*The Ballad of the Sad Caf� - by Carson McCullers
This is a short story. I honestly don't wish this to happen to anyone but here goes the story line : a cross-eyed woman (Miss Amelia) gets the love of the Mister Love of her tiny village lost in the US. They get married and she rejects him during the wedding night and after many attempts to get her love back the poor borken-hearted bloke leaves the town. Years go by, Miss Amelia becomes rich and respected for her nursing skills. Someday a stranger comes into town: a haunchback claiming kinship to Miss Amelia. He settles in her house and Miss Amelia falls in love with him (Cousin Lymon). Time passes and Miss Amelia's ex-husband returns to town and ... Cousin Lymon falls in love with him ! Ok I won't say anymore, read it: it's interesting ! The author's got a pretty unusual kind of writing... There is a very interesting and original description of love, in terms of "lover" and "beloved" . And those who expect this to be a romantic kind of story are all wrong : No romance at all !
* The Great Gatsby - by F. Scott Fitzegerald
I hated this at first, but the more I think about it, the more I study it, the more interesting I find it. Jay Gatsby. This man is in love with this rich girl and builds a fortune and a fancy world to impress her and take her from her husband, sure that she's never loved anyone else but himself. The time they had together haunts him and he holds on to his dream, to the image of her that he has and when he finalle gets back in touch with her : big disillusion, she doesn't live up to his dream. There are many themes in the novel, as well as historical references. But it's this aspect of the story that strikes me. I'm a bit of a Jay Gatsby I think. Except he is a loser, and I hope I won't lose !
*Cent �lephants sur un brin d'herbe - by the Dala� Lama
This is the French title but there must be an English translation probably called " A Hundreds elephants on one blade of grass" . It actually is a selection of the Dala� Lama's most interesting speeches. This book is at very easy to read and if like me you are not very familiar to Buddhism, then it's really the one book to read to understand that philosophy and vision of the world. This man is extremely intelligent, he really is worth listening and I wish more people listened to him, because as he says, it doesn't matter the religion , the race, the culture, we are all part of the Human family and ought to live in peace together. You will also learn about the technics of meditation and the Buddhist thought. Even if I am still very much a Catholic, this book taught me something I very strongly recommand it, it's a master piece. I so want to send a copy of it Gorge Bush and Bin Laden right now !
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