Hermann Hesse picks on the reader in The Glass Bead Game. He finds himself writing of Magister Ludi Joseph Knecht, trying to translate to the reader Knecht’s struggles, which seem so pleasantly confronted. The tribulations Knecht endures stir a sense of envy in the reader for the person reading this book likely handles his personal quarrels with much less intelligent resolve and with much less learned patience. But Knecht didn’t have to learn as much as most people do anyway, because after all he was a natural member of the …

The book begins unusually for a biography: London is 40 and dying, plus we’re thrown into this story as if it is a work of fiction, in the present tense and following London through his routine. “Once a ‘blonde beast’ with the face and body of a ‘Greek god’, he is not yet forty but feels like an old man..

Demian is a story about a different kind whose intellect is brighter and whose vision is uncanny…an intriguing novel by Herman Hesse.

Something I find rather disturbing about Hayworth’s account of Kafka’s life is the reader never learns why Kafka has been given so much attention. I suppose he figures we’ll be our own judge of his writings, which I admire, but I’m still curious about the opinions of the more literary. So what is it about Kafka that interests?

Siphowo Mahala kick starts Fairleigh Dickinson’s “Africa Calling Literary Review”. His story, entitled, “The Suit Continued”, details a troubled affair a man is having with a woman. The story is told from the cheating man’s perspective. He, like most cheating men, attempts to justify his actions in this story.

In 328 pages, Shimon Gibson explains John the Baptist’s existence through finds at an archaeological site as well as through other “finds” contributed by people claiming to have a literal piece of John.

In “Drown,” by Junot Diaz the story begins by telling of Yunior’s childhood, ending it with a description of Yunior’s father’s confusing life, a life that brought seemingly little success to the immigrant. He was caught between the dream and reality.

Sherry Argov has accomplished something very rare to the human race, a guidebook specifically designed to help transform women from “doormats to dream girls.” Why Men Love Bitches has become a national bestseller, giving a fresh insight into the dos and don’ts of a relationship.

Andy Karr provides examples to prove his points. He tries putting the reader in a number of hypothetical situations, and when he actually does this, his message is interpreted more clearly. Unfortunately, too often his pretend scenarios are absent.
As the book begins, Karr has us in the forest, differentiating between ropes and snakes, playing that game where we must choose one or the other and then know what our fear was all about after the choice has been made.
Karr makes the reader think, “[Does] everyone [have] to go through a …

How fortunate I am to have read this book two times now. I’d like to predict how many more times I read it, but that’s a difficult number to guess. Autobiographies are fun to read because the reader is able to draw parallels in his life to those of the writer, but most writers write their life stories in an older age. Merton was merely 33.

In “Why the Jews Rejected Jesus,” Klinghoffer discusses Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which was the driving force behind Klinghoffer’s writing of the religious text.

Empire Falls is also relatable to every person who reads it because outsourcing is at its center, and how many people know someone who has been negatively affected by such a practice? Read Empire Falls if you feel you’ve been screwed over by a place to which you’ve been loyal.

“The Making of the Poet” was good for a number of reasons. A creative writer himself, late author Paul Zweig doesn’t write with the dry language of most biographers. His writing is unique and to the point. Dare I say – He cuts the B.S.

An oldie but a goody, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest tells the story of a rebellious patient in a highly structured psych ward.
With a story line that is hard to stop reading, Ken Kesey pulls the reader into a strict setting through the eyes of a chronically ill patient in the psych ward. Through his narration, the monotony and repetition of the schedule makes the reader believe that they are actually in the ward themselves! But the reality of the illnesses and disorders in the ward can be shocking …

Brad Warner plays bass, a refugee from the six string world, as well as that of the world of corporate radio rock. He is a contemplative, never to blindly follow anything or anyone. Some might even call him his own man. I suppose Warner is something a lot of people think about but never step into. Most people seem to find infectious melodies of the radio to be proof enough of the song’s own legitimate existence.
 
As is customary with books of faith, Warner places readers in numerous stories, one of …