoner (1965) by John Williams is a literary fiction novel that tells the story of an average man and highlights how beautiful an average life can be. It concerns a working-class man who becomes a professor in Missouri in post–WWI America. The novel was reissued in 1972, 2003, and 2006. Stoner is an American literary classic detailing the quiet life of an academic and his love of literature. Stoner is an example of the campus... Read Stoner Summary

Publication year 1997

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Appearance & Reality, Language

Tags Arts & Culture, Business & Economics

Publication year 1200

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Fate, Good & Evil

Tags Mythology, Narrative Poem, History: African , African Literature

Sundiata (also known as Sunjata) is an epic poem of the West African Mandinka (or Malinke) people. There is no single definitive source or version of this story, which originated in oral traditions of the 13th century and was passed down by griots, Mandinka poet-historians and regal advisors. Sundiata is a quasi-mythological biography of King Sundiata Keita, who founded the Mali Empire, which lasted from 1235 to 1400. The poem is also a central cultural... Read Sundiata (Sunjata) Summary

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Nation, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Relationships, Arts & Culture, European History, Politics & Government, British Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Romance

Sweet Tooth is a 2012 novel by Ian McEwan. Set in the 1970s, it tells the story of one woman’s involvement with MI5 and the world of literature. Themes include the balance of power, navigating lies and deceit, and conditional versus unconditional acceptance.Plot SummarySerena Frome grows up in a small, uninteresting English city. In the 1960s, her mother encourages her to study mathematics at Cambridge University even though Serena (a keen reader) would rather study... Read Sweet Tooth Summary

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, War, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Language, Literature, Family

Tags Middle Eastern History, Military & War, Education, Education, World History, Arts & Culture, Biography

In her memoir, Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood (2007), Palestinian-American author and poet Ibtisam Barakat describes her early childhood in Palestine during the Six-Day War of 1967 and the life-changing effects that follow this pivotal event. Combining richly descriptive prose and free-verse poetry, Ibtisam shares often painful memories of childhood losses, from her home and sense of security to her childhood innocence. Writing from a child’s perspective, Ibtisam transcends politics to poignantly highlight how... Read Tasting the Sky Summary