Black Rain
Masuji Ibuse
The novel is based on historical records of the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Reading
City on the Edge of Forever
Harlan Ellison
The initial Star Trek episode as intended and not the one aired.
Why I Live at the PO
Eudora Welty
a first-person narrative that revolves around the character known as Sister. She recounts the events leading up to her decision to leave her family home.
The Cyberiad
Stanislaw Lem
_The Cyberiad_ are the stories of Trurl and Klapaucius, master inventors and engineers known as “constructors,” who have created marvels for kingdoms.
Ragtime
E.L. Doctorow
_Ragtime_ combines fictional narratives with real-life events, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Think Zelig.
Intimations
Zadie Smith
The essays in "Intimations" touch on a range of topics, including the impact of the pandemic, racial injustice, social inequality, and the role of art in times of crisis.
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
Santiago's journey takes him from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a hidden treasure.
The History of Rasselas
Samuel Johnson
Rasselas enlists the help of an artist who is also known as an engineer to help with his escape from the Valley
The Silmarillion
J.R.R. Tolkien
There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made.
My Wicked, Wicked Ways
Errol Flynn
Known to millions as the preeminent swashbuckler of the silver screen, Errol Flynn was a complex man who lived a life far more adventurous than any of his films.
White Noise
Don DeLillo
Professor Jack Gladney teaches Hitler studies at a small liberal arts college in rural New York…
William Trevor's Last Stories
William Trevor
The story about the piano teacher has stayed and will stay with me for a while…
Year of the Monkey
Patti Smith
a collection of reality-blended fictional picaresque essays that only Patti Smith can write… totally my jam
Humboldt's Gift
Saul Bellow
explores the changing relationship between art and power in a materialist America. This theme is addressed through the contrasting careers of two writers…
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain
George Saunders
Close readings of a selection of Russian short stories
Design for the Real World
Victor Papanek
Papanek examines the attempts by designers to combat the tawdry, the unsafe, and the frivolous.
The Sportswriter
Richard Ford
As a sportswriter, Frank Bascombe makes his living studying people—men, mostly—who live entirely within themselves.
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
Delmore Schwartz
Readers as diverse as TS Eliot and Lou Reed appreciated Delmore Schwartz's work.