" Death in Venice " by Thomas Mann. He is a master of capturing the darker side of the human soul and the disintegration of Venice as cholera hits.
“The Life Before Us” by Romain Gary. A haunting story of alienation, rejection and unlikely love between two people.
“In Search of Lost Time” by Marcel Proust. All the workings of memory that he describes are reflected in the writing itself. I’m in awe of its scope.
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It reflects a time when it was impossible to distinguish between truth and lies.
“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It’s about the issues we all face every day: love, friendship, loyalty and finding a safe place.
A Certified Important Book you’ve never read: “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy. We’re all products of the time we live in and its political events, so I’d like to read it … but it’s just so long.
A book you’d like to share with your children: “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson. It’s a letter from an aging father to his young son. And it contains all these brilliant ruminations on life, love, religion, friendship and space. And the writing is absolutely crystalline and gorgeous.
