The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton
Merton himself was an interesting man. He was a twentieth century Roman Catholic monk whose writings became very popular even among nonreligious readers.
Edgar Allan Poe: Stories and Poems
Poe shared with Nathaniel Hawthorne a distinctively American vision of darkness. And yet this vision was rendered artfully, not in a merely negative or pessimistic manner.
“Helena” by Evelyn Waugh
Published in 1950, it concerns the titular empress and saint, who lived during the 200s and 300s A.D. and was the mother of Constantine the Great.
“Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton
But for me, Wharton’s rendering of this material transcends any of its shortcomings. Even the depressing elements attain a grim beauty (Ethan’s search for Mattie after their failed suicide is a heartbreaking example).
“The Gulag Archipelago” by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
In short: “What does this have to do with the world that I know?” But after delving into it, I came to realize just how relevant it is; and not only in the negative sense.
The Less You Know About History…
I love history. Like the Bible, it’s a fascinating read about people you may or may not have heard of but who came, saw, and conquered or perhaps were conquered.
“The Big Sleep” by Raymond Chandler
Evil is vividly depicted in “The Big Sleep”, but the author never lapses into excess. The result is a very enjoyable read, even for readers who are not big fans of mystery or detective fiction.
Why One Should Listen to Their Dreams
But it was only after I began to write stories, a children’s book, and then a book featuring teenagers for adult consumption did I realize that maybe I hadn’t followed my own advice. Perhaps the adage, follow your dreams meant something completely different.
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The story as a whole is consistently compelling; it is witty, thoughtful, and in the end quite moving.
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
“The Brothers Karamazov”, Dostoyevsky’s last novel (1880), is generally considered to be his masterpiece. Its central theme is arresting and provocative: if there is no God and no life beyond this life, then morality is non-existent; ANYTHING goes.
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