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 2022
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Nation, Society: Education, Self Discovery, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Free verse, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, History: African , African American Literature, History: World
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Children's Literature, History: World
Publication year 1743
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Satire, British Literature, Georgian Era, Education, Education, History: World, Humor, Classic Fiction
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Ancient Greece, Italian Literature, Classical Period, History: World, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Language, Society: Community, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, Class, Arts / Culture, Depression / Suicide, Relationships, French Literature
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery was published in 2006 and translated by Alison Anderson into English for publication in 2008. The novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and was a major bestseller in France. The novel was adapted into a film called The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) in 2009 to critical acclaim. The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the narrative point of view of two erudite narrators: Renée, a concierge... Read The Elegance of the Hedgehog Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Romance, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams
Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Humor, Children's Literature
Publication year 1908
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Existentialism
Publication year 1752
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Language, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1985
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Climate, Values/Ideas: Literature, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Lyric Poem, Religion / Spirituality, Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Historical Fiction, Victorian Period, British Literature, Race / Racism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy, Humor
Frogs is an ancient Athenian comic play by Aristophanes (446-386 B.C.E.). It was first performed in 405 B.C.E. for the Lenaia, an annual sacred festival held in January in honor of the god Dionysus. According to ancient sources, Frogs (which won first prize) was held in such high regard that it was honored with a second production, an unusual event since comedies and tragedies were produced for competition at sacred festivals and rarely staged again... Read The Frogs Summary
Publication year 1962
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Gender / Feminism, Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Post Modernism, British Literature, Depression / Suicide, Love / Sexuality, Mental Illness, Relationships, Cold War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World
Considered the most influential of Doris Lessing’s many novels, The Golden Notebook explores the development of a young writer. Anna Wulf has published one novel, Frontiers of War, to great acclaim, but she now finds herself uncomfortable with what she sees as its sentimentality and romanticization of war. Thus, she remains mired in a kind of writer’s block. She still writes in her notebooks, but she cannot bring herself to return to writing novels—especially in... Read The Golden Notebook Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Climate, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Climate Change, Science / Nature, Politics / Government, History: World
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: War, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World
Written in epistolary form, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a historical novel set during the German Occupation of the English Channel Islands during World War II (WWII). The novel was co-written by Mary Ann Shaffer, an editor, librarian, and bookshop clerk, and her niece, Annie Barrows, author of the Ivy and Bean children’s books series. Shaffer began writing the novel, but when she was diagnosed with cancer she requested Barrows’s help... Read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Jewish Literature, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
The History of Love (2005) is a novel by American writer Nicole Krauss. The book, Krauss’s second novel, was awarded the 2008 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and was a finalist for the 2006 Orange Prize for Fiction. It is a novel about the intersection of love, loneliness, language, and literature, as three characters are connected by a mysterious book called The History of Love. The novel plays with postmodern techniques like fragmentation and... Read The History of Love Summary
Publication year 1977
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Latin American Literature, Poverty, Gender / Feminism, Existentialism, History: World, Classic Fiction
Clarice Lispector’s novel The Hour of the Star was originally published in Portuguese as A hora da estrela, by The Heirs in 1977. New Directions Paperbook published the original English translation of the novel in 1992. The novel is Lispector’s final publication during her life; her novel A Breath of Life was published posthumously. The Hour of the Star is set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and follows the first-person narrator, Rodrigo S. M., as... Read The Hour of the Star Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction
The Hours is a 1998 novel by the American author Michael Cunningham. It is an homage to Virginia Woolf’s 1923 novel Mrs. Dalloway (of which the working title was “The Hours”). Mimicking Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness narrative style, Cunningham re-situates her characters and themes within a modern context, making them his own. The story follows three different women, in three different decades, affected by Mrs. Dalloway over the course of one June day in each of their... Read The Hours Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Literature, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Grief / Death, Addiction / Substance Abuse
Publication year 1982
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: Politics & Government, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, History: World, Fantasy
The House of the Spirits (1982) is Chilean writer Isabel Allende’s debut novel. The family saga follows the journey of the Trueba family across three generations. Set in an unnamed Latin American country (widely believed to be Chile), the family’s journey is interwoven with the sociopolitical history of their nation and the events that unfold over the span of half a century.Isabel Allende is one of the world’s most widely read Spanish-language authors. First published... Read The House of the Spirits Summary